Thanks to a joint effort between two Nebraska state agencies, the 729-acre Merritt Reservoir State Recreation Area is now the first certified International Dark Sky Park in the state.
The annual Nebraska Star Party held at Merritt Reservoir last month was the first since the site s international certification for uniquely dark skies. Some think it deserves even greater recognition.
Last year the International Dark-Sky Association confirmed what partygoers have known for years: The Sandhills boast some of the darkest skies on Earth.
Brandon Watson and Rosalie Currier
Sturgis Journal
Residents in Constantine were having a normal Wednesday evening, with Little League games concluding at the ballpark at Meadow Lane and South Washington Street, when shots were fired.
A man was shot while spectators and players were still at the park.
When officers arrived, they found a man with multiple gunshot injuries, conscious and alert. The shooter had fled, said Mark Honeysett, Constantine chief of police.
The victim, a 38-year-old from Cassopolis, was treated at the scene, then airlifted to Memorial Hospital in South Bend, Ind., where he underwent surgery, Honeysett said.
The incident did not involve or target anyone else at the gathering, Honeysett said. However, the area went into immediate lockdown.