Panhandle Scanner News

I-80 travelers, please be advised that both eastbound and westbound lanes of Interstate 80 at Potter will be closed Tuesday, June 16th, for bridge work. Traffic in both directions will be diverted onto the on and off ramps at the Potter Interchange throughout the day. Motorists should expect delays. Please reduce speeds in the work zone and use caution while traveling through the area. That's the...

At 10 o'clock yesterday morning, Keith County was paged for two children in a raft that had gotten blown into Lake McConaughey between beach axis 13 and 14. Keystone-Lemoyne Fire, Ogallala Fire, Keith County Sheriff's Office, and Keith County EMS all responded. Keystone-Lemoyne Fire Department launched two marine craft and picked up both young men in the raft just southwest of Arthur Bay about the...

We do have a few decisions that have been finalized for the fireworks this year. Many people are concerned about that due to the wildfires that are currently raging across Nebraska. But in City Council news, we do know four decisions have been made so far for local towns. Scottsbluff, Gearing, and Morrill have said yes to fireworks, and Potter has said no.   Please see our Facebook page or our new...

A very busy day yesterday for Panhandle Scanner admins. So much activity that we've hired two new admins.   This is a big announcement for Morrill County. Starting today, you will see a new page on Facebook for Morrill County Scanner. And for more improved local weather and news coverage in the Scottsbluff and Gearing area, we've hired another local reporter.   Welcome to both Bridget and Cody and...

Well, our big story overnight was the flooding that occurred north of Bayard on L62A. That's the link that goes from the North Bayard Junction to the Angora Hill Junction, a very vital roadway that is now closed due to major flooding last night.   We issued a flash flood warning at 8.09 p.m., but by just after 10 p.m., a major water rescue was underway on L-62A. According to the Bayard Fire Depart...

Let's take a look at today's scanner news brought to you by R&C Welding in Gering, Nebraska. I'm your host Brian Hale and here's a look at the last 24 hours.   We want to start off by issuing a fire weather warning again for the next two days at least. Please be aware of the fire dangers.   Finally a solution is in the works. We've known about this for a while and it still isn't a complete rea...

Last night was another weather watch evening with thunderstorms popping up in the northern panhandle of Nebraska. Western Dawes County, Northern Sioux County, and Northwestern Cherry County all received severe thunderstorm warnings and even a tornado warning in Cherry County.   Special thanks in recognition to our weather admin Timothy Mendez for that content. Be sure to stay tuned to Panhandle Sc...

Around 10 a.m., Trooper 346 had one male, 10-15, and headed to the Kimball County Jail. Charges included 5429 and 5406. You can find those codes on our website on Panhandle Scanner under Resources.   There was an incident in Gering around 19th Street after 1 p.m. yesterday with police and medical on standby staging at Christ the King Church. Further traffic indicated the suspect did not need any m...

Scanner Recap is back.   That's right, the Scanner Recap is a midnight to midnight look at the day's most significant calls, and we're bringing it back. Here's an example of what you might hear. By 1040, the 1040 was out the window.   Not a good start to your day when your 1040 or 420 goes out the window. That's the code for drugs. At 940 AM Mountain, a trooper from Nebraska State Patrol called in...

Before we tell you about all the storm activity, let's start off with that animal cruelty story out of Torrington.       On Friday afternoon, May 29th, two Rottweiler dogs were out of their yard, and instead of contacting local police to report it, an individual unloaded a shotgun on these two animals with no cause. According to the family, whoever did this brutally murdered these dogs and dumped...

It's time for Scanner News and I'm your host Brian Hale. Brought to you by R&C Welding in Gering Nebraska. Now in their 4th year of sponsorship.   And speaking of 4ths, the 4th of July could look a little different this year for Scotts Bluff County. Keep an eye out for Monday's County Commissioners meeting for a likely decision on the fireworks this year.    The Nebraska State Patrol is invest...

Pip: Welcome back to the Hale Multimedia feed, where the news is local and the stakes are real — sometimes literally measured in meals. Mara: Today we're covering a practical community resource guide from Panhandle Scanner: Free summer meal programs for kids across the Panhandle, with specific details for several local school districts. Pip: Let's start with who gets fed and where. Free Summer Mea...

