Reliable, Trustworthy Reporting, Capturing The Heartbeat Of Our Community
Reliable, Trustworthy Reporting, Capturing The Heartbeat Of Our Community
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In 2020, as the country voted in and then sweated out a razor-thin presidential election, the voters of Clay County in rural south-central Nebraska participated in numbers never seen in this century. The number of potential voters living in the county had barely budged since 2016. And yet, during the 2020 election, some 507 more voters cast ballots than had in 2016 – a 16% spike. In total, some 84% of Clay County's 4,271 registered voters cast ballots, far higher than Nebraska's statewide t...
Another trip around the sun. SAM and I have that in common. In 2019, the inaugural issue of the Advocate-Messenger made its debut on my birthday. Now, we're starting our sixth year of publication, a feat that isn't lost on Scott and me. It's been a positive and encouraging journey. Oh sure, there have been days when we wonder what the heck we're doing ... luckily, those days are few and far between. We feel like we're on solid ground and are excited to keep building the quality publication you e...
What a great time to be a Bobcat! Our students are shining in all activities. Backtrack to November when the volleyball team qualified for state competition and the football team played in two rounds of the playoff system. Nothing like starting the year off on the right foot. The marching band did well at competition in Wayne. Speech and drama students continue to earn awards. Next week, the speechsters compete in a tough C2 district, a trip to the state meet on the line. I have a feeling...
Summerland wrestlers scored 101 points at Friday's Southern Valley Invitational, finishing sixth overall. Sutherland won the invite, with 169 points, followed by Chase County, 166.5; Sedgwick County/Fleming, Colorado, 139; Loomis, 127; and Arapahoe, 116.5. Five Bobcat wrestlers earned medals at the meet. Ethan Kester ended third in 138. He defeated CC's Alonso Martinez, by fall in :54 and Franklin's Lorance Davis, by fall, in 1:33. In the quarterfinals, Brody Patterson, Wilcox-Hildreth,...
Funeral services for Larry A. Schroth, 73, of Brunswick, were held Wednesday, Aug. 19, at Brunswick Congregational Church, with Pastor Robert Moore officiating. Burial was in West Willowdale Cemetery. Larry died Aug. 5, at his home. Beyer Snider Memorial Funeral Home handled arrangements. Condolences may be left for the family at http://www.beyersnidermemorialfh.com. ~~~~~ Larry Allen Schroth was born March 17, 1950, at Tilden to Clair William and Lorraine Alberta (Forbes) Schroth He was raised...
Friday the 13th wasn’t unlucky for three Bobcat wrestlers who landed in medal contention at the West Holt Invite. Ethan Kester finished second in the 126-pound division. He pinned Colter Wright, Burwell, in 3:11 in the quarterfinal and won a 7-2 decision over Garrett Wedemeyer, Ravenna in the semifinal. Will Sprenger, of Valentine, pinned Kester, in 1:25, in the championship match. Alex Thiele brought home bronze in the 120-pound division. He lost a 13-4 major decision to Alex Borboya, West Point-Beemer, in the semifinal and pinned Ravenna’s Cl...
A Kansas trucker received hefty fines for an overweight load in Holt County after leaving the scene of an Aug. 10 traffic crash site in another county. A Nebraska State Patrol carrier enforcement officer cited Robert A. Bradfield, 46, of Clay Center, Kansas, for offenses including two counts of overweight single axle/group of axles - actual weights of 33,100 and 36,000 pounds (legal weight allowed on each – 20,000 pounds); one count of having no law enforcement escort; and a count over c...
The Honorable Kale Burdick sentenced four defendants when he presided from the Holt County bench Sept. 6. Michael Ford, 34, of Oakland appeared for sentencing on a Class 2 misdemeanor count of issuing a bad check. Burdick sentenced Ford to a 12-month term of probation, including a $30 enrollment fee and $60 in drug testing fees, to be served concurrently with probation ordered in a recent district court bad check case. Probation program fees of $300 were waived. He was ordered to pay $394.85 restitution to Big Red Motorsports and was taxed $60...
