SCANNER RECAP Aug 31, 2023 – Thursday

IN THIS ISSUE

911 Service Failure
Vehicle Fire
More Supermoon Photos
Family Astronomy Night
Learn to Photograph the Night Sky
Gering FD & NE Forest Service
Sheriff Tammy Mowry Retires
Indian Wars Presentation
High Plains Riot
Torrington Farmers Market
Crawford Rock Swap
#BackTheBlue
Accidental 911 Calls
Suicide Prevention Awareness
Fire Training
Lost and Found Pets
Look Who’s Hiring

Dream Job?

This is one of the best companies in the area to work for… R&C Welding, Fabrication and Crane!

#911outage || Back to Top

911 Outages

Emergency phone services were interrupted yesterday evening across the state.

911 SERVICES were STILL DOWN as of 5:30 am Mountain.

Several counties reported outages, but one reported that they were unaffected due to the technology implemented.

This, out of Sidney…

“We have the technology so that 911 is currently being rerouted through our non-emergency numbers,” Cheyenne County Sheriff Adam Frerichs said. “It has been tested and is working. There is no need for anyone to dial any number other than 911.”

Meanwhile, several counties are still down this morning and we are tracking The situation closely. (See update below!)

Here are ALTERNATE Numbers for surrounding areas;
Nebraska State Patrol *55
Scotts Bluff 308-436-6666
Banner 308-436-5271
Morrill 308-262-0408
Box Butte 308-762-4955
Dawes 308-665-8213
Sheridan 308-327-2161

NOT AFFECTED; Torrington – 911 services tested and working.

We will certainly be following up on this critical outage. Remember, they told us that the ‘New 911 System’ was the REASON that they HAD to go encrypted.

UPDATE – Restoration announced 6am cst

Two fast moving objects flew over Nebraska last evening just minutes before the outage.

Possible cause of the outage

UPDATE: Sept 1st, 8:00am cst:

According to Wayne County Office of Emergency Management, Frontier has notified Wayne 911 that there appears to be a break in the fiber cable somewhere between Huntington and Wayne, causing a widespread outage. Technicians are out looking for the break now. We will provide updates as they become available.

#vehiclefire || Back to Top

2219hrs
** Scanner Traffic indicated a Vehicle Fire – Hwy 26 1/2 mile East of Morrill. **

#supermoon || Back to Top

More Supermoon Photos

Beth Cowan Drake captured this in Alabama and she provided the following information for other photography enthusiasts.

She wrote…

Hauled the gear out in my Madison County yard at midnight to get a clean shot of the “almost” 2nd Super Moon of August 2023 — the Blue Moon (98% waxing gibbous). It was way too cloudy here to get it rising. This is a mineral edit to bring out the natural metal and mineral deposits on the surface of the moon. It kinda blows me away how well you can see all the landmarks — the Sea of Tranquility, the Sea of Serenity, the Ocean of Storms.

The full Blue Supermoon rose on 8/30/2023 at 7:27pm local time.

ATBWAAY31

For those asking:
Camera: CanonR5
Lens: Sigma 150-600mm with 1.4x teleconverter for total focal length of 840mm
ISO 125
f/9
1/250 seconds
Edited in Adobe Lightroom and Topaz DeNoise AI

For a mineral edit, use Lightroom to bump the individual color sliders up on the entire image. I used White Balance of 3500K when shooting, so less blue, more of everything else in Lightroom. It’s very much trial and error for me to get something natural, but I do not add spots of color. You can also google “moon mineral edit” for more details and techniques.

But Beth wasn’t done.

I have to post one more Blue Moon from last night’s roll because this moment was surreal to me. I’d been planning for weeks. I used PhotoPills to find a location that would be far enough away (1.7 miles) to use the 840mm focal length of my lens and teleconverter to get a giant moon. I used Google Street View to verify the Saturn V at the US Space & Rocket Center was viewable from this location, but I still wasn’t sure it would work. And then there was haze on the horizon. But at some point, you just have to go for it.

