Reliable, Trustworthy Reporting, Capturing The Heartbeat Of Our Community
Reliable, Trustworthy Reporting, Capturing The Heartbeat Of Our Community
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The holiday season is right around the corner and it comes with great news. According to a Gallup survey, 74% of holiday shoppers said they expect to pay about the same amount or more on holiday gifts this year compared to last. Moreover, 23% of shoppers said they choose one retailer over another because they want to support small and local businesses in their community. Small businesses are essential to rural America. When buying from local small businesses, you are supporting your community in...
Clearwater residents will get a sneak peek of what the village’s business district could resemble during a Nov. 8 open house, from 6 to 9 p.m., at the Clearwater American Legion. Five Rule Rural Planning founder Bobbi Pettit, planner Lowell Schroeder and members of its design team will unveil concepts for buildings and infrascture along the village’s Main Street. Pettit compared Wednesday’s meeting to a home remodeling project. “If you want to remodel your kitchen, you hire an interior design te...
Their low, rumbling bellow first cuts through the silence of the Sandhills. Next comes the crunch of pointed hooves, trudging their way through tall prairie grasses. Then, the oohs of the out-of-towners watching – people up close and personal with the majestic thousand-pound mammals for the first time. This is Golden Prairie Bison, a ranch nestled in the Sandhills where Carl and Vicki Simmons raise a herd of 50 bison. Theirs is one of the dozens of bison ranches in Nebraska, one piece of an o...
This week, the House was set to continue its work on the 12 annual appropriations bills to ensure the government is responsibly funded. Unfortunately, our legislative work to cut wasteful spending was disrupted when a small handful of Republicans voted with Democrats to remove the speaker of the House. I voted against vacating the chair because it sets a disruptive precedent and because the House should be focused on delivering results for the American people. House Republicans already have a...
What would an ideal Antelope County look like in 20 years? The answer to that question, along with challenges and opportunities for area residents, were discussed during a Sept. 20 townhall meeting, at the Antelope County Courthouse in Neligh. Mason Herrman, a planner with Marvin Planning Consultants, of David City, led the get-together, which included approximately a dozen area residents. MPC is working with the county’s planning and zoning team to update the local comprehensive plan. The townh...
Dear Editor: Summit Carbon Solutions, owned partially by a South Korean Company, is asking the Antelope County zoning board for a conditional use permit to grant permanent easements for a carbon pipeline. Concentrating CO2 into a pipeline under high pressure is a disaster waiting to happen. Multi-national corporations will profit through subsidies, depreciation and tax credits. The "Inflation Reduction Act" states the government will pay them up to $180 per metric ton. Depreciation on a $5.5 billion pipeline for an investor in the 50% tax brack...
REGULAR PROCEEDINGS Village of Clearwater BOARD OF TRUSTEES August 14, 2023 The Board of Trustees of the Village of Clearwater met for a regular meeting Monday, Aug. 14, at 8 p.m., in the fire hall meeting room. Meeting opened at 8:05 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...
PROCEEDINGS SUMMERLAND PUBLIC SCHOOL BOARD OF EDUCATION August 14, 2023 Summerland Public School Board of Education met in regular session, Monday, Aug. 14, 2023, in the school board meeting room. President Steven Thiele called the meeting, which was advertised in the Aug. 9, 2023, newspapers, to order at 6:45 p.m. Attendance was taken. Present: Ed Nordby, Nate Schwager, Scott Thiele, Steven Thiele, Austin Twibell, Jeremy Wagner. Pres. Thiele noted the Open Meetings Act posted in the board room. Motion by Nordby, seconded by Wagner, to approve...
A local bank will provide financing for a paver approved for purchase by Antelope County Commissioners on May 9. During the July 3 commissioners’ meeting, in Neligh, lawmakers approved financing for a paving machine, through the Bank of Elgin, following a review of submitted proposals. Commissioner Keith Heithoff made a motion to approve either a 4.7% fixed-interest semi-annual payment or an annual five-year loan, with a payment of $90,000 per year, and a final balloon payment. Commissioner E...
