Reliable, Trustworthy Reporting, Capturing The Heartbeat Of Our Community
Reliable, Trustworthy Reporting, Capturing The Heartbeat Of Our Community
Sorted by date Results 26 - 47 of 47
Changes are coming to communities served by Catholic parishes that are part of Rural Family K, including St. Theresa's in Clearwater, rural St. John's and St. Peter's in Ewing. In a letter sent to parishioners March 1, Rev. John Norman said a proposal developed by the Family Pastoral Planning Team has been granted tentative approval from Archbishop George Lucas. The plan includes canonical and structural changes. Through the Journey of Faith process, two priests will serve the family of...
Antelope County Commissioners listened to comments from opponents of a proposed carbon-capture pipeline earlier this month. Jane Kleeb, founder of Bold Nebraska, was scheduled to meet with Holt County Supervisors, Feb. 16, but a Central Nebraska snowstorm kept her from making the trek from her home in Hastings to O'Neill. Before Antelope County leaders, Kleeb outlined her organization's fight against the Keystone XL pipeline and how she worked with area landowners to protect property rights. She...
WEEPING WATER – Superintendent Kevin Reiman had a problem. He couldn’t find new teachers. So, in spring 2022, Reiman took an idea to the school board of Weeping Water Public Schools. What about a four-day school week? Reiman expected the board to take a year to study the possibility. Instead, it voted, unanimously: Yes. This fall, Weeping Water became at least the sixth Nebraska school district to adopt a four-day week. It’s a move that thrilled the school’s teachers, burnt out after teaching through a pandemic. And it’s worked better than expe...
This week saw the Legislature conclude the second and final week of all-day committee hearings. The schedule will return to a traditional format, where floor debate is in the mornings and committee hearings in the afternoon. The question of whether Nebraska should legalize medical marijuana will again be considered by the Legislature. Sen.Wishart introduced LB 588, the Medicinal Cannabis Act, which would provide a regulatory framework to establish access to cannabis specifically for medical...
Garrett Dwyer runs about 500 head of Hereford and Angus cattle on his Bartlett ranch on the east edge of the Sandhills. The land he's on today has been in his family since 1894, when his great-great grandfather homesteaded it. Dwyer, who grew up there, is now the fifth generation in his family to ranch this land. But Dwyer didn't take over the family ranch until he did something far from home. For five years, he served in the U.S. Marine Corps, including two combat tours in Iraq. Now he's...
Every session of the Nebraska Legislature features what promises to be a real clunker of a bill. This year's prizewinner – so far – is a proposal to change from a unicameral to a two-house Legislature. Even the sponsor of the measure - LR2CA - admits that the proposed constitutional amendment probably won't get out of committee. Sen. Steve Erdman of Bayard says it will be because of those "people living in the east." The Nebraska Republican Party included in its platform a plank calling for a "...
Orchard residents are urged to complete a survey, offering ideas and opinions for the future of the village. Orchard Village Board of Trustees, along with Five Rule Rural Planning, of Kearney, have partnered to complete planning documents for community improvement projects. The process will include a housing study, comprehensive development plan and downtown revitalization plan. Paper copies of the survey are available at the village office Dusty's and Old School Thrift Store. The survey may...
The Village of Clearwater received good news Thursday. Nebraska Department of Economic Development notified village officials it will be the recipient of a Community Development Block Grant to spearhead downtown revitalization planning. Up to $53,000 will be awarded, with a $5,000 commitment coming from village funds. Five Rule Rural Planning, of Kearney, will work with community members and village officials to complete the plan. Phase one of the project is expected to take place this month...
The Village of Clearwater received good news Thursday. Nebraska Department of Economic Development notified officials it will be the recipient of a Community Development Block Grant to spearhead downtown revitalization planning. Up to $53,000 will be awarded, with a $5,000 commitment from the village. Five Rule Rural Planning, of Kearney, will work with community members and village officials to complete the plan. Phase one of the project is expected to take place this month during an...
REGULAR PROCEEDINGS Village of Clearwater BOARD OF TRUSTEES October 12, 2022 The Board of Trustees of the Village of Clearwater met for a regular meeting Wednesday, Oct. 12, at 7:30 p.m., in the fire hall meeting room. Meeting opened at 7:32 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: Kevin Filsinger, Steve Hankla, Kelly Kerkman, Jeff Schlecht, Cody Kester. Others present:...
