Jeff Bahr

4 days ago | theindependent.com | Jeff Bahr

The new childbirth simulator at CHI Health St. Francis “can do anything a laboring mom can do,” said Beth Deida, a labor and delivery nurse educator at the hospital. The life-sized mannequin, named Lucina, can prepare nurses for dealing with shoulder dystocia, in which a baby’s head comes out but his shoulders get stuck. Lucina can be set up so that she bleeds heavily after delivery. The staff can make the mannequin have high blood pressure, leading to a seizure.

4 days ago | theindependent.com | Jeff Bahr

Tara Lesiak, executive director of the Friendship House in Grand Island, was recently honored with the Don Marquard 2025 Spirit Award. The award was presented at April’s Central Nebraska Council on Alcohol and Addictions dinner. The Spirit Award is given annually to the person who best represents the character, values and integrity of Don Marquard, described by those who knew him as “a warm-spirited person,” who founded the Central Nebraska Council on Alcohol and Addictions in 1967.

4 days ago | theindependent.com | Jeff Bahr

At Prairie Winds Healing, people can lie down on a comfortable recliner, place a small lavender pillow over their eyes and enjoy the benefits of dry salt therapy. As they relax, patrons inhale micronized particles of salt that are dispersed into the air. The particles of salt are so small that they can penetrate through a person’s skin, helping with problems such as acne, eczema and psoriasis. But the biggest benefits are respiratory.

4 days ago | theindependent.com | Jeff Bahr

Grand Island Television (GITV), the city’s public, educational and governmental station, has expanded its reach throughout central Nebraska through an agreement with Allo Communications. GITV is now available on Allo Communications’ streaming channels 1 and 2, “making it more accessible than ever for residents in Grand Island, Hall County and the broader region to stay connected with local government and community programming,” the city of Grand Island said in a news release.

5 days ago | theindependent.com | Jeff Bahr

Grand Island police say a drunk driver collided with a parked car Wednesday night and came to a stop about nine blocks away, near the Union Pacific Railroad tracks and Blaine Street. At about 9:05 p.m., police responded to a report of a traffic hazard. A vehicle with heavy front-end damage was stalled on South Blaine Street and appeared to have just been in an accident. A short time earlier, 911 operators received a report of a hit-and-run accident at 1003 W.