Reliable, Trustworthy Reporting, Capturing The Heartbeat Of Our Community
Reliable, Trustworthy Reporting, Capturing The Heartbeat Of Our Community
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One of my favorite parables describes the difference between heaven and hell. In both places, hungry people sit at tables laden with delicious food. In hell, people suffer and starve because they cannot eat with the long utensils provided. In heaven, people are happy and thrive because they use the utensils to feed each other. Many cultures and religions have some variation of this story. It illustrates a universal truth: we depend on each other. The current pandemic has starkly illustrated...
North Central District Health Department announced Monday that 256 new COVID-19 cases have been reported in the district since the Jan. 3 reporting period. According to NCDHD personnel, the isolation period for positive individuals and quarantine period for exposed individuals has been updated. Individuals who test positive for COVID-19, regardless of vaccination status, should stay home for at least five days. If symptoms dissipate after five days or if no symptoms are experienced, individuals...
The Honorable Donna Taylor continued two cases in the Antelope County court in Neligh last Wednesday, due to a health-related lockdown at the county jail. A pretrial hearing for Jonathyn M. Gunderson, 32, of Neligh, on seven counts alleged Nov. 9, is continued to Jan. 5. Gunderson, who was in custody, did not appear personally. The Antelope County Jail was “in lockdown due to Covid issues,” according to a court document. Bond in the amount of $3,000, 10% cash, is continued as well. Additionally, Taylor ordered that Gunderson be released fro...
Joyful fellowship. The two terms combine to set the ambiance for a longstanding Page tradition, the yearly women's salad supper. This year's supper, celebrated Dec. 1, at the Page United Methodist Church, featured candlelight and snowflakes, creating warmth and light, illuminating memories and creating new ones. Diane Heiss, a member of the supper's planning committee, said the tradition "starts the season off right." "I also liked it because daughters came with their moms and sometimes the...
Kevin M. Socha, 33, of Elgin faced the Honorable Donna Taylor in the Antelope County courtroom Wednesday, Nov. 17, for a pretrial hearing on a count of second-offense driving under the influence of alcohol, .15 grams or more, a Class 1 misdemeanor. A plea agreement with Antelope County prosecutor Joe Abler was announced. Abler amended the charge to second-offense non-aggravated DUI and agreed to recommend a minimum sentence. Socha pleaded guilty to the amended charge. An enhancement hearing was held, with Taylor finding one previous conviction...
With an allotment of 2021 state aid, public libraries across the state are deciding how to utilize these additional funds. “State aid is allocated to accredited libraries (with one exception – dollars for data), to help them provide enhanced services to their community,” said Sam Shaw, planning and data services coordinator for the Nebraska Library Commission. “It’s tied to the accreditation process so libraries have a financial incentive to become accredited.” In 2021, of the 177 libraries that received aid, 70 saw an increase in aid. Thirty...
Ramey Vachal, Hanna Christensen, Chin Tung Tan Nebraska News Service State Sen. Patty Pansing Brooks announces run for Congress State Sen. Patty Pansing Brooks of District 28 announced her bid for Nebraska’s 1st Congressional District. Brooks cannot run for her state senate seat in 2022 due to term limits. The incumbent of the first district is Congressman Jeff Fortenberry. Fortenberry is under indictment for allegedly lying to the FBI and has not said if he will run again in 2022. Three snow leopards die at Lincoln Children’s Zoo due to COV...
Health and wellness of the community will be discussed Nov. 12, from 1 to 3 p.m. at the Holt County Annex, as part of the community health assessment process. Individuals are invited to offer input at the event, sponsored by North Central District Health Department The district reported 218 new COVID-19 cases in the district, Monday. The last reporting period was on Nov. 1. Free rapid COVID-19 testing will be offered Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays, from 2 to 3 p.m. To register, individuals should call Cherry County Hospital at 402-376-2525 or...
GRAND ISLAND - The question rolled around in Laban Njuguna's mind long before he took action. Coffee? Really? Upend his life to sell Kenyan coffee? In Nebraska? He daydreamed about the idea as he hauled grain for farmers in the Grand Island area. It spilled out in long late-night conversations with his wife, Cora. Friends and family grew coffee in his native Kenya. He lived in the United States, the largest consumer of coffee in the world. Njuguna's logical side told him that he knew nothing...
Creating a safe environment in response to the COVID-19 pandemic often means additional expenses for farmers, farmers markets, food processors and distributors. A new U.S. Department of Agriculture program may be able to help. The Pandemic Response and Safety Grants program provides funding to help small-scale specialty crop producers and processors, other select producers, meat and other processors, distributors and farmers markets recover some of the costs incurred, including for measures to...
Retired social studies teacher Laura Nelson is used to seeing her small town send its children, and its dollars, off to bigger cities. "We tend to go that way," to Lincoln and the Omaha metro, where her nieces and many former students live and shop. But lately, from her seat at the cafe table where she meets friends most mornings for coffee and an omelette, she's witnessed a reversal of fortune. City folks are spending their money in her hometown. "The cafe has managed to bring them up here,"...
Changes to a direct health measure suspending certain elective surgeries was announced Oct. 21, by Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts. Class D and Class E elective surgeries, for all acute care, critical care and children’s hospitals, in Nebraska were resumed, as of Oct. 22. Ricketts also announced changes to the state’s COVID-19 reporting dashboard. As of Oct. 22, county-level counts of COVID-19 cases and demographics have been removed. The dashboard, available at dhhs.ne.gov, will be updated weekly, on Wednesdays, since COVID-19 hos...
