Well over 10,000 people have seen our post that we shared from the Panhandle Humane Society about the low-cost vaccine and Microchip Clinic being held April 18th from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Carpenter Center in Terrytown. That's April 18th. Go take care of your pets there with low cost vaccines and microchips.

There was a hit and run yesterday in Scottsbluff on the corner of 16th Avenue and Erin Lane. An eyewitness reported to us that a car had a gas line and took off. The police said the road blocked off and Black Hills energy was on site. There was a gas leak but that had been cleaned up. The hit and run driver also caused some electrical damage.

The Nebraska State Patrol says that scammers were added this weekend with an official looking fraudulent document labeled final notice court enforcement action. The document lists failure to pay electronic tolls and gives a strange authority and a North Carolina address. Always be on the lookout for scammers. If you think you're a victim of a scam please contact the Nebraska State Patrol.

We'd like to say a prayer for our Lyman-Kiowa Volunteer Fire Department brothers and sisters. They're hurting after they lost one of their own. They wrote yesterday that it is with heavy hearts we inform you that firefighter Rocky Robinson has passed away. Rocky joined the department in 2018 and served many roles during his years as a member. His loss is deeply felt not only within our department but throughout the community he's so proudly protected. That was from the Lyman-Kiowa Volunteer Fire Department. Rest in Peace, Rocky Robinson.

Dangerous fire conditions continue again today and despite the fact that the Governor has lifted the burn ban, there are very few, if no, fire chiefs willing to issue burn permits at this time. Most of the excess rain fell in the central and eastern part of the state, leaving western Nebraska still dries a bone.

On Thursday, Scanners traffic indicated a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head in Northeast Scottsbluff. Our prayers for this situation, as no transport was required to the hospital for this patient, that could mean one of two things. The call was not what it was thought to be in the beginning, or the patient was deceased. Again, our prayers for that situation with the self-inflicted gunshot wound yesterday.

And in other Scanner traffic, a male was reportedly hit over the head with a bottle on East 8th Street in Scottsbluff. That happened around 2:40 in the afternoon yesterday.

There have been several power outages lately. Typically, there are several scheduled power outages in Gering, but beyond that, in Sidney, on Wednesday, intermittent power issues were reported. And then yesterday, the Torrington Police Department posted a photo. We have that for you on our Facebook page of a broken crossbar holding three large transformers. That was the reason for the power issues in Torrington. We have been told that is now fixed.

Also look for our post from the City of Terrytown. They are joining other cities around western Nebraska in cleaning up their act. Let's make western Nebraska beautiful.

Do you know about the QPR Institute?

Question, Persuade, Refer.

Learn how to respond when someone you know shows signs of struggling. Join Panhandle Public Health District for a QPR session to learn how to have the important but difficult conversation. Upcoming dates for the QPR Institute are April 8, May 13, June 10, and August 12. Find that information on Panhandle Scanner. Just look for the Panhandle Public Health District post.

In case you missed it or you're hearing the buzz about something called Artemis, NASA launched four astronauts into space yesterday for a trip around the moon. It's a data gathering session. You'll notice in our news we always say 'possible', 'potential', and 'there might be'. We also say all subjects are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. In Scotts Bluff County Court, Justin Ruiz has been found not guilty. Back in June, we reported on a possible sexual assault where a man reportedly threatened a woman at knife point. Well, Justin Ruiz of Scottsbluff was found not guilty on three felony charges. He was, however, convicted on a lesser charge of third degree domestic assault. He'll learn his fate on that lesser charge May 15 in Scotts Bluff County Court.

To listen to the area police and fire scanner, you do not have to own a scanner, simply visit PanhandleScanner.com and click on listen. Made possible by Hale Multimedia, feed provided by Broadcastify.

Be sure to check out our public record every Monday through Friday on Panhandle Scanner, court rosters and court activity sent directly to us from Scotts Bluff County Court.

(ALLIANCE, Neb.) --The Alliance Police Department is issuing a public safety alert to inform parents, guardians, and young people about the increasing threat of sextorsion. Sextorsion occurs when an individual, often posing as a peer on social media, manipulates a juvenile into sharing explicit photos or videos. Once those images are obtained, the offender threatens to distribute them unless the victim provides money, gift cards, or additional content. Law enforcement has recently observed a rise in cases where artificial intelligence is being used to generate or manipulate images that falsely depict victims in explicit situations, meaning a juvenile does not need to have to have shared any real images to become a target.

We have several tips posted from the Alliance Police Department, on our Facebook page and our news page, on what parents and guardians should know.

Speaking of Alliance, there's a soda shop in Alliance that's very popular, and they are expanding into Scottsbluff in the near future. Dirty Pop Soda Shop made an announcement recently that they will be expanding into Scottsbluff. Stay tuned for that announcement coming soon.

(HARRISON, Neb.) -- Some friends and website customers of ours up in Harrison, Nebraska, Gray's Angus Ranch, offered a free heifer for auction at their recent bull sale. With the proceeds going to the Nebraska Sandhills Fire Relief Fund, incredibly, Gray's Angus Ranch raised $14,000 on the one heifer to go towards the fund. Congratulations and thank you to the folks up there. They had their annual sale on Monday.

For more on what we're doing here at Hale Broadcasting, visit our website at halebroadcasting.com for all of our daily and weekly radio programs.

