HOOPER, Neb. (AP) — The congregation of St. Paul Lutheran Church in rural eastern Nebraska is grateful most of their church survived a strong storm last week.

Winds over 60 mph toppled the church’s steeple and bell tower last Tuesday, but fortunately the structure fell into the church’s parking lot.

The sanctuary and the rest of the church’s interior was spared.

Longtime church member Molly Brockemeier says she’s grateful the steeple fell away from the rest of the church.

Church council member Todd Meyer says he’s sure the church will rebuild, but it will be a question of how tall the new steeple might be and how quickly it can be built.

In the meantime, the 200-member congregation should be able to continue using the 114-year-old church building.

COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (AP) — A year after bird flu forced fairs across Iowa to cancel poultry shows, the competitions are returning this summer.

4-H members who raise chickens are glad they should have a chance to show them at this year’s fairs.

Organizers banned live poultry at fairs a year ago because of the bird flu outbreak that ravaged the industry. Both Iowa and Nebraska lifted their ban on poultry shows this year.

Kerri Wede with the East Pottawattamie County Extension office says the ban was “heartbreaking for the kids.” But they adapted.

Last year, some fairs held egg judging contests and some had students give presentations about their chickens. Organizers are looking forward to returning to normal this year.

HASTINGS, Neb. (AP) — A free workshop will be held later this month about using birds to teach science lessons to young children.

The Hastings Museum will host the workshop on the evening of July 21 for day care workers and teachers.

The workshop will look at bird-focused books and ways to connect them with science investigations.

Participants in the workshop will get several sample lessons, a Nebraska bird guide and a bird feeder.

BEATRICE, Neb. (AP) — Part of a human skull found by a kayaker along the Big Blue River in southeastern Nebraska has been identified as that of an early American Indian.

The remains are being turned over the Nebraska State Historical Society.

Gage County Sheriff Millard Gustafson says the discovery was made northwest of Beatrice on a river sandbar the evening of June 27. Gustafson says the kayaker first believed it was a turtle shell, but upon closer inspection, thought it might be part of a human skull and called sheriff’s officials.

The item was sent to the Forensic Anthropological Consultants Laboratory in Manhattan, Kansas and was identified as a human frontal bone.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A Lincoln police officer is suffering from cuts, bruises and a broken nose after a fight with a hospital patient.

The officer had been called Thursday morning to help with a 34-year-old patient in the emergency room. Police say the patient had been taken into protective custody a week earlier and was being released. The 35-year-old officer was escorting the patient back to his room when the patient attacked.

Police say the man continued punching the officer until he started trying to get the officer’s gun out of his holster. The officer was then able to call for help on his radio.

The patient ran from the emergency room, but was soon captured.

Police say the officer is recovering at home.

GRAND ISLAND, Neb. (AP) — The first phase of a 96-acre development in Grand Island will include a 64-bed hospital, a hotel with conference space and a three-story medical office building.

The Grand Island Independent reports (https://bit.ly/29FVKl6 ) that work is slated to begin on the project located at the intersection Highway 281 and Highway 34 this fall.

The full-service hospital will be the anchor tenant for the development.

Chief Industries, a construction company in Grand Island, and HDR, an architectural, engineering and consulting firm based in Omaha, announced the development this week.

A consortium of 60 local doctors, part of Grand Island Hospital Holding, retained the development firms for the project earlier this year.

The scope of the project, such as total square footage and size and type of procedure rooms, are being determined.