Reliable, Trustworthy Reporting, Capturing The Heartbeat Of Our Community
Reliable, Trustworthy Reporting, Capturing The Heartbeat Of Our Community
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Back in the day, reporters used to be able to hitch a ride with the governor or National Guard to the site of a disastrous tornado or flood. One of those trips involved a flight to Coleridge, in northeast Nebraska, after a tornado had destroyed two farm homes and damaged several residences on the north edge of the town. At one of the farms, the owner stood just outside the now-bare foundation where his house once stood. The house was gone. “It could have been worse,” he said. No one had bee...
Summerland Board of Education members approved a resignation during the April 13 meeting. Katie Andrew, high school English/Language Arts instructor, indicated her intent to leave the district in a letter read by board president Nate Schwager. In her resignation, Andrew wrote, "Teaching here has been such a rewarding journey, and the staff at Summerland is truly exceptional." Andrew has accepted a position as the director of NECC extended campus in O'Neill. The board also approved a teaching...
This past week, the Legislature gave final approval to the two budget bills. During the long 90-day legislative session, the state’s biennial budget is crafted. During the short 60-day session, adjustments are made to the budget. Adjusting this session’s budget was a much more demanding task since senators had to weigh what agencies and programs would be cut. Combined, both budget bills contain a large collection of cuts, changes, and cash transfers which will bring the deficit down to abo...
A South Dakota Highway Patrol trooper with local roots has been named a finalist for Trooper of the Year by the International Association of Chiefs of Police/Motorola Solutions. Kyle Knievel, a 2011 Pope John XXIII Central Catholic graduate, represented the Mountain Pacific region of the IACP State and Provincial Police Division during a March 12 award ceremony in Boston. He was one of four finalists recognized nationwide, standing among the best in a field defined by service and split-second...
Governor Jim Pillen has issued a statewide burn ban, to help reduce the potential for additional wildfires in Nebraska. Dry and windy conditions have caused the spread of significant fires in the central and western parts of the state. On Friday, March 13, Pillen issued an emergency proclamation activating the deployment of state resources to help combat fires, including the use of aircraft and personnel from the Nebraska National Guard. The governor's executive order prohibiting burning will...
If you're like me, you probably have tuned in the latest, excellent documentary by Ken Burns, "The American Revolution." If there was only one reason to donate to public television, it would be to help Burns produce more historical documentaries like "The American Revolution," and those on the Civil War, baseball and country music. There is nothing more interesting on TV, if you ask me. Personally, on PBS, I'm also a big fan of "Frontline" and the excellent reporting it provides. Plus, I'm a...
The Nebraska State Patrol, Governor Jim Pillen, and a grateful Nebraska family were pleased to present the NSP Life Saver Award to Trooper Braden Heidbrink. "Most of you that enter this profession are very humble. You don't do this job for moments like this," said Colonel Bryan Waugh. "We sign up to do this job because we genuinely have a passion to serve, to protect, to be there at the most horrible, horrific moment in somebody's life, that we can hopefully make a difference in that moment."...
Nebraska is cattle country. We used to be known as "The Beef State" – a nickname I always liked. But recently, cattle producers have raised a beef with the president over his ideas to reduce the cost of beef at the grocery store. Every media has covered the cattle kerfuffle: President Trump proposed to quadruple beef imports from Argentina, so that record-high prices in our country might come down. (He also sent a $40 billion bailout to the struggling South American country – a country that is...
The sacrifice and service of those who serve our nation were honored Saturday during the dedication of the Clearwater Veterans Park. Committee member Steve Stearns welcomed visitors. "This veterans park stands as a symbol of our gratitude, our remembrance, and community pride," he said. The vision for the park grew from a conversation for Barb and the late Ralph Tichota, to create a place where all could walk together, visit, reflect, and pay their respects to those who fought for our freedom....
While the new inductees in the Ewing Hall of Fame have led varied lives, common themes of family businesses, community involvement and outstanding athletic endeavors serve as the basis for their inclusion. Butch and Carol Rotherham Edward (Butch) Rotherham was born March 1, 1946, to Roy and Ann Rotherham. Ask about his childhood, Butch will weave stories around the tables, customers and family at the Green Lantern. After graduating from Ewing Public School in 1964, Butch served in the Army from...
A platoon of Ewing American Legion members is answering the call to honor local veterans. A new veterans park will be constructed on a lot east of The Ewing Bank in the village's downtown. Larry Jorgensen said the idea for a memorial wall took root years ago. "Five or six years ago, or more, we said we should do something," he said. Now, the longtime Legion member said the mission is a go. Jorgensen and his wife, Kathleen, toured area memorials in Wynot, Hartington, Crofton, Santee, West Point...
8 was an excellent year for Nebraska. We stood strong for property tax relief, took steps to grow agricultural production, and protected our children and values. Kids In 2024, we took steps to protect children by signing LB 1092 into law. This bill protects our kids from the scourge of online pornography and oversexualization by requiring age verification to access pornographic websites. As a result of this legislation, Pornhub, the leading distributor of online pornography, ceased offering...
As we celebrate Veterans Day, we should all take the time to acknowledge and thank the Huskers across our community who've chosen a path of service and self-sacrifice. For Morgan Erhardt, this was a path that she knew she would take since she was a kid. "At a really young age, I knew that the military was something I wanted to do," says Morgan. "It just always felt like a calling." Morgan says she enlisted in the National Guard "the second I turned 17." After graduating high school, Morgan...
