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The Honorable Donna Taylor heard the following misdemeanor cases when she presided from the bench in the Antelope County courtroom in Neligh last Wednesday, Aug. 4. James A. Kreizel, 37, of Creighton appeared for arraignment on a count of driving under suspension/before reinstated, a Class 3 misdemeanor committed July 6 near the intersection of highways 13 and 20. Kreizel waived his right to counsel and entered a guilty plea. Taylor set sentencing Oct. 6. Callie J. Kraft received continuance of her arraignment on five counts, Count I, driving...
SEN. TIM GRAGERT The Legislature gave the budget bills second-round approval this past week, making only minor adjustments. After the budget is passed, the speaker plans to schedule taxation and spending measures. The session is more than two-thirds complete, but we still have many significant issues to discuss. As introduced, LB 406 focused on flood-control infrastructure projects along the lower Platte River. Senator Mike McDonnell, the primary sponsor of LB 406, has offered an amendment to...
PROCEEDINGS ANTELOPE COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS Neligh, Nebraska March 9, 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. Notice of meeting published as required by statute. Approved agenda. Motion and approval with resolution to close 841st Road between 510th and 511th Avenue. Approved payroll. Approved vendor claims: General: JOSEPH ABLER, ex 148.00; A...
In early December, the former chair of the executive board, along with chairs of standing committees, sent an email to senators suggesting they limit the number of bills introduced. This would assist with safety measures being developed for senators and the public, in preparation for the legislative session during a pandemic. However, 684 bills were still introduced during 10 days of bill introduction. Although this number was less than the 739 bills in 2019, it was more than the 667 bills...
For end-of-the-year columns, it’s customary to recap events of the past 12 months, usually highlighting a mix of good and bad. Because this year has been dominated by health, and my beat is health, it seems fitting to reflect on where we are. Where we are is not good. A headline in the Los Angeles Times seemed to sum up the current state of the U.S. health care system: “Bodies pile up, patient care falters as COVID-19 devastates L.A. County hospitals.” In the Times’ story, a hospital critical care nurse says, “No one would believe this is the U...
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...
By now, all registered voters in Nebraska should have had the opportunity to fill out an application for an early (absentee) ballot. That application should be mailed to your county’s Election Commissioner, which for most folks reading this will be your county clerk. Once you have your ballot, please be sure that it is received by your county offices by May 12. I’d like to take this opportunity to encourage all of you reading to exercise your Constitutional right to vote. I won’t use this space...
Two rural Clearwater women have been appointed to fill vacancies on the Antelope County Board of Commissioners. Regina Krebs and Carolyn Pedersen fill board vacancies created by the Oct. 15 recall of commissioners Tom Borer and Allen Bentley, who were elected to the board last November. Pedersen will represent District Five and Krebs, District Three. A panel of Antelope County officials, clerk Lisa Payne, attorney Joe Abler and treasurer Deb Branstiter, interviewed seven potential commissioners...
Holt County Economic Development hosted the 15th year of HomeTown Leadership Institute in Holt County, from March to October 2019. This year's class learned about economic development and housing in Holt County; met with business leaders and entrepreneurs from Box T Brand Staples, Paper and Pencil, The Joyride Roller Rink, Wettlaufer Garden Center, 3 Points Farm, Wildflour Grocer, Agricultural Services and Rowse Rakes; as well as met with local leaders in education, government, health and...
Dalton Rotherham, a junior at Ewing Public Schools, was named the local winner of the Holt County Government Day essay contest. He is the son of Eddie and Karmen Rotherham. Rotherham shared his essay with the Advocate-Messenger. He wrote: I felt that Holt County Government Day was an educational and fun day. One of the first places that we visited was the jail. We learned how things work when you are sent to jail. The officer in the jail showed us how they conduct moving inmates, as well as...
Seats in the Holt County supervisor’s chamber at the courthouse in O’Neill were all occupied and additional chairs were taken in, when the leaders met Monday. Many audience members voiced concerns, during the 10 minutes set aside for public comment, regarding TransCanada’s route across the county, as well as a new transmission line that will also cross the county. Diane Steskal of Stuart presented a letter to the supervisors, signed by herself and her husband, Byron Steskal, regarding the proposed Keystone XL pipeline route. She read the letter...
After I graduated in 2018, I worked in the Antelope County Extension office the summer before my freshman year of college. Since I just graduated high school, I figured it would be a seamless transition from going to school for eight hours a day to working for that same period of time. That thought could not have been farther from reality. I attended the same high school as my mom. Even though there is 22 years between our graduation dates, the school looks fairly similar from her graduation...
The Honorable Donna Taylor sentenced several individuals when she presided over Antelope County Court on Monday, Sept. 9. Tegan O. McLean, 19, of Creighton was sentenced to 30 days in the Antelope County Jail for a conviction of false reporting, a Class 1 misdemeanor committed in Neligh on March 6. In addition, he was fined $500 for a count of possession of marijuana, one ounce to one pound, a Class 3 misdemeanor. He was given credit for three days previously served and assessed $62 costs. A count of contributing to the delinquency of a minor w...
County leaders spent about an hour mulling six “options” for managing Antelope County’s finances in the coming year, when they met last week at the courthouse in Neligh. Lisa Payne, county clerk, presented the commissioners with six scenarios for the annual budget, ranging from what she called the “golden egg” with its seven-cent levy increase, to one that called for no change in the county’s slice of a taxpayer’s pie. She cautioned that the figures were “very preliminary,” intended to give the commissioners a picture to work from. The high en...
Changes to the way Nebraska students learn about civics went into effect Sept. 1, revamping a law which originally entered the books in 1949. A school board's committee on Americanism is now known as the committee on American civics, thanks to passage of Legislative Bill 399, introduced by Sen. Julie Slama, of Peru. The bill requires two committee meetings per calendar year, where public testimony can be entered into the record for each district. Slama, who did not respond to a SAM request for...