Nebraska approves more fireworks types

Regional News

GRAND ISLAND, Neb. (AP) _ Fireworks enthusiasts are likely to get less bang for their buck in Nebraska this year, but they'll have more to choose from when fireworks go on sale. Fireworks distributor Marv Kohler of Grand Island says fireworks prices are up about 10 to 12 percent. Kohler is also president of the Nebraska Fireworks Retail Association. The prices are up because of a closed port in China that caused fireworks to be transported an additional 1,000 miles, an increase in material and labor costs and the rise in energy costs. But Nebraskans should be able to save on travel time and expense to purchase certain types of fireworks. Kohler says Nebraska approved second- and third-break artillery shells and propeller fireworks this year. Previously, second- and third-break artillery shells and propeller fireworks were illegal in Nebraska but legal in the surrounding states of Missouri, Kansas, South Dakota and Wyoming.