It was billed as a debate against incumbent U.S. Senator Deb Fischer. In reality, Dan Osborn greeted approximately 30 constiuents and a handful of east-coast journalists, around 8:30 a.m., Monday, Oct. 14, at Sly's Family Bar and Grill in Neligh, for an hour-long listening session after Fischer did not show up to debate the independent candidate from Omaha. Osborn, a Navy veteran and Nebraska National Guard member said he's frustrated with the two-party system and the polarization of politics....
Nebraska isn't known as a battleground state when it comes to presidential elections. That tag usually goes to Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and Michigan, along with Georgia, Nevada and Arizona. But the recent pick of Nebraska native and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as the vice presidential running mate for Kamala Harris is revving up talk that the Cornhusker State – at least Omaha's congressional district – is in play and may help decide this fall's presidential election. Walz, a 60-year-old former teache...
Eugene Koenig 1938 - 2024 Funeral services for Eugene Koenig, 85, were 10:30 a.m., Tuesday, July 30, at St. Peter’s Catholic Church in Ewing, with Father Frank Baumert officiating. Burial was in St. Peter’s Catholic Cemetery. Snider Memorial Funeral Home handled the arrangements. Gene died July 21, 2024, at Arbor Care Center in O’Neill. Condolences may be directed the family at http://www.snidermemorial.com. ~~~~~ Eugene Louis Koenig was born Dec. 17, 1938, to Adolph and Audrey (Tomjack) Koenig at Ewing. He graduated from Ewing High Schoo...
SUBMITTED ARTICLE Charlene Hughes, registered nurse, is the 2024 Caring Kind Award winner of Antelope Memorial Hospital. Hughes was recognized for this award on Tuesday, May 14, during National Hospital Week. Each year, the Nebraska Hospital Association honors employees from hospitals across the state as "Caring Kind" employees. The honored employee must exemplify the spirit of someone who gives that "something special" to others. Hughes began her career in 1971 at Antelope Memorial Hospital as...
On Thursday of this past week, Governor Pillen delivered his State of the State address. The governor began his speech by thanking members of law enforcement, first responders and road crews who have worked countless hours in recent days in the brutal winter weather conditions across the state. He next touched on his priorities for this year, which included property tax relief, reducing the regulatory burden of state government and protecting Nebraska from foreign adversaries. He lent support to...
Funeral services for William S. Gillette Jr., 81, formerly of Clearwater, will be 11 a.m., Monday, Jan. 29, at Snider Memorial Funeral Home in Clearwater, with Father James Kramper officiating. Visitation will be from 10 to 11 a.m., Monday, Jan. 29, before the funeral service, at the funeral Home. Burial will be in Clearwater Cemetery with military rites by Clearwater American Legion and Son of Legion Post #267. William passed away Jan. 24, 2024 at Norfolk Veterans Home in Norfolk. Snider Memorial Funeral Home in Clearwater is handling the...
Funeral services for Roman Hupp, 75, of Oakdale, were Tuesday, Jan. 16, at St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church in Neligh. Reverend Pat Nields will be celebrant, with burial in Oakdale Cemetery. Military honors will be provided by Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 5287, American Legion Post 171, Army National Guard Honor Guard and American Legion Riders. Brockhaus-Harlan Funeral Home in Tilden was in charge of arrangements. Roman died Saturday, Jan. 6, 2024, at Antelope Memorial Hospital in Neligh....
Funeral services for Roman Hupp, 75, of Oakdale, will be 10 a.m., Friday, January 12, at St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church in Neligh. Reverend Pat Nields will be celebrant, with burial in Oakdale Cemetery. Military honors will be provided by Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 5287, American Legion Post 171, Army National Guard Honor Guard and American Legion Riders. Visitation will be Thursday from 4 to 7 p.m. at the church in Neligh, with a 7 p.m. vigil service, followed by a Rosary....
This weekend, Congress narrowly avoided a government shutdown. After a turbulent week, the House of Representatives passed a short-term bipartisan spending bill. The Senate approved the bill hours before the deadline of Oct. 1. From 2005 to 2013, I served as a member of the Nebraska Legislature. During that time, we ran into a major budget shortfall. All of us in the Unicameral worked together and compromised to find solutions to that fiscal crisis. We were legislators, so we legislated. In the...
The dining room table, it's not my style. But it was my parents' style, and we ate every holiday meal there at the house they built after we all grew up and left home. A bigger house. A house with the dining room my mom always wanted. What my dad wanted was to die in that house. Now a dark-haired stranger was carting that table away from the retirement home my mom and dad had landed and where Dad would spend his last months. His journey was a fill-in-the-blank primer on aging, as predictable as...
In May, 10 Nebraska State Patrol troopers went to Texas for two weeks to help with drone surveillance of the border with Mexico. Recently, 60 Nebraska National Guard members went to Texas for a month for a similar assignment. Is this a Nebraska problem? Or is this part of the national Republican Party agenda to allow Republican governors to take shots at the policies of President Joe Biden and blame Texas border woes on his administration. What's in it for Nebraska? Certainly not money. The...
Agriculture, broadband connectivity and tax savings were key topics addressed during Gov. Jim Pillen's town hall meeting, June 28, in O'Neill. Pillen opened by telling the crowd of approximately 80 that his team strives to work for "all Nebraskans. "I can't stand politics. I can't stand politicians," the governor said. "The privilege I had in the first six months, it is unbelievable how many incredible public servants we have serving the state of Nebraska." One of Pillen's goals has been to...
