Reliable, Trustworthy Reporting, Capturing The Heartbeat Of Our Community
Reliable, Trustworthy Reporting, Capturing The Heartbeat Of Our Community
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On Dec. 28, Dr. Kelli Osborn received the first dose of COVID-19 vaccine, manufactured by Moderna, to be administered at Antelope Memorial Hospital. The shot was given by Amy Wright, RN. Dr. Osborn is the AMH chief medical staff officer. The first round of AMH's COVID-19 vaccines will be given to its front-line workers only....
“I need a sign to let me know you’re here. All of these lines are being crossed over the atmosphere...” That song lyric, from “Calling All Angels,” by Train, kept replaying in my mind Monday evening, when we gathered with approximately 30 individuals to view the great conjunction, at Honey Creek Observatory, north of O’Neill. Low, rolling clouds blanketed the southwestern sky. Occasionally, a sliver of the waxing gibbous moon would surface, offering a quick glimpse at its corona. The Christm...
SANDRA RENNER Farm and Community director Center for Rural Affairs We are nine months into the COVID-19 pandemic and cases in rural America are increasing at a rapid rate. The impacts vary greatly across rural states, yet per-capita infections are most extreme in communities occupied by meatpacking plants, predominantly in the Midwest, low-income African American communities in the Southeast and Native Americans. Rural racial health inequities rose to the top quickly as the pandemic came to a head. Many rural communities need COVID-19...
An economic development program, designed to assist Clearwater businesses through COVID-19, will end Dec. 31. The Village of Clearwater LB840 Emergency Commercial Grant Program was established this summer and offered grants of $750 to businesses affected by the pandemic. Businesses with a net income of less than $75,000, per 2019 income taxes, are eligible to apply. Grant applications are scored on four categories: closed/reduced service due to directed health measures; length of time in...
North Central District Health Department has been made aware of 80 new cases in the district since the last reporting on Dec. 17: 18-Antelope; 0-Boyd; 3-Brown; 7-Cherry; 17-Holt; 0-Keya Paha; 22-Knox; 11-Pierce; 2-Rock. NCDHD regrets to report five additional COVID-19 deaths in the district: two Knox County men in their 70s, one Holt County man in his 80s, an Antelope County woman in her 80s and a Holt County woman in her 90s. Case count update as of 4 p.m., Monday, Dec. 21, includes 3,574 total cases, 1,445 recoveries, 47 deaths and 499 total...
PROCEEDINGS SUMMERLAND PUBLIC SCHOOL BOARD OF EDUCATION December 14, 2020 Summerland Public School Board of Education held a regular meeting, Dec. 14, at the Orchard site. President Ed Nordby called the meeting, published in the paper dated Dec. 9, 2020, to order at 6 p.m. The Open Meeting Act posted in the room was noted. Roll call and all members were present: Candice Hoke, Marty Kerkman, Ed Nordby, Nate Schwager, Steven Thiele, Jeremy Wagner. Motion by Kerkman, seconded by Hoke, to approve the agenda as presented. Voting aye: Hoke, Kerkman,...
This year has been extremely hard on small-town fire departments. Within the past two months alone, the Royal Volunteer Fire Department has responded to six calls in the area. On a brighter note, department members recently received exciting news: They are now the proud new owners of another fire truck. On Nov. 2, the Bloomfield Rural Fire District, opened bids on a 1999 GMC Topkick 7500 Midwest Pumping Unit fire truck. Royal firefighters, with the help of the Orchard Rural Fire Board,...
Dear Santa, It is almost Christmas and I am feeling very excited! Some presents I would like to ask for this year are ukulele and a Mp3 player. To show you what I think of when we talk about Christmas, I drew you a picture of joy and Jesus' birthday. Merry Christmas! Love, Makenna Bergman Dear Santa, It is almost Christmas and I am feeling very jolly! Some presents I would like to ask for this year are OMG surprise, American Girl doll, Omari, a bouncy ball, and a fingerling. To show you what I...
Nebraska’s latest directed health measures mirror Centers for Disease Control recommendations, shortening quarantine times for individuals who have been exposed to the coronavirus. Gov. Pete Ricketts made the announcement during a Friday press conference. Mandates went into effect at 5 p.m., Dec. 3 and will continue through Dec. 31. “Even with the good news we’ve had with regard to vaccines that are on their way, we do need people to continue to practice all the good methods we’ve learned...
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 ...
Summerland School students and staff will receive an early Christmas gift this season. The final day of first-semester classes has been adjusted and holiday break will officially commence once school is dismissed, Thursday, Dec. 17. Superintendent Dale Martin reported administration requested a calendar change, “due to our staff working so hard first semester in dealing with COVID and everything that they have been asked to do as a result.” “December 18 had been scheduled as a half day for s...
A new date for the Summerland versus CWC varsity boys’ basketball game has been set. The varsity-only contest will be played Monday, Dec 21, at 5:30, in Ewing. The game was postponed from Dec. 4, due to COVID-19 concerns....
