Local4’s Four Things You Need to Know for April 10, 2026

HASTINGS, Neb. (KSNB) - Here are the four stories you need to know for April 10, 2026.

Polk County

The man accused of murdering a hog farm owner then shooting himself has died from his injuries. Earlier this week, police say Wesley Absher shot and killed 44-year-old Brian Gabel at Gabel’s business, then investigators say Absher kidnapped his wife and drove her to a farm a few miles away where he assaulted her, then shot himself.

Absher initially survived but died in the hospital yesterday afternoon. According to Nebraska State Patrol, Absher and his wife were going through a divorce, and just days before the murder and assault, court records show Absher had bonded out of jail in a felony assault and terroristic threats case, also involving his wife.

Mental health

Buffalo County Community Partners with the Clarkson Institute are hosting a Mental Health Network Community Conversation in Kearney today at the Kearney Public Library from 10 to 11:30 a.m. The event’s goal is to host an open, community-wide gathering to collaborate, bring together local experts and share resources on mental health wellness.

The event is open to the public.

Ceasefire tensions

First Lady Melania Trump is attempting to distance herself from Jeffrey Epstein. In remarks from the White House Thursday, the first lady blasted what she called lies linking her to the convicted sex offender, calling allegations that she was friends with Epstein or that she was a victim of the notorious sex offender “unfounded and baseless lies.”

She denied rumors that Epstein introduced her to her husband and said she and the president were invited to the same parties as Epstein from time to time, calling it common that their social circles overlapped. She emphasized she was never friends with Epstein or his accomplice, Ghislaine Maxwell. The first lady also called on Congress to let Epstein’s victims testify on Capitol Hill, saying every woman should have the chance to tell her story if she chooses to do so.

Your forecast

Rain chances are shifting from central Nebraska to the east, so while we still have rain chances, they aren’t as strong as previously thought. Chances max out around 50% on Saturday. As we look at Friday, we’ll see mostly scattered cloudy skies with breezy conditions being upgraded to windy on Saturday. Chances of thunderstorms are spread across most of the eastern part of the state on Saturday.

Sunday those rain chances fall, but temperatures rise with highs making their way into the 80s, and staying there. We’ll see highs in the 80s for most of Next week with small chances of overnight rain most evenings. These chances aren’t strong at this point, and these systems could be severe, but we are too far out for any precise forecasting.

Check out our full forecast here.

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