All posts by Christen Shirley

Free kids fishing clinic coming to Sherman Reservoir April 18

A free fishing clinic aimed at getting kids outdoors and excited about angling is coming to Sherman Reservoir next weekend (April 18).

The clinic, hosted by Fishing is Fun, will take place at the grassy corner above Trade Winds Marina. It’s open to children ages 5 to 15, with check-in starting at 3:45 PM before the workshop that runs from 4 to 5:30 PM. Parents and guardians are asked to attend alongside participants.

Since the event is limited to 50 kids, organizers are stressing the importance of registering in advance by completing a waiver, available at FishingIsFun.com (you can also download it at the link below). Completed waivers can be dropped off at Johnson Hunt & Fish in Loup City.

Fishing is Fun Waiver PDF download

Fishing Is Fun President Rich McShane says the clinic is about more than just learning the basics—it’s about introducing kids to something they can carry with them for life.

“It’s cool to see the kids take the rod and reel, put that worm on, run down to the lake and catch a fish,” said McShane. “But it’s (about) getting outside spending time with family that’s so important.”

Certified instructors, representatives from Nebraska Game and Parks, and even tournament anglers in town for a walleye event assist with guiding kids through learning casting, knot tying, bait and tackle basics, water safety, and about fish identification and anatomy.

McShane says learning those skills is a good base to sparking a connection to the outdoors. Each participant even receives a certificate, a brand new rod and reel, a t-shirt, and other ‘goodies’ free of charge.

“It gives the kids a chance to take that rod and reel and have it as their own and go use it,” said McShane.

Organizers are encouraging those who sign up to make sure they attend, as space is limited and others may be turned away once the clinic fills.

Listen to our full interview with Rich McShane, President of Fishing is Fun!, here:

Deshler man dies at Reinke Manufacturing plant incident Wednesday

THAYER COUNTY, Neb.— Thayer County Sheriff David Lee says 35 year old Trenton Fuentez of Deshler has died as the result of an incident at Reinke Manufacturing in Deshler.

Fuentez, a Reinke employee, was found by first responders from Deshler Fire and Rescue and the Thayer County Sheriff’s Office beneath large pipes that are believed to have come loose from an elevated bundle on Wednesday afternoon. He was pronounced deceased at the scene.

The sheriff’s statement added extended condolences to the family of Fuentez, while also indicating that grief counselors are being made available to anyone needing assistance.

Custer County Ag Society to open sealed bids, discuss closing unused bank accounts

The Custer County Ag Society will meet for a regular meeting tonight at 7 PM (April 9) at the shooting sports building on the west end of the Custer County Fairgrounds in Broken Bow.

The agenda appears below as when originally received by KCNI/KBBN:

7:00 PM
– Pledge of Allegiance
– Roll Call
– NE Open Meetings Act

Minutes
– Approve minutes of March 12, 2026 Regular Board Meeting

Financial Report
– Approve to pay monthly bills
– Financial Report

Committee Reports:
– Extension Office
– 4-H Council
– Grounds Committee
– Budget and Finance Committee
– Fair Committee
– HR Committee
– Arena Committee
– Events Committee
– General Manager Report

Old Business:
Disc/Dec: Opening of sealed bids for tree trimming
Disc/Dec: Opening of sealed bids for lighting in the indoor arena
Disc/Dec: Spring tourism grant application

New Business:
Disc/Dec: Closing unused bank accounts
Disc/Dec:
Other Concerns:

Adjournment: Roll Call

Public speaking contest held, 4-H scholarship recipients announced

Custer County 4-H recently announced recipients of their activities scholarships and also held their public speaking competition.

Monday (April 6), the public speaking contest was held at the 4-H building in Broken Bow, with four entries made in four divisions. Individuals competed for awards supported by Cindy Pearson in memory of Bill Pearson, the Arnold Rotary, and the Eugene Holeman memorial.

Each competitor that topped the junior, intermediate, and senior speech and PSA divisions will go to the Premier Communications Event (previously the State 4-H Public Speaking Contest) to represent the county on June 16 and 17.

