Reliable, Trustworthy Reporting, Capturing The Heartbeat Of Our Community
Reliable, Trustworthy Reporting, Capturing The Heartbeat Of Our Community
Sorted by date Results 1 - 25 of 30
Antelope County Commissioners approved hiring Brooke Kumm as the new 4H youth coordinator. Kumm will join the extension staff May 27, 2025, following graduation Commissioner Casey Dittrich asked what the starting salary is for the position. Antelope County Extension Board President Kim Young said the wage will be $20.52 per hour. The wage was built into the office's 2024 budget. Commissioner Regina Krebs asked if the salary is determined by the state. "This is a county position," Young said. You...
An interlocal agreement may be required if Antelope County assists the Village of Clearwater with updates to a portion of River Road, from Highway 275 to the first bridge, heading north. The key word: If. During Tuesday's commissioners' meeting, Brian McDonald, highway superintendent, learned that Clearwater officials asked for a quote to fix the road. "I think you run into some obligation authority on spending county funds on city roads," McDonald said. "I have mixed emotions about dealing...
Casey Dittrich, of rural Tilden, will serve as the District 5 commissioner for Antelope County. Dittrich was appointed Feb. 7, following interviews with Antelope County attorney Joe Smith, county treasurer Deb Branstiter and county clerk Lisa Payne. One other candidate, Duane Miller, also interviewed for the position which came available following the resignation of Keith Heithoff....
Residents in Antelope County District 5 will soon know who will serve as their supervisor following the resignation of current supervisor Keith Heithoff. Antelope County Clerk Lisa Payne announced that applications will be reviewed during a public meeting, scheduled for Wednesday, Feb. 7, at 7 p.m., in the commissioners' meeting room at the courthouse in Neligh. County attorney Joe Smith, county treasurer Deb Branstiter and Payne will conduct the interviews. The individual selected must be a...
A local bank will provide financing for a paver approved for purchase by Antelope County Commissioners on May 9. During the July 3 commissioners’ meeting, in Neligh, lawmakers approved financing for a paving machine, through the Bank of Elgin, following a review of submitted proposals. Commissioner Keith Heithoff made a motion to approve either a 4.7% fixed-interest semi-annual payment or an annual five-year loan, with a payment of $90,000 per year, and a final balloon payment. Commissioner E...
A familiar face will chair the Antelope County Commissioners following a vote by the board, Jan. 10. Charlie Henery was elected to serve as the 2023 chairman, following a 4-0 vote. Keith Heithoff, of Elgin, was elected vice chairperson. Commissioners appointed Tom Nelson to serve as veterans service officer; Bryan Cornett, weed superintendent; Megan Wingate, zoning administrator; LaVern Schroeder, surveyor and Brian McDonald, highway superintendent. Committe appointments for the upcoming year...
Two initiative measures - one requiring photographic identification, one increasing minimum wage - were passed by Nebraska voters during the Nov. 8 General Election. Initiative 432 amends Nebraska's constitution, to require voters to "present valid photographic identification" prior to voting. Nebraska's Legislature will hammer out the details, according to language in the measure. Voters also approved Initiative 433, which will gradually raise the state's minimum wage from the current rate of...
Antelope County has not decided yet whether to install new security windows inside its courthouse in Neligh. The board of commissioners heard a presentation Tuesday, Nov. 10, from Aaron Kinnan of Kinnan Construction near Oakdale about a potential project. Kinnan noted in a follow-up interview that the commissioners are split on whether to have more expensive bullet-resistant – more commonly known as bulletproof – glass or cheaper shatterproof safety glass installed for certain county off...
Antelope County’s annual audit report was released by the Nebraska auditor of public accounts office early this month. Auditors once again advised segregation of duties for the county, overall. The NPA recommended officials weigh the cost to hire additional personnel against the benefit of segregating duties. Drafts of the report outlining auditors’ findings were provided to county officials to review, giving them an opportunity to respond, according to a letter, dated Nov. 2, from Deann Haeffner, assistant deputy auditor. Only one issue ide...
Antelope County is looking into improving courthouse security to better protect its employees. County treasurer Deb Branstiter spoke to the board of commissioners Tuesday, Oct. 13, about purchasing and installing new security windows and related items for various offices inside the courthouse in Neligh. "I recently traveled to Cedar County and Knox County," Branstiter said. "In June, I called six different contractors and got varying responses." Representatives from Glass Edge Inc. of Norfolk...
Charlie Henery, chairman of the Antelope County board of commissioners, told his peers, when they met at the courthouse last Tuesday, June 2, that the condition of a road north of Clearwater embarrassed him. Discussion on 854 Road began as commissioner Eli Jacob asked the road superintendent his timeline for grinding a two mile stretch of 516 Avenue, from Clearwater north to the cemetery. Road boss Aaron Boggs said he first needed to know "where we're going with it." "Well, we either have to...
