Daily Minute | The latest Lincoln-area news for March 10

Good morning, Lincoln. Here's what you need to know today.

Sandhills Global Youth Complex

The planned Lincoln youth baseball and softball complex is getting a big donation and a new name.

Sandhills Global announced Thursday that it has provided a $4 million gift to the complex, which is scheduled to break ground later this year.

With the donation, the eight-field complex that will be built at First Street and Cornhusker Highway will be called the Sandhills Global Youth Complex.

The cost of the $27 million complex is being split evenly between public and private funds. When plans for the complex were announced in September, organizers said they had raised $8.5 million in private funds and had another $1.5 million pledged.

Hiring fairs

City parks and recreation officials – hit with lifeguard shortages like cities across the country last year – are getting an early start with two hiring fairs this month for hundreds of seasonal jobs.

During a news conference, city officials touted the benefits of taking one of the more than 450 summer jobs for the city’s parks and recreation department.

Of those jobs, about 250 of them are for lifeguards, a shortage of which caused reduced hours last year to Lincoln's pools and led to public pool closures across the country.

City Parks and Recreation Director Maggie Stuckey-Ross said they’ve seen a renewed interest in summer jobs with Lincoln’s peer cities and hope to see that happen here. Pay ranges differ depending on the job, but Stuckey-Ross said some of those pay rates have increased to attract workers.

The job fairs will be March 25.

Big Ten champion

And, Nebraska track and field athlete Darius Luff brushed off a year of disappointment in a big way. The Lincoln High graduate spoke with reporter Brent Wagner about his path to the top of the Big Ten podium in the 60 meter hurdles after a false start ejected him from last season’s race.

Luff and the Huskers are headed to Albuquerque, New Mexico, for the NCAA Championships this week. Luff is seeded 7th in his event, and enters with momentum.

“I finally got my Big Ten title, so I have that confidence there,” he said.

Stay in the know with Lincoln’s longest-standing news source at JournalStar.com. We’ll see you back here tomorrow.