Nebraska

80% of Nebraska EMS agencies rely on volunteers to make sacrifice for rural communities

Published

6 months ago

September 10, 2025

80% of Nebraska EMS agencies rely on volunteers to make sacrifice for rural communities

LINCOLN, Neb. (KOLN) — A Hickman woman’s story of waiting for an ambulance during a medical emergency has put a spotlight on rural emergency medical services across Nebraska.

Ronicka Schottel suffered a miscarriage Aug. 12 and waited more than half an hour for an ambulance — all while her mother repeatedly called 911.

But it’s not just a Hickman problem — or even just a Nebraska problem. Like the pandemic highlighted, healthcare problems are exacerbated in rural areas.

A car drives along a rural road in southeast Nebraska on Saturday, September 6, 2025.(10/11 News)

A 2024 report from the state’s Department of Health and Human Services shows 80% of EMS agencies are staffed exclusively with volunteers.

That’s forcing agencies across the state to grapple with how to recruit and retain talent willing to serve and sacrifice their own personal time.

“When I first moved to Linwood after I got married, several of the volunteers had asked me to join and I never did,” said Linwood Fire Chief Joel Cerny. I thought I was too busy. Then we had a small fire in our yard, and it was racing up the hill towards my barn full of straw. Volunteers came and put it out before it got to the barn and saved my barn. So I thought if all them guys took time off of their day to come help me, I should help them.”

That was 40 years ago — and Joel Cerny has been a volunteer firefighter/EMT ever since — serving the last 25 years as chief.

Linwood is located in Butler County, Nebraska, a small town just south of the Platte River registering around 100 residents as of the 2020 census.

Cerny said people often move to rural communities like his without realizing there’s not someone sitting at the station 24/7.

Getting someone certified to work fires is fairly straightforward, but EMT certification requires a months-long class, 180 hours and a difficult national registry test.

A 2024 Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services report showed there’s about 6,300 EMT licenses in Nebraska, but that doesn’t mean they’re all active.

A firefighter memorial outside the Schuyler Fire Station in Schuyler, Nebraska(10/11 News)

Cerny and Blair Volunteer Firefighter/EMT Brenda Jenny have both made the volunteer sacrifice, giving up events, holidays, work and sleep to make a difference in their communities.

“My dad was on the department as well,” Jenny said. “He was a 55-year member of the Blair Volunteer Fire Department, so I learned from the best.”

Jenny tries to make her dad proud, her heart for service born from years of watching her dad.

“It has to come from the heart,” she said of the struggle to find new volunteers. “You have to want to serve the community and serve your fellow neighbors. And in this day and age, I think everybody is time starved.”

Blair VFD has started a cadet program to try and get new recruits.

Hickman Fire Chief John Brady previously told 10/11 they have been working with Lincoln Fire and Rescue to try and get EMS technicians on a rotation in Hickman, getting them experience and potentially a small stipend to help the volunteer department have more coverage.

At their rural fire board meeting on Monday, Chief Brady also said the department has 11 new applicants, nine of whom are emergency medicine providers, and also just recently purchased three vehicles, one of which is a new ambulance.

10/11 Investigates will be looking at solutions in a story next week, including more on Schottel’s story and an in-depth look at one town in northern Kansas that is innovating to solve their shortage.

This is a complex story and only one part of a multi-part series. If you or someone you know has an experience with rural EMS in Nebraska, reach out to Darsha Dodge at Darsha.Dodge@1011now.com.

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Nebraska

Nebraska Lottery results: See winning numbers for Powerball, Pick 3 on March 2, 2026

Published

5 hours ago

March 3, 2026

Press Room

The results are in for the Nebraska Lottery’s draw games on Monday, March 2, 2026.

Here’s a look at winning numbers for each game on March 2.

