Reliable, Trustworthy Reporting, Capturing The Heartbeat Of Our Community
Reliable, Trustworthy Reporting, Capturing The Heartbeat Of Our Community
Sorted by date Results 651 - 675 of 1879
Great news. That's how Summerland Schools Superintendent Kyle Finke described the district's statewide assessment results. The results, released prior to Thanksgiving, were presented to school board members in December, as part of the district's annual report. The data, released by the Nebraska Department of Education, assesses a school's proficiency using annual statewide tests taken by students in third to eighth grade, in addition to ACT scores for junior-class members. The accountability...
Will Summerland Schools be part of a new activity conference? Board of education members will answer that question when they meet Wednesday, Jan. 17. The meeting will be held in the board room at the school at 7 p.m. Discussion about a potential conference, which could include Elkhorn Valley, Hartington-Newcastle, Laurel-Concord-Coleridge, Lutheran High Northeast, Neligh-Oakdale, Plainview, West Holt and Summerland has taken place at board meetings since November. In December, Superintendent...
Election season is officially underway in Nebraska. Individuals who plan to run for state or federal office in the May 14 primary were able to file beginning Jan. 5. Incumbent candidates will have until Feb. 15 to file. This includes any individual currently holding office, including those who currently hold an elected position and are running for a different office. Non-incumbents must file by March 1. Any candidate who does not meet the filing deadline will not appear on the primary ballot. A...
Were you part of the mad rush at Target stores, trampling others or being pushed out of the way, to snag one of the hottest items in the retail world? Were you part of the Stanley stampede, where the lucky prize, if you were able to snag it, was a limited Target and Starbucks collaborative cosmo pink tumbler? Don’t confuse this particular tumbler with the winter pink shade also sold at Target. Seems that one is difficult to find, too. Don’t worry, I wasn’t standing in line on New Year’s Eve to...
Summerland's girls' basketball team got off to a slow start when they met Plainview, Jan. 2, in a home contest. By the second quarter, the Bobcats were back on track, en route to a 37-33 win. Plainview pounced in the first quarter, sprinting to a 9-3 lead. Summerland scored 12 points in the second quarter to knot the game at 15 at the half. Plainview held on to a 25-23 lead at the end of the third quarter, but the Bobcats outscored the visitors, 14-8, in the final eight minutes of play to...
An unproductive second quarter led to a Jan. 2 Bobcat loss to the Plainview Pirates, who returned to Pierce County with a 50-41 win. The two teams battled to a 12-12 tie at the end of the first quarter. Plainview's defense held Summerland to a single point in the second quarter, leading 22-13 at the half. The Bobcats added seven points after the break, while the Pirates extended the margin to 37-20. In the final eight minutes, the Bobcats added 21 points. The Bobcats shot 15% from the...
The Summerland boys’ basketball team rebounded from a loss earlier in the week and defeated North Central, 66-41, in a Jan. 4 road contest played in Bassett. Sam Cheatum, Michael Koenig, Alec Schindler and Preston Hoke ended in double figures, scoring 17, 15, 11 and 10 points, respectively. The Bobcats shot 41% from beyond the arc and were 50% from the two-point range. Statistics vs North Central Parker Napier: 6p, 1r, 1a, 3s, Cheatum: 17p, 8r, 5a, 4to Schindler: 11p, 6r, 4a, 1s, 1bl, 3to C...
UPDATE: SUNDAY, JAN. 14 9:30 A.M. • Wind chill warning remains in effect until noon, Tuesday, Jan. 16. UPDATE: FRIDAY, JAN. 12, 6:15 P.M. • A blizzard warning is in effect for an area including Holt, Wheeler, Boyd, Rock, Brown, Keya Paha and Garfield counties until 6 p.m., Saturday, Jan. 13. • A winter storm warning will be in effect for an area including Antelope, Knox, Madison, Pierce and Boone counties, until 6 p.m., Saturday, Jan. 13. Up to one additional inch of snow is possible. Winds...
What does it mean to be authentic? Credible. Trustworthy. Real. Genuine. These synonyms for the 2023 word of the year, as selected by the folks at Merriam-Webster, make an important statement about the times in which we live. In an interview with the Associated Press, editor-at-large Peter Sokolowski said searches on the dictionary’s website for the definition of “authentic” are normally high. But in 2023, Sokolowski reported searches were “boosted to new heights.” “We see in 2023 a kind of cris...
Regulations regarding construction and operation of solar energy conversion systems were approved, Friday, when Holt County supervisors met in regular session. County planning and zoning administrator Marv Fritz provided an update via phone. According to Fritz, planning and zoning board members suggested using the property line as the setback because “it’s the cleanest.” “If it’s the property line, it only deals with a house. Any of the other stuff isn’t going to have an effect,” Fritz said. ...
Summerland girls' wrestling team finished ninth in team standings at the Dec. 28 Winnebago Lady Indian Invite. Thirty-seven teams from Nebraska and South Dakota participated in the one-day event, which saw Norfolk take home the team title. Omaha Westside finished in the runner-up position. Nine Bobcat wrestlers finished in the top six in their weight classes in varsity and junior varsity competition. Ava Cleveland worked through the championship bracket in the 110-pound class and finished...
The Lady Bobcats finished 1-1 in winter break play at the Summerland Holiday Tournament. On Dec. 28, the Bobcats relied on a strong fourth quarter to defeat West Holt, 44-38. Ady Mlnarik scored 18 points and Lydia Robertson chipped in 17 in the win. While the 'Cats finished at 50% from the two-point range, they ended one of nine from outside the arc, with Preslie Robertson sinking the solo shot. Saturday's contest against Ainsworth was a back-and-forth brawl, with Ainsworth capitalizing in the...
