LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) – The Otoe County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the death of a man at the Love’s Travel Stop in Syracuse.

Just before 9:30 a.m. on Friday, deputies were sent to the truck stop near the intersection of Highway 30 and Highway 2.

According to the sheriff’s office, a trucking company said that GPS placed one of their semitrucks in the Love’s parking lot.

The company said they hadn’t heard from the driver in two days, according to officials.

Deputies found the semitruck, and inside was 67-year-old Norman Battista of Indiana, deceased.

Although foul play is not suspected, an autopsy has been scheduled.

The death is still under investigation.

Fans of “Parks and Recreation” can finally live out their dreams of living in Pawnee — sort of.

Pawnee City, Nebraska, which is about 90 minutes south of Lincoln, Nebraska, and two hours north of Kansa City, Missouri, is offering $50,000 to new residents who qualify.

Between March 14, when the program was announced, and March 27, 115 people have applied, Pawnee City Chamber of Commerce official Aaron Sawyer told Business Insider.

The city’s plan, dubbed Vision 2030, starts with a commitment to build 25 new single-family homes on currently empty lots. Plans on the Vision 2030 website show ranch-style homes with three bedrooms, two bathrooms, two-car garages, and spacious backyards priced at $325,000. (The average home value in Pawnee City is $102,705, according to Zillow.)

The program’s $50,000 payouts will go toward down payment assistance for buyers of the new houses.

Applications are open to families, single professionals, or retirees. Qualified homebuyers must make less than certain income caps, which range from $69,450 for a one-person household to $115,100 for a six-person household.

Interested homebuyers must complete an application form that asks for their current employers, monthly incomes, and household sizes.

In November 2024, workers broke ground on the first home, which is expected to be ready for move-in by this summer, according to the Vision 2030 website.

Remote work can be a source of tension between employers and their workers, with Amazon and J.P. Morgan calling employees back to the office five days a week five years after their initial COVID-19 shutdowns. But for those who still have the flexibility, the opportunity to move somewhere with a financial incentive can be enticing in today’s expensive housing market, where older homes may cost just as much as new builds.

Pawnee City is dreaming of a ‘rural renaissance’

The down-payment assistance initiative is part of Pawnee City’s effort to spark a “rural renaissance” that could rejuvenate the town, according to the Vision 2030 website.

Its population has dwindled. Pawnee City has 865 residents, according to the most recent data available from the US Census.The city has experienced a 50-year decline from a population high of 1,280 residents, according to the civic group Pawnee Bold.

For such a small place, Pawnee City has still produced several notable figures, including the first governor of Nebraska, David Butler; vintage Hollywood star Irish McCalla; and famous comedian Larry the Cable Guy.

“It’s a great place to grow up and raise kids,” said Sawyer, who has ties to the city through his grandparents. Pawnee City has its own school, hospital, two parks, and a brand-new amphitheater that just opened last year, he added, which is notable for a town of its size.

This summer’s amphitheater programming will include a polka band, a rock concert, and a screening of “Cars” that features a visit from the hometown hero himself: Larry the Cable Guy.

OMAHA, Neb. (WOWT) – In a couple weeks, a statewide volunteer group will begin a media blitz to get the word out on how senior citizens in Nebraska can save money on their property taxes.

Officials with Volunteers Assisting Seniors say they’ve planned an awareness campaign, using billboards, radio, and newspapers, alerting senior citizens to the possibility of tax savings if they apply for the state’s homestead exemption program.

The Minne Lusa Neighborhood is an historic part of Omaha, and like other neighborhoods in the metro, property taxes are on the rise.

Barb Peters and her husband have applied for the homestead exemption for a few years now, and it’s saving them money.

“This time, when I paid my taxes, I probably paid $1,700 less than I would have if I paid the full amount,” said Barb. “Even in our Minne Lusa neighborhood, the taxes have started going up because real estate values are going up, so that increases taxes and when you’re retired, it’s hard to budget that. The budget only goes so far.”

But there are many senior homeowners who are unaware of the homestead exemption, or they know about it and don’t apply because they don’t think they’d qualify.

“A couple making $62,000 might still qualify for up to 10 percent of property tax relief,” said Toni Roberts, the Executive Director of Volunteers Assisting Seniors.

Toni says the program works, and they have helped many older homeowners save money.

“Through that program, last year we were able to help over 900 people,” Toni said. “900 people made appointments and 800 people were submitted an application for assistance. We helped primarily senior homeowners in Douglas County save approximately $1.75 million in property tax relief.”

Toni says it only takes a few minutes for seniors to find out if they qualify. Barb thinks the time investment is well worth it.

“There could be people who would get a bigger discount than I did because again, it’s income driven,” said Barb.

Volunteers Assisting Seniors will even help homeowners fill out the paperwork. The organization plans a series of community meetings across the Omaha metro to explain the homestead exemption. Those meetings begin April 15.

For more information, visit their website or call 402-444-6671.

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