On Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2020 seventeen (17) new cases of COVID-19 have been reported by Loup Basin Public Health District (LBPHD) since Monday's report. The new cases are in the following counties:

Beginning October 1, Nebraska drivers after renewing their driver license will have the option to print their temporary license at home.

Homecoming Week for Broken Bow High School is Oct. 5-9 and decorating of local businesses by BBPS students has started.

The Red Cross is holding a blood drive today at the Broken Bow Municipal Building, 314 S. 10th Avenue. The hours are 1-6:15 p.m.

Brent Robertson, wheat farmer and former District 7 representative of the Nebraska Wheat Board, was recently appointed by Secretary Sonny Perdue to serve on the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Plant Variety Protection (PVP) Board. His term began immediately after his appoint…

Weather permitting, work will begin Oct. 5, 2020 on N-21, according to the Nebraska Department of Transportation.

Fort Robinson State Park has canceled its annual historical Christmas dinner because of coronavirus concerns.

As of Friday, Sept. 25, 2020, two hundred and seventy-four (274) COVID-19 cases have been reported by Loup Basin Public Health Department (LBPHD), an increase of 26 cases in the last week.

Nebraska gas prices have fallen 2.7 cents per gallon in the past week, averaging $2.11/g today, according to GasBuddy's daily survey of 1,150 stations. Gas prices in Nebraska are 1.8 cents per gallon lower than a month ago and stand 45.5 cents per gallon lower than a year ago.

If you have attempted to contact the Custer County Chief via email after 10:15 a.m. Central today, Monday, Sept. 21, we apologize. Our corporate email service is down and we have been unable to receive or send email.

September is National Suicide Prevention Awareness Month. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, suicide is the tenth leading cause of death in the United States.

Featured speaker at 4S Goat Expo on Oct. 3 is Randy Dusek of Lazy S-T Ranch, San Angelo Texas.

Adams Land and Cattle is proud and excited to organize our second annual Food 4 Youth challenge. This year, Adams is partnering with local businesses and surrounding schools to assist with their backpack programs, which provide food and other needed items to send home with students.

As part of National Farm Safety and Health Week, farmers and ranchers are invited to participate in a free webinar on tractor and equipment safety on Sept. 21 at noon central time.

It’s time to get your grain storage facilities ready for harvest 2020. While some folks use grain storage bags, grain bins are still popular options to store grain after harvest.

Numerous large wildfires in the Western United States may affect the air quality in Nebraska. Nebraska continues to monitor smoke levels and wind directions and provides updates accordingly to the media and public.

An upcoming Nebraska Extension webinar will feature Jay Rempe, senior economist with Nebraska Farm Bureau, discussing recent shocks in the cattle industry and producer response in the state.  

This is always an exciting time of year as the weather starts to cool off, crops are drying down, and harvest 2020 is starting. In the coming weeks, we are going to see a lot of activity across the area that includes long days and late nights for producers.

The Lower Loup Natural Resources District (LLNRD) is partnering with the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) to hold a community meeting to discuss the Mud Creek Watershed Improvement Project which is focused on flood prevention.

The Broken Bow Police Department participated in the recent “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” campaign funded by the Nebraska Office of Highway Safety.  The selective ran from Aug. 21 through Sept. 7 and allowed officers to work overtime hours in an effort to decrease the number of drunk and …

The following is a Sept. 11, 2020 press release from the Office of Douglas, Peterson, Nebraska Attorney Genera.

Five new cases of COVID-19 have been reported since Loup Basin Public Health District's last update Wednesday, Sept. 9.

The Custer County Ag Society held a budget hearing Thursday night and the board approved a budget of $635,795.15 for the 2020-2021 year.

Governor Pete Ricketts issued the following statement on Thursday, Sept. 10,  in observance of Patriot Day, which is celebrated on September 11, 2020:

In decisions issued today (Thursday, Sept. 10, 2020), the Nebraska Supreme Court ordered that three gambling initiatives be placed on the November general election ballot, and that a medical cannabis initiative be withheld from the ballot.

