Reliable, Trustworthy Reporting, Capturing The Heartbeat Of Our Community
Reliable, Trustworthy Reporting, Capturing The Heartbeat Of Our Community
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Time seems to fly by to fast when you're a father. My daughter Hazel turned 18 months old on Saturday, a fact I can hardly believe. It seems it was just yesterday that my wife, Christina, and I were holding our newborn daughter in our arms as first time parents. Now we have a wild child who loves to explore, play and run crazily around our house while laughing loudly with joy. Hazel also enjoys being outside in our front yard. If we'd let her, she would walk up and down our sidewalks for hours....
MARK MAHONEY Hazel has a secret to share – she's going to be a big sister! My wife, Christina, and I are expecting our second child later this year. Her due date is Oct. 29. It seems so surreal. It's difficult to believe Hazel's almost 18 months old and we now have another kid on the way. I'm thrilled at the thought of raising two children, but I'm also terrified. I've gotten used to being the father of one kid, but two? Another child marks another major life milestone. It will be a huge a...
I'm feeling a bit blue this week about the state of NCAA Division I men's college basketball in Nebraska. The fifth-seeded Creighton Bluejays lost, 83-65, to the top-seeded Gonzaga Bulldogs on Sunday in the sweet 16 of the 2021 NCAA tournament. That means the Bulldogs march on in the national championship competition while the Bluejays fly home, disappointed, from Indiana. Creighton was the only team from the state of Nebraska in the men's NCAA tournament this year – as the Bluejays usually a...
I’ve got a spring in my step because the time of year has arrived for college basketball’s big dance. There was plenty of March mayhem during the early rounds of the 2021 NCAA Division I men’s tournament. Many teams were upset by other squads they were favored to beat, which I’m sure upset the fans of the losing programs. The Creighton Bluejays, however, defeated their first two opponents to make the sweet 16 for the first time since 1974. I’m a fan of the Nebraska Cornhuskers first, especiall...
Before becoming a parent, I really never noticed how colorful and loud children's toys could be. I've become familiar with that fact during about the past 15 months, thanks to all of the playthings Christina, my wife, and I have purchased for Hazel, our daughter. Her toys are located mainly in our house's living room, though they often make their way to her bedroom or the kitchen. Hazel has small plastic balls; stackable buckets, cups and rings; and other miscellaneous toys that don't make noise...
The Bazile Groundwater Management Area is inviting people to stay inside where it’s warm during an upcoming winter series of one-hour webinars. The three-part series will take place virtually via Zoom at noon on the following Fridays – Feb. 19, Feb. 26 and March 5 – and feature three different speakers. Updates on the BGMA’s University of Nebraska-Lincoln demonstration sites and presentations on soil management strategies and groundwater research taking place within the management area will be...
Super Bowl Sunday was a fun day for me, as it featured three of my favorite things: family, food and football. The only disappointing part, though? The final score of the big game, which didn't go in favor of my favorite pro football team. I didn't expect the Kansas City Chiefs to get beat down, 31-9, by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, a team Kansas City defeated, 27-24, on Nov. 29 in a regular-season road game. What I did expect was a close championship contest, with the Chiefs coming out on top in T...
Shelly Ross really treasures her new job. The 48-year-old took over the duties of the Holt County treasurer Jan. 19 and was officially sworn into office Feb. 1. The board of supervisors appointed Ross on Jan. 7 to the elected position's current four-year term that runs through December 2022. She took over as the full-time treasurer from Connie Krotter, who had served in the O'Neill-based position for 15 years. "My new role is going well," Ross said. "We have an excellent staff in our office,...
I constantly have to encourage myself to be positive and not paranoid during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. When I say positive, I don't mean testing positive for the coronavirus, of course, but rather having an optimistic outlook. It's been difficult for me now and then to not feel defeated by the world we live in, thanks to a disease that seems to be far from done doing damage. The COVID-19 vaccines have made me hopeful that victory over this virus will arrive sooner rather than later, but...
You could say I'm super excited the Kansas City Chiefs are returning to the Super Bowl for the second straight season. I knew the Chiefs were going to be good again entering the 2020 season and I held out hope that they would get back to the big game. Before that could happen, Kansas City had to beat the Buffalo Bills in the AFC championship game, which was held Sunday evening at Arrowhead Stadium. While my wife, Christina, entertained our daughter Hazel – who was dressed in a red Chiefs o...
The Bazile Groundwater Management Area has launched a new website for the new year. The BGMA's new online presence debuted in early January at bgma.nebraska.gov in a move to separate itself from the Lewis & Clark Natural Resources District's website. "We decided to get a new website so we would have our own stand-alone website," said Jeremy Milander, the management area's Nebraska Extension cropping systems educator. "We felt that this would avoid some confusion as our old site was a tab on the...
Sometimes it's better to be lucky than good. That's how I view the Kansas City Chiefs' 22-17 win over the Cleveland Browns on Sunday, that sent my favorite pro football team on to the next round of the playoffs. Going into the game, I thought the Chiefs were going to win, of course, but not with backup quarterback Chad Henne finishing off the victory. Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City's starting quarterback, was knocked out of the contest in the third quarter with an injury, which was reportedly a...
