Reliable, Trustworthy Reporting, Capturing The Heartbeat Of Our Community
Reliable, Trustworthy Reporting, Capturing The Heartbeat Of Our Community
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“Grandma, can I play a game on your phone?” I’m not sure how many times Marcus uttered that sentence, Sunday. At least 100, I’m certain. Each time, I dashed his hopes with, “Grandma doesn’t have any games on her phone.” Technically, I wanted him to burn off the sugar high after finding Easter eggs scattered across the backyard and devouring the contents. Technically, I’m a bit territorial when it comes to my phone. It’s basically a storage drive for the 18,732 photos and 3,246 videos - the major...
The alarm screams, “Get out of bed. It’s 5 a.m.” Must be Tuesday. After gathering what I need for the day, making a quick stop at Hi-Way Mart for sustenance and a shot of caffeine, my office routine on deadline day is, um, routine. After booting the iMac, I open a play list that helps me focus: a little Black-Eyed Peas, a mix of the Bardon Bellas from “Pitch Perfect,” a couple Eric Church tunes, maybe a slow song by Patsy Cline. That 6 a.m. singalong is what I need to start the day. In stress...
A resolution regarding perpetual water and conservation easements will go back to the Holt County Planning and Zoning Commission. The directive was given by Holt County Supervisors, Friday, following a public hearing about the 2021 resolution. The easement resolution was sent to planning and zoning for a public hearing, based on a recommendation from county attorney Brent Kelly, who was not in attendance at Friday’s public hearing. During the supervisors’ March 31 hearing, interim planning and...
Holt County Supervisors will hear public testimony, Friday, regarding the addition of Resolution 2021-32 to county zoning laws. As written, the resolution “would oppose the designation of lands in Holt County as wilderness, wilderness study areas, wildlife preserves, open space or other conservation easements that are perpetual in nature, thereby restricting public access to such lands and preventing the development and productive use of resources on or within such lands.” Friday’s heari...
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 -...
If you don't like the weather in Nebraska, wait. It'll change in a few minutes. From wildfires and derechos to blizzards and tornadoes, the weather in Nebraska can change quickly. Being prepared for impending storms is key. Nebraska Severe Weather Awareness Week is recognized from March 27 to 31. A statewide tornado drill was scheduled for 10 a.m., Wednesday, March 30, depending on weather conditions. A National Weather Service spokesperson said, "We encourage everyone to take time to review and...
I’ve never considered myself a Jays fan. I couldn’t name any of the team members. Greg McDermott’s the coach, right? Kyle Korver is greatest example of what it means to bleed blue, right? (I did catch his inspirational locker room speech.) Over the weekend, though, for a short time, I balanced on the precipice of becoming a Jaysker. I didn’t take the deep dive, though. My tribe of Husker fanatics kept me in check. A screenshot of Nebraska’s 63-53 victory over the Bluejays, on Dec. 4, provided...
Changes are coming to communities served by Catholic parishes that are part of Rural Family K, including St. Theresa's in Clearwater, rural St. John's and St. Peter's in Ewing. In a letter sent to parishioners March 1, Rev. John Norman said a proposal developed by the Family Pastoral Planning Team has been granted tentative approval from Archbishop George Lucas. The plan includes canonical and structural changes. Through the Journey of Faith process, two priests will serve the family of...
Nebraska's powerlifting scene will bring the best of the best to Orchard. Set to take place April 1, the 2023 Orchard AAU Powerlifting Meet will be held at the Orchard Community Center gym, at 4th and Rusk streets. Lifting will begin at 9 a.m. Several Summerland-area lifters will compete in the event. In 2022, 118 lifters, representing 14 teams participated in the 15th annual event....
Summerland speech team members competing in last Thursday's Class C2 state championship in Kearney finished the season by earning superior ratings. Faith King finished ninth overall after preliminary rounds in informative speaking, with a presentation on nostalgia. King received a total of 143 speaking points out of a possible 150. Judges ranked her third, sixth and first in preliminary round competition. Olga Mendoza finished ninth overall after preliminary rounds in serious prose. She...
Organizations and non-profit groups in Antelope County applying for funding through the county’s Antelope County Visitors Improvement Fund will need to familiarize themselves with new rules regarding improvement fund disbursements. Antelope County commissioners, during a March 7 meeting, approved and authorized chairman, Charlie Henery, to sign a resolution that will “hold fund-request applications until the balance of the fund is above $5,000, at which time the application requests will be con...
How many brackets were busted over the weekend as the field of 64 narrowed? I'm not talking about college hoops. I'm talking about voting in the Nebraska Beer Bracket, a 64-brewery tournament that aims to "crown the best beer in Nebraska." The brainchild of Sarah Baker Hansen, a former Omaha World-Herald food writer, the bracket extends beyond Omaha and divides the state into four regions: Omaha, East, West and Capitol. Baker Hansen, along with the graphic design team from Hanscom Park Studios,...
Students at Summerland School will see new faces next fall as three teachers and one paraprofessional offered letters of resignation at the school board’s March 14 meeting. After 23 years, family and consumer science teacher Becky Eickholt will retire at the end of the current school year. Elementary special education instructor Bonnie Mitchell submitted a letter of resignation, noting she accepted a position at Neligh-Oakdale Public School. Morgan Schrunk, fifth-grade teacher, tendered her r...
