Downtown Valentine is buzzing with change as several vacant buildings find new life and new owners.

Contractors at Fort Robinson State Park near Crawford have started demolition of the swimming pool complex to make way for a new aquatic facility.

The National Park Service is searching for a new superintendent to lead the Niobrara National Scenic River in Valentine

Springview tripled its population Wednesday as around 500 students, plus staff and organizers, gathered for the FFA State Range Judging contest.

For the seventh time in 2025, the overall regional economic index sank below growth neutral.

A major road construction project along West 4th Street in Valentine is now in its final phase.

A 49-year-old Kyle man has been sentenced to nearly six years in federal prison for his role in a methamphetamine distribution conspiracy in Pine Ridge and Rapid City.

An Alliance man has been arrested on multiple counts of child sexual assault after a joint investigation by Alliance Police and DHHS.

A 32-year-old Pine Ridge woman has been sentenced to 19 years in federal prison for her leading role in a methamphetamine distribution conspiracy in Pine Ridge and Rapid City.

A horse in the Panhandle has tested positive for West Nile virus. Officials urge vaccination for horses and prevention steps for residents as mosquito activity continues.

For years, the only way to read old newspaper articles in Cherry County was by scrolling through rolls of microfilm. But that technology is fragile, and local librarians worried history was literally breaking apart.

A memorial along Highway 20 in Gordon is now honoring hundreds of Nebraska veterans.

The largest supplier of grass-fed and organic beef has acquired a beef processor in Gordon, Nebraska.

A Friday interim study hearing on whether the State of Nebraska should takeover management of the scenic Niobrara River from the National Park Service has been canceled.

A 38-year-old North Platte woman is facing multiple charges after allegedly assaulting people near Penbrook Landing on the Niobrara River, then attacking officers during the booking process at the Cherry County Jail.

A 30-year-old St. Francis man has been sentenced to seven years in federal prison after pleading guilty to assaulting, resisting and impeding federal officers and possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine.

A 26-year-old Alliance woman accused of killing a man and dumping his remains in rural Box Butte County is set to appear in Sheridan County Court on Thursday.

When many people picture the history of rural Nebraska, they imagine Native Americans and white settlers carving out a life on the Plains. But Black Americans also played a vital role—especially the Buffalo Soldiers, who helped protect early communities.

Sarah Hardin, a high school science teacher at Mullen Public Schools, was named the 2026 Nebraska Teacher of the Year during a surprise award presentation Monday.

The Nebraska State Patrol has identified the victim in the Box Butte County homicide as 32-year-old Ebram Sifuentes of Alliance.

Historic black-and-white photographs by Mabel Graham McIntosh Souther are on display at the Mari Sandoz High Plains Heritage Center through the fall 2025 semester.

As the youth mental health crisis continues nationwide, research shows the parent-teen relationship is one of the strongest protective factors.

Alliance police arrested three juveniles after a burglary in progress was reported Sunday on Yellowstone Avenue. One was taken to a juvenile detention center, while two were released to guardians.

Prints by nine Chadron State College students, designed during a Spring 2025 course with Art Professor Laura Bentz, were published in August in Volume 4 of the Honeycomb Project.

Curtis Shawn Malone, 60, of Long Pine, and Shawn Lee Malone, 41, of Ainsworth, were killed in the crash on Sept. 1.

The Valentine City Council voted Thursday night to lower the city’s property tax request from $430,000 to $399,000, reducing the levy to 15 cents.

Take a closer look at pivots and irrigation pipe the next time driving through farmland. The difference in colors of the equipment within a few miles of one another may be surprising.

With the number of feral cats in Valentine continuing to grow, a group of local residents has launched the Valentine Cat Rescue.

As the youth mental health crisis continues nationwide, research shows a troubling gap between what teens feel and what parents believe.

Discolored water can be a sign of contaminants, and until it's tested, there's no way of knowing for sure how it may affect the health of you, your family, pets, or livestock.

The Cherry County Tourism Board is launching its first fundraiser for a long-planned convention center in Valentine, offering a raffle with a top prize of $20,000.

Chadron State College will celebrate Homecoming Sept. 20-27 with a variety of events centered around the theme Once Upon a Homecoming.

