Reliable, Trustworthy Reporting, Capturing The Heartbeat Of Our Community
Reliable, Trustworthy Reporting, Capturing The Heartbeat Of Our Community
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The Summerland school board unanimously approved a series of engineering changes July 1 that will reduce the cost of the district's wastewater lagoon replacement project by about $74,458 without compromising the system's long-term performance. Board members approved the project during a July 1 special meeting. Savings come primarily from redesigning the lift station, delaying construction of a second lagoon cell until it's needed, and simplifying pump controls after the engineer determined the...
There's something humbling about realizing your world can shrink to the size of an elevation pillow. Since my left knee replacement surgery on May 7, life has become a carefully choreographed routine of ice packs, physical therapy appointments, medication alarms and trying not to spill tea while balancing a laptop on one leg. The right knee was replaced back in December, so at least this time I knew what I was walking into - eventually literally walking into. Experience helps. The first knee...
Dorothy Lynch is a color not found in nature. It's a salad dressing eaten on virtually every other food. Some Nebraskans love it. Other Nebraskans love to hate it. No one else has ever heard of it. Of the tens of thousands of impoverished Scandinavians who fled crop failures and religious oppression for a fertile and free Nebraska in the late 19th century, probably only two are connected to something in Nebraskans' kitchen today. In 1913 in Cushing, Danish immigrants Edd and Meda Scott Peterson...
If the third graders at Summerland Elementary planned Thanksgiving, the guest list would be anything but ordinary. From favorite celebrities to fictional heroes - and even a few surprise visitors - these imaginative diners earned an invite for reasons as sweet as pumpkin pie and as silly as a turkey doing the hokeypokey. If I could invite anyone to Thanksgiving dinner it would be Jason because he is my best friend. The reason is he helps me. He is nice to me. He also plays with me. If Jason...
T-minus eight days and counting. By the time you read this, my surgery date will be closing in. A little more than two and one-half years ago, I replaced my right hip. The procedure went smoothly, recovery went smoothly and, by July, walking felt natural again instead of looking like I was auditioning for a hobbling contest. Within months, though, my knee — the joint I originally suspected was the troublemaker — flared up. Swelling. Lost motion. Grinding pain. Eventually, I couldn’t straighten my leg when I went to bed. After pushing throu...
In 1621, the early settlers of the Plymouth Colony and the Wampanoag Tribe met to celebrate the blessing they received from the previous year: a successful harvest. This gathering is considered the origin of our country’s modern Thanksgiving tradition. Thanksgiving initially continued largely as a regional observance in colonial New England. In these early years, the meaning of Thanksgiving varied by location. In some areas, Thanksgiving was a celebration of the autumn harvest. In other a...
Stuffed turkeys and packed roads. Thanksgiving brings the start of the holiday season and some of the busiest travel days of the year. "Every seat needs to be filled around your holiday table, which means everyone needs to travel safely to their Thanksgiving destination," said Colonel Bryan Waugh, superintendent of the Nebraska State Patrol. "No matter how far you're traveling, take safety seriously on the road." Troopers will be on patrol across the state to reduce fatal and serious crashes in...
Antelope County residents have an opportunity to make someone's Christmas a little more merry and bright. Applications for the county's Ribbon Tree are currently being accepted through Nov. 21. "The Ribbon tree helps give some children a Christmas in which they may not get to have," said organizer, Mikayla Armitage. Applications are available at Neligh banks, Thriftway Market, and by the vending machines at the courthouse. Schools in Antelope County communities received a copy or are available...
“Thanksgiving: When the people who are the most thankful are the ones who didn’t have to cook.” Author Melanie White nailed it with that line. By the end of most family gatherings, I’ve not only cooked and baked a majority of the dishes, but I’ve also drawn clean-up duty. No rest for the wicked, er, cook. Thankfully, Courtney has stepped up in recent years, and we now split the food prep. I don’t like turkey, so I leave that to Scott. He mans the deep fryer and somehow times it perfectly f...
According to U.S. government data and recent policy studies, nearly 25% of America's veterans live either below the federal poverty level or paycheck to paycheck, with little margin for unexpected expenses. To get by, many adopt emergency-level budgets. But even the harshest austerity measures may not be enough. Life at the bottom still costs money. Mortgages and rent must be paid. Vehicles are needed to reach work or medical appointments. So, what can be cut? Too often, it's food-eating less...
Join the Orchard Historical Society for a Thanksgiving meal, Sunday, Nov. 2. Serving will begin at 11 a.m. and continue until 2 p.m. at the Rex Theatre in Orchard. An adult meal will cost $15. Children ages 10 and under will run $8. Dine in or carry out service will be available....
A longtime pastoral transition has led to a new chapter of cooperation and faith among three area congregations. Following the 2024 retirement of Pastor Dan Feusse, who faithfully served Concordia Lutheran Church in Clearwater for 26 years, members began to ask an important question: what comes next? "When a Pastor leaves or retires, the natural question for a Church is 'what is next?'" said Pastor Ryan Janke, who now serves as the spiritual leader for the newly formed tri-parish of Concordia...