North Central District Health Department reported Monday, 135 new cases of COVID-19, since the last update released Dec. 3, including 16 in Antelope; 2, Boyd; 18, Brown; 14, Cherry; 24, Holt; 4, Keya Paha; 34, Knox; 15, Pierce and 8, Rock. The department received notification a Knox County man, in his 90s, died from COVID-19. NCDHD has expanded its COVID-19 testing capacities to include a 15-minute rapid test, in addition to the gold standard PCR test already offered. The rapid test is only...
Summerland School's wrestling team will take a temporary break from competition. Per the school's information system, "Summerland wrestling will be shut dwon until Dec. 28, due to COVID-relate illnesses and quarantines." The team will not hold practices or attend meets. Originally, the grapplers were scheduled to participate in a varsity wrestling duel at Battle Creek, tomorrow, at 9 a.m., as well as the EPPJ wrestling Invite, scheduled for Dec. 19. Questions may be directed to Principal Mike...
Even in the best of times, staging a live performance requires suspension of belief, pulling audience members into a mystical realm situated beyond the fourth wall. This year - 2020 - may be remembered as the worst of times for aspiring performers, as concerns about safety take center stage. Summerland School's play production team and coaches have learned to adapt to on- and off-stage challenges so the show may go on. Director Julie Harley said the initial adaptation came with play selection....
Over the last four years, we have updated our trade relationships and trade agreements at a historic pace. We secured updated comprehensive trade agreements with Canada, Mexico and South Korea; entered into Phase One agreements with China and Japan that address many significant impediments to U.S. exporters in these major markets; and achieved important progress to remove trade barriers faced by particular sectors in several other countries. Together, these nations purchase almost 50% of the United States’ current exports. These agreements f...
In spring 2020, we heard terrible stories of overburdened hospitals leading to preventable deaths in New York City. Now, as the COVID-19 virus surges to a new peak, these shortages have reached rural areas, where hospital systems are often under-resourced and understaffed. In Nebraska, rural counties are seeing record numbers of hospitalizations. As of last week, in the region surrounding Platte County, there was only one available intensive care unit bed, with rural areas in the state...
Bobcat boys' basketball coach Brett Kaczor believes his team has handled COVID distractions during pre-season. "It's another aspect, as coaches, that we have to work around and find the best way possible to get the most out of our teams," he said. "Most of them realize the season could be taken away at any moment, so it keeps them focused and motived to take advantage of every day." Monday was the first day the team participated as a full squad. "It does cause some extra stress as a coach...
Joel Schrader, 49, of Martell appeared before the Honorable Mark Kozisek in the Holt County district courtroom in O’Neill for sentencing Nov. 23, for crime committed in 2018. Kozisek sentenced Schrader to 24 months incarceration under the jurisdiction of the Nebraska Department of Corrections, to be served consecutive to a sentence imposed in Lancaster County district court. Assuming Schrader loses none of his good time, he must serve 12 months before his mandatory release. In addition, Kozisek ordered 12-months post-release supervision, includ...
Page Christan Men’s annual pancake and sausage supper has been canceled, due to COVID-19 health regulations. Sausage will be available, Saturday, Dec. 5, for a free-will donation and may be picked up at the Page Methodist Church....
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...
Five instructors in the Summerland district have indicated they will participate in the early retirement incentive program. The announcement was made Monday, in Ewing, during a special meeting, which lasted approximately 52 minutes. Superintendent Dale Martin announced last week he would submit a letter of resignation to take the incentive. Clearwater instructor Bonnie Wies and Ewing educators Ed Johnson, Jan Miller and Barb Roland will also retire at the end of the school year. Martin said he e...
The COVID-19 pandemic has caused many events to be canceled this year, but it does not take away the opportunity to shop local during the holiday season. Communities across the country have found innovative ways to keep both business owners and customers safe. For example, the Valley County Chamber in Ord, made its annual Snowball Drop a virtual event. Starting in early November, the Chamber posted questions about local businesses on their social media. Every community member who responds to a...
College students are choosing to take advantage of an opportunity to add additional credits between the fall and spring semesters this year by enrolling in a course or two during a time they would normally be on break. At Northeast Community College, registration is underway for an optional six-week intersession that will run from late November through mid-January, with a break in between for the holidays. As of Nov. 19, more than 260 students have enrolled in more than 1,000 credit hours during the intersession. This is the first time the coll...
SUBMITTED ARTICLE "We recently increased the number of patient rooms that have air-disinfectant units, from four to eight, in our COVID unit here at Antelope Memorial Hospital," said Diane Carlin, AMH chief executive officer. "The units are used to destroy viruses to include COVID-19. Plus, four of the eight rooms have double patient capacities. If needed, this would allow us to care for up to 12 patients with the virus at a time." Air disinfectant units take in air which is run through a HEPA...