I walked up to the lake in Research Park with my big tripod and the lens mounted to a gimbal. Another photographer was there walking around the lake with his camera (@papatothestars) and we started talking and comparing notes. He also had used PhotoPills to plan this location. We stood there giddy like kids, waiting for the moonrise to happen. We both agreed it was probably too hazy and decided it would be a bust. But then a huge orange ball, like a glowing pumpkin, peeked its head above the trees right next to the rocket!

I was like, OMG there it is!

It was so absolutely incredible to watch it come up out of the trees and take its place next to that rocket like it belonged there all along!

NASA and the moon!

I have lived my entire life in Huntsville, was born here, grew up here, raised around the space program in the Rocket City, and this was probably the most poignant Huntsville sight I’ve ever seen. After that initial feeling of awe and wonder, we both scrambled around the lake to line the rising moon up with the rocket (last night’s post). But this was one of those “I have chills” moments I will never forget.

Prints at BethCowanDrake.com
Magazine at AlabamaTheBeautifulMagazine.com
Join our fb group at Alabama The Beautiful®

#ATBWAAY31

Nice work, Beth!

Storm Chaser Brandon Montgomery captures more supermoon photos.

ABC World News Tonight posted this…

Scottsbluff Main Street Market

#astronomy || Back to Top

Family Astronomy Night

#nightsky || Back to Top

Learn to photograph the Night Sky

Northwest Nebraska posted the following reminder.

#teamwork || Back to Top

Gering FD and NE Forest Service

Local teams come together to serve in Texas! #historical #backthered

Gering Fire Department posted the following early Thursday.

#retirement || Back to Top

First Female Sheriff Retires

Congratulations to Sheriff Tammy Mowry on her retirement as Box Butte County Sheriff! Panhandle Post had a little writeup on her…

#presentation || Back to Top

Indians Wars Presentation

The Knight Museum will be hosting a presentation by historian Randy Kane, ‘Indian Wars of Northwest Nebraska’ on Tuesday, September 5th at 5:30pm.
For more information, please contact the Knight Museum & Sandhills Center at (308) 762-2384.

#highplainsriot || Back to Top

High Plains Riot

#suicideprevention || Back to Top

Suicide Prevention

It’s never too early to talk about suicide prevention. This challenge is geared towards soldiers and veterans but is for anyone to participate.

#spotlight || Back to Top

Local Business Spotlight

#rockswap || Back to Top

Crawford Rock Swap

#training || Back to Top

Wildfire Training Academy

Engine Academy registration closes on September 1st, one week away. This Type 3 wildfire exercise is held on September 16th and 17th within the Wildcat Hills. This year we will have many options for trainees to continue to develop their task book.

To register, please visit https://forms.gle/dBGnEeJDJ58mhFiK9 or email firedept@gering.org for a registration form.

#backtheblue || Back to Top

Back The Blue

Reminder from Gering PD

August 31, 2023

For Immediate Release:

Philip Lukens, who has served as the City of Alliance Police Chief since December 2020, has submitted his resignation effective September 15, 2023. Lieutenant Kirk Felker has been appointed to serve as Interim Police Chief, while the executive search for the full-time position is completed.

On behalf of the City of Alliance, we wish Chief Lukens the very best in his future endeavors.

_____

Seth Sorensen
City Manager
324 Laramie Avenue
P.O. Box D
Phone: (308) 762-5400
Fax: (308) 762-7848
ssorensen@cityofalliance.net

Local Jail Inmate Search

Nebraska State Inmate Search

Sex Offender Registry Search

*Know your surroundings and your neighbors*

#911calls || Back to Top

Accidental 911 Calls

#lostandfound || Back to Top

Lost and Found Pets

Successful Reunifications

Thank you to everyone who shares these posts, helping reunite pets with owners.

Andi and Brian Hale offer encouragement on their daily Faith Matters podcast.

#hiring || Back to Top

Look Who’s Hiring!

R&C Welding is hiring.

Alliance Police Department in hiring.

Sidney Police Department is hiring.

A career with Sidney Police Department presents you with new challenges every day, career satisfaction, and opportunities to excel. We offer competitive wages and benefits, and the chance to be called to a higher honor.

Application information packets may be requested from Autumn Ramirez, HR Director at (308) 254-7002 or cityhr@cityofsidney.org.