In medicine, we routinely ask people about their family health history. Knowing that your mother had diabetes, or that your grandfather battled alcoholism, helps us be alert for health conditions to which you may be predisposed. Sometimes, though, what is revealed by those histories isn't a medical problem, but a family tragedy. Earlier in my career, my older patients commonly told me that their grandmother, or even their mother, died in childbirth. Today, it is all too easy to forget just how p...
North Central District Health Department will have booster doses available for persons who received Moderna and Janssen or Johnson & Johnson, Covid-19 vaccines who meet the criteria. In addition, Pfizer booster doses will continue to be available at all future NCDHD sponsored clinics. Eligible persons will be able to get a single booster dose of once their primary vaccination series is complete. The following criteria must be met: • Must be over 18 years of age. • Must have completed a pri...
Peter Turla, a NASA engineer and time management guru once wrote, "A plan is what, a schedule is when. It takes both a plan and a schedule to get things done." From the beginning of the Summerland School building project, the plan was clear: construct a 130,000 square foot, state-of-the-art facility. A schedule was set, too, with a completion date of December 2021 circled on the calendar. To complete the building project nearly four months ahead of schedule, especially during a global pandemic,...
Matthew F. Brandt, 34, of Royal once again failed to appear in the Antelope County courtroom in Neligh for sentencing last Wednesday. Brandt was convicted, June 2, of leaving the scene of a property-damage accident, a Class 2 misdemeanor committed Jan 28 in Orchard. His attorney, public defender Melissa Figueroa, requested continuance, indicating Brandt had been in contact with someone who had Covid-19. Antelope County prosecutor Joe Abler objected. The Honorable Donna Taylor continued sentencing to Oct. 20 and ordered Brandt to provide the...
PROCEEDINGS ANTELOPE COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS Neligh, Nebraska Oct. 5, 2021 Notice of meeting published as required by statute. A complete record of these minutes, as well as all resolutions and agreements, are on file at the county clerk’s office and are open to the public. Chairman opened meeting. Approved agenda. Minutes of 09-07-2021 and 9-14-2021 BOC meeting were approved. Correspondence was reviewed. Quarterly jail inspection was completed after meeting. No action on 150th Antelope County Anniversary. COVID leave discussion. A...
Empty lots, vacant showrooms and lack of inventory is a few of the problems plaguing the car industry both locally and nationally. Semiconductor chips that control certain amenities from power steering to emergency braking systems is on back order from their manufacturers due to COVID-19. Jack Minnick, assistant sales manager at Duteau Chevrolet on South 27th in Lincoln, said Duteau cannot provide cars to consumers because of the shortage, and more orders for cars are being placed than ever. “We can’t exactly guarantee when it’ll be here,...
North Central District Health Department now has official orders for third-dose boosters for the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine. Eligibility requirements include: • Person is over 18; • Person must have received Pfizer for the first series of two vaccines; • Person must have received last Pfizer dose at least six months prior; • Person falls into one of the following categories: - People who should receive the booster: people 65 years and older, residents in long-term care settings, people aged 50–64 years with underlying medical condition...
"This fall, we're excited to begin the remodeling of our patient rooms and nursing floor which were built in the 1970s," said Diane Carlin, CEO of Antelope Memorial Hospital. "It will allow us to update and expand our patient rooms and improve the delivery of quality care, including care for COVID patients. The $3.7 million project will be completed in three phases to allow AMH to continue operating during construction." During the remodel, AMH will have 11 patient rooms available to care for...
Earlier this month, the Small Business Administration announced major enhancements to the COVID Economic Injury Disaster Loan program, a federal disaster relief loan designed to support small businesses. Changes to the program include: • Increasing the COVID EIDL cap. The SBA will lift the COVID EIDL cap from $500,000 to $2 million. Loan funds can be used for any normal operating expenses and working capital, including payroll, purchasing equipment and paying debt. • Implementation of a def...
North Central District Health Department has been made aware of 132 new COVID-19 cases in the district since last reporting period on Sept. 20. Due to Executive Order 21- 14, Disclosure of Health Information to Facilitate Hospital Planning, NCDHD is now able to share county-based data again. The dashboard is viewable at https://public.tableau.com/app/profile/heidi.hostert/viz/shared/D56D7PM8N. Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services has its own dashboard as well and can be found at: https://datanexus-dhhs.ne.gov/vie...
A drive-through flu shot clinic will be held Monday, Oct. 4, from 2 to 5:30 p.m. at the Summerland School parking lot. It will be open to staff, students and community members. North Central District Health Department is partnering with the school to offer flu, Tdap, pneumonia, shingles and COVID vaccines. A high-dose vaccine will be available for individuals over 65. NCDHD accepts most insurance, Medicare and NE Medicaid. They are an approved provider for Vaccines for Children and Adult...
It is September, fall is in the air and what we might call "respiratory season" is nearly upon us. Respiratory season refers to the colder months in which we spend much of our time indoors, maybe October through March. Normally, this season correlates with when we see high rates of typically seasonal respiratory infections, such as influenza and respiratory syncytial virus or RSV. Living through the COVID-19 pandemic has given us knowledge we can use to greatly decrease the spread of all respira...
For months, a silence fell across Nebraska’s auditoriums and theaters. Spaces where excited patrons once congregated were forced to remain empty because of COVID-19. But now, as many theaters around the state are starting their second full seasons in the pandemic, a sense of hope for venue staff abounds as they welcome patrons back in full. Located on the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s campus, the Lied Center for Performing Arts must follow all COVID-19 safety protocols implemented by the university, which includes a mask mandate. Mat...
