Reliable, Trustworthy Reporting, Capturing The Heartbeat Of Our Community
Reliable, Trustworthy Reporting, Capturing The Heartbeat Of Our Community
Sorted by date Results 1051 - 1075 of 1085
Summerland seniors Ashley Koenig, Tiana Thramer and Brenna Wagner were named to the Niobrara Valley Conference 2019 volleyball first team. The announcement was made Nov. 12. The trio joins Lauryn Hoffman, Boyd County; Ryann Haburchak, Taylor Jean Peter, Tessa Metschke and Morgan Ramsey, CWC; Olivia Nall, Elkhorn Valley; Sydney Linse, North Central; Abby Everitt, St. Mary's and Reaghan Engel, Stuart. Avery Cheatum and Sidney Stallbaum were second team selections, along with Heather Atkinson and...
Ballots for the Summerland building bond project are due to the respective county clerk's office, by 5 p.m., Tuesday, Nov. 12. Courthouses will be closed Monday, Nov. 11, in observance of Veterans Day. Ballots placed in the mail will need to be sent early enough to account for the holiday. Ballots may be placed in the mailbox behind the Antelope and Holt county courthouses or dropped off in person. Individuals headed to Lincoln to watch the Summerland Bobcats compete in the NSAA State...
The final item of business handled by the Holt County supervisors last Thursday afternoon at the courthouse in O'Neill caused some disunity among the leaders. As the supervisors passed time waiting to address an agenda item regarding outside counsel to handle a road-haul agreement with TC Energy, the meeting room filled with about two dozen county residents, many who are facing eminent domain proceedings for pipeline right-of-way easements across their land. While three of those citizens, Bryan...
Andrew Yonkey, 48, of Bennet was sentenced to 120 days in the Holt County Jail by the Honorable Mark Kozisec in the Holt County district courtroom last Tuesday, Oct. 29. Yonkey was given credit for 30 days previously served. Yonkey was one of three defendants arrested in connection with the burglary of an Atkinson business Sept. 29, 2018. He was originally charged with a Class 2A felony county of burglary. As a result of a plea agreement, Holt County prosecutor Brent Kelley reduced the charge against Yonkey to accessory to a felony, a Class 4...
Andy J. Casperson, 41, of Norfolk was sentenced on two counts in the Holt County district court last Monday, Oct. 21. The Honorable Mark Kozisek ordered Casperson serve two years on probation for Class 4 felony counts of possession of a controlled substance, methamphetamine, and tampering with evidence. The sentence includes fees and costs of $897. Casperson pleaded no contest to the crimes June 24, per terms of a plea agreement, and was judged guilty by Kozisek. In return for the pleas, Holt...
An O’Neill woman was sentenced to jail when she faced the Honorable Kale Burdick in the Holt County courtroom last Tuesday, Oct. 22. Jacqueline R. McHenry, 49, appeared on charges in three cases. Burdick sent her to the county jail for 45 days, with credit for three days previously served, and ordered payment of $50 costs for third-degree domestic assault, a Class 1 misdemeanor committed June 1. A count of criminal mischief, $1,500 - $4,999, was dismissed by County Attorney Brent Kelly as part of a plea agreement. She was sentenced to 10 days i...
A former Holt County resident will spend several years imprisoned in Nebraska Department of Corrections facility after recent convictions. Last week’s convictions cleared several cases dating back more than a year from both the district and county court dockets in Holt County. The Honorable Mark Kozicek sentenced Torrey Peterson, 26, of Doniphan to not less than 42 months, nor more than 96 months, on a Class 2 felony count of possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver. The crime was committed Nov. 15, 2018, in O’Neill, whe...
Ballots for the proposed Summerland school building project were expected to be mailed Wednesday, Oct. 23. That's a change from information presented during an informational meeting, Oct. 20, in Orchard. During the meeting, an estimated mailing date of Oct. 28 was mentioned. Tobin Buchanan, financial analyst for First National Capital Markets, said after visiting with election commissioners in Antelope and Holt counties, Oct. 21, they agreed to mailing ballots Wednesday, due to turn-around...