Antelope County Commissioners approved a motion during an emergency meeting, March 18, to limit access to the courthouse. Beginning March 19, individuals needing to conduct business with local officials will be required to make an appointment with a specific office. The change will be in effect until April 7, or as deemed necessary by Centers for Disease Control and/or state officials. A list of office phone numbers and email addresses will appear on all courthouse doors. Visitors will be met...
Antelope County Commissioners approved a motion during an emergency meeting, March 18, to limit access to the courthouse. Beginning March 19, individuals needing to conduct business with local officials will be required to make an appointment with a specific office. The change will be in effect until April 7, or as deemed necessary by Center for Disease Control and/or state officials. A list of office phone numbers and email addresses will appear on all courthouse doors. Visitors will be met at...
Aaron Boggs of Creighton, who has served as foreman of Antelope County's road department for about a year, was hired to head the department when the county commissioners met at the courthouse in Neligh on March 10. The commissioners entered closed session to consider applications, after an announcement by chairman Charlie Henery just before 11 a.m. "I have to leave by noon or so," he said. "So, we need to go into executive session to talk about personal employee stuff. We need a motion to do...
Bobbi Riser, Region 11 emergency manager, addressed the Antelope County commissioners at their Jan. 14 meeting. She said the Region 11 board had voted at their Dec. 12 meeting to cover the insurance cost for the NRIN equipment, leaving electricity to the tower being the only expense to the county. NRIN is a statewide communication system for law enforcement agencies, with cost of equipment and installation covered by the state. Riser also told the commissioners the county had been awarded a $1,000 grant through Emergency Preparedness program....
With a full board seated at the table, the Antelope County commissioners addressed dust issues on a county road for the second week in a row. Commissioners Carolyn Pedersen and Regina Krebs, who were appointed to fill vacancies the week prior, were sworn into office by Linda Mitchell, Antelope County court magistrate, prior to the nearly six-hour meeting at the courthouse in Neligh last Tuesday, Nov. 12. Tension appeared as issues arose regarding timing of agenda disbursement to commissioners,...
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...
Dean Smith of Brunswick presided over his first meeting as chairman of the Antelope County commissioners last Tuesday, moving to the position from vice chairman after the former chair was removed from office. Two new commissioners had not yet been appointed, leaving Smith, Charlie Henery and Eli Jacob as seated board members to take care of business. The board addressed issues related to a road included in the Thunderhead wind farm road-use agreement. Listed on the agenda under the road...
Two new Antelope County Commissioners will be sworn in when the group meets in regular session, Tuesday, Nov. 12. Regina Krebs and Carolyn Pedersen will fill vacancies following the Oct. 15 recall of commissioners Tom Borer and Allen Bentley. Pedersen will represent District Five, while Krebs will assume duties in District Three. Antelope County Clerk Lisa Payne, county attorney Joe Abler and county treasurer Deb Branstiter met with potential candidates Thursday, in public session, at the...
Voters in two Antelope County commissioner districts spoke, ousting District 3 Commissioner Allan Bentley, of Neligh, and District 5 Commissioner Tom Borer, of Elgin. Unofficial results show 307 votes to recall Bentley, with 174 votes favoring his retention. In District 5, 337 votes were cast to recall Borer, while 187 no votes were returned. The canvassing board was scheduled to meet Wednesday, Oct. 16, to verify results. Pending verification, the two officials will receive notification of the...
A special mail-in election, underway in Antelope County, will close next Tuesday, Oct. 15. County Clerk Lisa Payne has hired a receiving/counting board to help process ballots that day. County voters in two of the county's five commissioner districts received ballots through the United States Postal Service last week. The ballots ask voters if elected officials, Allan Bentley and Tom Borer, should be removed from their positions as county commissioners. "When a ballot is returned, it is logged...
Antelope County commissioners, after hearing comments from several constituents and county officials at a pair of public hearings Sept. 17, adopted the budget for the 2019-2020 fiscal year. The $19,155,429 budget includes asking for $6,114,213 from taxpayers next year through a county levy of .246195. In order to balance all components of the budget, the levy computed by County Clerk Lisa Payne is about one-fourth cent more than the 2.5-cent increase proposed by commissioners in early...
Attendees at the Sept. 10 Antelope County Commissioners' meeting at Neligh's courthouse found new accommodations for hearing county business. A new sound system, including microphones in front of each commissioner, County Clerk Lisa Payne and at the witness table, had been installed. Commissioner Dean Smith acknowledged Invenergy officials for the donation. "I think it is much needed, I have always felt that it was. I appreciated you doing that for the county," he said. "I think it will be a...
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...
The atmosphere in the supervisors’ room at the Antelope County courthouse in Neligh became a bit explosive for a while last Thursday morning. A special Aug. 22 meeting of the county commissioners had been set, exclusively, for budget discussion. However, an item for setting the date of a special recall election was added to the agenda by Lisa Payne, county clerk. As the meeting began, Tom Borer, commission chairman, asked for a motion to remove the item from the agenda. Dean Smith complied, offering the motion. “I think we should wait for the c...
