Reliable, Trustworthy Reporting, Capturing The Heartbeat Of Our Community
Reliable, Trustworthy Reporting, Capturing The Heartbeat Of Our Community
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Summer is in full swing and with that comes cookouts and gatherings where food is featured. As you plan your menu, keep local farmers in mind. Buying locally-produced food strengthens the local economy. According to the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, on average, every $100 spent at a locally-owned business results in $45 flowing back into the local community. This is much higher than the $14 that stays in the community when we spend our $100 at a business that isn’t locally owned. More c...
This day and age, it is challenging for people to go "unplugged" to live life to the fullest. Holly Schacht, of Orchard, saw the challenge and met it head on. Schacht spent a month in South Africa on a study-abroad trip through the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, to gain experience for her fisheries and wildlife major and to fully live in the moment. "I've always wanted to study abroad, but after Covid hit halfway through my freshmen year and then into my sophomore year, there wasn't a...
NFPW Communicator of Achievement director Karen Stensrud and NPW COA director Ruth Brown contributed to this article. LuAnn Schindler of Clearwater received the 2022 Communicator of Achievement Award from the National Federation of Press Women. This prestigious award has been given for 65 years. Schindler received the honor during a celebration at the organization's annual conference, held June 23 to 25, in Fargo, North Dakota. Now in its 85th year, NFPW is a nationwide organization of... Full story
The Grove Lake Bait Shop has been in business near Grove Lake for many years. According to the "Royal Centenniel," Arthur and Agnes Erb had several people stop for worms on their way to Grove Lake. After this reoccurrence, the couple decided to dig worms out of their garden and build a bait shop on their farm in October 1968. They had other items to sell besides live and artificial bait. Refreshments, ice, food items, and fishing licenses were also offered. In 1980, the couple moved to Orchard,...
The Antelope County Library Association presented its annual reports and review to the Antelope County commissioners at the June 14 commissioner meeting at the Antelope County Courthouse. Cindy Simeon, current association president spoke first. She represents the Raymond A. Whitwer Tilden Public Library. She noted that the library’s numbers are increasing in stats, programming and visitations and returning back to normal since the pandemic. She explained how county funding helps meet the n...
National Nursing Assistant's Week is June 16 through June 22. Both Alyx Kurpgeweit and Faith Woslager worked as nursing assistants before obtaining their practical nursing degrees from Northeast Community College on May 13. Kurpgeweit and Woslager attended Northeast Community College part time while working toward graduation. "Usually the NECC nursing program is two years. I am part time, so it will take me three years to get my RN," Kurpgeweit said. They both had a calling for the medical...
This spring we celebrated 7,200 new graduates of the University of Nebraska – new Husker, Maverick, Loper and UNMC alumni who are future leaders of our state. It’s one of my favorite times of year. Commencement brings to life the fundamental reason why public higher education exists: To create opportunities for students to build a better future for themselves and the world around them. Each graduating class of the University of Nebraska transforms our state in ways that are impossible to qua...
The 2022 class of Ewing Hall of Fame members includes three individuals who served the community in a number of roles. Albert Anson and Alex and Joyce Thramer were inducted Sunday, May 29, following the Ewing FunFest parade. Anson, a long-time marshall for the village, was represented by his daughter, Jane. Children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren of Alex and Joyce Thramer accepted the award. The Thramers were instrumental in spearheading the Summerland Golf Course and founded Two Rivers...
WARSAW, Poland – The 3-year-old was too sick to leave his hotel room. He has had congenital heart disease since he was born. A second surgery was already planned for when he turned three. Then the war started. Now, as the young Ukrainian lay in his hotel bed 500 miles from home, his oxygen levels dipped dangerously low. His pulse raced. He'd spent the night feverish and throwing up. His lips and fingertips had turned purple. Downstairs, a volunteer doctor hustled from patient to patient in the h...
May 11 to May 16 was National Police Week. It’s an opportunity to show our gratitude and appreciation to the men and women who put their lives on the line to keep our people and communities safe. Nebraskans take police week seriously. From the candlelight “Walk the Beat” vigil in Omaha to National Law Enforcement Day memorial services in Douglas County and Grand Island, we demonstrate that we back the blue. We honor our fallen officers, like Omaha Police Officer Kerrie Orozco and Lincoln Polic...
“Daily newspapers have traditionally constituted the heart and soul of local news media and they have provided the lion’s share of original reporting upon which all other news media depend,” wrote Robert McChesney and John Nichols, in the “Columbia Journalism Review” last November. For Nebraska news enthusiasts who rely on the daily dish from a local daily newspaper, the future of news is hazy at best. First, a majority of daily papers in Nebraska are owned by Lee Enterprises. In fact, whe...
Six-year-old Elijah Wastell started feeling anxious last fall. It came hard for the Omaha kindergartener at bedtime. His parents tried breathing exercises. They attempted to build his confidence. The anxiety got worse. It got to the point where "he wanted to be in bed with a blanket over his head before the sun went down, which can be tricky in September," said mother Anna Wastell. Elijah himself didn't tie his newfound anxiety to the pandemic that has altered the lives of everyone – i...
