Community Corner

🌱 Why did Lincoln Fire and Rescue rack up $7.2M in overtime?

Be sure to catch Extortionist on the Lincoln Patch calendar

Patch AM Team's profile picture
Patch AM Team, Patch StaffVerified Patch Staff Badge
Thursday September 10th Patch AM
Thursday September 10th Patch AM (Patch graphic)

Good morning Lincoln! Your connection to what's happening around town is here. Take a sip of coffee and read on. ☕️️

In today's newsletter:

  • Why did Lincoln Fire and Rescue rack up $7.2M in overtime?
  • How a false swatting call affected Lincoln Southwest High School
  • How did a Lincoln fire chief end up leading at the Pentagon?

Also on today's calendar: Free Bra Fittings to Support Breast Cancer Awareness and 9 more events.

Today's riddle: What do you get when you cross an angry cow with an angry sheep? 🤔 (Answer below!)

From our Partner
Today's Lincoln Patch AM is brought to you in part by T-Mobile. After investing billions to light up their network from big cities to small towns, T-Mobile is America's Best Mobile Network in the US according to Ookla Speedtest®. Based on analysis by Ookla® of Speedtest Intelligence® data 1H 2026. We thank T-Mobile for their support in helping to keep communities like ours connected and for making today's Lincoln Patch AM possible.
Find a T-Mobile store near Lincoln. Advertisement

Weather forecast:

  • Thursday: Sunny and less humid, with a high of 86 and low of 62 degrees. 🌶 Hot!
  • Friday: Humid; a strong p.m. t-storm, temps: high: 87, low: 64.
  • Saturday: A stray t-storm; not as warm, with a high of 76 and low of 64 degrees.

📰 News we're reading

1. State auditor sounds alarm over $7.2M in Lincoln (NE) Fire and Rescue 2025 overtime pay (firefighternation.com) — Nebraska's state auditor is urging a performance audit after Lincoln Fire and Rescue logged about $7.2 million in overtime in 2025, with even more the year before. City officials say they'll reactivate a long-dormant Performance Audit Committee, while LFR's chief defends overtime as essential to maintaining 24/7 emergency coverage and notes recent staffing increases to ease costs.
   

2. LPD responds to false swatting call at Lincoln Southwest High School (klkntv.com) — Lincoln Southwest High School remained in session Wednesday after police determined a reported threat was a false swatting call. Lincoln Public Schools and LPD are continuing to investigate and are urging parents and students citywide to report any threats and talk seriously about the consequences of joking about violence.
   

3. Former Lincoln Fire Chief Helped Lead Emergency Response at Pentagon on 9/11 (klin.com) — A former Lincoln Fire and Rescue chief played a key leadership role at the Pentagon after the 9/11 attacks, thanks to years of work getting Lincoln into FEMA's Urban Search and Rescue system. His story shows how training and initiative here positioned local responders to serve nationally during one of America's most challenging days.
   

4. Ribbon cutting to mark Mesonet progress, salute stakeholders (tsln.com) — Later this month, Lincoln residents can visit UNL's East Campus for a ribbon cutting celebrating 35 new Nebraska Mesonet weather stations and tour the flagship station up close. The free Sept. 23 event will highlight how this statewide network supports agriculture, emergency management, and everyday weather and wildfire-risk information that ultimately benefits people living in and around Lincoln.
   

5. Behind some LPS students' first weeks of school is a crisis no one saw coming (journalstar.com) — When a Lincoln family lost most of their sons' clothes in a house fire, the Foundation for Lincoln Public Schools stepped in with basic help so the boys could return to class. The story highlights how donations support LPS students citywide with essentials like clothing, gas cards, meals, exam fees, and activity costs when families face sudden crises.
   

📸 Around Lincoln

Show off your photography skills and the sights around town! Click here to submit your Photo of the Day to Patch AM!

🗓 Upcoming Events in Lincoln

Add your event to our calendar and newsletter!

★ Featured events ★

Want to see your event featured? Click here!

Other local events

📣 Lincoln Shout Outs!

Want to say something great about someone in town? Click here to submit your Shout Out to Patch AM! It's free!

Have we missed something on our calendar? Add an event yourself! As always, before attending confirm event details to ensure accuracy.

Want to see your business here? Click here to connect with local customers.

🪧 Patch Classifieds

  • Dogsitter Wanted
    Dogsitter Wanted...Hello!  I'll be visiting from Palm Springs,  California to attend the Husker game on Saturday night, September 12th, and need to... (More info)

💬 Chatter

What your neighbors are talking about on social media

  • Hello Neighbors,
    I wanted to make everyone aware of a situation that was brought to my attention today. One of my clients contacted me and asked who currently works… (Nextdoor College View)
  • Found dog near 1800 Knox Street at 11:30 PM on September 8th.
    Super sweet, a little scared of the thunder. I'm going to sit with her outside as long as I'm able to, but sadly I can't bring her inside. UPDATE:… (Nextdoor Manatt St)
  • Hy-Vee posted a job opening for General Merchandise clerk in Lincoln. Apply here.
  • Vertiv Group Corp. posted a job opening for Machine Operator- ALL SHIFTS in Lincoln. Apply here. You can search for other jobs near Lincoln here.

Ok Lincoln! So now you're in the loop about what's happening today. Thanks for reading, and see you in your inbox next time! Oh -- and if you like what you're reading, invite a friend to Patch AM!

-- The Patch AM Team

P.S. The answer to today's riddle: An animal that's in a baaaaad mooood! (Thank you Lisa A. for sending it in!)
Got a good riddle for PatchAM? Submit it here!

👉 Help make Patch AM better

We use a combination of real people and machines to tell you what's happening around town. Learn more about Patch AM.

Share to NextDoor     Share to Facebook

Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

More from Lincoln