NEBRASKAland DAYS will play two acts in front of both Jake Owen and Kane Brown for the 2019’s US Cellular Summer Jam Concert Series in June. The Casey Donahue Band and Whiskey Bent will play Friday, June 21 in front of Owen, while Lindsay Ell and Travis Denning will play in front of Brown on Saturday, June 22nd.

Donahew, a Burleson Texas native, (with the help of his wife Melinda,) has painstakingly carved out an impressive niche for himself on the country music scene over the past decade, attracting a solid base of loyal fans who flock to his legendary live shows. Building his career from the ground up one show at a time, he’s managed to perform on countless stages night after night in front of thousands, topped the Texas music charts several times, released four albums independently to critical acclaim, and forged a path all his own through the music scene without the aid or muscle of a major record label or power-suit management company.

Known for its high-energy shows, tight instrumentals, and Tim Zach’s strong vocals, Whiskey Bent is a five-man country rock band based in central Nebraska. Whiskey Bent writes and performs its own music and covers a variety of top artists that include Eric Church, Brantley Gilbert, Dierks Bentley, Jake Owen, Johnny Cash and more. “Garth Brooks meets Metallica. We’re country with crunch,” explains Zach. “We like to push the limits with songs and bring a rock attitude to every song we play.”

Lauded as “one of the most exciting and talented young artists in country music” (Forbes), Lindsay Ell is a triple threat: accomplished musician, unique vocalist and songwriter. The Calgary native learned to play guitar while traveling with her father to country-bluegrass camps as a young girl. Ell honed her craft as a musical stylist and songwriter after being discovered by BTO and The Guess Who’s Randy Bachman (“American Woman” / “Taking Care of Business”) who discovered her at the age of 13. The multi-instrumentalist was soon touring alongside the likes of Luke Bryan, Buddy Guy, The Band Perry and Keith Urban.

A native of Warner Robins, Georgia, Mercury Nashville’s Travis Denning vividly remembers the moment he realized he wanted to pursue music for a living. He was seven years old sitting in his Dad’s truck and heard AC/DC for the first time/ He moved to Nashville in 2014 and within a year signed a publishing deal with Jeremy Stover’s REDCreative Group.

After securing outside cuts by Jason Aldean, Justin Moore, Michael Ray and Chase Rice he caught the attention of Universal Music Group where he eventually signed a record deal in 2017. Travis just released his debut single “David Ashley Parker From Powder Springs,” an upbeat coming-of-age song that paints a picture of a young man reminiscing on his carefree college memories.

“We’re excited to showcase some unique talents in this year’s shows,” said NLD Executive Director David Fudge. “We have everything from homegrown Husker State talent to a couple of fresh faces. We also felt like the move to three acts per night would help us deliver more value for folks coming to see our shows.”

Tickets to the US Cellular Summer Jam Concert Series are on sale now at www.nebraskalanddays.com. Fans can get a combo pass to see all 6 artists for just $88.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A new report says Nebraska has the nation’s second-highest rate of children who remain in foster care through age 19.

The report released Tuesday includes national data to assess how young people fare when transitioning from foster care to adulthood. Illinois had the nation’s highest rate.

The report says Nebraska youths are benefiting from the increased stability and support. Many child welfare experts see longer placements as desirable because they lead to more successful outcomes for those youths.

The report was released by the Jim Casey Youth Opportunities Initiative, a part of the Annie E. Casey Foundation.

Nebraska has set its age of majority at 19 years old, unlike most states that set it at 18. Lawmakers in 2013 extended benefits for older youths in foster care.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska schools are getting new resources for students with mental and behavioral health problems.

Gov. Pete Ricketts announced Tuesday that schools have received a written guidebook connecting them to community mental health services from the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services. The state also received a recent $9 million, five-year grant from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.

The grant will pay for pilot programs in Chadron, Hastings and South Sioux City. Schools in those cities will look for proactive ways to help students before they need more intensive and costly care. The guidebook is also designed to connect students and their families to resources early.

KEARNEY, Neb. (AP) — An 18-year-old who shot a woman in the back in Kearney has taken a plea deal.

Buffalo County District Court records say Deven Ward, of Kearney, is scheduled to be sentenced Dec. 19. He’d pleaded no contest to felony assault and felony possession of a stolen firearm. Prosecutors dropped another weapons charge in return for Ward’s pleas.

The shooting occurred in a car on April 14, after the woman and two juveniles with her picked up Ward and another man. The Kearney Hub reports that the gun went off as Ward played with it while sitting behind the woman as she drove. The bullet struck her in the back.

Police say Ward got out and fled on foot. The woman called a relative, who took her to a hospital.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A nonprofit organization that’s organized honor flights to Washington, D.C., for Nebraska veterans says its next free flight will carry Purple Heart recipients from combat in the Gulf War, Iraq and Afghanistan.

Bill Williams of Patriotic Productions told the Lincoln Journal Star that the spring flight will also carry as escorts and helpers some widows and children of those killed in the line of duty.

Williams says the Military Order of the Purple Heart estimates it has about 60 members in Nebraska, but that figure doesn’t include nonmembers.

Sandhills Publishing Co. is covering the $85,000 cost of the jet charter, and Williams is raising money to cover tour buses, meals and other expenses. The travelers will fly to Washington on May 24, spend the day touring the war memorials and monuments and then fly back to Omaha.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Letters from the father of a girl diagnosed with a nervous system cancer helped urge Nebraska lawmakers to fund an effort fighting pediatric cancer in the state.

Mitch Ahlschwede began writing letters to Nebraska legislators in 2013 when his daughter, Leyna, was in treatment for neuroblastoma, the Omaha World-Herald reported . Leyna was 18 months old when she was diagnosed, and Ahlschwede recalled feeling frustrated and angry.

Ahlschwede’s letters spurred the Nebraska Legislature to approve $1.8 million to bolster pediatric cancer in the state. Lawmakers put more funding in the state’s budget a year later, designating money to hire pediatric brain cancer specialists to study the disease. Over four years, the state has committed about $7.2 million to the effort.

The state’s funding contribution also grew out of concern about statistics indicating an elevated incidence of pediatric cancer in Nebraska.

“I think it’s a very rare opportunity,” said Dr. Don Coulter, director of the Pediatric Cancer Research Group and an associate professor of pediatrics at the University of Nebraska Medical Center. “I don’t know of too many states that are supporting research for their kids like the State of Nebraska.”

Coulter said state funding, coupled with help from philanthropic groups, has helped consolidate research across the university and expand on it.

The state has funded studies examining the incidence of pediatric cancer in the state, compared to the national rate. Other studies are exploring how to repurpose existing drugs to treat kids’ tumors and develop new therapies.

Coulter said it’s also important to improve access to care for children in Nebraska, where specialized treatment is concentrated on the eastern border. Many families have to travel for treatment.

“We cure 80 percent of the kids that we see,” Coulter said. “But 75 percent of those cured children are going to need consistent care for chronic medical problems for the rest of their lives.”

Ahlschwede said he hopes that the research program will lead to more lives saved, less-painful treatments and fewer children having to travel thousands of miles for treatment.