The Legislature gave second-round approval to budget bills this past week, working late each evening. This will allow the budget to be read on Final Reading next week, meeting the requirement to have it passed by the 50th legislative day. The budget provides funding to cover salary increases recently negotiated with the union and the state for employees at correctional facilities and other 24/7 facilities that were experiencing dangerous staffing shortages. Worker shortages and competition also...
SUBMITTED ARTICLE - ANTELOPE MEMORIAL HOSPITAL "In recent months, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have relaxed its recommendation for wearing a mask in most indoor spaces – in protecting against exposure to COVID-19," said Diane Carlin, chief executive officer of Antelope Memorial Hospital. "However, the mask requirement is still in effect for entrance into health care facilities because many of their patients are immunocompromised or weakened. We thank the public ahead of time fo...
On March 1, U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development announced the availability of $19.75 million in total funding for projects as part of the Value-Added Producer Grants program. Individual farmers and ranchers, as well as agricultural businesses and producer groups, may apply for the grants, which must be used to develop new products or expand existing markets for value-added products. The applicant must produce at least 50% of the raw agricultural product to which value is being added...
LINCOLN - Doctors may have a legal way to deny services based on their personal views, under a bill considered by the Nebraska Health and Human Services Committee, March 2. Sen. Dave Murman of Glenvil introduced LB963, the Medical Ethics and Diversity Act, which would legally state medical practitioners and healthcare institutions cannot be forced to perform procedures that go against their ethical, moral or religious beliefs. This is also commonly known as a right of conscience. Medical practitioners include doctors, physicians assistants,...
It’s 7:30 p.m. on a wintry Friday night and the parking lot outside Johnny’s Cafe, a South Omaha landmark, is jammed. The scent of seared steak wafts out the heavy, faux-bronze doors as they swing outward, and diners walk into a glowing, ruby-hued time capsule of Nebraska food history. To the left is the massive dining room, still crowded on weekends with silver-haired men in sportcoats and women in their best blouses being served by staff who have worked here for decades. To the right is the da...
My first Crockpot - a three-quart avocado green model with a non-removable crock - came to me in the early 1980s when a friend who had recently gotten married regifted one of her five new Crockpots to me. It wasn't in its original box (so it couldn't be returned) and we suspected at the time someone had regifted it to the newlyweds. I didn't care where it came from, I was just happy to have one. And the apartment in Lincoln where I was living at the time sported decades-old avocado green... Full story
The Legislature spent four hours this past week debating LB 906, which focuses on employer vaccine mandates. As amended by Health and Human Services Committee amendments, LB 906 would apply to businesses with one or more employees but would only pertain to the COVID-19 vaccine. LB 906 clarifies that if an employer requires employees to be vaccinated against COVID-19, an exemption to the mandate is allowed for a medical reason, accompanied by a signed statement from their health care...
The public hearing on LB 1023 was held Thursday, Feb. 10 before the Natural Resources Committee. It reflects the work of the Statewide Tourism and Recreational Water Access and Resource Sustainability Special Committee and proposes to adopt the Lake Development Act and the Water Recreation Enhancement Act. I was appointed to serve on the STAR WARS Committee, stemming from the passage of LB 406, last year. In addition to recommendations to construct a 3,600-acre lake in or near Sarpy County and...
A new federal program is offering grant funding for rural communities to develop community renewable energy projects. The Rural Energy Pilot Program, launched by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, will provide up to $10 million in grant funding to connect underserved rural communities to the benefits of community-scale renewable energy. The program aims to help communities cut energy costs, reduce pollution, and address climate change. Funds will be awarded in the form of cost-share grants for...
Chris Gorman of Lincoln and his family rushed his mother, Lynda Gorman, to the emergency room while visiting her in North Platte in early January. Her hemoglobin levels were dangerously low and she needed a blood transfusion. Doctors recommended that she receive two units of blood, but they were only able obtain one unit, due to a shortage. The North Platte resident remained hospitalized for 11 days before being stable enough to be seen by a specialist in Lincoln, who diagnosed her with...
After a two-years hiatus from ice, the Royal Volunteer Fire Department Ice Fishing Tournament returned with a large group of competitors. Forty-one teams entered the five-hour event, Sunday, at Grove Lake. Royal Fire Chief Gary Ober said it's "great" to have a large number of teams participate and be back on the ice. Now in its 39th year, Ober said the tournament hasn't been held nine times, either due to weather conditions or, more recently, the COVID-19 pandemic. The event brought anglers...
HASTINGS – With two nurses out sick in early December, charge nurse Osa Brooks found herself scrambling to care for 28 patients. With only one floor nurse available, employees from other units were called in to work the floor or give medications. “It was really scary because I had 10 patients that I was responsible for, and I had another nurse giving medications for me,” Brooks said. Brooks said the chaos scared her because of the chance that she could have missed something, causing her patie...
Last week, I received a survey from the Husker athletic office, asking questions about Memorial Stadium upgrades and potential structural changes that could be coming in the future. Questions ranged from seating arrangements, tiers and costs of various seating arrangements, food and beverage sales, legalized gaming, parking and tailgating. Another section asked about the development of a membership-only dinner club. Little did I realize, during the 15 minutes it took to complete the survey, I wo...