Nebraska State Patrol is hiring.

Main Street Market is hiring.

City of Gering is hiring.

City of Alliance is hiring.

Wyoming Highway Patrol is hiring.

COMMUNITY CALENDAR

#freeconcert || Back to Top

Free Labor Day Musical Festival

Traffic Alert – Huge Concert Coming!

#farmersmarket || Back to Top

Torrington Farmer’s Market

OPINION SECTION

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Chaos on the Airwaves: Multi-Scene Emergency Dispatch - SCANNER TRAFFIC

(PANHANDLE OF NEBRASKA) -- This episode follows a frantic day of emergency dispatches on Saturday, March 21, 2026 covering highway incidents, vehicle crashes, a serious motorcycle injury with CPR performed on scene, reports of grass fires and carbon monoxide alarms, and multiple traffic stops involving impaired or reckless drivers. Listeners get a raw, real-time look at how responders coordinate resources, manage evolving scenes, and handle follow-ups and civilian interactions across multiple jurisdictions. All suspects are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

Why The Resurrection Matters To You (He is Risen) - Elevate Your Day with Andi and Brian Hale

The heart of the gospel, the good news, is Christ was raised from the dead. He is risen indeed! That means faith is fruitful rather than futile; preaching is powerful rather than pointless; the disciples were dependable rather than deceptive; salvation is certain rather than imaginary, and death is defeated rather than victorious. Because Christ rose from the dead, those of us who believe are of all people the most blessed and the happiest because the resurrected Christ lives inside of us. Because Jesus rose from the dead, one day we will rise too! What a glorious truth! Remember, Paul didn’t say they were just believers in the resurrection. He said they were witnesses of the resurrection, and there’s a big difference between a believer and a witness. A witness testifies to what he has seen, heard, and personally experienced, which makes Christianity different from every other religion and every other philosophy. And with great power the apostles were giving their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all. – Acts 4:33 ESV The resurrection is not just a historical fact. It’s not just a sign from God validating Christ. It means Jesus is alive right now, and He can be known by you, right here, right now. You don’t have to take anyone’s word for it. Living people can show up for themselves. That is the ultimate evidence of the resurrection of Jesus Christ—the reality of His power and His presence. You don’t have to merely believe it; you can witness it for yourself. When we witness Jesus alive, we become like the disciples, who, despite the forces trying to silence them, continued to share the truth of the good news of Jesus’ resurrection. The resurrected Christ was at the core of the gospel the disciples preached. None of them changed their story, even while being tortured. None of them simply stopped talking about the resurrection and quietly went away. They all gave their lives, proclaiming Jesus had risen from the dead!

Why Does The Resurrection Matter? (He is Risen) - Elevate Your Day with Andi and Brian Hale

The crucifixion of Jesus was a very important historical event. We usually hear more about the cross than the empty tomb in the church world, leaving the resurrection for Easter. But the resurrection is not just an Easter message; it lies at the heart of Christianity, even in one sense eclipsing the significance of the cross. For without the resurrection, the crucifixion was just an execution. Lots of people have died on lots of crosses, but there is only One who rose from the dead, ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of the Father. The Apostle Paul said; And if Christ is not risen, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins! Then also those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men the most pitiable -1 Corinthians 15:17–19 NKJV That means if Christ didn’t rise, all the things we’ve done wrong would keep us separated from God forever, and if that is the case, we are to be pitied. Paul didn’t say if Jesus didn’t rise from the dead, Christianity is still a good religion that will make you a better person, instill good morals, and make your life a little better. He said if Jesus didn’t rise from the dead, then this whole thing is a lie, everything we are doing is for nothing, and believers are the biggest fools in the world. Some scholars and preachers try to sound rational or intelligent and say maybe the resurrection wasn’t literal and physical. Perhaps it was a metaphor for something or just a spiritual resurrection. But if Jesus didn’t rise from the dead, then He was not who He claimed to be. If He didn’t rise from the dead, there’s nothing He can do for you: He can’t save you, He can’t forgive you, He can’t wash your sins away, and He can’t heal you… If He didn’t rise from the dead, then He’s just another dead guy. The good news is Christ did rise from the dead, and that changes everything!

