When it comes to the populations of towns in Nebraska, the big keep getting bigger, and the small keep getting smaller. New, 2008 population estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau released on Wednesday show that trend is more pronounced in Nebraska than in Kansas and Iowa.
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Authorities say a body found on the Missouri River on Monday is that of a South Sioux City man. Thirty-one-year-old Bruce Wright went missing Saturday after being thrown from the boat just north of Salix, Iowa.
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Executives and tribal officials have closed an Iowa casino run by the Omaha Tribe of Nebraska, laying off about 185 workers. Casino manager Jim Hunt says the decision to close CasinOmaha on Tuesday was made by the Omaha Tribal Council because of current business conditions. Hunt said the tribe planned to renovate and reopen the casino as soon as possible.
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Residents of the Norfolk Public Schools District have one more week to submit their applications for an open position on the Board of Education. Applications can be obtained by calling the board's recording secretary, Veryle Winter, at 644-2504. The board will review the applications at its meeting on July 13, and interview finalists in August. The successful candidate will be sworn in at the board's September meeting.
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The Nebraska State Patrol says it will beef up its presence on Nebraska roads over the Fourth of July holiday weekend. The patrol plans to put the equivalent of an extra 46 troopers on the road. A $22,000 grant from the Nebraska Office of Highway Safety will help cover the added expense. Troopers and dispatchers will begin putting in overtime early Friday afternoon and continue through Sunday.
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Area citizens are being asked to remember fire safety as they discharge fireworks this week. Norfolk City Fire Marshal Terry Zwiebel says it is important to select an open place for fireworks. And he recommends keeping a bucket of water or a garden hose nearby when shooting off fireworks, just in case.
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Cattle producers who suffered death loss in the recent wave of heat and humidity may get some help from USDA. Don Kampschneider, CED of the Cuming County Farm Service Agency, says there is a livestock indemnity program included in the 2008 Farm Bill that will reimburse losses considered above the normal mortality rate.