Today (Thursday, Sept. 10, 2020), Nebraska Governor Pete Ricketts ordered flags to fly at half-staff to honor the passing of Lincoln Police Department Investigator Mario Herrera.

The jury trial for Trenton Esch, 44, of Broken Bow has been continued to February, 2021.

The budget for the 2020-2021 year was approved for the City of Broken Bow at the council meeting Tuesday evening along with the property tax request.

Thirteen new cases reported since our last update on Friday, Sept. 4, 2020.

Troopers with the Nebraska State Patrol (NSP) removed 73 impaired drivers from the road during the “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” campaign to close out the summer driving season.

A photo by an Oconto youth graces the cover of the NDA's 2021 Poultry Calendar. The photo by Gage Schledewitz features a black and white hen with a pivot, green hill and Nebraska sky in the background.

Nebraska Governor Pete Ricketts issued the following statement in observance of Labor Day:

The offices of the Custer County Chief are closed Monday, Sept. 7, 2020 for Labor Day. We will reopen Tuesday at 8 a.m.

Senator Deb Fischer (R-Neb.) released the following statement in commemoration of Labor Day:

As we close out the warm summer months this Labor Day weekend the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Kansas City District encourages you to not end this summer as a statistic and to practice water safety this weekend. We urge visitors to be vigilant, understand the importance of water safety and …

As schools are back in session and the summer vacation season winds down, Nebraska State Troopers and officers from dozens of other law enforcement agencies throughout Nebraska will participate in the annual “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” campaign. The campaign is part of a nationwide effo…

Four new cases of COVID-19 have been reported since our last update on Wednesday, Sept. 2. The new cases are in Custer (2) and Sherman (2) counties. All four cases are due to community spread. Close contacts have been asked to quarantine.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has obligated more than $62.4 million to the Nebraska Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) to help reimburse eligible expenses the agency has incurred as a result of its response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Living with a chronic illness such as mental illness or substance use disorder can be challenging. September is National Recovery Month, and the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services’ Division of Behavioral Health wants Nebraskans to know that there is help and there is hope.

Craig Safranek of Merna attended the Republican National Convention last week and was on the South Lawn of the White House to hear the President's acceptance speech on the nomination. Read about it in the Sept. 3, 2020 issue of the Custer County Chief!

The Broken Bow School Board is set to vote on the $10.9 million dollar district budget for the 2020-21 school year on Sept. 14. At that same meeting, the board will vote on a $8,614,099 tax levy.

Five new cases were reported since our update on Monday (Aug. 31, 2020).

The following is the text of a Sept. 1, 2020 email received from Broken Bow Public Schools:

As of Monday, Aug. 31 at 8 a.m., Loup Basin Public Health District (LBPHD) reported four additional positive COVDI-19 cases since Friday for Custer County, bringing the total to 72. Sixty cases have been reported as recovered. There have been four COVID-19 related deaths.

A budget hearing for Broken Bow Public Schools is scheduled for this evening, Monday, Aug. 31 at 7:30 p.m. in the High School Media Center/Library. The public is welcome to attend.

The Free Fishing and Park Entry Day in Nebraska has been rescheduled for Saturday, Sept. 12, 2020.

A North Platte man was arrested following a pursuit in North Platte Friday afternoon, Aug. 28, 2020.

Visitors to public lands and other recreational sites in the Nebraska Panhandle are being advised of wildfires in the region, and are being asked to be especially cautious because the heightened risk for fires brought on by hot and dry weather.

August has been an active month for coronavirus in the Loup Basin Public Health Department (LBPHD) District , adding sixty-nine cases during the month to date.  Community spread has become more prevalent across the district, most noticeably in Custer and Valley Counties.  The overall distric…

The numbers for COVID-19 positive cases in Loup Basin Public Health District increased only slightly in the past two days.