Rodney D. McDonald Jr., 19, of Clay Center faced the Honorable Kale Burdick on Tuesday, Sept. 6, for arraignment on eight counts, Count I, reckless driving, a Class 3 misdemeanor; Count II, possession of open alcohol container, an infraction; Count III, minor in possession of alcohol, a Class 3 misdemeanor; counts IV, V, VI and VII, possession of false identification, Class 3 misdemeanors; and driving under the influence of alcohol (+.15), first offense, a Class W misdemeanor. McDonald, who was represented by Forrest Peetz of O'Neill, pleaded g...
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...
“Kids believe in Santa; adults believe in childhood.” Author Cate Kennedy hits the mark with that line from her short story collection, “Dark Roots.” Last week, while Scott, Elizabeth and I fulfilled Santa’s elf duty, stuffing toys, candy and fruit into brown paper sacks, visions from Christmases past reminded me of the good ol’ days and what days leading up to the holiday were like during the age of flower power and groovy, man. In Clay Center, Santa Claus made an appearance on Saturdays i...
The Bobcat boys' wrestling squad scored 146 points and tied the host team for second place at Saturday's Howells-Dodge wrestling invite. Guardian Angels Central Catholic won the team title with 158 points. Colton Thiele and Logan Mueller earned gold medals in the 195- and 285-pound divisions, respectively. Six other wrestlers - Alex Thiele, Jesse Thiele, Keaton Thiele, Alex Arroyo, Wyatt Chipps and Connor Thomson - brought home hardware. Mueller moved quickly through his bracket, picking up...
I'm in survival mode. I made it through fair week, personally and professionally, and am gearing up for week two of fair coverage. The Holt County Fair will be in full swing when this edition hits your mailbox. Some people may look forward to evening entertainment and think it makes or breaks the fair experience. Don't get me wrong - it's a lot of fun and I've seen a multitude of quality fair concerts, stock car races and rodeos that are memorable. As a former 4-H member, the fair experience alw...
PROCEEDINGS VILLAGE OF CLEARWATER BOARD OF TRUSTEES July 12, 2021 The Board of Trustees of the Village of Clearwater met in regular session, Monday, July 12, at 7:30 p.m., in the fire hall meeting room. Meeting opened at 7:29 p.m. Notice of meeting was given in advance by publication in Summerland Advocate- Messenger and notice was given to board members prior to meeting. Public was informed of location of Open Meeting Act poster. Present: Kelly Kerkman, Steve Hankla, Steve Stearns, Kevin Filsinger. Others present: Lauren Sheridan-Simonson,...
Effective Thursday, Jan. 7, The Tilden Bank was merged into Cornerstone Bank. Gary Gunderson will serve as vice president and manager of the Tilden branch, while Cameron Mathis will be vice president and assistant manager. Bill Kester will be the vice president and manager at the Clearwater branch, and Joyce Blackmore will be vice president and manager at the Creighton branch. "We are excited to become a part of the Cornerstone family and feel this merger will benefit our customers," said Gunder...
Jeremy J. Mathrole, 40, of Crofton appeared in the Antelope County district courtroom Wednesday, Oct. 28, for sentencing on a count of violating the Nebraska Sexual Offender Registration Act. Mathrole was represented by Antelope County public defender Pat Carney of Norfolk, who commented, “I think this is a lesson for the Legislature,” citing the differences in registry regulations in different states and his client’s travel to multiple states for work. He requested a sentence of time already served, alternately stating Mathrole had the abili...
Funeral services for Jan Dewalt Curtis, 79, of Creighton, were Saturday, October 31, at the Royal gymnasium in Royal. Bob Moore officiated, with burial in Royal Cemetery in Royal. Jan died Monday, Oct. 26, at Avera Creighton Hospital. ~~~ Jan Dewalt Curtis was born to Fremont and Mayola Curtis, on the family farm southeast of Royal, Jan. 23, 1941. He died Monday, Oct. 26, at the Avera Creighton Hospital at the age of 79 years, 10 months, 3 days. Jan attended District 113 in Royal, from first grade until he graduated in 1958, the third of five...
