Reliable, Trustworthy Reporting, Capturing The Heartbeat Of Our Community
Reliable, Trustworthy Reporting, Capturing The Heartbeat Of Our Community
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Blood may be thicker than water. It's the fluid of life, an essential force providing a constant flow of resources and creating energy. For Jesse Thiele, son of Jim and Leenda, the constant flow slowed to a trickle on a fateful September day in 2016. Thiele, then a fifth-grade student, was at home in Clearwater on Sept. 29, working on a math worksheet, alongside older brothers Eli and Alex. Alex and Jesse took a break, which turned into a wrestling match. "I still had a pencil in my hand,"...
Reprinted with permission from UNMC Communications Edson DeOliveira still remembers walking out of the house on his first day of third grade. He caught the faint scent of manure and spotted a cattle trailer on a neighboring lot. "We're not in Atlanta anymore," he thought. Not only was the DeOliveira family's home in Ewing, Nebraska, a stark contrast from their last home in Atlanta, but it also was a far cry from their first home in Angola. But growing up in the rural Nebraska village ended up...
Former Neligh chief of police, Michael D. Wright, was fined $500 last week for firing his service weapon and injuring 38-year-old Josie Auld of Norfolk, while on duty in Neligh in May 2022. Wright pleaded no contest to a Class 1 misdemeanor, third-degree assault, when he faced the Honorable Ross Stoffer in the Antelope County courtroom in Neligh. Wright was represented by Gary Young Jr. of Lincoln and the case was prosecuted by assistant Nebraska Attorney General David Bydalek. The case was investigated by the Nebraska State Patrol. Bydalek...
Just when you thought the drought was bad, deserts have started popping up in Nebraska. Pick a topic: childcare; food; maternal health care. They have been discussed in the interim by lawmakers and deserve to be included among bills under consideration next session. It's time to start looking at problems affecting Nebraskans and not the national agenda of one political party. For example, the state could help encourage more doctors to dedicate their time and specialty to labor and delivery care...
As the conversation and stigma surrounding mental health continue to evolve, access to care, or lack thereof, remains a barrier, even in the presence of heightened public awareness and empathy. “We need kind of both,” Dr. Marley Doyle said. “We need an increase in mental health awareness. But then we also need an increase in access to care. Because if you don’t have both, then it’s not going to really improve things.” Doyle, a psychiatrist serving as director of the Behavioral Health Education Center of Nebraska, said the shortage of mental h...
Family Dentistry and Dental Hygiene of O’Neill and Spencer announces Dr. McKenzie Brown has joined Jessen’s Family Dentistry & Dental Hygiene, effective July 10. She will be serving in both the O’Neill and Spencer clinics. Brown recently graduated, with distinction, from the UNMC College of Dentistry, near the top in her class. Brown was raised in Fremont, where she attended Fremont Senior High School. She furthered her education at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, earning a degree in Business Administration while also focusing on denti...
Brad Anderson still remembers the night his wife forgot hail. He was sitting on the front porch of their Lincoln home as a storm rolled in. "...I hear LuAnne running down the stairs hollering 'there's something hitting the house!'" She poked her head out the front door. "I said 'it's hailing,' and she looked at me like 'What?'" Brad grabbed a stone and showed it to his wife. It's frozen rain, he explained. "She said, 'That's amazing. I've never seen that before. What's it called again?'" That's...
As the weather warms, more Nebraskans head outdoors to enjoy activities such as fishing, hiking and camping. But they're not alone. There's another creature that's most active during spring and summer months. Nebraska is home to a growing number of tick species. When these arachnids cross paths with humans, consequences can be dire. "Tickborne disease is on the rise in the United States. We have more tick-borne vectored disease than mosquito-borne vectored disease. We tend to think about mosquit...
SUBMITTED ARTICLE North Central District Health Department announced, May 9, that Heidi Kuklis will serve as the district's newest executive director. Kuklis joined the NCDHD team in February 2023 and is already familiar with its operations, as she previously served as the emergency response coordinator for more than five years. "Kuklis brings a wealth of energy, knowledge and expertise to the team. She is extremely active in the community, is a member of various organizations and boards and is...
The Legislature's Appropriations Committee has signed off on providing the funds to build a $366 million prison in the Lincoln-Omaha area just as the Department of Corrections brings on a new director who appears to favor programming and investing in the humanity of the incarcerated. That brings some hope to a small but fierce band of senators who don't think building is the best way out of the problem for the nation's most overcrowded prison system. The money is a big part of the budget which...
Funeral services for Aaron Kinnan, 37, of Oakdale, will be Saturday, March 18, at 10:30 a.m., at the Oakdale Fire Hall. Pastor Bruce Phillips will officiate, with burial in Oakdale Cemetery. The service will be livestreamed on Aaron's page on brockhausfuneralhome.com. Visitation will be from 3 to 8 p.m., Friday, March 17, at the fire hall. Brockhaus-Harlan Funeral Home in Tilden is in charge of arrangements. ~~~~~ Aaron James Kinnan was born June 7, 1985, to Gene and Sharon Kinnan at Antelope...
Pretend for a moment that Nebraska somehow halted all use of nitrogen fertilizer – not a single speck more on our lawns, golf courses and corn fields. What would happen? Nothing fast. That's because, experts say, generations of corn growing, feedlot runoff and oft-unwitting nitrogen overuse has left a legacy of nitrate, creeping slowly downward toward our water supply. "It's there, it's moving towards the groundwater, and there's not a thing we can do about it," said Don Batie, a farmer near L...
Greater Nebraska's future healthcare workers are already here, but they may not know it yet. In the last three years, Nebraska Community Foundation surveyed more than 3,200 middle and high school students across the state on what they want their future communities and careers to look like. In 2022 alone, more than 700 students responded to the survey. Students consistently rank medical or healthcare professions as their most desired career among multiple options. The most recent survey, however,...