Kimball I-80 exit is still under construction and will be for quite some time, and the road outside of Minatare, that's County Road P that links to 79E link, will be closed for several weeks. That's the road that leaves Minatare to the south, that will be closed for the next few weeks.

Yesterday, the Sidney School District partnered with local law enforcement and emergency responders for a full day of safety training following the swatting call incident you may remember on March 2nd. Sydney Schools writes that they have a strong sense of urgency to work closely with local first responders to expand their knowledge and deepen their understanding of area safety protocols as they apply to school emergencies. Local first responders worked alongside teachers, staff and administrators walking through a variety of scenarios that schools across the country may face, and discussed how to respond effectively in each situation.

For those not familiar with what swatting is, it's the action or practice of making a prank call to emergency services and an attempt to bring about the dispatch of a large number of armed police officers to a particular address. For more information on the Sidney response and swatting in general, see our news page at Panhandle Scanner.

There was a motorcycle accident on Sunday at the monument in Gering that happened on Summit Road right before tunnel number one. We heard from the victim and received a photo of the large pothole in the road that the gentleman hit before crashing. He informed us that authorities were told about the pothole and were aware of it, and he reported to us that other motorcycles have crashed there as well. We're hoping that pothole on Summit Road gets fixed soon. If you're a motorcycle rider, please use caution while driving the monument road.

(BAYARD, Neb.) -- An exciting announcement coming out of Bayard today, the Bayard Community Foundation has been established to uplift the community, accept donations, and invite founding supporters for future initiatives. To ensure a strong and immediate start, the Bayard Community Foundation has affiliated with the Oregon Trail Community Foundation. Through this partnership, the organization operates under an established 501c3 designation, allowing it to begin accepting donations and supporting community-focused initiatives right away. For more information or to get involved, contact our friend KC Heath at 308-641-8587 and look for that post on Panhandle Scanner. Let's support Small Town America, the Bayard Community Foundation.

(BAYARD, Neb.) -- Speaking of Bayard, scanner traffic indicated a structure fire on Main Street in Bayard on Saturday. One patient reportedly had burns to their face and hands, our prayers for that situation and everyone involved.

(GERING, Neb.) -- On Sunday, in Gering, a five-year-old girl was bitten by a dog while hiking at the monument. It happened just after noon. The mother was then alerted and met them at the hospital and reported back to us that the child will make a full recovery and did not need stitches. Special thanks to the park ranger for assistance, the dog was located and was current on his shots.

(SCOTTSBLUFF, Neb.) -- Also on Sunday on scanner traffic, a large burn pit fire was reported on County Road 29 just south of County Road J. Minatare Fire was paged to this incident. Please follow the State Fire Marshal and Governor's directive; NO BURNING, unless it falls under the tight exceptions of portable grills and other non-open-flame devices.

The Alliance Police Department announces the sentencing of two feathers bueno, following a criminal investigation involving a child exploitation case. On Wednesday, bueno was sentenced in Boxview County District Court for multiple felony convictions. Specifically, bueno was sentenced to 14 to 18 years for incarceration for three counts of possession of child sexual abuse material, along with three additional years for incarceration on one count of third degree sexual assault of a child. He will be required to register as a sex offender. Anyone with information related to crimes involving child exploitation is encouraged to contact your local police department.

We have an update on the Ashby and minor fires. The operations section chief tells us that the forward progress of the fires has been stopped and aircraft are being utilized to work the flanks of the two fires along with the resources on the ground. At the time they were measured, Ashby showed 43,641 acres and minor was at 22,486. That's from the Nebraska Emergency Management Agency.

And last night, the Lagrange Fire Department responded to a grass fire south of Bear Creek Road and west of Four Corners Road caused by dry lightning. With the help of Yoder, Hock Springs, Laramie County District 5 and Albin, they were able to extinguish the fire. They'd also like to recognize the brave ranchers who they see out on almost every grass fire. It's not just the landowners, but the neighbors, ranch hands and friends, protecting and fighting for their livelihood. Many times people just bring whatever they can to work the fire and then they step aside when the professionals step in and often aren't recognized for their hard work and bravery. Thank you to the farmers and ranchers who are helping out there.

Breaking news for you this morning, there is an active fire with an evacuation in place right now in Ashby, Nebraska. Officials were going to evacuate Hyannis, Nebraska, but winds shifted and now Hyannis High School is closed for the day, but the parking lot can be used for trailers and such. A current fire evacuation is in place for Ashby, Nebraska. Ashby is in Grant County and has resulted in some road closures on Highway 2 and Highway 61. And officials in Garden County are asking people to not call 911 because they are aware of the fire in nearby Grant County. We certainly understand everybody being on edge after what Nebraska just went through. Stay tuned to Panhandle Scanner for updates on this situation throughout the day.

A single vehicle rollover accident occurred around 4:40 a.m. this morning just west of L79E on Highway 26 near Minatare. Scanner traffic indicated that a male got out of the vehicle and was walking around. Airlink was on standby and they were canceled, sounds like minor injuries, and the reporting party detected alcohol on his breath. Remember, all parties are innocent until proven guilty. We're thankful that there weren't any more serious injuries than our prayers for the victim of the accident.

We did have some good fire news from yesterday. Emergency personnel have determined that the largest fire in the history in the state of Nebraska is now at 100% containment, consuming 642,000 acres and requiring the assistance of nearly 200 personnel. Memories of the Morrill Fire will last a long time.