As many towns and counties are still declaring their preference whether or not to ban or allow fireworks for the 2026 season, weather permitting, Gering's Allred Brothers display will be held at the Five Rocks Amphitheater again this year. That's the Allred Brothers display at Five Rocks.

Meanwhile, the Banner County Fire Chief has declared a burn ban in Banner County until further notice. No burning is allowed of any kind other than those allowed by exception, which are very few. Just don't burn during a burn ban. And that includes fireworks. Check our Facebook page for that burn ban from Banner County and watch out for others that may pop up. Fortunately, there is some precipitation anticipated between now and the 4th of July.

You may remember the man that doused his father with gasoline and murdered him on 11th Avenue in Scottsbluff last spring. Elijah Cervantes has entered a plea of not guilty by insanity in the death of his 74-year-old father, Anthony. The trial is set to begin in Scotts Bluff County. We'll have more on that case once a verdict is reached.

With the recent precipitation in the Crawford area, there's a new flash flood alert for the burn scar that was caused by the South Fork Fire. With no vegetation in the ground, water tends to run off a lot more. So please use caution in those areas.

For these stories and more, visit Panhandle Scanner or Panhandlescanner.com. Now over 25 million visitors to our website. And don't forget that popular public record every Monday through Friday when available.

Our top story of the day comes from last night's Sidney City Council meeting. The Sidney Nebraska City Council voted to allow fireworks this year, from July 1st at 8am to July 5th at 1am. However, the conversation got very heated and police were called to the scene, despite the fact that the police chief was on scene at the meeting. We were getting live updates when Mr. Balfour stopped by to speak with our reporter outside, to show his appreciation for coverage after the council meeting, when several police cars showed up. We didn't hear of any further action taken, but we'll let you know if anything serious came of it. It was a verbal argument over fireworks.

Subsequently, the Cheyenne County Commissions voted on Wednesday morning, to BAN fireworks in rural areas of the county, with fines of $250, $500, and $1,000 for first, second and third offense.

Speaking of fireworks, there is a discussion on venue change in Gering. The Allred display typically takes place at Five Rocks Amphitheater, but there is discussion this year about moving it to Oregon Trail Park in Gering. Find that post and be sure to comment on our Facebook page.

Little Lake Alice is back! The irrigation water has flowed in and refilled Little Lake Alice. There is a time-lapse video from Troy Bryan on our Facebook page at Panhandle Scanner.

And there'll be a planned outage for the Village of Morrill coming up on the 28th. That's a Sunday, so they wanted to be sure to put out that notice early, and they asked for our help. So, folks in Morrill, be ready for that short electrical outage on Sunday morning the 28th.

Several businesses took damage to their properties around the Panhandle, and one of those was Monument Shadows Golf Course. The storm damaged almost all of the greens. The grounds crew worked all day to repair as much damage as possible. The golf course will be closed at least until noon on Wednesday. The driving range is open, and they thank you for your patience while they get the greens back into shape.

Unfortunately, natural disasters, and especially hailstorms, can make several people in the community a target. Well, the storms certainly cause damage all throughout the Panhandle, and we feel our job at Panhandle Scanner is to help the community. Over the years, we have acquired major sponsors in several different categories that can be trusted and called upon in emergencies like this.

First of all, we want to make sure to remind you, the number one tip for roof damage is to call your roofing company before you call your insurance company. That tip comes from Valley Roofing and Restoration, and we have several other tips from Kevin Smith on how you can protect yourself from not only being scammed, but by simply making choices in the wrong order.

For insurance companies, we highly recommend American Family Insurance, the Kendall Henderson Agency. He's been a sponsor of the Scanner from year one.

And we're sure there is plenty of fence damage out there. Call Custom-Made Fencing. That's Sean Low. They can help you there.

Three and a half years ago, when we began the Favorite Local Small Business in the Panhandle, it was the third quarter of 2023, and Platte River Glass was overwhelmingly your choice for Favorite Local Small Business. If you need glass repair, contact Platte River Glass, and be sure to have your VIN number handy.

For vehicle damage, we recommend Bumper-to-Bumper Body and Paint. Quality that counts.

And if you need help cleaning up your yard, we recommend Cauyer Glanz from Western Nebraska Landscaping. Give Cauyer a call.

You can find all these great businesses either on Panhandle Search or Panhandle Scanner on the web. Just click on Just for Fun, and then Sponsors.

Police are still searching for that whitish flatbed involved in the hit and run accident at Maverik on June 9, 2026. Some people have said they noticed that truck in the Mitchell and Morrill areas of the panhandle. Be on the lookout and please call it in.