Following many hours of preparation and an evening of entertaining competition, judge Susan Poland of Litchfield awarded the following:

Novice Speech Division: 1st Place, Liam McCaslin (Purple Ribbon and Gold Medal)
Junior Speech Division: 1st Place, Sage Smith (Purple Ribbon and Gold Medal)
Intermediate Speech Division: 1st Place, Kateri McCaslin (Blue Ribbon and Gold Medal)
Junior PSA Division: 1st Place, Gerrit O’Neill (Purple Ribbon and Gold Medal)

Custer County 4-H has also announced that Conner Paulsen of Oconto, Maggie Peterson of Ansley, Izabelle Tibbs of Broken Bow, and Neltje Reiff of Callaway are recipients of $500 scholarships. Kelynn Witthuhn of Callaway will receive a $250 scholarship from Custer County 4-H Activities. Funds for each scholarship will be awarded once each enters their second semester of post-secondary education.

Additional Information Released in Polk County Homicide Investigation

SHELBY, Neb.— The Nebraska State Patrol was able to release additional information as the investigation continues into an apparent murder-attempted suicide in Polk County.

Following preliminary investigation, NSP investigators believe that the suspect, identified as Wesley Absher, 40, traveled to the business located near County Road T and 127^th Road, south of Shelby, and shot another man. The victim has been identified as Brian Gabel, 44. Gabel was pronounced deceased at the scene. Gabel was the owner of the business.

The female victim was also present at the business at the time of the shooting and was then kidnapped by Absher. She was taken to another location on farm ground near County Road S and 129^th Road, where she was assaulted. At that location, investigators believe Absher shot himself.

The female victim was able to drive herself to the Polk County Sheriff’s Office in Osceola and report the incident just after 1:30 a.m. Tuesday. Deputies responded and requested assistance from the Nebraska State Patrol. Both scenes were secured. Absher was transported to Bryan Health West Campus in Lincoln with life-threatening injuries. The female victim was transported from the Sheriff’s Office to Columbus Community Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

Investigators have learned that the female victim and Absher are going through a divorce.

The investigation remains ongoing.

Broken Bow’s Norland Carr awarded Quilt of Valor on Easter Sunday

Norland Carr of Broken Bow was awarded a Quilt of Valor (QOV) by QOV representative Teri Buhlmann on Easter Sunday with family present alongside him.

Carr served in the United States Army from 1953 until 1955 as part of the Engineer Aviation Gruop in Korea. He received both the Korean Service Medal and the United Nations Medal.

Since it’s founding, QOV has awarded over 427,000 quilts to American veterans and military personnel like Carr in recognition of their service and sacrifice for the country.

At a past local presentation, Buhlman said “Through our quilts you’ll be forever in our hearts and we want you to know there is not a hug strong enough, there are not words big enough and all we can offer you is a thank you. You are our hero. You are in our thoughts and you are in our prayers for all you have done.”

In addition to his quilt, Carr also received a ’60 years continuous membership’ pin from the American Legion.

Custer County Sheriff’s Office participating in ‘Put the Phone Away or Pay’ campaign

CUSTER COUNTY, Neb.— The Custer County Sheriff’s Office will increase patrols this Thursday through Monday as a part of the Put the Phone Away or Pay campaign, aimed at reducing distracted driving.

Funded by a grant, the effort allows deputies to work additional hours, increasing law enforcement presence across the county. Sheriff Dan Osmond says the focus is on safety and awareness.

“It’s just a timeframe for people to understand the importance of not using your phone while you’re driving. It’s a pretty dangerous situation and we’re just taking part in this to help bolster that. Just understand that we’re doing it out of safety. We’re not trying to cause you to pay, but we want you to think about it,” said Osmond.

Deputy Trey Gilligan says the added patrol time means more officers watching for all traffic violations, including cell phone use.

“That doesn’t include our normal 40 hour work week. That’s 72 hours for us to work after that. So there’s going to be more officers on the streets. Not only are we going to be enforcing the cell phone usage, it’s going to be all traffic violations,” Gilligan explained.

Gilligan delivered a Nebraska Department of Transportation (NDOT) statistic that says drivers using their cell phones are significantly more likely to be involved in a crash.

“People using their phones while driving are 240% more likely to be in a crash. At 55 miles per hour, sending or reading a text takes your eyes off the road for approximately five seconds, (enough time to travel) about the length of a football field,” said Gilligan.

