Reliable, Trustworthy Reporting, Capturing The Heartbeat Of Our Community
Reliable, Trustworthy Reporting, Capturing The Heartbeat Of Our Community
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On Thursday, Summerland hosted Lutheran High Northeast, and fell to the Eagles, 70-42. On Friday, they traveled to West Holt and secure a 43-33 Bobcat win. Beau Ahlers finished the game with eight points and six rebounds. Ryan Rifer led Summerland with 16 points. The Bobcats hosted Creighton on Jan. 13. SAM went to press before the games started. Results will appear in next week's paper....
PROCEEDINGS HOLT COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS JANUARY 8, 2026 The Holt County Board of Supervisors met in statutory session with all members present. This meeting publicized pursuant to Section 84-1411 R.R.S. 1943. Notice of meeting given in advance thereof by publication in paper as shown by Affidavit of Publication on Dec. 31, 2025, in the Summerland Advocate. The agenda for all meetings are kept continuously current and is available for public inspection at the county clerk’s office during normal business hours. The agenda is held open u...
PROCEEDINGS HOLT COUNTY BOARD OF EQUALIZATION AND BOARD OF SUPERVISORS Board meetings are held on the first working day after the 15th and the last working day of the month. Meetings are held at the Holt County Courthouse meeting room. Board of Equalization at 9:30 a.m., and Board of Supervisors at 9:45 a.m. Notice of meeting given in advance thereof by publication in paper as shown by Affidavit of Publication on Dec. 24, 2025, in the Summerland Advocate. The agenda for all meetings are kept continuously current and is available for public...
To borrow a line from “Seasons of Love” from Rent, “How do measure, measure a year?” The next verse of the song seems pretty accurate for a journalist: “In daylights, in sunsets, in midnights, in cups of coffee (or tea in my case), in inches, in miles, in laughter, in strife. In 525,600 minutes, how do you measure a year in the life.” In the case of SAM, how do you measure which story or articles written throughout the year were simply the best? Should website page views be the determining...
PROCEEDINGS HOLT COUNTY BOARD OF EQUALIZATION AND BOARD OF SUPERVISORS December 16, 2025 Board meetings are held on the first working day after the 15th and the last working day of the month. Meetings are held at the Holt County Courthouse meeting room. Board of Equalization at 9:30 a.m., and Board of Supervisors at 9:45 a.m. Notice of meeting given in advance thereof by publication in paper as shown by Affidavit of Publication on Dec. 10, 2025, in the Summerland Advocate. The agenda for all meetings are kept continuously current and is...
After writing news articles for the past dozen years, it felt good to flex my creative writing skills and create the story on the front page of this week’s edition. When I taught, I spent considerable time fine-tuning my creative writing craft alongside my students. My preferred genre: poetry, although I did begin a young adult novel during that time. Some may think writing is writing. While the process remains the same, creative writing taps a different part of the brain, pulls from d...
I think my days of being super woman may be drawing near. After having knee replacement surgery on Dec. 4, and returning home on Dec. 6, I had a couple days to put this week's edition together. I'm not going to lie: it was a struggle. And here I thought I was invincible, could tackle any obstacle thrown in my path. I probably still can ... just at a slower pace. Working from a recliner is not like working at a desk. And, trying to stay awake between scheduled medicine intervals was tricky, but I...
PROCEEDINGS HOLT COUNTY BOARD OF EQUALIZATION AND BOARD OF SUPERVISORS NOVEMBER 26, 2025 Board meetings are held on the first working day after the 15th and the last working day of the month. Meetings are held at the Holt County Courthouse meeting room. Board of Equalization at 9:30 a.m., and Board of Supervisors at 9:45 a.m. Notice of meeting given in advance thereof by publication in paper as shown by Affidavit of Publication on Nov. 19, 2025, in the Summerland Advocate. The agenda for all meetings are kept continuously current and is...
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...
This holiday season, will you shop at one of the 33.2 million small businesses that make up 99% of all businesses in the U.S? Up and down rural main streets in rural America, shopkeepers are readying their stores for the season. Business owners are stocking special gifts and rolls of wrapping paper to provide added value when you spend your money with a local retailer. Independently-owned businesses are what keep our rural communities thriving. They rely on our patronage during the crucial holid...
There's an old saying about government – "it's not that 'what is said isn't so,' it's what is so isn't said." So that means that someone – maybe a state auditor, maybe a whistleblower, but often a news reporter – needs to dig in and find out what is really happening with our tax dollars and state policies. That's why it was so disgusting to read recently about our "Secretary of War's" crackdown on access by reporters to the Pentagon. Pete Hegseth, a former Fox News weekend host, is the U.S....
PROCEEDINGS HOLT COUNTY BOARD OF EQUALIZATION AND BOARD OF SUPERVISORS NOVEMBER 17, 2025 Board meetings are held on the first working day after the 15th and the last working day of the month. Meetings are held at the Holt County Courthouse meeting room. Board of Equalization at 9:30 a.m. and Board of Supervisors at 9:45 a.m. Notice of meeting given in advance thereof by publication in paper as shown by Affidavit of Publication on Nov. 12, 2025, in the Summerland Advocate. The agenda for all meetings are kept continuously current and is...
Clearwater Public Library will host its annual Secret Kids’ Shopping Corner during the Old-Fashioned Christmas on Dec. 7 at the American Legion. “This special shop will be available for children to buy gifts for their loved ones,” said library director, Chelsea Silbernagel. Price of items will range between $1 and $5. Library personnel will assist children shop and wrap gifts so they remain a secret. The library is accepting donations of new or like-new items to use in the shop. Items may be dropped off during library hours, 1 to 5 p.m. on Tu...