Another year, another milestone. The volume number on page one's flag notes a flip of the calendar. This edition marks the beginning of what will culminate in our fifth year of publishing the "Summerland Advocate-Messenger." It's been a whirlwind. It's required late and/or early hours. It's meant hard work, occasional frustration and an intense amount of laughter. Plus, it's been some of the most rewarding work in which we've played a part. We believe in the power of community journalism, how a...
PROCEEDINGS OF REGULAR MEETING HOLT COUNTY PLANNING AND ZONING COMMISSION A regular meeting of the Holt County Planning and Zoning Commission was held at 7:30 p.m., on Monday, July 10, 2023, at the Holt Count Annex. Present were commission members: Grace Coleman, Mary Kaczor, Dan Grass, John Krysl, Keith May, Kevin Dekay and Marv Fritz. Absent were commission members Frank Heying and Rod Heiss. Notice of this meeting was given in advance by posting in three publications and posted in Holt County Clerk’s office. All proceedings hereafter s...
I am curious as to what ever happened to scruples in public life. Anybody know? You remember scruples: Stand-up people, the do-the-right-thing-regardless crowd? Maybe my naivete is showing, but I swear scruples used to be a thing. They - or lack of them - came to mind when I read that Italian authorities found the young British tourist who carved "Ivan +Haley 23" into the wall of Rome's 2,000-year-old Colosseum. Pro tip, Ivan: Love may conquer all, make the world go round and find a way, but eve...
The Summerland Public Schools Board of Education discussed lawn care, board policy and tech upgrades at its June 13 meeting. During public participation, the board learned more details about the pep rally honoring the Summerland SkillsUSA national qualifiers, sponsored by the “Summerland Advocate-Messenger.” Superintendent Kyle Finke outlined mower equipment available from Lazy T, with board members receiving information on lawn mowers in a range of prices. AKRS has also been contacted to give m...
Seward County routinely seizes money from motorists on Interstate 80, keeps the cash – and never convicts the drivers of a crime. The county's sheriff's department and county attorney use this practice, known as civil asset forfeiture, so often that a third of all cases of this kind in Nebraska state courts come from Seward County, population 17,962, a Flatwater Free Press analysis of court records shows. The county has hauled in $7.5 million in forfeited cash in the past five years, some of i...
PROCEEDINGS SUMMERLAND SCHOOL BOARD OF EDUCATION June 13, 2023 Summerland School Board of Education met in regular session, Tuesday, June 13, 2023, at 12 p.m. President Steve Thiele called the meeting, which was advertised in the June 7, 2023, newspapers, to order at 12:01 p.m. Thiele noted the Open Meetings Act posted in the boardroom. Roll call was taken and all members were present: Ed Nordby, Nate Schwager, Scott Thiele, Steve Thiele, Austin Twibell, Jeremy Wagner. Motion by Twibell, seconded by Scott Thiele, to approve the agenda: Voting a...
This week saw the Legislature continue to work late into the night to complete its business before adjourning in June. Although only a few bills have advanced thus far, a tremendous amount of work is going on behind the scenes by various legislative divisions such as the clerk’s office, transcribers, bill drafters, information technology, research, and committees to ensure bills are ready for the floor. With all the budget bills sitting on final reading, senators spent several days working to p...
PROCEEDINGS VILLAGE OF CLEARWATER BOARD OF TRUSTEES May 8, 2023 The Board of Trustees of the Village of Clearwater met for a regular meeting Monday, May 8, at 8 p.m., in the fire hall meeting room. Meeting opened at 8 p.m. Notice of meeting was given in advance by publication in "Summerland Advocate-Messenger," 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, Marsha Hart,...
Concerns about sewer rates and the cost of the Clearwater lagoon project were expressed during the April 10 village meeting held at the Clearwater fire hall. Trustees tabled the purchase of geographic information system equipment to use for locating water and sewer lines. According to former village trustee Jay Snider, the hand-held equipment, currently requested by village maintenance man Troy Behnke, was to have been included in grant funding the village received. “It was part of when we l...
