Reliable, Trustworthy Reporting, Capturing The Heartbeat Of Our Community
Reliable, Trustworthy Reporting, Capturing The Heartbeat Of Our Community
Sorted by date Results 51 - 75 of 1879
Three teachers submitted resignation intentions at the March 16 board of education meeting. The board accepted resignations from Kristen Napier, junior high special education; Abby Bauer, sixth grade; and Jody Fox, high school special education. Contracts were approved for three positions. Cecily Thiele will receive a student teacher contract, valid from Aug. 7 through December. Board member Scott Thiele abstained from voting. The five remaining board members approved the contract. Michael...
Complete Pest Control will handle mosquito spraying for the 2026 season. Page village trustees unanimously approved a $2,603 contract with the company during the board's March 9 meeting. Mowing services were also on the agenda. Board members accepted a proposal from Kathy VanEvery. She will receive $5 per hour when using village-owned equipment and $10 per hour she uses her personal equipment. In other business, trustees approved issuing a Special Designated License for a March 27 fish fry...
Go Big Red. What an opening to the collegiate basketball tourney. Like I wrote on the paper's Facebook page following Saturday's game, I've waited 60-some years for the Huskers to win a tournament game. Now we have two. Incredible. Watching Reink Mast hug longtime announcer Kent Pavelka following Thursdays win, priceless. Watching Sandfort hit three-point shot after three-point shot, Pryceless. Watching the Husker faithful show up en masse, priceless. Watching Tyler Tanner's last-second shot dro...
The text popped up on my phone on a Saturday morning. The message warned about unresolved traffic violations in my name and threatened a barrage of legal penalties and fines if I didn't reply within a specified time frame. Luckily, I didn't click on the link provided in the text. Unfortunately, it is likely that more than 1,000 individuals will click and make a payment. Scams like these generally originate from outside Nebraska, utilizing spoofed numbers, making it difficult to track down those...
One never knows what will happen on deadline day, a.k.a. Tuesday. My phone rang 8:06 a.m. Caller ID said United States Postal Service. Since I work directly with them to mail the paper, and since I get weekly updates about mailing status, and since I have voiced opinions about the mailing process, I figured I better answer. It was Marcie, from the USPS call center, wondering if I would like to learn how USPS could help me grow my small business. Oh Marcie, you’re speaking my language. As the n...
Students at Summerland Public School spent last week doing a little detective work while celebrating reading. During Read Across America Week, several mystery guests appeared on screen as "The Masked Reader," disguising their voices and identities while reading a book to elementary students. Each segment was recorded and shown in classrooms throughout the week and also shared on the school's social media page so families could view from home and discuss who's behind the mask. But the real fun...
Adyson Mlnarik of Clearwater and a graduate of Summerland Public School is having a record year as a member of the Hastings College Women's basketball team. The Broncos, currently 22-8 on the season, head to Wichita, this Friday, for the NAIA Women's National Championship Tournament. Hastings College will play Friends in the first round, set to tip off at 2 p.m., at the Garvey Center. The teams met on Nov. 5 in the same venue. Friends walked away with a 104-102 win in double overtime. Mlnarik's...
To borrow a line from one of my favorite podcasters, Kylie Kelce - I’m not gonna lie. I cried like a schoolgirl breaking up with her adolescent crush Sunday afternoon when the Husker senior basketball players and their families were recognized at the season finale in Lincoln. Watching this group battle through the worst of times and flip this season on its head to become the best in Husker history has been amazing. It seems like yesterday they upset the BYU Cougars men’s basketball team in an...
A longtime Orchard staple flipped its sign back on Jan. 12, and it's serving up more than just seconds. The Lunch Box, now owned by Monte Shabram and family of Orchard, is dishing out homecooked meals, early-morning breakfasts and a daily buffet built to satisfy even the heartiest appetites. Before reclaiming its Lunch Box name, the cafe operated as Sugarz. Then-owner Matt Wood was ready to step away from the restaurant business and planned to close if a buyer didn't step forward. "We got wind...
Questions recently circulating on Facebook about Orchard's water quality prompted discussion at the Feb. 9 Orchard Village Board meeting, according to Village Chairman Stephanie Cleveland. "During our board meeting last night, it was brought to our attention that there have been some questions circulating on Facebook regarding the water in Orchard," Cleveland said in a statement released on social media. "After discussing the matter, the village board would like to clarify some issues."...
Informal discussion on whether Clearwater, Ewing and Orchard could share a police officer took place Feb. 16, when representatives from each village's board of trustees met at Ewing City Hall. John Shaver currently fills the police chief position in Ewing. He said the biggest benefit of a co-op is that will be customized for the communities. "If there's an issue at this time of the day, patrolling will be easy," he said. According to Shaver, police departments can focus more in certain areas. "T...
After reviewing three bids submitted for a 7,200 square-foot pre-engineered metal shop, Holt County Supervisors, on Friday, approved a $1,798,965 bid submitted by Green Gable Contracting for a new District 6 shop, which will be located at 46748 882nd Road in Stuart. The bid also included a $25 per cubic yard cost for removal of soil and materials. The Ft. Calhoun-based business was recommended by officials from JEO Consulting, who are overseeing the project. A start date has not been set, but...
For nearly a month, I’ve had a nagging cough, drippy nose, and an overall feeling of malaise. During that time, I debated whether to drive myself to the emergency room in the middle of the night due to a high fever (Scott wouldn’t wake up, I tried), experienced muscle pain in the ribs from excessive coughing, and shuddered every time my ears popped. For relief, I tried a shot or two of blackberry brandy, antibiotics, over-the-counter meds and homemade concoctions. While some worked better tha...