(SCOTTSBLUFF, Neb.) -- SkyWest Airlines, operating as United Express, is officially restoring the early morning flights out of Western Nebraska Regional Airport in Scotts Bluff this September. The upcoming schedule features a new 5.42 a.m. departure to Denver, along with that afternoon flight.   The current schedule will remain until after Labor Day, but travelers can start booking their round-tri...

(GERING, Neb.) -- The City of Gering notified residents yesterday that a water main break was causing discolored water. Hopefully that was rectified yesterday.   Multi-day severe weather chances here. According to the weather service in Cheyenne, chances for afternoon showers and thunderstorms will tick up a notch on Friday between 30 and 70 percent. In addition, a few isolated storms will have th...

We do have some good news on the Ash Pole Fire in Dawes County. As of yesterday, it is 100% contained.   The fire burned 1,026 acres from the 16th of May to the 26th. It is now 100% contained. Speaking of Dawes County, the Nebraska Department of Transportation is set to begin work on Highway 20 and Chadron and to the west.   NDOT said in a release that the work will begin on two stretches of Highw...

Statistics have been released from the Nebraska Department of Transportation on fatality deaths for the month of April, 2026. NDOT reports that 11 fatalities occurred in 10 fatal crashes.   Only half wore seatbelts, 30% were unrestrained, and 20% were unknown. A striking 81.8% of the fatalities occurred in rural areas. Interestingly, zero on the interstate.   Highway and local routes saw the highe...

 A freak accident happened on Saturday.   Dog call shotgun. In Scottsbluff, a potentially deadly situation was luckily avoided on Saturday, just after noon on Avenue I when a shotgun was accidentally discharged by a dog. Dispatch reports a possible BB gun injury to a woman near the 2001 Avenue I address, that's the Scotts Bluff shortstop gas station.   Initial calls indicated the woman may have be...

Pip and Mara discuss upcoming Vacation Bible School dates   Pip: Welcome back to the Hale Multimedia LLC corner of the internet, where summer is apparently a team sport. Mara: That's right — Panhandle Scanner has been tracking Vacation Bible School programs across the region, and there's a lot of ground to cover, from Scottsbluff to Sidney to Torrington. Pip: Let's start with who's running VBS, wh...

It is National EMS Week and we want to thank you to all the EMS professionals who rush towards danger, work tirelessly, and care for our community when it needs you the most. Thank you to all EMS personnel.   The Village of Lyman will be hosting pet vaccinations, including horses, June 4th from 4 to 6 p.m. at the Village Shop. Small and large animal pet vaccinations, June 4th, 4 to 6 p.m. in Lyman...

We hope you fared well overnight with that freeze warning that we had. Our thermometer said temperatures reached 32 degrees overnight, and that freeze warning should expire around 10 a.m. this morning. Our high today should be around 59 degrees.    And there's some road construction that is going to begin May 27th in the Kimball and Cheyenne County areas. Work will begin on I-80 weather permitting...

Storms and wildfires dominated the headlines over the weekend, and some very strange weather indeed, with temperatures in the 80s in the last few days, and now we're looking at 40 today. And that comes with a freeze watch. Overnight lows could dip down to 30.   We have a couple of statewide stories.    One is a missing juvenile in Hitchcock County. Shelby Wiley, 17-year-old female, was last seen i...

Fire is frightening, and Nebraska is on fire again. A great resource to track all those wildfires is the WatchDuty app. You can access that straight from our website at panhandlescanner.com , under the Resources tab. That is a truly incredible service, and they are asking for donations for support. That's the WatchDuty app. Please support it. It's the best wildfire coverage anywhere.    Please con...

(SCOTTSBLUFF, Neb.) -- Yesterday, just after noon, scanner traffic indicated a pedestrian versus vehicle accident around 20th Street for a 52-year-old female hit by a car. Fortunately, no major injuries were reported. You can find the audio of that call in the comments on our Facebook page.    (LAKE ALICE, Neb.) -- Around 8 p.m., Scotts Bluff Rural Fire District was dispatched to a structure fire...