Nick Herringer claps along with a metronome. He draws lines on a big screen, repeating patterns drawn by the computer. He identifies icons of cars when they flash before his eyes. This is the 22-year-old's speech and cognitive therapy, which he has been doing at least twice a week. Every week. For three years. Nick's thick brown hair hides a massive, ear-to-ear scar from his four brain surgeries for glioblastoma, an aggressive brain cancer he has battled since he was a teenager. His mom, Tammy Herringer, drives Nick to therapy and back. She...
North Central District Health Department executive director Roger Wiese resigned Friday, prior to the district's board of health monthly meeting. Board chairman Kelly Kalkowski, of Lynch, entered the board room at approximately 10:35 a.m., and notified members Wiese contacted him after 9 a.m., submitting his resignation, effective immediately. In an emailed statement to Kalkowski, Wiese wrote, "I'm resigning from my position as executive director effective immediately. I've appreciated my time...
Fifty years ago, women’s volleyball wasn’t even a varsity sport at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Fast forward a half century and Nebraska volleyball is must-see entertainment. Matches at the Devaney Center are standing room only. The Huskers again led the nation in home attendance last year with crowds averaging over 8,200 per match. And their national championship match against Wisconsin in December broke collegiate volleyball records for both in-person attendance (18,755) and TV vie...
A traffic stop in Neligh,Sunday afternoon, took a wrong turn, resulting in two individuals requiring medical attention. The Nebraska State Patrol Special Investigations Team reported that at approximately 12:35 p.m., on May 8, Antelope County Law Enforcement Center dispatchers received a report of a road rage incident occurring on Highway 275. The exact location of where the incident occurred has not been disclosed. Both vehicles involved stopped at a convenience store in Neligh. A store...
Wayne State announced recently that 46 students have been chosen for the highly selective Rural Health Opportunities Program for fall 2022. Natalie Stallbaum, of Ewing, and Lainey Meyer, of Page, were selected for the medical laboratory science program. Established in 1989 and successfully launching health-care careers ever since, RHOP is a unique cooperative program between Wayne State and the University of Nebraska Medical Center to meet the healthcare needs of rural communities, which make up a majority of Nebraska. Students selected for...
LINCOLN - Doctors may have a legal way to deny services based on their personal views, under a bill considered by the Nebraska Health and Human Services Committee, March 2. Sen. Dave Murman of Glenvil introduced LB963, the Medical Ethics and Diversity Act, which would legally state medical practitioners and healthcare institutions cannot be forced to perform procedures that go against their ethical, moral or religious beliefs. This is also commonly known as a right of conscience. Medical practitioners include doctors, physicians assistants,...
Funeral services for Jeanette A. Tomjack, 89, of Ewing, were Saturday, Feb. 12, at St. Peter's Catholic Church in Ewing. Father James Kramper officiated. Burial was in St. Peter's Catholic Cemetery. Pallbearers were grandsons, Ben Tomjack, Josh Tomjack, Gage Rethwisch, Luke Rethwisch, Reece Tomjack, Brett Tomjack and Eric Tomjack. Honorary pallbearers were her card club groups. Snider Memorial Funeral Home in Clearwater handled the arrangements. Jeanette died Feb. 6, 2022, at University of...
Funeral services for Jeanette A. Tomjack, 89, of Ewing, will be Saturday, Feb. 12, 2022, at 10:30 a.m. at St. Peter's Catholic Church in Ewing, with Father James Kramper officiating. Visitation will be Friday, Feb. 11, from 5 to 7 p.m., at St. Peter's Catholic Church in Ewing with a 7 p.m. wake service. Burial will be in St. Peter's Catholic Cemetery. Snider Memorial Funeral Home is handling the arrangements. Jeanette died Feb.6, 2022, at the University Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha. Condolences may be directed to her family at...
DOUGLAS KRISTENSEN Chancellor University of Nebraska Kearney DR. JEFFREY GOLD Chancellor University of Nebraska Medical Center Our state’s rural areas have much to be proud of: low crime rate, outstanding community pride and neighbors willing to lend a hand are just a few. But it’s no secret that collectively, Nebraskans have watched our rural populations decline over the decades. With those decreases, we lose resources, services and schools, leaving communities disadvantaged in their fight for sustainability. Those of us who are also working h...
Forgive George Barnes if he looks a little grim. That day in 1887, ol’ George had ample reason to mean-mug photographer Solomon Butcher, and homesteader life in general. The night before the family photo, it had rained. Hard. The rain had soaked the roof of their soddie. The decaying pole holding the roof had snapped. The whole thing had come down on itself, like a bad metaphor, ruining everything the family owned. The year before, George Barnes’ wife had died of an unknown illness. Barnes was raising three children by himself while he tri...
Merton L. "Cap" Dierks spent years serving as an advocate for agriculture and rural Nebraska issues, including education, wind energy development and the right to life. The longtime Ewing resident and former Nebraska legislator, died Friday, Oct. 22, from complications following a stroke, at Arbor Care Center, in O'Neill. Dierks was 89. His love of rural Nebraska began at birth, at his family's ranch, comprising six sections near Goose Lake, in southeastern Holt County. The ranch included a sod...
Summerland School District will feature five new staff members in the 2021-2022 school year, including one elementary and four high school educators. Staff members met for inservice training, in Orchard, Aug. 16 and 17. On Aug. 23 and 24, staff and students moved materials from the three former sites into the new facility, in preparation for the Aug. 30 start date. Jacob Goldfus His first impression of the Summerland School system and new facility can be summed up in one word: incredible. Okay,...
