UPDATE: Nebraska is now on the list. Residents from 31 states must now quarantine for 14 days when arriving in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut, as dozens of states experience rising positive COVID-19 rates. The list of states no longer includes Minnesota, but now includes Nebraska, Alaska, Delaware, Indiana, Maryland, Missouri, Montana, North Dakota, Virginia and Washington.
UPDATE: The Great Plains Athletic Conference and the Heartland Athletic conference both announced intentions to move forward with the fall sports season. Student-athletes can begin practice Aug. 15. Games can start Sept. 5, except for football, which must wait until Sept. 12. This decision affects Hastings College athletics as the Broncos are a member of the G-PAC. Peru State is a member of the Heartland.
The Nebraska Sports Athletic Association released a statement Monday saying it is preparing to proceed with fall sports as scheduled, and practices can begin August 10.
UNK fall sports teams must wait to begin their seasons after the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association voted unanimously to push back the start of the fall season. For all of the conferences 14 schools, competitions begin on Monday, Sept. 28, with student-athletes reporting to fall camp and practice on Monday, Aug. 31. The NCAA approved a new rule allowing sports to start in one semester and conclude in another, meaning teams could see their season start in the fall and finish in the spring. On UNK’s website, the schedules for the football, volleyball and women’s soccer teams reflect this.
Test Nebraska has released the locations, dates, and times for its testing sites for the remainder of July. Anyone interested in obtaining a test for COVID-19 is asked to complete an online assessment at TestNebraska.com, which will also help with setting an appointment for testing. Below are the Test Nebraska sites and times throughout our listening area remainder of July:
TODAY: Kearney: 8-11 a.m. July 22: at Buffalo Co Fairgrounds, 3807 Avenue N, Kearney NE 68847
TODAY : 7-11 a.m. July 22, 29 at LRHC Rehab Services Building, 1600 W 13th St., Lexington NE 68850
Superior: 4-6 p.m. July 29 at Broadstone Memorial Hospital, 520 E. 10th St., Superior, NE 68978
Broken Bow: 8-10 a.m July 24 at Melham Medical Center, 145 Memorial Dr. Broken Bow NE 68822
TODAY: CHI Health is hosting a drive-through hiring fair on Wednesday, July 22. This unique take on the traditional hiring fair will allow for social distancing while connecting job seekers with career opportunities. Individuals seeking part- or full-time employment are encouraged to attend. 10 am-Noon CHI Health Good Samaritan, 10 East 31st Street, Kearney Parking Lot M & N, north of the hospital. Look for the blue tent 2- 4 pm CHI Health Medical Plaza*, 2116 W Faidley Avenue, Grand Island Circle drive off of W. Faidley Ave. between N. Alpha and Darr Avenues Look for the American flag and blue tent.
Updates for the state of Nebraska COVID-19 response are now available on a new website. The website provides information about the state’s plans for coronavirus relief funding as well as links to key public health and virus testing information. The public can find the website at coronavirus.nebraska.gov.
NEBRASKA GOOD NEWS ABOUT THE GOOD LIFE:
UDPATE: Stuhr Museum is currently rewarding people in the community. Dressed in a buffalo suit, a staff member is out looking for people wearing masks. It’s a way to way thank you to those who are following the recommendations on face coverings by giving them local gift cards. With school just weeks away, the group is trying to encourage families to get in the habit so numbers stay low and kids can go to school.
UPDATE: The Alzheimer’s Association , “Walk to end Alzheimer’s” will look different than in years past but will remain scheduled in the Fall on their specific dates and consist of three aspects which people can choose to participate in or opt out of.. A “Walk to end Alzheimer’s” app will feature information, services and a platform with videos to engage participants and people interested in the events. Hastings’ Walk is scheduled for Oct. 4, Grand Island’s for Sept. 13 and Kearney’s for Sept. 20. More information can be found on alz.org/walk.
UPDATE: Hy-Vee will begin distributing free masks to those entering its stores on July 27th. More than 3 million masks will be handed out. The initiative is called “Mask It Up To Shut COVID Down. It’s Your Choice.” Employees will be stationed at the front doors of all stores to hand out masks to customers who are not wearing one prior to shopping. Customers will also see signage, employee attire, and other reminders around the store about the educational campaign. Hy-Vee employees have been wearing masks since nearly the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Midwest grocer was recently named one of the top three supermarkets in America for its handling of the COVID-19 crisis.