The Reality of The Resurrection (He is Risen) - Elevate Your Day with Andi and Brian Hale

Did Jesus really die and rise from the dead? Some say there is no evidence for the Christian faith, but actually, from a historical perspective, the resurrection of Jesus is probably the most well-documented fact in antiquity. People have tried to dispute it numerous ways—Jesus wasn’t really dead, the disciples went to the wrong tomb, or the disciples stole His body. However, none of the theories that try to disprove the resurrection hold water. Ultimately it is indisputable that the disciples (and hundreds of others) believed they had personally seen, touched, ate with, walked with, and talked with the resurrected Jesus. They died for this testimony, and who would die for a lie? He presented himself alive to them after his suffering by many proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God. – Acts 1:3 ESV Perhaps you would answer that many have died throughout history for things that were not true. However, there is one very important difference between the disciples and other martyrs. The disciples did not just believe Jesus rose from the dead; they claimed to actually be eyewitnesses of His resurrection. In other words, the resurrection wasn’t just something they believed to be true; it was something they knew for a fact as true. That means if they were lying, they knew they were lying—and they all died for a lie they knew was a lie. Highly unlikely! Not one of them changed his story when faced with the gallows or the sword. They all gladly testified with their blood to the reality that Jesus had risen from the dead. And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain. – 1 Corinthians 15:14 ESV The courage the disciples displayed in the face of death was not only remarkable; it was especially unusual given everything we know about them from Scripture. They totally dropped the ball when Jesus was crucified. One betrayed Him, another denied Him, and the rest ran for their lives. They weren’t courageous and bold; they were weak-willed cowards. But then, something radically changed them. Something transformed them into bold witnesses, proclaiming the gospel everywhere. What changed them was being with the resurrected Christ—they talked with Him, walked with Him, touched Him, and even ate with Him for weeks after He rose from the dead! The disciples lost everything because of their witness of the resurrection of Christ, and they stood to gain nothing in this world by it. If Christ didn’t rise from the dead, all the disciples died terrible deaths to perpetuate a hoax. Do you really believe that happened? Not a chance.

God is Faithful (Finding God Faithful) - Elevate Your Day with Andi and Brian Hale

Joseph’s story welcomes us with open arms, summons us into the living room, and invites us to sit down awhile and listen. So many have found a dear companion in Joseph because his life displays much of the human experience. We all “get” Joseph on some level. We can relate to him. We’ve probably never owned a multicolored robe that nearly cost us our lives or traveled as a slave by camel to a foreign land, but we patently understand difficult family relationships. We’ve experienced betrayal. We know unfair. Broken dreams have nearly sunk us. And almost every one of us has wondered at some point in our lives, Where is God? Genesis 37–50 (Joseph’s account) reveals how deeply God loves us and wants us to love others—even those most difficult to love. (No matter who in your life is a challenging personality, just wait until you meet Joseph’s brothers. They’ll make your irritable Aunt Jane look like she’s up for this year’s Nobel Peace Prize.) On a very practical level, Joseph’s life will encourage us to run for our lives from temptation, to serve when we’re suffering, and to serve when we’re prospering. And if you’ve ever wondered when to protect yourself from the people who have wounded you or when to lay down your defenses, throw your arms around your foes, and weep, Joseph’s story can help. It doesn’t give us a manual, but boy does it offer us an epic scene. This is to say nothing of what Joseph’s story teaches us about how God can take the stones thrown at us with evil intent and use them as the bedrock of His good plans for our lives. As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today. – Genesis 50:20 ESV Which brings us to another quite practical theme of Joseph’s story: forgiveness. If Joseph could forgive his brothers, I imagine there’s no one we can’t learn to forgive. For those of you who have ever wondered if your dark nights and crushing heartbreak were sure signs that God had forgotten or abandoned you, Joseph’s story confidently tells us otherwise. In a faraway land, and later in a dismal prison, what more hopeful truth could be written than “God was with Joseph”? Whether in prison or in palace, His presence changes everything. Perhaps above all, in this study, I hope you will gather a richer understanding of God’s promises, His faithfulness to His people, and the person of Jesus toward whom Joseph’s entire story is aimed.