Accident prevention is the overall goal for the Sheriff’s Office.

“We’re trying to prevent that accident from happening,” said Osmond. “We’re trying to keep you safe from somebody else using their cell phone.”

Listen to our full conversation with Sheriff Osmond and Deputy Gilligan here:

NSP Investigating Apparent Murder-Attempted Suicide in Polk County

SHELBY, Neb.— The Nebraska State Patrol is investigating an incident in which one person was killed and another assaulted in Polk County overnight. The suspect is also in the hospital with an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Early Tuesday, at approximately 2:00 a.m., the Polk County Sheriff’s Office requested assistance in response to an incident that involved multiple scenes near Shelby.

Preliminary investigation shows that deputies located a man deceased with an apparent gunshot wound at a business near County Road T and 127^th Road, south of Shelby. A second scene was also located on farm ground near County Road S and 129^th Road. An injured man was found at the second scene with an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound. The man was transported to Bryan Health West Campus in Lincoln with life-threatening injuries.

Deputies were alerted to the incident at approximately 1:30 a.m., when a female had been able to drive herself from the second scene to the Polk County Sheriff’s Office to report the incident and that she had been assaulted. The female victim was then transported to Columbus Community Hospital for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries.

The investigation is ongoing. Investigators believe there is no threat to the public.

Additional information will be released when possible. The Nebraska State Patrol is leading the investigation, with assistance from the Polk County Sheriff’s Office.

Early voting ballots arriving via mail for 2026 primary election

Secretary of State Bob Evnen said Monday that counties across the state have started mailing early voting ballots to voters who submitted an early voting application for the May 12 statewide primary election. Over 94,000 ballots were sent by the end of the day Monday, with 16,000 more set to be sent between Tuesday and Wednesday.

Those who completed an early voting application should expect to receive their ballot in the mail sometime in the next couple weeks. County election offices are working with voters who did not successfully complete the new voter ID requirement (enclosing a photocopy of their driver’s license or state ID or writing in their driver’s license or state ID number).

Registered Nebraska voters can still request an early voting ballot by sending their completed early voting form to their county election office. Contact information for each county as well as the location of 121 secure ballot drop boxes across the state can be found on the Secretary of State website.

Ballots have to be received by county election offices no later than 8 PM central time or 7 PM mountain time on election day May 12th. Those mailing their ballots are recommended by the USPS to have their ballot back no later than May 5 to arrive back by the deadline. Voters can return their ballot in person or by secure drop box up through the deadline.

Important upcoming election dates:
April 13: Voting in person begins at county election offices.
April 27: Last day to register to vote online (by midnight), at the DMV, at DHHS, at the Department of Education, via agent, via deputy registrar or by mail (voter registration application must be postmarked by April 27, 2026.)
May 1: Last day to register to vote in person at the county election office (6 p.m. local time) and the last day to submit an early voting application to request a ballot to be mailed to the voter.
May 11: Last day to vote in person at the county election office.
May 12: Election Day and the last day county election offices will accept any early voting ballots for counting – whether delivered by mail, by agent, in person, or by secure drop box.

Voter ID law information can be found in both English and Spanish here.

Several area fire departments tackle grass fire Sunday afternoon into Monday

OCONTO, Neb.— The Oconto Volunteer Fire Department, along with mutual aid assistance from several area departments, responded to a grass fire early Sunday afternoon near Drive 774.

Additional resources were requested early in the incident due to the size of the fire, dry conditions, and rapidly spreading flames in rough terrain. Arnold, Broken Bow, Callaway, Cozad, Gothenburg, and Lexington fire departments along with the Custer County Sheriff’s Office and Custer County Emergency Management responded and assisted.

Aerial firefighting support from Arrow Aviation and Buffalo Air was also used to suppress the flames, which played a critical role in slowing the head of the fire giving ground crews the opportunity to establish control lines. Several landowners assisted with tractors and discs and some fire suppression equipment as well.

Most resources assisting were released at about 7 PM, while Oconto Fire Department personnel remained on scene through the night to monitor conditions and address hot spots. The fire scene continued to be monitored into Monday to ensure it remains contained.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

The Oconto Fire Department thanked all of the assisting fire departments, agencies, and aviation partners for their rapid response, professionalism, and teamwork during the incident.