(Grand Island, Neb.) – Central Community College students Jessica Braun of Holbrook and Chloe Smith of Kearney have been named 2025 Coca-Cola Leaders of Promise Scholars. They will each receive a $1,000 scholarship.

Arapahoe Homecoming Royalty was announced Friday afternoon. (l-r) Brooke Wendland, Annika Wasenius, Princess Lauren Moore, Queen Emma Strand, King Konner Shifflet, Prince Hunter Jorchumb, Kolter Eidson and Haiden Sich. Crownbearers were Gianna Castro-Valdez and Cooper tenBensel.

The Cambridge Homecoming Court is pictured from left: junior attendant Tate Cobb, Aspen Webb, Hodge Raburn, Maverick Webb, Jensyn Weiss, 2024 Homecoming King Charlie Houser, 2025 Homecoming Queen Mallory Springer, 2025 Homecoming King Sean Polly, Colton Perks, Annabelle Taylor, Micah Gerlach, Gianna Juliano, Junior Attendant Elisabeth Kubik. Crownbearers were Nolan Harding, Leonard Sayer, Lincoln Johnson, Collins Kulwicki.

Both the Eager Beaver Days celebration in Beaver City and the Curtis Fall Festival took place this past weekend. Many more photos of the fun and events can be found inside.

A granite monument stands along the north side of Highway 6/34 two miles east of Bartley. It commemorates nine Bohemian immigrants, three mothers and six children, who were killed in a flash flood nearby on May 26, 1885.

With four teams entering Saturday’s McCook Volleyball Invitational with two or fewer losses, the competition was stacked at the tournament. Southwest went 2-1 on the day, placing second, while Cambridge and Maywood/ Hayes Center each won one match and lost two.

By NCTA News contributor Teresa Wiiest, Bassett area recruiter When Ashley Connell, a 2020 graduate of the Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture (NCTA), first came to Curtis, she was drawn by the small-town atmosphere, hands-on agriculture programs, and the opportunity to learn in a close-knit community. Today, those same values shape her growing leather business, which blends artistry, durability, and deep agricultural roots.

When Calvin DeVries looks back at the path that led him to his current role as a 4-H Youth Development Educator in Phelps and Gosper Counties, it all traces back to his roots in south central Nebraska.

Fall is on the way and Southwest Nebraska Public Health Department (SWNPHD) is reminding backyard poultry owners to take extra precautions this fall as migratory birds move through the area. Wild waterfowl, such as ducks and geese, can carry Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI), also called bird flu. These wild birds can be infected without appearing sick and can spread the virus to domestic chickens, ducks, and turkeys.

The Maywood school board held a budget hearing immediately prior to their monthly meeting on September 8, 2025. Supt.