News

NORTHPLATTE,NE––Ahandson workshop will be held Monday, January 19, from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. at the West Central Research, Extension and Education Center to help landowners and producers tackle the spread of cedar trees.

RAPID CITY, SD, Dec. 22, 2025 – Santa brought an early Christmas gift to Black Hills Life Flight air medical service—an upgraded PC-12/47 NG fixed wing plane! Based in Rapid City, the crew will use this asset to transport patients needing to go farther distances for higher-level medical care or in weather conditions unsuitable for the program’s helicopters in Rapid City and Hot Springs.

For many past years, I have yet to follow through with New Year’s resolutions and like most of you, they usually entail losing weight, getting in better physical shape, adhere to a budget, and the usual things we all intend to do. One thing that tops my list each year is to clean my basement and “thin out” a lot of excess items. As you can imagine, none of this gets done and year after year my resolutions are repeated to no avail. With the help of a thing called fate, or perhaps just bad luck, one continued resolution got fulfilled.

Lincoln, NE — A confirmed measles case in Platte County has been reported to the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services. The patient is an unvaccinated child with an out-of-state travel history in Arizona. Due to privacy, no further individual information will be provided. Individuals present at the following public locations on the indicated dates and times may have been exposed to measles and should visit and fill out the risk assessment survey at the following link: https://epi-dhhs.ne.gov/redcap/ surveys/?s=CHAJNT3C9L9NEEY3

Janel and Jen Schubauer, Jason and Lizzie Schubauer and girls, and Jean Burge traveled to Longview, TX to attend the wedding of Alex Schubauer and Molli Weeks, which was held December 29. Other Schubauer family members attending were Tayler and JayLynn Schubauer, Neal and Toni Schubauer and their daughters, Liz, and Courtney and her husband John; Brian and Char Schubauer and Bailey, and Chuck and Joy (Schubauer) Gess. Former Valentine residents, and friends of Alex who attended included Dustin and Alexis McCormick and daughter Ivy; Jeff and Alison Borer, Taylor McPeak and Jacob Tehrani. I anticipated warm Texas weather, but the wedding day was a cool 46, but lots of warm hearts made up for it. Alex and Molli reside in Omaha, where both are employed with the school system.

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I hope you all had a blessed and fulfilling holiday season. School is back in session and winter sports are going into full swing. This mild weather is throwing everyone off. The youngsters are thrilled to enjoy outdoor fun without question; the elders are insisting we must pay for this, and will likely have six feet of snow for Easter. Time will tell.

Manufacturing Loses Jobs for Ninth Straight Month December 2025 Survey Highlights: • Mid-America Business Conditions Index sank to its lowest level for 2025. • The regional manufacturing sector shed jobs for the ninth straight month.

The new year is upon us, and it’s time to celebrate! For most folks, it’s the time of year that we spend reflecting on the good, the bad, and the ugly from the previous year, and we prepare to “knock the New Year out of the park!” Have you ever wondered how Nebraska conservation officers celebrate the New Year? I’m sure you have visions of officers sitting on a hill overlooking the valley pondering life. Better yet, maybe you think we channel our inner Lorax and bring cake made of acorns to the critters of the wild while stating “unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better.

Lincoln, NE – In the wake of multiple cases of Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) fraud in Nebraska this week, the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) is reminding those with EBT cards to take preventive measures to protect their benefits.