After existing for 42 years, Holt County's comprehensive plan will be updated. But, a proposed 18-month moratorium on industrial pipelines, wind and solar power, will not be in effect while updates take place. Supervisors voted 6-0, Wednesday, March 16, to deny the moratorium, following a public hearing in O'Neill. The moratorium request came from the county's planning and zoning commision, which voted 6-2 in favor of the moratorium, March 7, following a two-hour public hearing. At that time, la...
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...
The holiday season is upon us, and for many people that means making purchases for gift exchanges and planning the menu for family and work gatherings. But, for our nation's small business owners, preparing for the biggest and busiest time of the year can take months of hard work and involves more than just inventory on the shelves. While consumers make their lists and check them twice, entrepreneurs have been working behind the scenes to prepare. They've spent nights and weekends learning how...
Survey results regarding street conditions in Clearwater were presented during the village board of trustees' July 12 meeting. Tyler Hillmer of Miller & Associates said results show 48% of residents commute outside of the community for work. "I thought that was a pretty high number for the size of the community," Hillmer stated. Seventy-two percent of residents ranked street conditions as poor and 99% of residents reported automobiles as their primary mode of transportation. "Unsurprisingly,...
A popular conference, geared toward women in agriculture, will be held this spring at Northeast Community College. Registration is currently underway for the 12th annual Northeast Community College AG-ceptional Women’s Conference – a daylong event to be held Friday, March 12, originating from the Lifelong Learning Center on the Northeast campus in Norfolk, with opportunities to attend off campus as well. This year’s conference theme is “AGssential.” The AG-ceptional Women’s Conference - northeast Nebraska’s premier event for women in agri...
Northeast Community College faculty, staff, students, volunteers, donors and other guests gathered Thursday for an event that is literally and figuratively groundbreaking for the institution's agriculture program. A ceremony marked construction that is presently underway on the Nexus project which consists of a new veterinary technology building and a combination farm operations building and large animal handling facility at the new Acklie Family College Farm. The site is located near...
The purchase of a refrigerated semi-trailer and the county fund it was paid from were among matters of contention at the Antelope County commissioners' meeting last week. All five commissioners, several other county officials and others were present in the courthouse meeting room May 5 and the meeting was shared electronically via Zoom. Some of those present were asked to step into the hall at one point, when more than 10 were observed in the room. Jared Reimers addressed the commissioners...
Funeral services for Jacquette "Jackie" Bartak, 84, of Ewing, will be held privately for her family, due to the present healthcare precautions. Burial will be in St. Patrick's Cemetery rural Clearwater. Snider Memorial Funeral Home is handling arrangements. Jackie died March 22 at Antelope Memorial Hospital in Neligh. A memorial service, for the public, will be held at a later date. Condolences may be directed to the family at www.snidermemorialfh.com ~~~ Jacquette Ann Bartak was born July 6,...
Charlie Henery was elected as chair of the Antelope County commissioners for 2020, when they met last week. Henery takes the gavel from Dean Smith, who took on the chairman duties when the former chair was removed from office. Regina Krebs, who was appointed to the board in October 2019, was elected vice chair. Henery and Krebs were each the only nominee for their positions, nominated by commissioners Eli Jacob and Carolyn Pedersen, respectively. Reorganization of the board was delayed until...
A recent New York Times article, "Farm Country Feeds America. But Just Try Buying Groceries There," by Jack Healy, nailed what happens when a community loses its grocery store. The article shares the story of Winchester, Illinois, whose only grocery store shuttered. After fundraising efforts, similar to a grassroots movement we experienced in Clearwater, a community-owned grocery store opened; however, members were unable to land a produce supplier. Now, the store sells produce and baked goods...
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...
The Antelope County commissioners approved preliminary levy allocation requests from political subdivisions, when they met at the courthouse in Neligh on Aug. 6. Regina Krebs addressed the commissioners regarding annual levy allocations for the subdivisions, including rural fire districts, the Antelope County Ag Society and the Antelope County Airport Authority. In past years, the board had sometimes denied the subdivision levy requests, in order to allow the county general budget to levy the...