Funeral services for Jan Dewalt Curtis, 79, of Creighton, will be Saturday, October 31, at 10:30 a.m., at the Royal Gymnasium in Royal. Bob Moore will officiate, with burial in Royal Cemetery in Royal. Visitation will be Friday from 3 to 8 p.m., at Brockhaus Funeral Home in Creighton. Social distancing guidelines will be followed. Jan died Monday, Oct. 26, at Avera Creighton Hospital. ~~~ Jan Dewalt Curtis was born to Fremont and Mayola Curtis, on the family farm southeast of Royal, Jan. 23, 1941. He died Monday, Oct. 26, at the Avera...
We, at the Advocate-Messenger, are gearing up for National Newspaper Week, which is celebrated Oct. 4 through 10. This year’s theme - America Needs Journalists - has never been more timely. In a time when we hear “fake news” uttered on a daily basis, it’s time to clear the air and face the truth. Ethical journalists do not file fake news stories. We fact check (a term Scott has learned a lot about in the last year because I use it all the time), fact check again and fact check one final time be...
Memorial services for Donna Peterson, 80, of Neligh were Wednesday, Sept. 30, at the Antelope County Fair Building in Neligh. Burial was in Laurel Hill Cemetery in Neligh. Beyer Snider Memorial Funeral Home in Neligh handled arrangements. Donna died Sept. 21 at Antelope Memorial Hospital in Neligh, with her family by her side. Condolences may be directed to the family at www.beyersnidermemorialfh.com. In lieu of flowers, memorials can be sent to the family in her name. ~~~ Donna Maurine (Damme)...
Concerns about Summerland School’s detention pond were addressed during the board’s Sept. 14 meeting, in Orchard. Jacob Sertich, an architect with Wilkins Architecture Design and Planning, in Kearney, reported Olsson engineers were on-site, Aug. 11, to evaluate drainage issues, specifically those caused by a heavy downpour in June. Prior to the visit, Haussmann Construction pumped standing water from the detention pond. Olsson employees noted the bottom of the pond had approximately a one...
MIA AZIZAH | Nebraska News Service When the novel coronavirus swept the globe and made its way to the communities across Nebraska, community newspaper publishers like Kurt Johnson of the Aurora News-Register, witnessed how the global pandemic became a challenge much closer to home. As businesses shut down and positive cases were confirmed in the Aurora area, Johnson said he felt the public angst grow. And in his 20 years of running the weekly newspaper with a circulation of 2,500, he faced the...
Although several cases were continued until a later date, the Honorable Mark Johnson presided from the bench in the Antelope County district court Wednesday, March 25. Alexander J. Fitzgerald, 28, of Newman Grove appeared for sentencing on a Class 1 misdemeanor count of third-degree assault, committed Aug. 22, 2019, in Tilden. Johnson sentenced him to a $500 fine and $149 costs of prosecution. He was represented by Antelope County public defender Patrick Carney of Norfolk. Dalynna S. Robertson, 49, of Oakdale was also scheduled for sentencing,...
William M. Zohner, 63, of Norfolk appeared in Antelope County court March 4, facing the Honorable Donna Taylor for a pretrial hearing on three counts, driving under the influence, aggravated, a Class W misdemeanor, and two infractions, driving left of center and exceeding the speed limit 6-10 mph. A plea deal was announced. In exchange for Zohner’s guilty plea on Count I, the two infractions were dismissed by Antelope County attorney Joe Abler and there was a joint recommendation for a probation sentence. The DUI charge was enhanced due to a b...
Jeremy J. Mathrole, 40, appeared in Antelope County court last week for arraignment on two violations of the Sex Offender Registration Act. Due to previous violation convictions, the allegations are Class 3A felonies. Mathrole requested court-appointed counsel. Presiding judge Donna Taylor found him indigent and appointed Carney, setting a preliminary hearing March 4. He reappeared later in the day with Carney, who requested bond be reduced from $10,000, 10%, and conditions amended to allow Mathrole to travel to Kentucky where he previously...
