A new series of wildfires are impacting Nebraska. At least eight reported wildfires broke out in central Nebraska yesterday afternoon. One of the largest blazes, the Taber Rec Fire, has burned an estimated four-thousand acres one mile north of Highway 12 in Knox County.
Evacuations are ordered following a wildfire in Grant County. The Grant County Sheriff's Office issued the evacuation order yesterday telling residents to evacuate Whitman and head to the Grant County Courthouse in Hyannis. The fire was reported about two-and-a-half miles southeast of Highway Two and Corrothers Avenue.
Dawson County is seeing a dramatic increase in its unemployment rate. The county's unemployment rate increased from three-point-four percent in January to 16-point-nine percent in February following the closure of the county's Tyson plant. Tyson laid off more than three-thousand people at its plant in Dawson County earlier this year.
Nebraska's unemployment rate is on the rise. The state's jobless rate for February was three-point-one percent, which is up from three percent in January. The national unemployment rate is four-point-four percent.
The Iowa House passed a version of the property tax reform bill on Wednesday. The proposal passed on a vote of 64-23.The legislation would restrict local governments from collecting more than two-percent in property tax revenue annually. The bill will now be negotiated by the Senate and face final approval by Governor Kim Reynolds.
Iowans may soon be able to travel faster on some state roadways. A bill is heading to the governor's desk that would raise the state's speed limit on highways from 55 miles-per-hour to 60.If signed, the change would take effect July 1. It would not increase Iowa's interstate speed limit of 70 miles-per-hour.
Construction of the Omaha Streetcar is continuing. Crews are replacing water and sewer lines before the new track is installed. A temporary pedestrian bridge is being added at 10th and Capitol Avenue to accommodate crowds during the upcoming Berkshire Hathaway shareholders meeting. The streetcar line is scheduled to open in 2028.