At 3 p.m., on this upcoming Monday, what will you be doing? Packing up belongings from an extended weekend camping trip? Clearing leftover barbecue and potato salad from the picnic table? What you should be doing is pausing, for one minute, to honor those who died during military service to the United States, an action established by Congress in 2000. In more than 1,500 communities across the nation, the lonely echo of “Taps” will resonate though the air at that time, as part of the Nat...
As 2024 comes to a close, we take a moment to reflect on the stories that captured our communities' attention. Using website traffic data, we've compiled a list of the most-read stories from each month. This data not only reveals what resonated most with our readers but also helps us, as SAM publishers, identify emerging trends and areas of interest within the Summerland region. It's worth noting that the most-read articles aren't always the top news stories of the year. Sometimes, lighter...
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...
SCHUYLER – His eyes are tired from scanning the conveyor belt. His feet and back are sore after hours of standing in his steel-toed boots. His brain is fried from searching for faulty welding and chipped paint on the more than 1,000 metal pieces that whiz past him on the belt during the graveyard shift. Marco Gutiérrez has spent the past eight hours inspecting tiny parts that will become car seats in Ford F-150s and Chevy Malibus. Before that, he put in a shift at Panda Express, cooking ba...
Unpopular opinion: Sportsmanship is best shown during competition, not during a five-second sound bite or video during a coin toss. That’s why I agree with the take by Nebraska sports writer Mitch Sherman from Friday’s Huskers versus Iowa game. “The Athletic” journalist asserts that the 60-minute football contest showed true sportsmanship. The pregame antics were pure hype. “They didn’t head hunt. They didn’t try to start fights or commit personal fouls. Common in rivalry games, those actions...
Troopers with the Nebraska State Patrol removed 52 impaired drivers from the road during the Make It Click campaign, which ran from Nov. 23 through Dec. 1. Troopers arrested 52 drivers for driving under the influence and issued 44 citations for seat belt and child safety seat violations. Troopers also issued 1,027 citations for speeding, including 47 citations for speeding at over 100 miles per hour, 30 no seat belt, 14 improper child restraint, 25 open alcohol container, seven minor in possession and 69 driving under suspension....
I would have Thanksgiving dinner with Santa Clause. We would talk about the North Pole. We would talk about the elves. I picked him because I like him. He is kind and gives me presents. Santa Clause is the best! Claire Snodgrass I would like to have Thanksgiving dinner with my dad's grandpa Elmer because I want to meet my elders. I would ask him if he likes Jack's mullet. I do not like it. It is ugly! We would talk about whatever I feel like talking about. In conclusion, I want to meet dad's...
Winners of the SAM Halloween coloring contest have been selected. Submissions by Tinley Kaczor (left) and Maverick Kaczor (right) were picked as the top entries. A Thanksgiving coloring contest is underway. The themed photo is on page 5 and is due to the SAM office by Nov. 30....
Visit a participating Clearwater Chamber business by Nov. 22 for a chance to win a turkey, compliments of the Clearwater Chamber of Commerce. Registration is available at Bearinger Tax & Accounting, Sanne Service, The Waterhole, Clearwater Insurance, Clearwater Market, Clearwater Feed & Grain, Automated Dairy Specialists, DK Feed & Supply, Speedee Mart, Cornerstone Bank, Roots by Jaci and Summerland Advocate-Messenger, in Clearwater and Sly's Family Bar & Grill in Neligh. Winners will be...
My Uncle Paul left this earth about 10 days ago. He was an entertaining character who loved his family and always had a knack for making people laugh. I was asked to speak at his funeral. My Aunt Deanna tells me he loved this column. He told me that, too. Uncle, this one’s about you. I read two statements this week that hit home. The first one said, “An auntie and her first-born niece will always have an unbreakable bond. I know it’s true. Ask my aunties, I’m their favorite “Hey, will you run t...
"We had no idea anything was wrong." That's how Skylar and Cabre Reynolds describe the first few minutes of their daughter Teigyn's life. The 5-pound 8-ounce bundle of joy, the couple's first child, arrived Sept. 12, 2023, at Boone County Health Center in Albion. It would take approximately six weeks before the Reynolds would learn Teigyn was battling neuroendocrine cell hyperplasia of infancy, a rare disorder of the lungs. This Sunday, residents from Skylar's hometown will host a benefit for...
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...
What is the best gift found around any Christmas tree? According to syndicated columnist Burton Hillis, the answer is "a happy family all wrapped up in each other." Friday, while sorting a few holiday items in the Sidebar, in preparation for a vendor show, I unfolded a quilted table runner and immediately was transported to my grandparents' home in Tilden. The pink and black floral print, swatches patched together with coordinating colors, resembled a queen-size quilt and matching pillow cases m...