A Pine Ridge woman has been sentenced to two years in federal prison for her role in a methamphetamine distribution conspiracy on the Pine Ridge Reservation.

A proposed wind farm near Kilgore has landed back in court after its developer, BSH Kilgore, filed a lawsuit against Cherry County.

Water concerns in central Nebraska were brought to the attention of NCN, and we started exploring the quality across the state.

Residents of Crawford, Whitney and Fort Robinson will be without power for a short time for a planned outage.

A 16-year-old male from Chadron was injured in a dove hunting incident at about 6:45 p.m. Mountain time Sept. 6 on private property southwest of Chadron in rural Dawes County.

A 16-year-old Chadron boy was injured in a hunting accident Saturday evening in Dawes County. He was treated and released from the hospital.

Despite this week’s heat, a 70-year-old geologist from California is walking across Nebraska, one step at a time.

Two people were taken to the hospital Monday morning following a collision between a semi and a pickup in Gordon.

WEC currently houses 168 inmates at 84% capacity. Those individuals would be discharged, paroled, or transferred within 45–60 days to other facilities based on custody level.

A 31-year-old Pine Ridge man has been sentenced to 10 years in federal prison for his role in a large-scale methamphetamine trafficking conspiracy in the Rapid City area and on the Pine Ridge Reservation.

A 25-year-old Porcupine man has been sentenced to just over a year in federal prison for assaulting a juvenile with a vacuum handle.

The nation’s longest rails-to-trails conversion project is marking 30 years. The Cowboy Trail, which spans 317 miles from Norfolk to Chadron, was celebrated Friday with a ride, dinner and social in Valentine.

The future of a proposed wind farm in the Nebraska Sandhills is uncertain after the Cherry County Board of Adjustment upheld the zoning administrator’s findings that BSH Kilgore’s conditional use permit has expired.

A 60-year-old man from Long Pine and a 41-year-old man from Ainsworth were killed in a UTV crash Sept. 1 south of Custer, according to the South Dakota Department of Public Safety.

Police in Gettysburg, South Dakota are urging parents to talk with their children after a high school student found a syringe on a sidewalk.

The Chadron State College Rodeo will take place at the Dawes County Fairgrounds in Chadron this weekend--Friday, Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 5-7.

Springview — with a population of fewer than 250 and located more than two hours from the nearest Walmart — nearly became the latest town to lose its grocery store earlier this year.

Recent comments by the general manager of the Middle Niobrara Natural Resources District, Mike Murphy, have raised serious concerns—and confusion—about the role of NPS along the Niobrara National Scenic River.

Chadron State College recently completed a reorganization of Crites Hall offices during the summer to improve efficiency and strengthen services for its students.

The children of a Valentine man who was a staple in the community want to make sure that he continues to serve the area even after his death. NCN’s Casey Wonnenberg has details on the Marty Jordan Memorial Golf Tournament.

A 30-year-old man has been charged with assault after a disturbance at the Super 8 motel in Valentine.

A 30-year-old Mission man has been sentenced to nearly four years in federal prison after admitting to possessing a stolen firearm.

At livestock auctions across the state, cattle are selling for record prices, and last week’s feeder cattle sale in Valentine shattered several national records.

New faculty members have joined Chadron State College this fall.

A 52-year-old St. Francis, South Dakota woman is facing two felony counts after a stabbing in Valentine.

A 21-year-old Mission man has been sentenced to 15 years in federal prison for voluntary manslaughter and assault with a dangerous weapon after fatally beating a man last summer.

A new nail salon has opened its doors in Valentine.

Residents and visitors in Valentine have a new way to explore the town, the Cowboy Trail and the surrounding scenery: by renting an electric bike.

An 18-year-old Gordon man is facing a felony charge after a stabbing sent another man to the hospital.

The Valentine Police Department reported three arrests during the week of Aug. 10–16, along with 28 total calls for service.

A Denver woman has been sentenced to five years in federal prison for her role in a large-scale conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine in the Rapid City area and on the Pine Ridge Reservation.

It’s your chance to celebrate and support the Valentine Badgers as they kick off the fall sports season.