Jon Cannon of Lincoln, deputy director of the Nebraska Association of County Officials, was a guest at the Oct. 15 meeting of the Holt County supervisors at the courthouse in O'Neill. Cannon is currently on a quest to visit each of the state's 93 counties. The county leaders approved a one-year lease of a skid loader from NMC CAT in Norfolk, at a cost of $7,800, for use by the weed department. CAT was contacted with a request for the lease option by Bill Teilke, chairman, during the Sept. 30 mee...
Dalton Rotherham, a junior at Ewing Public Schools, was named the local winner of the Holt County Government Day essay contest. He is the son of Eddie and Karmen Rotherham. Rotherham shared his essay with the Advocate-Messenger. He wrote: I felt that Holt County Government Day was an educational and fun day. One of the first places that we visited was the jail. We learned how things work when you are sent to jail. The officer in the jail showed us how they conduct moving inmates, as well as...
Victoria G. Harlow, 25, of Valley faced the Honorable Kale Burdick in the Holt County courtroom in O’Neill for a pretrial hearing on two counts Oct. 1, driving under the influence of alcohol, second offense, and false reporting. Harlow pleaded guilty to an amended count I, DUI, greater than .15, per terms of a plea agreement. In return, County Attorney Brent Kelly dismissed Count II, without prejudice. Burdick sentenced the defendant to a nine-month term of probation, costs and fees totaling $405, a $500 fine, two days in jail and revoked her d...
The Antelope County Commissioners worked through their agenda in short order Oct. 8, at the Neligh courthouse, authorizing claims and payroll before hearing Casey Dittrich's road report and a complaint that had been posted on social media. "We had some complaints about south of Clearwater, grinding up the road," Dittrich said. "I reached out to some of the people who started a post on Facebook that's gained a lot of attraction," he said. The road in question is 846 Road, from the bridge...
Hunger is as real in farming communities as it is in urban food deserts. Across the Heartland, thousands of children, families and seniors struggle with regularly obtaining the food they need to be healthy. Food Bank for the Heartland and WellCare of Nebraska are committed to helping those in need in rural communities. Food Bank for the Heartland is partnering with WellCare to host a free mobile food pantry in O'Neill, Tuesday, Oct. 29, from 4 to 6 p.m., or until all of the food has been...
Approximately 120 individuals attended an informal gathering at Summerland Golf Course, Oct. 6, to learn facts and figures associated with the Summerland school building project. Tobin Buchanan, a bond analyst with First National Capital Markets, said the Summerland project, when compared to others he has worked with, is unique. Most bond projects involve a rural community, often with a 100-year-old, three-tier building "that's outlived its usefulness." "(With that scenario) you're not... Full story
Seats in the Holt County supervisor’s chamber at the courthouse in O’Neill were all occupied and additional chairs were taken in, when the leaders met Monday. Many audience members voiced concerns, during the 10 minutes set aside for public comment, regarding TransCanada’s route across the county, as well as a new transmission line that will also cross the county. Diane Steskal of Stuart presented a letter to the supervisors, signed by herself and her husband, Byron Steskal, regarding the proposed Keystone XL pipeline route. She read the letter...
My name doesn't really matter. It's my experience that I think will be valuable, for I follow the trajectory of most millenials stuck in our time. I hope to garner understanding, in the hopes I can inspire a strand of unity in a divided America. Contemporary journalists like to paint America's polarization as the democratic/liberal cities juxtaposed to republican/conservative rural areas, but the interests of Americans are more aligned than credence is given. Although I'm not sure if I noticed...
