Nebraska

Archeological survey of 1860s Nebraska homestead is underway

Published

11 months ago

April 16, 2025

Archeological survey of 1860s Nebraska homestead is underway

STANTON COUNTY, Neb. (KTIV) – Archeologists with the Nebraska State Historical Society are digging at the site of an 1860s Stanton County homestead.

The Sharp Homestead, located near Pilger at the intersection of Nebraska Highway 15 and U.S. Highway 275, started Nov. 21, 1865, when Charles F. Sharp submitted a homestead application to the Nebraska Land Office in Nebraska City.

Sharp built a 16-by-24-foot, one-and-a-half-story, three-room house by 1872. It also contained a stable, a granary and a cellar below the house.

The 2014 Pilger tornado uncovered historical artifacts at the site, which led to further investigation. Architectural debris like brick, metal hinges and glass were later discovered.

Additionally, items like stoneware and flatware, a set of pliers, an old horseshoe and other unidentifiable metal items were found.

Button found at excavation site.(Nebraska State Historical Society)

Nolan Johnson, an archeologist with the Nebraska State Historical Society, has been working on the Sharp Homestead project since 2016.

Project lead, NSHS archeologist Nolan Johnson uses GPS for coordinate plotting of digging area... — Project lead, NSHS archeologist Nolan Johnson uses GPS for coordinate plotting of digging area and artifact location.(Nebraska State Historical Society)

Johnson said the Sharp Homestead is a significant site due to its age and could help scientists understand the evolution of farming practices in Nebraska.

“The archival record from the 1860s-1880s is scant and archeology is an important tool for filling in those gaps in our understanding of how people lived in Nebraska in the past,” said Johnson.

Over the next six to eight weeks, four state archeologists and two technicians will excavate several one-meter square grids by hand to recover artifacts and hopefully find evidence of building foundations.

Watering the dirt to enable digging. Evaporation from strong winds combined hardens dirt.... — Watering the dirt to enable digging. Evaporation from strong winds combined hardens dirt. Water makes digging manageable.(Nebraska State Historical Society)

Most of the recovered artifacts will be collected for cleaning, processing, analysis and storage at the State Archeology Office in Lincoln.

A comprehensive project report will be released detailing the excavations and providing results of the team’s findings once the analysis is complete.

The historical society is working with the Nebraska Department of Transportation to make way for a 10-mile expansion of U.S. Highway 275 from Norfolk to Omaha Expressway.

The expressway is planned to be expanded from two lanes to four lanes beginning 8.5 miles east of Norfolk and extending to the intersection of Nebraska Highway 15 and U.S. Highway 275.

The Sharp Homestead archeological work is the largest project the Nebraska State Historical Society and the Nebraska Department of Transportation have partnered on in more than 20 years.

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Nebraska

4.1-magnitude earthquake hits south-central Nebraska

Published

2 hours ago

March 3, 2026

Press Room

4.1-magnitude earthquake hits south-central Nebraska

People across Nebraska and Kansas reported feeling an earthquake Sunday afternoon.

According to the U.S. Geological Survey, a quake measuring 4.1 on the Richter Scale struck around 1 p.m. about 3 miles east of the Webster County village of Cowles, which is in south-central Nebraska near the Kansas border.

A quake of that magnitude is considered “light” and not likely to cause damage.

But the USGS received dozens of reports from people who said they felt the quake, some as far away as Omaha and Manhattan, Kansas. Numerous people took to social media to report feeling the quake.

Two aftershocks of 2.6 magnitude later occurred near the original quake site, one about 90 minutes after the initial quake and one later Sunday night.

Earthquakes are relatively rare in Nebraska, but the state does usually record one or two minor ones per year. The last time Nebraska recorded a quake of a magnitude 4 or above was in December 2023, also in Webster County.

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Nebraska

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

Published

14 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

1 day 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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