Summerland Public School could potentially have a new superintendent selected for the 2024-2025 school year as early as the first part of February. The search is currently being advertised online by the Nebraska Association of School Boards, the organization selected by Summerland’s board of education to aide search efforts. The decision was made Dec. 20, during a special meeting held at the school. Board president Steven Thiele said following the resignation of Supt. Kyle Finke, at the Dec. 13...
It's soup season and The Waterhole, located at 503 Main Street, in Clearwater, is ready to tempt taste buds with scrumptious soups and comfort food. Co-owner Debb Pofahl said lunches will be served twice a week, on Tuesdays and Thursdays, beginning Jan. 2. Pofahl said the decision to serve lunches was customer driven. They asked and bar owners said yes. "We started serving lunches because of the limited availability for places to eat or have lunch," Pofahl said. "We feel adding lunches benefits...
The Village of Clearwater will have a new street superintendent in 2024. During the trustees’ Dec. 13 meeting, the board unanimously approved hiring Advanced Consulting Engineering Services and John Zwingman as the village’s engineering company and street superintendent for 2024. Reed Miller, from Miller & Associates has filled the position in past years. According to Kelly Kerkman, village chairman, Zwingman will attend a meeting each quarter. “This guy comes highly recommended,” he said. B...
Ewing Village Trustees approved a liquor license for White Star, during the board’s Dec. 11 meeting. A public hearing, held prior to the opening of regular session, was necessary due to new ownership at the convenience store located at 250 US Highway 275. No statements were made against granting of the license. Trustees received four sealed bids for a pay loader the village listed for sale. Bids ranged from $6,500 to $16,899. Chairman James Ramold made a motion to accept the high bid, $...
The final minutes of Christmas 2023 are counting down. It's nearly midnight, the house is quiet except for the steady hum from the corn stove and an occasional cough from Scott, who is tucked in bed, fast asleep. I'm sitting in the dark (except for the glow of my computer screen), looking at holiday lights from Cade's place across the street and Steve and Linda's next door. The constant glow brings a sense of peace and calm, a welcome reprieve from the blowing snow landing in the area last...
This is kind of a Christmas story. It's a reflection on angels and the meaning associated with giving, it's about Gloria in excelsis Deo and shepherds and proclamations of good news. She first appeared before me on a mellow December evening, cast against an ebony sky. Something about her presence caught my attention. She looked wild, untamed even. Yet, at the same time she brought such a sense of peace. A yellow-gold aura of light outlined her form. I could not stop staring at her, feeling a...
Summerland Public School Superintendent Kyle Finke will not be returning when his contract expires June 30, 2024. The administrator submitted his resignation, Dec. 13, following a 93-minute executive session, for discussion on his evaluation, during the board of education's regular monthly meeting. Discussion on Finke's biannual evaluation was listed on the board's agenda under new business. Two additional agenda items were added Dec. 12, as required per state statute, prior to the 24-hour...
Clearwater-area residents will soon have an opportunity to connect with medical professionals via medical video conferencing. A private telehealth room, located at the Clearwater Public Library, will be available for meeting with doctors and specialists, mental health counseling. Additionally, the new room may be utilized for individuals and families, without access to technology and/or broadband capabilities, to connect. The room is possible, due to a partnership with the library, Clearwater...
Four and one-half points. That’s the margin that separated first and second places, Friday, at the Elgin Public Pope John Girls’ Wrestling Invitational. Elkhorn Valley landed just ahead of the Bobcats, 123.5 to 119. West Holt finished third, scoring 73; Schuyler junior varsity, fourth, 68; and Neligh-Oakdale, fifth, with 61 points in the 13-team field. Ava Cleveland struck gold in the 110-pound class. She opened with a win by fall, in :45, over Eva Bermel of Randolph and pinned Schuyler’s Gabri...
Adyson Mlnarik has attended basketball games since before she entered kindergarten. On Dec. 8, the Summerland senior joined an elite group as she drove the lane for a layup against Niobrara/Verdigre. The bucket netted Mlnarik 1,000 points for her career. "It's been a big week," she said, Friday. Mlnarik's had a hot hand since the season began, averaging 29.2 points per game, connecting on 47% of field goals attempted. From the charity stripe, Mlnarik is accurate 84% of the time. From...
Antelope County Commissioners learned heard from two speakers, Dec. 5, about concerns with a potential carbon-capture pipeline projected to run through the northern tier of the county. Doyle Turner, of Moville, Iowa, and Trent Loos, a central Nebraska rancher also presented similar information at an informational forum, Dec. 4, in Neligh. Turner said years ago, he had invested in a company that sold carbon dioxide for "any kind of purpose you can imagine." "I knew CO2 had a lot of value. What I...
Plans to renovate the Clearwater American Legion building will continue. On Sunday, Sons of the American Legion members Tom Thiele and Fred Thiele told a group of approximately 30 community members that pledges for fundraising have been coming in. “Contributions have been really good,” Fred Thiele said. Clearwater Chamber of Commerce donated $100,000 and the Clearwater Sons of the American Legion kicked in $25,000, in addition to pledges for the project. Thiele estimated approximately $25...
Have you started Christmas shopping or are you one of those people who have completed the task and have everything wrapped? I belong to the first group. While I blame my tardiness on my over-scheduled time, part of me also knows I don't need to hurry because I can get everything I need locally. The push for shopping local hit home last week, when a 20-something year old shopped the Sidebar for holiday gifts. She told me she's "keeping it local." Her holiday gift giving will feature only items...
