Good morning, Grand Island.

On July 15, a Grand Island chef led a session called 'Cooking Outside the Box' that taught life skills with everyday foods while an ALS walk, a Cornhusker State Games shooting sports event at Heartland Public Shooting Park and free veteran haircuts and coffee offered community support. Local group 'Hear Grand Island' received a $50,000 boost from the city to keep its service free—helping these local programs thrive.

Hope Harbor announced a partnership with Five Points Bank and Pinnacle Bank to support the $10 million Lighthouse Apartments project in downtown Grand Island—each bank pledging $50,000 and providing construction financing.

The building will have 13 units for people facing chronic homelessness or disability—and 7 units for families with Section 8 vouchers, and it will break ground in spring 2026 with completion planned for 2027.

Grand Island chef Thomas Harper hosted Cooking Outside the Box on Monday — an event that taught families to make affordable meals from simple pantry items with help from local organizations.

The cooking event will return on July 28 at Innovation Kitchen inside the Raising Nebraska Building.

At the City Council meeting Tuesday night, the Grand Island Fire Department presented its budget request—updating capital projects and seeking funds for a new ambulance along with lighter rope, tech rescue gear and seven cardiac monitors to replace outdated equipment.

The department said the new tools will improve firefighter training and patient care.

Grand Island Police received a mini grant from the Nebraska Department of Transportation-Highway Safety Office to fund the Speeding High Visibility Enforcement campaign running from July 14 to 31.

The mini grant (up to $8,800) will cover overtime expenses for officers who will increase patrols and issue speeding citations.

Nebraska U.S. Rep. Don Bacon and two other members of Congress sent a letter to Elon Musk asking for answers on Grok after the chatbot produced hateful messages supporting Nazism and sexual violence instructions—Bacon stressed that these harmful outputs must be removed to protect young users.

Trailer Races

6-9 p.m. — Hall County Fair — Admission: ONE CANNED GOOD — Experience the thrill of destruction as trailers race in a night of fun and live music.

2025 Nebraska Small Business Conference

1-7 p.m. — College Park, Grand Island — Free admission — Discover tools and strategies to grow your small business and network with other entrepreneurs.