Winning Powerball numbers from March 2 drawing

02-17-18-38-62, Powerball: 20, Power Play: 2

Check Powerball payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Powerball Double Play numbers from March 2 drawing

21-28-58-65-67, Powerball: 25

Check Powerball Double Play payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Pick 3 numbers from March 2 drawing

7-5-8

Check Pick 3 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Pick 5 numbers from March 2 drawing

03-08-09-17-25

Check Pick 5 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning 2 By 2 numbers from March 2 drawing

Red Balls: 14-26, White Balls: 17-18

Check 2 By 2 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning MyDay numbers from March 2 drawing

Month: 05, Day: 03, Year: 23

Check MyDay payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Millionaire for Life numbers from March 2 drawing

28-41-42-50-55, Bonus: 02

Check Millionaire for Life payouts and previous drawings here.

Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results

When are the Nebraska Lottery drawings held?

Powerball: 9:59 p.m. CT Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
Mega Millions: 10 p.m. CT on Tuesday and Friday.
Pick 3, 5: By 10 p.m. CT daily.
Lucky For Life: 9:38 p.m. CT daily.
2 By 2: By 10 p.m. CT daily.
MyDaY: By 10 p.m. CT daily.
Lotto America: 9:15 p.m CT Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
Millionaire for Life: 10:15 p.m. CT daily.

This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a USA Today editor. You can send feedback using this form.

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Nebraska

NioCorp to start work on its minerals mine in southeast Nebraska

Published

17 hours ago

March 2, 2026

Press Room

NioCorp to start work on its minerals mine in southeast Nebraska

NioCorp announced Monday that it plans to start work on its critical minerals mine in southeast Nebraska.

The project, which the company is calling its mine portal project, will involve building a main entrance to the Elk Creek underground mine and will serve as the primary access point for personnel, equipment, and materials for the underground mining operations. It also will include excavating bedrock, drilling and blasting to establish the twin mine ramps, on-site access road construction, and construction of on-site supporting infrastructure.

The project, which will cost nearly $45 million, is set to get underway before the end of the month. It marks the first time Colorado-based NioCorp will actually start any significant work on the main mine, from which the company hopes to extract niobium, scandium, titanium and other minerals.

“Given the size of this excavation work, the portal project really marks the beginning of a major pre-construction activity at the Elk Creek Project site and is an important step toward preparing for underground development,” Scott Honan, the company’s president and chief operating officer, said in a release.

Mark A. Smith, Niocorp’s chairman and CEO, called the project, “a significant milestone.”

Niocorp has spent more than 15 years trying to develop the mine on land in Johnson County, about 65 miles southeast of Lincoln.

The company still needs to raise a significant amount of money to make the $1.2 billion mine a reality, though. In December, NioCorp said it had raised about $360 million, or a little more than a quarter of the total cost. It is still waiting for approval of a $780 million debt financing application from the Export-Import Bank of the United States.

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Nebraska

Nebraska Lottery results: See winning numbers for Pick 3, Pick 5 on March 1, 2026

Published

1 day ago

March 2, 2026

Press Room

The results are in for the Nebraska Lottery’s draw games on Sunday, March 1, 2026.

Here’s a look at winning numbers for each game on March 1.

Winning Pick 3 numbers from March 1 drawing

7-6-5

Check Pick 3 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Pick 5 numbers from March 1 drawing

04-20-28-30-39

Check Pick 5 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning 2 By 2 numbers from March 1 drawing

Red Balls: 02-10, White Balls: 25-26

Check 2 By 2 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning MyDay numbers from March 1 drawing

Month: 11, Day: 28, Year: 38

Check MyDay payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Millionaire for Life numbers from March 1 drawing

10-11-12-35-56, Bonus: 04

Check Millionaire for Life payouts and previous drawings here.

Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results

When are the Nebraska Lottery drawings held?

Powerball: 9:59 p.m. CT Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
Mega Millions: 10 p.m. CT on Tuesday and Friday.
Pick 3, 5: By 10 p.m. CT daily.
Lucky For Life: 9:38 p.m. CT daily.
2 By 2: By 10 p.m. CT daily.
MyDaY: By 10 p.m. CT daily.
Lotto America: 9:15 p.m CT Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
Millionaire for Life: 10:15 p.m. CT daily.

This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a USA Today editor. You can send feedback using this form.

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