Nemaha Natural Resources District officials have announced that most of the Steamboat Trace trail from Nebraska City to Brownville has been reopened.

 Following heavy rains this summer that damaged bridges and deposited sediment and debris on the trail surface, NRD crews have managed to clean up the trail’s rocked surface well enough to allow passage either by bicycle or on foot.

The Nebraska City Planning Commissionl advanced zoning changes to the city council Wednesday that would require hard-surfaced driveways and parking areas for residential areas.

The zoning will impact construction of new driveways and limit the expansion of parking areas for existing households.

A separate city ordinance is proposed to ban parking on surfaces that include dirt, grass or weeds.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services today announced the first round of applicants accepted into the Early Retiree Reinsurance Program.

Pavers Inc. worked by moonlight Tuesday to finish an asphalt overlay on Nebraska City’s busiest street.

The new asphalt stretches two blocks from First Corso to First Avenue. It includes new sidewalks for decorative crosswalks that will be installed later.

Joe J. Cool entered guilty pleas Tuesday to first degree sexual assault of a Lincoln boy and possession of child pornography at his Palmyra residence.

Otoe County Attorney David Partsch and Public Defender Michael Ziskey told District Judge Randall Rehmeier they would jointly recommend a sentence of 20 years in prison for Cool, 39, formerly known as Brent Wheatley.

Gina Travis says she’s really nothing like Nancy Drew, the mystery-solving girl detective created by the Hardy Boys author in 1930.

Sure, she surmised she must look a little like the strawberry blond, blue-eyed character introduced by author Edward Stratemeyer, and she drove, of course, a similar blue sports car, but Nancy Drew was much braver.

“Nancy was bold. She wasn’t afraid to go anywhere or talk to anyone,” Travis said.

Otoe County 4-H and FFA livestock brought $116,112 at auction Thursday accounting for a donation of $54,824 above the market price.

The 4-H grand champion market lamb shown by Paige Heng brought $1,292 by itself.

“I was shocked,” said Heng, who showed sheep for her fourth year. “A normal price at the fair is $2 or $3 per pound, so I was very happy when I heard the bid at $9,” she said.

Video>>> After a nearly unbroken string of dominance that spans 50 years at the Otoe County fair’s 4-H market beef show, livestock judge Corey Thomsen surveyed another selection of the powerful, commercially-attractive crossbred steers.

In their midst Lisa Niedermeyer showed a Hereford that represented the best of the British breeds.

The 4-H and FFA grand champion market hogs at this year’s fair were born under careful watch at the exhibitors’ farms.

Connor Schomerus, the junior showman champion from the Better Ba-C’s 4-H club, showed the grand champion hog for the second consecutive year.

Extreme Heat Warnings pose a threat to all ages and all walks of life including construction workers, preseason athletes, and commuters.

The Nebraska City Planning Commission voted unanimously Thursday against recommending Mayor Jack Hobbie’s proposal for downtown zoning to the city council.

City planners urged the mayor’s downtown maintenance and style committee to remove language from the proposed ordinance that would require preservation of window space on existing buildings, but the mayor asked that the requirements remain.

Nebraska City Tourism and Commerce has organized the first Good Wood Barbecue Challenge as part of an event weekend that includes the annual Lemon Days sales event and Wine Under the Pines.

The Avenue Grill and Lady Bug BBQ of Nebraska City and Smokestack Bar-B-Q of Bellevue are scheduled to compete from noon to 7 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 7, at Kimmel Orchard.

A Nehawka woman returned to the Union Street Dance Saturday night after emergency responders performed CPR to revive her twice.

Linda Field, 51, of Nehawka said she had spent about an hour at the street dance with friends and was walking near the village park when she  collapsed.

The first cases of West Nile virus have been reported to the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services.

A Missouri woman planning to open a gift shop in Nebraska City this summer said her lease on a downtown building was pulled after the Nebraska City News-Press reported that she would be selling K2.

Pam Weber, who runs Scentsational Scents by Pam in Kansas City, Mo., said the building owner did not feel comfortable with her business after reading the newspaper story.

Construction crews took advantage of the cool morning temperatures across Nebraska City Thursday to slice through cement, load bricks, form sidewalks and repair walls.

Rupert Construction used a saw to cut through asphalt and brick to expose spots of the Central Avenue substreet and TAB Construction used a skidloader with hammer to punch holes in the First Corso sidewalk.

Former Nebraska City stockbroker Rebecca Engle is asking the district court to move her trial elsewhere claiming she can not get a fair trial  here.

Engle, 55, is also asking the court to dismiss three of the eight counts charging her with securities fraud involving the start-up Florida companies American Capital Corporation and Royal Palm.

With Missouri’s ban looming on a synthetic marijuana substance called K2,  the owner of Scentsational Scents by Pam in Kansas City, Mo., is planning to branch out to Nebraska City.

Pam Weber hopes to open Scents by Pam at 104 S. 12th St. prior to Sept. 1. The gift shop will sell perfume, body oils, oil burners, incense and novelties.
It will also sell K2, a chemical substance purported to mimic the effects of THC, the active ingredient in marijuana.

The Nebraska City Public Schools Board of Education will meet this evening at 6 p.m. at Second Avenue School.  The agenda includes an update on the building projects.  The Finance Committee will make recommendations to the Board in regards to alternatives for the Northside and Hayward building projects.

Three dog owners told the Nebraska City Parks Advisory Committee last week they would like to pursue establishing a dog park at Wildwood Park.

Debra Kuhn, organizer of the Rotary Club’s Paws for a Cause fundraiser, and co-workers Stephanie Farmer and Charlotte O’Brien of the Ambassador presented the idea.