Reliable, Trustworthy Reporting, Capturing The Heartbeat Of Our Community
Reliable, Trustworthy Reporting, Capturing The Heartbeat Of Our Community
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Ewing village trustees set a special meeting date to discuss details for the fireworks display when they met in regular session, June 9. Ewing Young Members Club requested a donation of 10 to 15 watermelons for the July 3 celebration in Schmidt Park and asked what the fireworks budget would be set at. Chairman Kane Fry said a special meeting would need to take place to discuss and approve the items since they did not appear on the June 9 agenda. Trustee Dustin Jorgensen said in the past, the...
The people waiting their turn to rappel down the 17-story Highline Apartments building had strict instructions: Don't come up to the roof until we come get you. Most of the group, assembled there for a fundraiser, seemed content to hang back in the designated waiting area half a flight of stairs below the roof, where they'd eventually step over the edge into the blue sky high above downtown Omaha. All but one person, actually. Sister Stephanie Matcha, age 81. The octogenarian nun who does her...
The Advocate-Messenger earned 31 awards in the 2025 Better Newspaper Competition and ended in second place for the Allen & Linda Beerman Community Newspaper Sweepstakes Award, which includes weekly newspapers from all classes. The Stanton Register took top honors and the Aurora News-Register ended in third. SAM finished second in Division A, based on circulation and, in the digital sweepstakes division, SAM placed third. The paper picked nine first-place awards in categories, including building...
PROCEEDINGS VILLAGE OF CLEARWATER BOARD OF TRUSTEES APRIL 14, 2025 The Board of Trustees of the Village of Clearwater met for a regular meeting Monday, April 14, 2025 at 7 p.m., in the fire hall meeting room. Meeting opened at 7 p.m. Notice of meeting was given in advance by publication in Summerland Advocate-Messenger, was posted at US Post Office in Clearwater, Clearwater Market, and Cornerstone Bank-Clearwater and was given to board members prior to meeting. Public was informed of location of Open Meeting Act poster. Present: Kelly Kerkman,...
Parker Napier's future is as neatly trimmed as the lawns he's been mowing since age 11. The Summerland FFA standout cut through the competition at the Nebraska State FFA Convention, earning the prestigious State Star in Agribusiness and claiming the top spot in turf and landscape management-proof that his grassroots business is growing into something much bigger. Summerland FFA Advisor Jacob Goldfuss said Napier is the first Star winner from the school. The awards were presented at the 2025... Full story
Members of the Summerland junior high quiz bowl team stand, fingers poised on buzzers, waiting to answer the question. "This character utters his final words, "look at me," after failing to escape from an "enchanted cage" within the Shrieking Shack. He becomes alienated from his childhood friend Lily Evans when he calls her a "Mudblood." "Number six, Summerland," the reader announces. Within seconds, the student standing in the sixth spot replies, "Severus Snape." Correct answer. That's five...
Ruby Jenkins' name symbolizes love, strength, and protection-qualities she has embodied since birth. Born without pulmonary arteries entering her heart, she underwent open-heart surgery at four months old. Now, as she celebrates her third birthday on Valentine's Day, Ruby's resilience shines as brightly as the gemstone and great-grandmother she shares a name with. On a recent Friday afternoon, Ruby sang the ABC song and serenaded her mom, Jolene, with "The Wheels on the Bus." "What she does now...
REGULAR PROCEEDINGS VILLAGE OF CLEARWATER BOARD OF TRUSTEES Jan. 13, 2025 The Board of Trustees of the Village of Clearwater met for a regular meeting Monday, Jan. 13, at 7 p.m., in the fire hall meeting room. Meeting opened at 7 p.m. Notice of meeting was given in advance by publication in Summerland Advocate-Messenger, was posted at US Post Office in Clearwater, Clearwater Market and Cornerstone Bank-Clearwater and was given to board members prior to meeting. Public was informed of location of Open Meeting Act poster. Present: Kelly Kerkman,...
Imagine 30 minutes in a warm, soothing environment that claims to deliver health benefits like easing chronic pain, reducing stress and even promoting weight loss. Thanks to 26 Renew, area residents can now experience these perks by booking time in an infrared sauna located in the heart of Orchard. Owned by Alexa Simons, 26 Renew operates out of the former girls' locker room at the Orchard Community Center. Simons, originally from Sutton, moved to Orchard in 2023 with her husband, Tristan....
That simple, snappy motto - We sell the best and recycle the rest - perfectly describes Ewing's Sunset Store. Originally opened in 2008 in the village's vacant lumber yard, the thrift shop has thrived through two relocations in its 16-year history. Now, volunteers are putting the finishing touches on the store's forever home in the former Ewing school building. Finding the store is as easy as ABC. Visitors can enter the former high school building through the southeast entrance, then proceed to...
A quick trip to Comstock on Saturday reinforced why I love Nebraska. The village, nestled against the Middle Loup River and situated on the Custer and Valley county line, boasts a population of 97 souls. I’m guessing on Saturday, the population may have doubled, as out-of-town visitors strolled or drove by the massive Christmas light displays stretching from one “Welcome to Comstock” sign to the other. Organizers boast the display contains more than a mile of lights, a dozen themed build...
Members of Girl Scout Troop 00127 recently held a Christmas party and made porch pots at The Office in Clearwater. Scout members and siblings Jozzy Mack, Jaden Robinett, Cadi Soper, Topanga Cook, Elwood Mack, Elly Boschen and Chase Boschen display porch pots they designed....
