Reliable, Trustworthy Reporting, Capturing The Heartbeat Of Our Community
Reliable, Trustworthy Reporting, Capturing The Heartbeat Of Our Community
Sorted by date Results 31 - 55 of 173
Jan Janisch-Hanzlik was out of options. In decline from progressive multiple sclerosis, an autoimmune disease that damages the nerves, the nurse from Blair had gone from being a runner to now slowly walking with the aid of a cane. By this point, "I was very limited," with no drug or treatment that could slow her body's deterioration, Janisch-Hanzlik said. "You just continuously decline. You don't necessarily have any relapsing or any better periods." But in November 2024, when meeting with her d...
On Monday, Gov. Jim Pillen announced his appointment of Joey Spellerberg to the position of state treasurer. Spellerberg fills a vacancy due to the departure of Tom Briese, who is resigning to spend more time with his family. "In terms of having someone ready to jump into the role of state treasurer, I could not be more pleased in announcing my appointment of Joey Spellerberg," said Pillen. "He expressed interest in the role two years ago. He has strong credentials as a fiscal conservative,...
A decade ago, Nebraska's corrections department allowed hundreds of inmates to leave prison early through a program that few - including judges, lawmakers and the public - knew existed. Corrections leaders eventually scrapped the early-release scheme shortly after probing lawmakers revealed it. Now, as the Nebraska Department of Correctional Services continues to grapple with overcrowding and converts one prison into an immigration detention center, it is trying to create a similar program....
Cornerstone Trust and Farm Management will host an open house on Thursday, Nov. 13, from 2to 4 p.m., in the Trust offices on the third floor of the Cornerstone Bank at 529 N. Lincoln Avenue in York. As part of an ongoing commitment to provide the highest level of service and expertise, Cornerstone Bank continues to grow the Trust and Farm Management Department by welcoming talented individuals who share a dedication to excellence. Pepper Papineau was named Vice President and Manager of Trust at...
Julie Montpetit didn't see it coming. Not her newfound passion for criminal justice reform, and certainly not her current predicament: blocked from talking to the man she loves, a man locked in prison thousands of miles away. Her husband, Nicholas Ely, is suing several employees in the Nebraska Department of Correctional Services, alleging that the department cut off their means of contact after Montpetit launched a podcast that aims to destigmatize relationships like theirs. She interviewed...
NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING ON PUBLIC WORKS APPLICATION FOR COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT BLOCK GRANT PROGRAM NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that on Monday, Sept. 8, 2025, in the fire hall meeting room, the Village of Clearwater, Nebraska, will hold a public hearing concerning a public works grant application to the Nebraska Department of Economic Development for a Community Development Block Grant (CDBG). This grant is available to local governments for community/economic development activities. The Village of Clearwater, Nebraska, is requesting four hundred...
When Gerri Peterson was wrapping up her college degree, she had no idea she'd soon be running a newspaper. "My dream job fell into my lap," she says. After graduating in December, she spent six months shadowing the retiring publisher of the Hooker County Tribune in Nebraska. By the time she was 22, she wasn't just reporting the news-she owned the paper. In Louisiana, Craig Franklin had a different path, but a similar sense of calling. He'd been connected to the Jena Times in Louisiana most of hi...
Many small businesses start as bootstrapped, one-person operations: just you, your idea, and a whole lot of hustle. But as your business grows, so do your responsibilities and risks. You might begin taking on bigger projects, handling more income, or working with contractors and vendors. Once you reach this point, it may be time to consider formalizing your business. Forming a limited liability company, or LLC, is one of the most popular ways to do it. An LLC is the most common business structure among business owners with fewer than 10 employe...
PROCEEDINGS HOLT COUNTY BOARD OF EQUALIZATION AND HOLT COUNTY SUPERVISORS JUNE 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 9:00 A.M. and Board of Supervisors at 9:15 A.M. Notice of meeting given in advance thereof by publication in paper as shown by Affidavit of Publication on June 25, 2025, in the Summerland Advocate. The agenda for all meetings are kept continuously current and is...
Pain is a universal human experience, yet it remains one of the most misunderstood aspects of health. Traditional views often equate pain directly with physical injury, but modern pain science challenges this simplistic understanding. Pain is a multifaceted phenomenon involving sensory, emotional, and cognitive factors. This perspective advocates for a holistic approach to pain management, emphasizing the nervous system's role and empowering individuals to retrain their pain response. Pain and...
As drought conditions continue to affect much of Nebraska, beef producers are being forced to make difficult herd and forage management decisions. To support producers navigating these challenges, Nebraska Extension will host a free webinar on Thursday, June 5, from 7:30 to 9 p.m., Central Time. The webinar, “Drought Management Tools, Expected Grass Production and Early Weaning,” will feature University of Nebraska–Lincoln specialists covering key management practices and decision-making strategies to help mitigate the effects of droug...
Graduation makes me think about a column I wrote a few years ago regarding high school as a student’s first job and graduation as an exit interview. It’s a valid topic for seniors to consider. Sure, you have a signed diploma in hand, but as you head to the next stage in life - the workforce or college - it’s important to evaluate what you learned and areas you need to improve. One of the most important skills an employee should master is time management. How good are you at meeting deadl...