Good friends are difficult to find. That's why I'm thankful to have a friend in my life like Ty Rushing, a former co-worker of mine at Iowa Information Publishers and Printers. I started working in January 2014 for the Sheldon, Iowa-based publishing company while Ty joined the business during November of that same year. We've been friends from the first day we met and become so close that our other friends tease us about our bromance. Being such good friends with Ty made the decision to move awa...
Hello, my name is Mark Mahoney, and I'm a stay-at-home dad. That is a sentence I never thought I would write, yet I'm happy to have been home nearly every day with Hazel, my one-year-old daughter, since the end of June. Prior to then, I had been a full-time newspaper reporter for just over 13 years. I thought I would miss being a part of the workforce once I left it, but I really don't. Though I guess I haven't left the working world entirely, as I contribute to the Summerland...
Santa Claus must feel especially jolly whenever he is coming to town and climbs down the chimney of Terri Hergert's Royal home to deliver Christmas presents. That is because Hergert has a collection of Kris Kringle items that would make Santa's rosy cheeks blush as red as his iconic suit. "It's the make-believe, magical part of Christmas," Hergert said. "I just have always liked Santas." She has been a fan of the white-bearded, white-haired Father Christmas ever since she was a child growing up...
An ice cream machine purchased for inmates at the Antelope County Law Enforcement Center has left one county commissioner feeling a little frosty. The board of commissioners approved a resolution regarding the commissary fee schedule for the county jail during their meeting Tuesday, Dec. 8, in Neligh, but the vote was not unanimous. The commissary fee schedule was on the meeting agenda due to the results of the county's annual audit report that were released last month by the Nebraska Auditor...
Antelope County has decided not to permanently close a one-mile stretch of a rural road – for now. The board of commissioners held a public hearing Tuesday, Dec. 1, in Neligh, on Invenergy's request to have 841 Road abandoned between 510 and 511 avenues in the southwest part of the county. That stretch of road is located just east of the Antelope County-Wheeler County border within the renewable energy company's Thunderhead wind project. Before voting 5-0 in favor of not closing the road, the c...
The Antelope County Food Pantry exists to help feed those in need. The Neligh-based nonprofit organization welcomes donations year-round, including during the holiday season. “This time of year, we receive many wonderful donations and it gives us the opportunity to help every family who comes to the pantry as well as stock our shelves for the winter months,” manager Bev Alderson said. “We always need baking items and cold cereal,” she said. “I cannot say we have one need unmet over others ...
Angie Hupp has held a variety of jobs before, but had never served as a village clerk – until now. The 39-year-old took over as the Clearwater village clerk on Oct. 19, a week after she was hired via phone during a meeting of the five-member village board of trustees. "Honestly, it's been a pretty easy transition into being the village clerk," Hupp said. "There's a lot to learn, but it gets spread out because so much is only done once a month/quarter/year." Hupp replaced Tina Snider, who had s...
People who are concerned about water quality are encouraged to attend and absorb knowledge at one of two upcoming events. The Bazile Groundwater Management Area has scheduled community discussions in Creighton and Osmond on Tuesday, Dec. 8, on the issue of nitrates in groundwater. “The goal of the meetings is to receive input from area residents on awareness of the issue, action they are willing to take to address the issue and information they would like to learn more about,” said BGMA pro...
Antelope County has put a stop to an issue involving "Engine Brakes Prohibited" signs near Orchard. The board of commissioners on Tuesday, Nov. 10, in Neligh, unanimously approved an updated resolution regarding engine braking on a roughly one-mile stretch of 513 Avenue, which also is known as the Orchard Road. The segment of 513 Avenue covered by the resolution runs by the property of Terry and Patricia Hemenway, who live about a mile south of Orchard near 862 Road. The resolution stems back...
Invenergy has requested the permanent closure of a stretch of road near its Thunderhead wind project in southwest Antelope County. The renewable energy company would like to see 841 Road – a gravel road – closed between 510 and 511 avenues about 15 miles southwest of Clearwater. If the board of commissioners approves a resolution to close that portion of 841 Road, gates would be installed at each end of that stretch along with road-closed signs. For people who would like to provide their inp...
Antelope County has not decided yet whether to install new security windows inside its courthouse in Neligh. The board of commissioners heard a presentation Tuesday, Nov. 10, from Aaron Kinnan of Kinnan Construction near Oakdale about a potential project. Kinnan noted in a follow-up interview that the commissioners are split on whether to have more expensive bullet-resistant – more commonly known as bulletproof – glass or cheaper shatterproof safety glass installed for certain county off...
Lisa Payne is relieved the 2020 general election is behind her. The Antelope County clerk and election commissioner jokingly described the stress of prepping for the election as about an 11 on a scale of one to 10. “I would say the stress is normal,” Payne said. “We are still finishing up.” She has seen many elections since she started working for the county clerk’s office in May 2005. Payne was elected as the county clerk in 2014 and took office the next year. She noted the 3,615 voters ou...
Ron Westlake's interest in history has led him to start a new chapter in his story. The Norfolk man became the new part-time curator of the Antelope County Museum in Neligh on Aug. 1, replacing Pat Kenaston. "I have helped out at the museum in the past and was impressed with the organization," Westlake said. He said he has enjoyed meeting new people and searching the museum's collections since he took over as the curator. The organization features numerous displays and research archives...