If the shelves in the Summerland school library seem a little emptier this year, there's a good reason. Circulation numbers are already soaring past last year's total ... and it's only February. According to media specialist Tricia Whiting, students checked out 9,261 items during the entire last school year. As of Feb. 12, they've already surpassed that mark with 9,714 circulations. "We are way up!" That surge reflects something Whiting sees every day: a building full of readers who are eager...
Not gonna lie, my heart skipped a beat when I checked numbers for the Top 5 articles read online in last week’s edition. Why? Two legal notices made the list. Public notices are required to keep citizens informed about actions of government entities. A public notice holds the government accountable, relying on an independent third party to print proof of publication. By doing so, each public notice has verifiable proof - via paper trail - of its permanent existence in print. Simply posting a n...
Being on the mat is a mental game, a balance of quick decisions and occasional regrets. Ava Cleveland, a junior, said the most difficult match she competed in at the 2026 State Girls Wrestling Championships was the one she lost - a 6-3 overtime loss to Abby Negley of Cozad. "It didn't physically feel different from other matches. I needed to mentally recover from that and keep wrestling," the junior said. Cleveland rebounded with a win over Ashlyn Dailey of Cedar Catholic and survived the...
Ryder Hemenway scored 25 points, Monday, to lead Summerland to a 63-37 win over the Huskies in the opening round of subdistrict play in Crofton. It was all Bobcats, all four quarters, as Brett Kaczor's squad hit their stride to take a 48-19 lead into the locker room at the half. Preston Watson pulled down eight rebounds. Rogan Robertson finished with three assists. The Bobcats were set to play Crofton, Tuesday, Feb. 24. SAM went to press before game time. Statistics v West Holt Mason Schwager:...
Bobcat wrestlers Jason Shaver and Austin Mendoza entered the state championships with a clear vision: take the meet one match at a time. Shaver made his first state appearance last week, competing in the 215 division. The senior opened with a loss by fall, in 3:15, to Kaddo Schrunk of Pender. The loss sent Shaver to the consolation round, where he faced Jose Ramirez-Aguilar of Gibbon. Ramirez-Aguilar struck first, taking down Shaver at the 43-second mark, but Shaver scored an escape with 19...
Two Bobcat wrestlers will represent Summerland at the 2026 NSAA Boys State Wrestling Championships, beginning Thursday, in Omaha. Jason Shaver and Austin Mendoza finished third in their respective weight divisions during Saturday's Class C-3 District Wrestling Meet at Centura. Mendoza, competing at 138, opened with a :56 pin over Cooper Cambron, Superior and claimed a 10-3 decision over Brayden Nuttelman, Cross County/Osceola. In the semifinal, Ashton Kuchar of Battle Creek downed Mendoza,...
On a 4-2 vote, Summerland's board of education approved a full-time Multi-Tiers System of Supports coordinator for the junior-senior high during its Feb. 11 meeting. Board members Chelsi McLain and Scott Thiele voted against the recommendation. MTSS is a comprehensive framework that offers targeted academic, behavioral, and social-emotional interventions for students. The process creates small-group and individualized support that focuses on prevention. In some instances, intervention through th...
Someone recently asked me to describe district wrestling since they have never attended. It’s a glimpse of pure joy, and a view of intense heartbreak. Tears flow - win or lose - after you’ve invested energy and headspace to an activity that pushes you to physical and mental limits. Nothing wrong with tears. It’s the culmination of sweat equity, countless practice sessions, prayers for a healthy season. Over the last two weekends, I watched several athletes who let the liquid flow follo...
Four members of the Bobcat girls wrestling team survived what Coach Dan Roeber describes as "an emotional roller coaster" at last week's Class B-2 District at Columbus Lakeview. Ava Cleveland, Abbey Chipps, Lilly Kester, and Honey Luby Bartling clinched a spot at the 2026 NSAA Girls State Wrestling Championships, scheduled for Feb. 17 and 18 in Omaha. The Bobcats finished sixth in the 32-team field and scored 82.5 points. They trailed Battle Creek, Lakeview, Ord, Falls City and Auburn. Roeber...
Potential increases to Clearwater's water and sewer rates dominated conversation during Monday's board of trustees meeting at the fire hall meeting room. A rate study conducted by the Nebraska Rural Water Association suggests increasing the base charge per month from $5 to $12, and adjust usage rates from $2 to $2.75 for up to 1,000 gallons of water, and $1.50 to $1.75 from 1,000 to 5,000 gallons. "It's still cheaper than everyone else," trustee Jeff Schlecht said. "If you're going from $5 to...
When Abbey Chipps won her second match on Friday, she had no idea she achieved a dream most wrestlers have. "I had no idea I was that close to my 100th win. It means a lot to me. It's an amazing feeling to accomplish that," Chipps said. Head Coach Dan Roeber said for the junior wrestler to pick up her 100th win at districts and in her first district to qualify for state was "a great representation of her efforts this season." "Abbey has been a great teammate and continued to improve her abilitie...
District wrestling brought highs and lows for four Bobcat competitors. After Friday's session, Claire Kester, Abby Arroyo, Charlee Wagner, and Jocie Anson were set to return on Saturday. Kester opened the meet with a pin, in 1:45, over Brentlee Putnam, Elm Creek. She moved to the quarterfinal where she faced Clysta Brott, Ansley-Litchfield, and was pinned in 3:20. Kester pinned Alexa Holder, Doniphan-Trumbull in the second consolation round before losing a 10-3 decision to Peyton Thelen of...
