Grand Island, NE

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Tornado hit southeast of Grand Island at 12:51 a.m.;
warning didn't come till 12:54. Why?

GRAND ISLAND -- Whether people receive a tornado warning before the twister arrives depends on what’s going on inside the tornado. Monday’s tornado hit an area southeast of Grand Island at 12:51 a.m. Residents of the area didn’t receive the first tornado warning from the National Weather Service in Hastings until 12:54 a.m. In some cases, a tornado warning isn’t issued until debris is visible on radar. That was the case this time. The radar “indicated that this thunderstorm was likely producing a tornado. We had a signature of debris on one of our radar images and they issued the tornado warning at 12:54,” said Mike Moritz, who is the warning coordination meteorologist at the weather service in Hastings. In other cases, a tornado warning is issued because of the rotation of the wind.

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Historic Grand Theatre keeps movie magic alive in Grand Island



GRAND ISLAND, Neb. (KOLN) - Since 1937, people have been experiencing classic films like Psycho, Pete’s Dragon and Star Wars at the Historic Grand Theatre. “What we love bout the grand is it’s a big chunk of our history here in town,” said Dale Beyes, who directs volunteers at the Grand Theatre. “Art deco theatres - you don’t see a lot of them around the country anymore.” Volunteers preserve the infrastructure and the theatre’s charm. “When we renovated our seating, we actually got the same style of seating,” Dale said. “We talked about upgrading to soft chairs like most of the theatres are going to, but people just love the feel of sitting in those chairs in the old theatre.”

Regular moviegoers look forward to the decorative interior that they’ve known since their childhood. “No comparison to the big theatres,” said Becky Otto, a moviegoer. “We love the nostalgia, and it feels like coming home.” The Grand Foundation owns the theatre now, and the people involved with the nonprofit kept the Grand Theatre’s color scheme. “The sign is an exact copy of the old one,” said Craig Hand, president of the Grand Foundation. “And we even had the (décor on the exterior) duplicated. We spend almost three quarters of a million redoing this front end.”

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Renovation plans for Ryder Park



Plans are in motion on a $5.1 million renovation to the baseball field at Ryder Park in Grand Island.

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Railside District keeps downtown Grand Island hopping



The Railside Business Improvement District is a public/private partnership in which property owners elect to make a collective contribution to the maintenance, development and promotion of their commercial district, according to Railside’s website.

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Grand Island gallery serves as an outlet for Nebraska artists



GRAND ISLAND, Neb. (KOLN) - During a visit to Studio 10 Art Gallery in downtown Grand Island, we discovered art work on display produced by artists from all over the state. We talked with owner Heidi Sack about her business. “I’m showcasing statewide artists,” Sack said. “This is a place where they can display their work for the public. All of the artists in the gallery are either from Nebraska, or have some roots in Nebraska.” The kind of media you’ll find in the gallery ranges from pottery to acrylic and oil paintings. “Pretty much anything you want to see out of art, you’ll find here in the gallery,” Sack said. “All of the art in the store is for sale. The fun part about buying a local piece of art is, you will always have something totally different from anything else.”

The building that Studio 10 Art Gallery is housed inside used to be a mortuary, then it was First National Bank. Then it was Gorman’s men’s clothing store, and since then, it’s served as an art gallery for 25 years. The business is located in downtown Grand Island, and Sack says downtown an exciting place to be. “There is so much going on in this area,” Sack said. “They are really building up Railside. There are fun activities, and it’s just a great place for people to come and enjoy.” Gallery owner Heidi Sack has always had an interest in art. “I grew up in Oshkosh,” Sack said. “I loved art from a young age. My mom was an artist. I also had an amazing art teacher in high school that was very supportive. I’ve always wanted to own an art gallery, and I’m blessed to run something like this.” Sack has been operating Studio 10 Art Gallery since 2022. “My artists spend a lot of time and talent doing what they love,” Sack said. “They need a place to showcase what they love to do.” The Studio 10 Art Gallery is on this year’s Nebraska Tourism passport program, and Sack says she’s already seeing plenty of visitors thanks to the passport.

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Grand Island trolley delights small towns with premium ice cream



GRAND ISLAND, Neb. (KOLN) - At a four-way stop on West Anna Street, there’s one vehicle that stands out among the rest - the Anna Street Trolley. Kent Bernie travels across Nebraska with this trolley, but once in a while, he parks it in his yard. “The trolley gets a lot of attention,” Kent said. “We’re on a side street here, but people come by here all the time.” Kent and Yvonne Birnie started selling ice cream out of the trolley with his wife Yvonne in 2015.

“I’m the scooper, the cashier, the custodian, the maintenance guy, the driver - I do it all,” Kent chuckled. He and his wife pulled their first trolley behind their vehicle like a trailer. Kent bought it from his brother in Broken Bow, who used to sell hot dogs and burgers out of it. When his brother asked what Kent wanted to sell out of it, he replied with, “I have no idea.” After doing some research, the Birnies discovered the Chocolate Shoppe Ice Cream. The business invited them to Madison Wisconsin to tour their facilities and become trained on their products. “They gave us samples right out of the machines,” Kent said. “And it was strawberry, and it had never been frozen. And it was fresh and it was delicious.”