According to an article in the Nebraska starherald.com, Menards has teamed with the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve's Toys for Tots program and the Community Action Partnership of Western Nebraska. 

The goal for this year's toy drive, which runs through Dec. 14, is to beat last year's pace of toy donations. Last year marked the first year of the toy drive for the store, which resulted in 261 donations in the under $5 category, and 157 donations of toys priced higher than $5.

Menards has begun building its fourth store in the Omaha, Neb., metro area, and this unit will sit right next to a sports facility. An article in the Ralston Recorder explains how the deal to bring the Menards to Ralston, a community at the southern edge of Omaha, spanned more than two years and required a state bill to allow the city to capture 70% of state sales tax on new businesses opening within 600 yards of the Ralston Arena.

Regional chain Mead Lumber Co. has decided to close its Ashland, Neb., location on July 7, according to an article in the Journal-Star.

The 102-year-old lumberyard was not able to generate enough volume to make the business viable, spokeswoman Kate Mead told the newspaper. She added that local home builders were often bringing in building supplies from outside the area.

Louisville Ace Hardware, a Nebraska dealer that closed after a fire destroyed the store, has decided not to reopen due to the costs imposed by various government regulations.

Massachusetts has replaced California at the top of the Energy Scorecard Top 10, which measures the states' efforts to plan and implement efficient energy policies.

According to the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE), which maintains and publishes the list, the six most improved states are Michigan, Illinois, Nebraska, Alabama, Maryland and Tennessee.

The Scorecard ranks the states based on metrics that capture best practices and recognize leadership in energy-efficiency policy and program implementation, according to the ACEEE.

Continuing the alphabetical, coast-to-coast rundown of high-performing American hardware stores, here are three distinguished dealers from Nebraska, Nevada and New Hampshire:

• Nebraska

 Q.P. Ace Hardware With deep roots in the Lincoln community, Q.P. Ace Hardware has four locations. You can get a free bag of popcorn at any one of them. Founded in 1966, the business was handed down to Doug and Lisa Long in 1999, son-in-law and daughter of the founders. 

Omaha, Neb.-based HearthStone Homes has named Typar Fiberweb as its new housewrap in accordance with its commitment to build only Energy Star-qualified homes.

The company said it chose the housewrap manufacture after an evaluation of Typar’s performance data and Fiberweb’s manufacturing processes.