Wildfires are continuing to impact Nebraska. The largest of a series of wildfires in central and western Nebraska, the Morrill Fire, has burned more than 642-thousand acres and is 98 percent contained. The Cottonwood Fire has burned more than 128-thousand acres and is 96 percent contained. The fires have burned more than 800-thousand acres across the state and left one person dead.
State and federal officials are getting a first-hand look at the impact of the Morrill Fire. U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins was joined by officials including Governor Jim Pillen in viewing the fire damage from the air yesterday. Rollins also met with first responders and affected residents and noted that the USDA and Trump administration are coordinating support for impacted communities.
A crash is to blame for a power outage in Omaha. The crash took place yesterday afternoon along Ames Avenue, between 60th and 61st streets, and left a power pole snapped. More than 300 Omaha Public Power District customers were left without service as a result of the crash and outage.
The FBI Omaha Field Office is encouraging residents and businesses to improve their cybersecurity. The agency has launched Operation Winter Shield. The program is a 10-step plan that includes cycling out old technology, updating software, restricting access to passwords, and installing anti-phishing authentication in an effort to prevent cyberbreaches.
As this year's session of the Iowa Legislature continues, three bills addressing property taxes in Iowa still remain. The property tax bills all survived last Friday's second and final funnel deadline of the legislative session. One from the Iowa House, one from the Senate, and one from the Governor, passed last Friday's second and final funnel deadline of this year's legislative session.
The Greg McDermott era at Creighton University is over. The university announced yesterday that the Bluejays' longtime head men's basketball coach is retiring. McDermott led Creighton to 10 NCAA Tournament appearances in 16 years and is the school's all-time wins leader with 365.
The founder of Boys Town is one step closer to becoming a saint. Pope Leo the Fourteenth has officially bestowed Father Edward Flanagan the title of "Venerable Servant of God." The Archdiocese of Omaha first put Flanagan for consideration for sainthood in 2012.