Efforts to contain a series of wildfires in Nebraska is continuing. As of yesterday, the Morrill Fire had burned more than 643-thousand acres and was 100-percent contained. The Cottonwood Fire has burned more than 129-thousand acres and is 98-percent contained. The Road 203 Fire south of Halsey and Dunning has burned more than 35-thousand acres and is 95-percent contained.
Thousands of acres are burned after two wildfires broke out in Grant County. The fires broke out yesterday, burned nearly 50-thousand acres, and led to the temporary evacuations of the villages of Hyannis and Ashby. The evacuation order was lifted yesterday afternoon.
No injuries are reported after a grass fire broke out near Blair. The fire was reported yesterday near County Road P16 and County Road P18, and it burned more than 100 acres. Crews from Tekamah, Bennington, and Irvington helped battle the fire, which took about two hours to extinguish.
A primary budget bill is one step closer to approval by the Nebraska Senate. The measure has advanced to a third round of voting without debate. Three-point-five-million-dollars for private school scholarships was removed from the bill yesterday.
Linn County is approving zoning that would allow Iowa's only nuclear plant to restart. Opinions in nearby Palo are mixed to the Board of Supervisors decision to approve the rezoning. While some residents see an opportunity for more jobs, some are concerned about safety. Electricity generated by the Duane Arnold Nuclear Energy facility is expected to power a planned one-billion-dollar Google data center in Palo.
April is Distracted Driving Awareness Month, and law enforcement across Iowa is ramping up efforts to curb phone use behind the wheel. The Governor's Traffic Safety Bureau says drivers can expect heightened enforcement of the state's Hands-Free Law from April 6th through April 10th. The law, which prohibits holding or manually using a phone while driving, began full enforcement on January 1st.Since then, officers have issued more than 24-hundred citations and over 19-hundred warnings to drivers across the state.
The magical Huskers mens’ basketball season came to an end last night in Houston. In an all-Big Ten Sweet 16 matchup, the Iowa Hawkeyes prevailed, 77-71, to advance to the South regional final.