SUBMITTED ARTICLE This school year, students in the Summerland personal finance class took part in the Nebraska Personal Finance Challenge. Ashley Melcher, Kelton Bruhn and Jesse Thiele earned a spot to compete in Lincoln on April 14. The trio competed against the top three teams that took the fall challenge and the top teams from the spring challenge. Schools that participated Friday, in addition to Summerland, were Millard North, Ravenna, Hyannis, and two teams from Waverly. According to...
The forest green roof and pair of bronze stags frozen in combat are impossible to miss as you drive down Interstate 80. So are the two corporate buildings – 550,000 square feet of nearly empty office space, long offered for a $1 a year lease. The water tower looms overhead, painted in the same green, heralding what once was: "Cabela's World Headquarters, City of Sidney." For 54 years, Cabela's made its home here, a juggernaut that kept the town humming. But in 2017, the sporting goods store s...
Cole Gaughenbaugh didn't always know he would become a teacher. The O'Neill St. Mary's graduate envisioned life as a chiropractor and enrolled in classes at Wayne State College in the fall 2019 semester. Seven months later, the pandemic struck. "The whole world got thrown for a loop," he said. Gaughenbaugh packed his bags and headed home, to O'Neill, to finish classes. He contemplated returning to college, deciding to seek a business degree. Call it divine intervention - or the Master's plan -...
PROCEEDINGS ANTELOPE COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS Neligh, Nebraska March 14, 2023 Chairman opened the meeting. Notice of meeting published as required by statute. Approved agenda. Approved payroll. Approved vendor claims. General: AMERITAS LIFE INS CORP ins 17,547.81; ANTELOPE CO COURT ex 384.00; APPEARA ex 34.70; APPLIED CONNECTIVE TECH ex 7,795.69; BLACK HILLS ENERGY ut 2,678.24; BCBS ins 64,742.94; OLTJENBRUNS INC ex 4,610.43; BOMGAARS ex 35.96; BUTCH'S BODY SHOP ex 259.00; CARHART LUMBER ex 45.99; CARNEY LAW ex 6,123.00; CITY OF NELIGH ut...
PROCEEDINGS SUMMERLAND PUBLIC SCHOOL BOARD OF EDUCATION Feb. 15, 2023 Summerland Public School Board of Education met in regular session, Feb. 15, 2023, at the school. President Steve Thiele called the meeting to order at 6:31 p.m. Thiele noted the Open Meetings Act poster posted in the board room. Roll call was taken. Members present: Ed Nordby, Nate Schwager, Scott Thiele, Steve Thiele, Austin Twibell, Jeremy Wagner. Motion by Schwager, seconded by Nordby, to approve the agenda as presented. Voting aye: Nordby, Schwager, Thiele, Thiele,...
PROCEEDINGS BOARD OF TRUSTEES VILLAGE OF CLEARWATER The Board of Trustees of the Village of Clearwater met for a regular meeting Monday, Feb. 13, at 8 p.m., in the fire hall meeting room. Meeting opened at 8 p.m. Notice of meeting was given in advance by publication in “Summerland Advocate-Messenger” and notice was given to board members prior to meeting. Public was informed of location of Open Meeting Act poster. Present: Cody Kester, Marsha Hart, Jeff Schlecht. Others present: Troy Behnke, Lauren Sheridan-Simonsen, Kyle Petersen, LuAnn Schind...
The new governor says his proposed tax cuts are historic. Critics say they are not sustainable. Rookie mistake by the pig farmer politician who is backed by his Republican party and most of the 32 Republicans in the Nebraska Legislature. Maybe it’s all of them, I haven’t taken a poll. Somebody forgot to explain to Governor Jim Pillen that the $1.9 billion excess funds he claims will make all this work are “projected” to be in the state coffers. That means the so-called strong tax receipt...