PROCEEDINGS HOLT COUNTY BOARD OF EQUALIZATION AND BOARD OF SUPERVISORS OCTOBER 31, 2025 Board meetings are held on the first working day after the 15th and the last working day of the month. Meetings are held at the Holt County Courthouse meeting room. Board of Equalization at 9:30 a.m., and Board of Supervisors at 9:45 a.m. Notice of meeting given in advance thereof by publication in paper as shown by Affidavit of Publication on Oct. 22, 2025, in the Summerland Advocate. The agenda for all meetings are kept continuously current and is...
There's an old saying about government – "what is said isn't so, it's what is so isn't said." So that means that someone – maybe a state auditor, maybe a whistleblower, but often a news reporter – needs to dig in and find out what is really happening with our tax dollars. That's why it was so disgusting to read recently about our "Secretary of War's" crackdown on access by reporters to the Pentagon. Pete Hegseth, a former Fox News weekend host, is the U.S. Secretary of Defense. And it's his opin...
In the past few months, I outlined six initiative petitions that have been filed with the Nebraska Secretary of State’s Office and are currently in circulation for the 2026 General Election. Since then, two additional initiative petitions have been submitted to the Secretary of State: (1) the Winner Take All Electors Constitutional Amendment and (2) the Hand Count Ballots for Elections Constitutional Amendment. Both initiatives were brought by the group Advocates for All Nebraskans. Although I p...
The Pawnee Republican, the oldest continuously operating weekly newspaper in Nebraska, has been a cornerstone of Pawnee County for over 157 years. However, the paper now faces the threat of closure, reflecting a broader trend of struggling community newspapers across the state. Since 2023, several Nebraska newspapers have shut down or merged, leaving nine counties without a local publication. Pawnee County residents are determined to avoid this fate. To preserve their newspaper, the community has established the Sunrise Publications Journalism...
PROCEEDINGS HOLT COUNTY BOARD OF EQUALIZATION OCTOBER 15, 2025 The Holt County Board of Supervisors met as a Board of Equalization with all members present. County Assessor Tim Wallinger, County Treasurer Shelly Ross and County Clerk Cathy Pavel were also in attendance. This meeting publicized pursuant to Section 84-1411 R.R.S. 1943. Notice of meeting given in advance thereof by publication in paper as shown by Affidavit of Publication on Oct. 8, 2025, in the Summerland Advocate. Chairman Frahm convened the meeting at 9:31 a.m., with the flag...
PROCEEDINGS HOLT COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS OCTOBER 15, 2025 The Holt County Board of Supervisors met in regular session as per adjournment with all members present. This meeting publicized pursuant to Section 84-1411 R.R.S. 1943. Notice of meeting given in advance thereof by publication in paper as shown by Affidavit of Publication on Oct. 8, 2025, in the Summerland Advocate. Chairman Tielke convened the meeting at 9:45 a.m., and informed the public of the location of the Open Meeting Poster. Motion by Paxton, second by Breiner, to approve...
PROCEEDINGS VILLAGE OF CLEARWATER BOARD OF TRUSTEES October 13, 2025 The Board of Trustees of the Village of Clearwater met for a regular meeting Mon., Oct. 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,...
Strong communities don’t just happen. They rely on connection—residents knowing what’s going on, businesses reaching the customers who keep them open, and citizens having the facts to make good decisions. Local newspapers provide that connection in ways no other source can. In today’s fractured media environment, trust is the rarest commodity. Confidence in “the media” is low. Only 18% of Americans say they trust news on social platforms, and fewer than one in four trust cable networks. But nearly two-thirds say they trust their local newsp...
PROCEEDINGS HOLT COUNTY BOARD OF EQUALIZATION AND BOARD OF SUPERVISORS September 30, 2025 Board meetings are held on the first working day after the 15th and the last working day of the month. Meetings are held at the Holt County Courthouse meeting room. Board of Equalization at 9:30 a.m., and Board of Supervisors at 9:45 a.m Notice of meeting given in advance thereof by publication in paper as shown by Affidavit of Publication on Sept. 24, 2025, in the Summerland Advocate. The agenda for all meetings are kept continuously current and is availa...
Sometimes, you need a good laugh. After last week - filled with school activities, work obligations, and family medical emergencies - I needed something to smooth the chaos and soothe the calm. I found it in a TV show, “The Paper,” a mockumentary spin-off from the creators of “The Office.” The show is available on Peacock, a streaming service. Most days I am the lone SAM staffer in Clearwater’s building, appropriately dubbed “The Office.” Yet, the mundane crises created during the show, like di...
PROCEEDINGS HOLT COUNTY BOARD OF EQUALIZATION AND BOARD OF SUPERVISORS SEPTEMBER 16, 2025 The Holt County Board of Supervisors met as a Board of Equalization with all members present. Deputy County Assessor Montana DeVries, Deputy County Treasurer Cathy Fuhrer and County Clerk Cathy Pavel were also in attendance. This meeting publicized pursuant to Section 84-1411 R.R.S. 1943. Notice of meeting given in advance thereof by publication in paper as shown by Affidavit of Publication on Sept. 10, 2025, in the Summerland Advocate. Chairman Frahm...
PROCEEDINGS VILLAGE OF CLEARWATER BOARD OF TRUSTEES Sept. 8, 2025 The Board of Trustees of the Village of Clearwater met for a regular meeting Mon., Sept. 8, immediately following the budget and tax request hearings, in the fire hall meeting room. Meeting opened at 6:25 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...