Antelope and Holt county 4-H youth exhibited projects at the 2019 Nebraska State Fair. Area individuals receiving ribbons include: Alvie Bearinger, Clearwater: blue, horticulture, red potatoes; purple, horticulture, garlic; red, horticulture, mint; white, horticulture, thyme; Kierra Bearinger, Clearwater: blue, horticulture, oregano; blue, any other herb; purple, food preservation, dried herbs; red, horticulture, slicing cucumbers; red, horticulture, basil; Daley Bearinger, Clearwater: blue, horticulture, oregano; purple, horticulture, dill;...
The Nebraska auditor of public accounts released results Holt County's annual audit last week. The report covers July 2018 to June 2019, and includes numerous areas of concern for internal control that were listed in a letter sent to the county board of supervisors Sept. 10. The report is a matter of public record and is posted on the APA's website. Deann Haeffner, APA assistant deputy auditor, noted in the letter that the report is "critical in nature" as it addresses areas noted for...
A longtime member of the Northeast Community College Board of Governors has announced his resignation. Keith Harvey, Creighton, submitted his letter of resignation during the board's monthly meeting in Norfolk Sept. 12. "Serving on the Northeast board has been one of the greatest experiences of my life," Harvey said. "I have been blessed to have been able to work with so many dedicated people for almost 20 years." Harvey has served on the Northeast Board of Governors, representing District 2,...
A felony count of manslaughter of an unborn child was dismissed, without prejudice, Monday against Joey W. Crooker, 37, currently incarcerated at the Antelope County Jail. Crooker still faces a Class 2A felony count of first-degree sexual assault, alleged June 29 at a Grove Lake campground, with a preliminary hearing on the Antelope County Court docket at 11 a.m. Sept. 26. Crooker appeared with public defender, Charles Balsinger of Norfolk, on a motion to amend bond after the Class 2 felony was dropped. Prosecutor Joe Abler objected to...
Flooding forecasts along the Elkhorn River valley in Holt County have been upgraded from minor to moderate severity, according to the National Weather Service in North Platte. Moderate flooding upstream and downstream from Ewing is expected to continue through the weekend. At 7:45 p.m., Thursday, Sept. 12, the river measured 7.5 feet near Ewing. Flood stage is 9 feet. The NWS predicts the river will rise above flood stage Friday afternoon and continue to rise to 10 feet by Saturday morning....
A 37-year old registered sex offender faced the Honorable Donna Taylor last Wednesday in Antelope County Court in Neligh, on charges of sexual assault and manslaughter of an unborn child. Formal charges of third-degree sexual assault, a Class 2 felony, and manslaughter of an unborn child, a Class 2A felony, were filed by Antelope County Attorney Joe Abler against Joey W. Crooker on Aug. 12, following an investigation by Antelope County Sheriff Bob Moore and Steven Binkard, a Holt County deputy....
Local entities that depend on tax receipts for operation will soon make levy decisions as they consider their annual budgets. Real estate valuations certified recently by Nebraska county assessors, including Kelly Mueller in Antelope County and Tim Wallinger in Holt County, factor into those decisions. Antelope County’s total valuation for 2019 is certified at $2,483.485,076, up just over $24 million or 0.98% from 2018. Mueller attributed nearly $34 million of the total value to growth (new construction), about $10 million more than the overall...
Since we opened the Advocate-Messenger, Scott and I have fielded several questions about the inner workings of the newspaper, so after discussion, we decided to take this opportunity to respond. One of the first questions we were asked is if the Advocate Messenger is a legal newspaper. The answer is yes and no. We formed a limited liability company when we created ColdType Publishing and trademarked our name, so the business, itself, is a legally-operated business according to the State of Nebra...
In 1986, Christian Eggeling, of Germany, boarded a plane destined for the United States. Final destination: Ewing, Nebraska, where he would spend the school year living with the Larry and Louise Nordby family. Eggeling has made the trip across the pond several times. Most recently, he visited his host family in Ewing, Saturday, Aug. 17, and even after 33 years, the extended family slipped into conversation that became so familiar years ago. Once an exchange student, always a part of the family....
