I-80 expansion project; Schuyler nearly fully staffed; Meadowlane bookstore opens

The ongoing project to expand Interstate 80 in Nebraska to six lanes will extend farther west of Lincoln in 2026.

According to the Department of Transportation’s draft plan for future state projects, which the state submitted to federal administrators last month, it plans to expand a 9.6-mile stretch of interstate highway from Pleasant Dale to the Seward exit near Nebraska 15.

The project is scheduled to start in 2026. The project cost is estimated at approximately $138.5 million.

It’s been about six months since nearly 50 Schuyler Community Schools teachers suddenly decided to leave the district, and the ranks are nearly full again.

The school district in Schuyler, a town of more than 6,000 people east of Columbus, started the 2024-25 school year with just two openings — one for a middle school Spanish teacher and the other for a high school band teacher.

To fill the teacher ranks for the start of this school year, the district has been hiring in a variety of places, including locally and internationally. For the first time in seven years, Schuyler has a full special education staff. Last school year, Schuyler had 12 open positions districtwide on the first day of school.

A new bookstore has opened in Lincoln called Sower Books.

Owner Tory Hall said her goal is to create a safe space for readers. The store is located in the Meadowlane Shopping Center in northeast Lincoln and also sells local art, postcards and toys.

The name Sower Books was inspired by the iconic statue of the Sower in the Nebraska State Capitol and Octavia Butler’s dystopian novel, Parable of the Sower.

That’s all for Monday, September 9. Stay up to date with Lincoln’s longest-running news source at JournalStar.com. See you tomorrow.