Parker Napier's future is as neatly trimmed as the lawns he's been mowing since age 11. The Summerland FFA standout cut through the competition at the Nebraska State FFA Convention, earning the prestigious State Star in Agribusiness and claiming the top spot in turf and landscape management-proof that his grassroots business is growing into something much bigger. Summerland FFA Advisor Jacob Goldfuss said Napier is the first Star winner from the school. The awards were presented at the 2025... Full story
Melissa Harrell watched from the crowd as members of Nebraska's congressional delegation presented an oversized check for $1.3 million to her City of Wahoo colleagues. The federal grant would allow the city of 5,000 to replace two miles of century-old, leak-prone natural gas pipes. Sen. Deb Fischer, a Republican who voted for the bill that created the grant program, touted the award as proof that "real, bipartisan, and responsible infrastructure reform is possible." Less than a year later,...
The legal bills have been piling up in Richardson County. Since 2022, this southeast Nebraska county of fewer than 8,000 people has poured at least $143,000 into fighting a lengthy and contentious legal battle – not with an out-of-state business, or problem property owners. Richardson County is at odds with its own employees. For nearly two years, the 16-person county road department has been locked in a union battle with the county over a new contract and wage increases. The union, r...
It's tax season, and who doesn't dislike filing their taxes? It takes time away from things like checking on the latest Husker football recruit or seeing what new fight we're having with Canada. And it's a messy, mathematic-heavy task, requiring a lot of wading through regulations. But there's one thing I detest more, and that's when people don't pay their taxes, unlike you and me. If I gotta pay, I reason, so should everyone else. On the federal level, it's estimated that nearly $600 billion a...
For more than 15 years, the brick building in south Lincoln has served as a local hub for the U.S. Department of Agriculture - a place where farmers meet face-to-face with federal workers overseeing complex conservation projects on their land. But last month the Department of Government Efficiency, a cost-cutting initiative led by billionaire Elon Musk, moved to cancel the building's lease months early and claimed it saved taxpayers more than $62,000. DOGE reports on its "Wall of Receipts" to...
After more than 35 minutes of discussion, the Summerland Board of Education failed to approve hiring a full-time Multi-Tiered System of Supports/instructional coach for junior and senior high grade levels, for the 2025-2026 school year. Ryan Ahlers, Nate Schwager and Jeremy Wagner voted in favor, while Chelsi McLain, Scott Thiele and Austin Twibell dissented. The vote took place at Monday's board meeting. The motion, made by Ahlers, was dependent on finding a suitable replacement for the...
Join the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission in a virtual discussion on fisheries management during meetings March 24-26. These six public informational sessions – one for each of the five Game and Parks Fisheries district plus a statewide, aquatic habitat plan focused session – will provide updates for the respective areas. The informal, interactive gatherings will provide a chance for questions, dialogue and feedback. The virtual meetings will take place on Zoom. Participants will be encouraged...
When the new Trump administration directed a temporary freeze on federal grants and loans last month, Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen's office offered a calm public-facing reaction. But emails and text messages show that many Nebraska state agencies - like organizations across the U.S. - were simmering with questions and concern. The federal directive had thrown into question if and when governments and organizations would get billions they use for everything from housing programs to highway constructi...
As a young reporter, I got the opportunity to cover, and learn a few things, from maybe the greatest state senator ever, Jerome Warner. He was the kind of state senator who just commanded respect, and unlike some politicians, had a well-formed group of beliefs that guided his decision making. For instance, one was that user fees should finance certain aspects of government. For example, roads. The primary users of roads and highways should pay for them, Warner reasoned. Thus, he believed that...
Chronic wasting disease surveillance conducted in eastern Nebraska during the November firearm deer season detected 60 positive cases in deer. More than 1,400 samples were collected from harvested deer at check stations in the Missouri, Elkhorn, Loup East, Wahoo, Blue Northwest and Blue Southeast deer management units. CWD was detected for the first time in Antelope, Madison, Butler, York, Seward, Jefferson, Richardson, Merrick, Greeley and Platte counties. To view 2024 CWD results, identified...
In the summer of 2002, Margaret Stamp returned home to Sarpy County from college four weeks after her 74-year-old grandmother, Phyllis Behm, had died from a short battle with colorectal cancer. Stamp found her dad, Mark Behm, a former northeast Nebraska county attorney and private practice lawyer, wincing in pain on the living room floor. Stamp described him as in shape and thin. She said he looked healthy and didn't drink or smoke. But that weekend, Stamp's father was doubled over, and he told...
The envelope didn't surprise Dru McMillan. But when she opened the letter and read the number, she felt sick. "If you agree with the determination, please submit a draft in the amount of $21,042.73 within 30 days," it read. McMillan is a Lincoln therapist. She has long served a majority of patients who use Medicaid, the government-funded cheap or free insurance, to pay for mental health care. The letter came from an auditor working for one of three massive insurance companies the State of...
Transitioning a farming or ranching operation from one generation to the next, or even from one operator to another can be complicated. The Nebraska Grazing Lands Coalition recently partnered with Nebraska Extension and Legal Aid of Nebraska to host two workshops on this topic. The workshops were held in O’Neill and Hartington and featured Dave Goeller, retired extension transition specialist, and Joe Hawbaker, estate planning attorney. These one-day educational workshops provided participants an opportunity gain knowledge related to s...