Brooklynn Chipps arrived at Wayne State College in the fall of 2018 as a track and field scholarship athlete, after excelling in the high school ranks for the Clearwater/Orchard Cyclones track and field team. On Friday, the Clearwater native made her personal mark in the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division II record book when she earned the top spot in the women's weight throw at the 2023 Indoor Track and Field Championships in Virginia Beach, Virginia. Her winning throw, a...
A list of 28 new road and bridge construction projects was presented to Holt County Supervisors last month during the one- and six-year road plan hearing. Holt County Road Superintendent Gary Connot said, “Typically those projects are engineered, designed and (awarded) through bid-letting.” Road department personnel and elected officials drive all roads in their district and propose upcoming projects. The county is divided into four quadrants and projects within each are identified. In the sou...
My dreams of Nebrasketball landing a spot in the National Invitational Tournament shattered into a million intricate threads, faster than a glass photo frame dropped on a tiled surface breaks into multiple shards. Sunday’s news that Fred Hoiberg’s crew did not make the cut and have an opportunity to bounce back from an unnecessary - and costly - loss in the first round of the Big 10 Conference tournament leaves me feeling, well, broken. You cannot fall to a less-than-mediocre drove of Min...
It isn't April 1, but weather in the Summerland area reached "fool's spring" proportions Wednesday, as temperatures hit the mid-60s. Reality - in the form of another winter blast - is expected to return Thursday, March 16. The National Weather Service has issued a winter storm warning for a large portion of the state, including Antelope, Holt, Wheeler and Knox counties. The warning will go into effect at 4 a.m., Thursday, and will continue until 1 a.m., Friday. Blizzard conditions are possible,...
A resolution opposing perpetual land and water conservation easements will be included in Holt County zoning documents. Planning and zoning commission members accepted the resolution from Holt County Supervisors, as is, on a 4-2 vote, during a Feb. 27 public hearing. A handful of Holt County residents asked questions about Resolution 2021-32, which would "oppose the designation of lands in Holt County as wilderness, wilderness study areas, wildlife preserves, open space or other conservation...
Yuliana Olivan, a junior at Summerland Public Schools, will represent Clearwater American Legion Post #267 Auxiliary at the 2023 session of Cornhusker Girls State this June. Auxiliary president Shirrale Legate told SAM she was notified Monday of Olivan's acceptance. Olivan, daughter or Regino Olivan and Graciele Reyes, of Clearwater, is active in a number of school activities, including Dance Catz, speech, one-act and SkillsUSA, in which she qualified for national competition in 2022. As a...
Summerland middle school members of SkillsUSA highlighted technical skills in a variety of competitions at the March 1 Middle School Skills Conference in Grand Island. Chapter advisor Mike Odell said eight students took part in the opening session and competitions. A team of four students will advance to the state competition in April. Cassie Livingston, Jaelyn Shaver and Sierra Thomson won first place in team engineering. Odell said the contest involves critical thinking and decision-making...
How many sheets of 8.5-inch by 11-inch paper will it take to construct an apparatus to reach and move a ping pong ball from point A to point B? Cassie Livingston, Jaelyn Shaver and Sierra Thomson know it the answer: Five sheets, two paper clips and a whole lot of tape. The trio won the team engineering challenge at the SkillsUSA Middle School Conference, March 1, in Grand Island. Each participant decided to participate in the engineering event for different reasons. Livingston said she wanted...
A foundation supporting Summerland School is one step closer to fruition following a February meeting of the Summerland Board of Education. Board member Ed Nordby, working with district patron Laura Ferguson, presented options to the board, Feb. 15. Nordby said a foundation can be formed in one of two ways: A separate entity or as part of the school district. “I think (a separate entity) is going to be the best thing for us,” Nordby said. Ferguson said the idea of forming a foundation ori...
Can you name one of the 10 movies nominated for Best Picture at this year’s Academy Awards? Better yet, have you watched any of the movies being considered? I want to see “Top Gun: Maverick.” I’ve heard good things about “The Fabelmans” and “Everything Everywhere All At Once.” I saw the original “All Quiet On The Western Front.” Does that count? My family never missed the annual award show. It turned into a contest, where we’d cast our votes for the top acting and film awards. Later in life, Mom...
Sometimes, things don't go as planned. Despite a few hiccups during a presentation in job skills demo, open, Taelyn Nilson finished first in. Nilson decided to compete because, in her words, "It seemed fun." She wrote and memorized a speech demonstrating how to make a recipe. According to event rules, Nilson used a table and had access to one duplex 110-volt electrical outlet. She took all the necessary supplies with her. Prior to the presentation, Nilson said, "I measured out my ingredients...
Two Summerland seventh-grade students discovered construction a vehicle takes patience and a lot of testing. Luke Kester and Zander Tabbert competed in mousetrap vehicle - distance competition. Kester finished third in the event. He said the event seemed like a challenge he was willing to tackle. "I have liked creating cool things since I was three," he said, noting he had seen others build the mousetrap vehicles. "It inspired me to create my own." He started the process by planning a design...
