UPDATE: The Nebraska National Guard has returned to Grand Island to institute new testing for the virus through Saturday Governor Ricketts said. Grand Island and Hall County have the highest number of coronavirus cases in the state.
UPDATE: Kearney High Graduation has been moved to June 19th. The format of this graduation will be announced on May 15th.
UPDATE:Testing of members and teammates at the Central Nebraska Veterans’ Home (CNVH)in Kearney has revealed two more cases of COVID-19. Both of the individuals who tested positive were teammates working in the facility. They are self-isolating at home, and the facility is continuing to follow strict infection control guidelines.
UPDATE: Hall County has the most confirmed Coronavirus cases in Nebraska. The Central Health District reports 339 know cases in Hall County as of Friday morning. The Central Heath District is now reporting 360 cases. Hamilton County has recorded its first death, an Aurora man in his 60s at a long term care facility. Hamilton County now has 15 cases with Merrick County with six.
UPDATE: Nebraskans who order takeout during the coronavirus pandemic may soon be able to get a side of bread, milk and toilet paper from their local restaurant. Gov. Pete Ricketts says he is relaxing state rules that govern what local eateries can sell to give them more flexibility as they struggle with sharp declines in business. The move would allow restaurants to sell food and other goods not labeled for retail sale, including eggs, butter, cereal, produce and disinfectants. The Nebraska Restaurant Association predicts that 6% of the state’s restaurants will close permanently because of the pandemic. Executive Director Zoe Olson says temporarily loosening the regulations could help some survive.
Central Community College ALL campuses have cancelled their May 9th graduation.
There won’t be a Nebraska football spring game in Memorial Stadium this year, so the Huskers are turning to a video game. Nebraska announced that it will hold a virtual spring game at 1:00 p.m. Saturday, the same time the real game was supposed to be held before it was canceled due to the coronavirus. The teams will be comprised of legendary Husker football players — and fans can watch on Facebook, Twitter or Twitch. The game will incorporate audio from the Husker Sports Radio Network. Nebraska is also encouraging fans to wear red and celebrate the game at home, sharing pictures on with social media with the #GBRUnited hashtag.
USA Swimming announced that the Olympic Trials will be June 13 through 20, 2021, at CHI Health Center in Omaha. That’s one week earlier than the dates planned for the 2020 Trials, before the Olympics were postponed because of the coronavirus pandemic.
UPDATE: The April 30th Brantley Gilbert concert in Lincoln has been postponed. Date To Be Announced.
ALL Nebraska counties are in a Directed Health Measure enforcing limits on gathering sizes, among other restrictions.
Nebraska State Patrol troopers have ramped up their efforts to ensure that residents are following the state’s new social distancing rules to fight the coronavirus. The patrol has redirected some of its troopers from traffic enforcement because there aren’t as many motorists on the road.
Grand Island High School has moved their May 17th graduation to online. Go to www.gips.org
CHI Health locations in Kearney and Grand Island have officially gone to a No Visitor policy until further notice. Only the Emergency Room Entrance remains open at this time.
The University of Nebraska at Kearney announced that a combined commencement for both spring and summer 2020 graduates will occur at UNK Health and Sports Center on July 31. With a scheduled May 8 commencement for spring graduates and uncertainty over allowed crowd sizes, combining spring and summer exercises enables maximum opportunity for graduates who are able to join in a celebration ceremony and walk across the stage. All May 2020 graduates will be listed in a traditional commencement program that will be downloadable and posted on a special commencement website, and also mailed to the graduates – along with their diploma. May and July graduates can get direct access to information about the ceremony and how to report their planned participation by visiting the website unk.edu/about/commencement.
UNL, UNMC, and UNO have canceled Spring Commencement. UNL’s was scheduled for May 8-9. This year’s college graduates will be given the option to participate in future commencement ceremonies, including the Aug. 15 summer commencement and the Dec. 18-19 winter commencement ceremonies, also slated for Pinnacle Bank Arena. Graduates will also have the opportunity to participate in spring 2021 commencement events. For those wanting to still participate this year, UNL will hold an online livestream with the originally scheduled speaker — Husker volleyball coach John Cook — and allow graduates to tell the university how they feel about completing their degree.
The Nebraska National Guard is providing tents to help with COVID-19 testing in Kearney. NTV News reports tents are being added at Family Practice and Buffalo County Emergency Management has requested tents for Kearney Regional Medical Center. Gov. Pete Ricketts has added 12 panhandle counties to his DHM shutting down dining areas and enforcing limits on gathering sizes. 30 Nebraska counties are now under Directed Health Measures.
The Nebraska game and Parks commission has suspended the sale of nonresident spring turkey permits.
The April 9th Granger Smith concert at UNK has been canceled. Those who have purchased tickets will receive refund. Inquire at 308.865.1563 or lopertickets@unk.edu.
Nebraska State Tax Day moved back to July 15th
Live horse racing at Fonner Park has resumed without spectators. www.fonnerpark.com for more.
Kane Brown’s May 7th concert in Lincoln has been postponed to September 10th.