UPDATE: Oliver McCloskey and his girlfriend from Cedar City, Utah is travelling over 2,000 miles on horseback along the Oregon Trail and stayed in Kearney on Sunday, in hopes of learning more about the early 1800’s explorers. It was mostly frontier explorers and fur traders like Kit Carson and Jedediah Smith who blazed through the rough outlines of the Oregon Trail that led to the western expansion of the United States. They are riding the entirety of the over 2,000 mile trail on horseback between Independence, Missouri and Oregon City, Oregon so they can learn a little more about the explorers and they hope to be finished with the trail by November.
The American Red Cross is in urgent need of blood donations during this pandemic, they are also in need of volunteers in the Tri-Cities. Contact the American Red Cross fore more.
The Safety Center in Kearney has now resumed in-person driving and classes. Since May, they had been using online platforms for their driver education program to teach the traditional curriculum developed by The American Automobile Association. Students must have a school learner’s permit or learner’s permit before they can begin the in-person driving. To find out where your child can take behind-the-wheel driving instruction click here.
Tom Dinsdale Automotive Nebraska Greats Golf Classic presented by 1st State Bank at Riverside Country Club, Grand Island is on July 24. The Nebraska Greats Foundation provides emergency medical and financial assistance to any former athletics letter winner from ANY of the 16 4-year schools in the state. These are former sports heroes from Nebraska to Chadron State who need emergency medical attention and can’t afford it. Please sign up a foursome (space is limited) to play. The donation is $325 per person which includes golf, cart, lunch, prizes, awards, dinner, special gifts at Riverside and a chance to play with a celebrity. Among the celebrities committed are former Huskers Eric Crouch, Johnny Rodgers, Mike Rozier, Johnny Dorn, Jared Crick, Brendan Stai and Jay Moore.For non golfers, there is a limited amount of space available (to comply with social distancing) for the evening DINNER event which includes a celebration of all 16 member schools, unique auction items and a Q/A with each of the celebrity former athletes. Sign up at www.negreats.org.
UNK’s combined 2020 Spring and Summer Commencement will be held at 10 a.m. on Friday, July 31. To support COVID-19 directed health response, it is being planned as an outdoor event on Foster Field at Cope Stadium. The event will begin at 10 a.m. In support of current safety protocol and to meet facility capacity requirements, in-person attendance will be limited to no more than three invited guests per graduate.
A Veteran’s Memorial 5K will be held in Holdrege at the YMCA on Sept. 19th in conjunction with the first annual Veteran’s Memorial Fundraiser in Holdrege’s South Park. The registration deadline is September 9th. Register here. Contact the Holdrege YMCA for more.
Drive-in movies in Kearney will continue at sundown when The World Theatre will team up with the Buffalo County Fairgrounds. The World will sell advance tickets. Gates will open at 8 p.m. and the movie will begin at sundown. Films will be shown Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights through the summer.
Enjoy an outdoor adventure with family or friends. and engage in healthy recreation — and possibly win prizes. The Great Park Pursuit is a free program encouraging participants to visit up to 20 official sites across the state, consisting of community, regional, state and federal parks. Participants register a team of up to 10 people online and then follow clues from the website or Great Park Pursuit mobile app to find a program post located somewhere within a park area. Once they find the post, the team can use the mobile app to mark their visit, or make a pencil impression of the post to prove they were there. A number of prizes are up for grabs, including Nebraska state park entry permits for 2021, an iPad and the grand prize, an outdoor recreation package valued at $1,500. Prizes and entry into drawings are based on the number of post impressions that teams collect, or the number of park visits they mark on the mobile app. For more information and to register, visit negpp.org. The Great Park Pursuit app is available at the Apple iStore and on Google Play for Android.
The Nebraska Passport for 2020 program is underway. Travelers will have through October 31 to visit attractions and receive stamps, according to Nebraska Tourism. Due to COVID-19 some stops have had to adjust their business hours so check for updates before beginning your travels. Passports are available at participating stops or can be ordered at NebraskaPassport.com.
The Archway in Kearney has will reopened to visitors. The hours will be 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Saturday and noon-5 p.m. Sundays. This year marks the 20th anniversary of the opening of The Archway.
Keep yourself safe in these times, show your Husker spirit, AND help Nebraska Food Banks. Husker Face Masks are on sale right now at the shop at NRG sister property huskermax.com. The masks are handmade, available in four styles! GO HERE: http://www.shophuskermax.com/houndsmax-huskers-ma
Kearney Cinema 8 has reopened! For movie listings go to www.kearneycinema.com