As Christmas draws near and holiday cheer fills the air, one figure looms large in the imaginations of children and adults alike: Santa Claus. With his twinkling eyes, rosy cheeks and hearty "Ho, ho, ho!" Santa is now synonymous with the spirit of giving, but few are aware that his origins stretch back centuries, through a rich history of generosity, religious devotion, and evolving cultural traditions. The Saint Behind the Legend The story of Santa Claus can be traced all the way back to the...
While I am not a big fan of Charles Dickens’ novella “A Christmas Carol,” I feel the ghost of Christmas past likes to visit every night in December. Some memories make me laugh, others are best buried under a blanket of fluffy snow. As I contemplated which gifts to purchase for the grandkids, my mind wandered to our Wausa grandparents. First, Grandma required we make a wish list of five items. In pure Grandma fashion, we would usually get most of them. Spoiled, I know. Then, I didn’t realize...
As I look out my kitchen window, there are lights twinkling, greenery and red bows filling what was flower pots. Inside my table is filling with seed catalogs. I’m usually anxious when they arrive the end of December but this year they arrived a bit early. Believe me, I still quickly flip them open, scanning what might be new in the garden world. Perhaps I should change what’s new in the garden world to, what’s new to me. I spotted some rainbow broom that could be interesting in Fall bouquets. I...
Summerland Public School students in grades 7 - 12 visited Clearwater, Ewing and Orchard, Dec. 20, and sang Christmas carols. In Clearwater, they braved seven-degree temperatures, to serenade a crowd of residents who gathered near Cornerstone Bank. In Ewing, students stopped by city hall, and in Orchard, they sang at TJ's parking lot. This is the second year students have traveled to Summerland communities to sing carols....
Gail Rock credits an unusual collaborator that inspired a 1970s holiday season staple and launched her career as an author: a mouse. The mouse, which scurried atop the stove in a friend's home, triggered a series of events that birthed "The House Without a Christmas Tree," a television movie that aired each Christmas season on CBS from 1972 to 1977. It eventually became a novel, written by Rock, and led to several TV movie spinoffs. The story centers on a young girl who longs for a Christmas...
In a heartwarming blend of holiday cheer, tradition and talent, Summerland Elementary School students recently took the stage to perform "North Pole Revue," the annual Christmas musical directed by music teacher Sarah Kesting. From kindergarteners to sixth graders, more than 200 voices filled the air with joy, showcasing months of dedication and creative energy under Kesting's seasoned guidance. This year marks a special milestone for Kesting-her 20th year of teaching and directing the...
Summerland junior and senior high school music students presented their versions of Christmas music in a Dec. 16 concert. Students performed a variety of musical numbers in front of a large crowd in the school's auxiliary gym....
White Star Oil Company, in Ewing, held its customer appreciation day, Monday, Dec. 23. Visitors were treated to a hot-dog lunch and cookies. Megan Masat and Nancy Charf of White Star Oil in Ewing, presented a giant Christmas stocking to Rhett Napier, son of Connor Napier and Jasmine Minnig. His name was drawn from those who registered to win the oversized holiday stocking. The youngster received his prize Monday morning, in time for Christmas....
I first want to start this week’s update by expressing my gratitude to our state’s congressional delegation with regards to the recent passage of Senate Bill 1478 in Congress. This bill would designate U.S. Hwy 20 in the states of Oregon, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Nebraska, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York and Massachusetts as the “National Medal of Honor Highway.” While then-Governor Ricketts approved the renaming of U.S. Hwy 20 in Nebraska as the “Nebraska Medal of Honor Hi...
My family has always loved to travel. Whether it was camping trips, a road trip to the 1967 World’s Fair in Montreal or a drive to the Black Hills to see relatives, we could put some miles on the family car. My dad was exposed early to international travelers. The family farm hosted agricultural exchange visitors from France and India. My dad served in Japan during the Korean War, so he’d seen a far flung part of the world, and befriended a family there who later sent a daughter to live wit...
Summerland PK to third-grade students share letters to Santa with SAM. Letters appear as written. Dear Santa, My name is Ansley Tomjack. I am 7 years old! How is the North Pole? How is the reindeer? I am glad Max came back to my house. For Christmas I would like a camra, games, things for playing in the snow and my own fone. I'll be sure to leave cookies and milk and treats for the deer! Love, Ansley Tomjack Dear Santa, My name is Olivia Woslager, but people call me Rosie. I am 2.5 years old....
Holidays are about traditions. Summerland third-grade students share their favorite Christmas memories. My tradition is Santaland. My whole family goes to Creighton. We tell Santa what we want. I want a teddy bear this year. I like listening to the radio music as we drive around. I like the blue lights the best. It's the best tradition in the whole universe. Levi Tagel Going to my uncle's to remember him is my favorite Christmas tradition. First, we go to my other uncle's house and play at...
Employees of Antelope Memorial Hospital are recognized for years of service, Caring Kind and the Nebraska Hospital Association's Trustee of the Year at the AMH Christmas party, Friday, Dec. 13 at the American Legion in Neligh. Receiving awards were Diane Brugger, 5; Judy Broberg, 15; Lauren Kinney, 10; Donna Keetle, 5; Marsha Schilousky , 10; Merry Sprout, 30; John Mlnarik, Trustee of the Year; Samantha Vanis, 5; Robin Choate, 5; Wendi Reinke, 15; Kristen Kester, 20; Steven Simonsen, 15; Karen...
