Reliable, Trustworthy Reporting, Capturing The Heartbeat Of Our Community
Reliable, Trustworthy Reporting, Capturing The Heartbeat Of Our Community
Sorted by date Results 26 - 48 of 48
The Legislature gave second-round approval to budget bills this past week, working late each evening. This will allow the budget to be read on Final Reading next week, meeting the requirement to have it passed by the 50th legislative day. The budget provides funding to cover salary increases recently negotiated with the union and the state for employees at correctional facilities and other 24/7 facilities that were experiencing dangerous staffing shortages. Worker shortages and competition also...
Five defendants were sentenced by the Honorable Mark Johnson in the Antelope County district courtroom in Neligh last Wednesday, Feb. 23. Debra F. Jordan, 55, of Norfolk was sentenced to 364 days in the Antelope County Jail, with credit for 69 days previously served, for her conviction of theft by unlawful taking, a Class 1 misdemeanor. Jordan was also ordered to pay the costs of prosecution in the amount of $210.71 and restitution, in the amount of $360, to JB Mart in Tilden. Jordan, who was represented by Antelope County public defender...
The Legislature spent four hours this past week debating LB 906, which focuses on employer vaccine mandates. As amended by Health and Human Services Committee amendments, LB 906 would apply to businesses with one or more employees but would only pertain to the COVID-19 vaccine. LB 906 clarifies that if an employer requires employees to be vaccinated against COVID-19, an exemption to the mandate is allowed for a medical reason, accompanied by a signed statement from their health care...
Nebraska ranks 40th in the nation for enrollment in a federal initiative providing low-income households a monthly discount on their internet bill. According to a report released by Broadband Now in December, only 11% of households that qualify for the broadband benefit launched last year are enrolled. The Affordable Connectivity Program, formerly the Emergency Broadband Benefit, is a valuable tool in making broadband more affordable to all households. The program provides a monthly discount of...
The Honorable Mark Johnson was thanked by a defendant for amending her bond to allow inpatient addiction treatment. Presiding from the bench in the Antelope County district courtroom in Neligh, Johnson found four defendants guilty Wednesday, Dec. 22, after plea bargains were announced. He ordered presentence investigations and set sentencing Feb. 23 for all four. Samantha F, Lowder, 33, appeared on three counts, theft by receiving stolen property, more than $5,000, a Class 2A felony; possession of methamphetamine, a Class 4 felony; and...
What does it mean to practice humanity in medicine? The phrase is used as a tagline and in book titles. Humanity and compassion in medicine is touted as something to aspire to, a noble accomplishment. But in reality, the biomedical model of health, the business model for healthcare, is not set up to support it. Algorithms and best practices set forth by insurance companies and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid do not account for the time required to establish meaningful human interaction...
The bulk of the criminal case calendar was cleared in about one-half hour last Wednesday, Nov. 24, by Antelope County district court officials in the Neligh courtroom. The Honorable Mark Johnson arraigned one defendant on four felony counts and the remaining defendants were granted continuances of their pretrial hearings. Justin M. Golter, 46, of Orchard, faced Johnson for arraignment on charges alleged Aug. 20, 2020 – Count I, possession of methamphetamine, with intent to deliver (two ounces), a Class 1D felony; Count II, possession of m...
Tyler J. Napier, 31, currently held at the Antelope County Jail, appeared before the Honorable Mark Johnson in the Antelope County district courtroom for a pretrial conference Oct. 27. Napier was accused of, Count I, third-degree domestic assault, a Class 3A felony; Count II, strangulation, a Class 3A felony; Count III, strangulation, a Class 3A felony; Count IV, strangulation, a Class 3A felony; Count V, terroristic threats, a Class 3A felony; and Count IV, third-degree assault, a Class 1 misdemeanor. The alleged crimes took place April 25...
The Honorable Mark Johnson set Jan. 11, 2022, jury trials for several defendants arraigned during the Sept. 29 session of Antelope County district court in Neligh. Tiffany Beckman, 35, of Neligh faced Johnson on allegations of obtaining Medicaid assistance by fraud between Nov. 1, 2018, and April 30, 2020, (in an aggregate in excess of $1,500) and obtaining Nebraska Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits by fraud between Nov. 1, 2018, and Aug. 31, 2020, (in an aggregate in excess of $1,500. Both charges are Class 4 felonies, and...
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...
Hope M. Petite, 27, of Orchard appeared in the Antelope County district court last Wednesday, Aug. 25, alongside her court-appointed attorney, Martin Klein of Neligh, for pretrial hearing on five counts. Charges included, Count I, second-degree assault, a Class 2A felony; Count II, third-degree assault, a Class 1 misdemeanor; Count III, leaving scene of property- damage accident, a Class 2 misdemeanor and counts IV and V, willful reckless driving, Class 3 misdemeanors. Klein announced a plea agreement. In return for Petite’s guilty pleas to cou...
Amanda S. Lemburg, 30, of Atkinson was sentenced to a five-year term of probation last week for financial exploitation of her grandparents in 2019. Probation terms include a written apology to her grandparents, to be approved by her probation officer; shall not possess any debit/credit cards or personal checks other than her own; attend and successfully complete a money management course approved by probation officer; and pay $9,000 restitution to her grandparents, at a rate of $150 per month. In addition, she is ordered to pay $1,830 in...
A Medicaid/SNAP fraud case has been bound over to district court. Tiffany Beckman, 35, of Neligh faced the Honorable Donna Taylor in the Antelope County court in Neligh last Wednesday, Aug. 18, on allegations of obtaining Medicaid assistance by fraud between Nov. 1, 2018, and April 30, 2020, (in an aggregate in excess of $1,500) and obtaining Nebraska Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits by fraud between Nov. 1, 2018, and Aug. 31, 2020, (in an aggregate in excess of $1,500). The charges were filed by Antelope County attorney Joe...
Avera Public Transportation contracts with the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services to provide rides for approved non-emergency medical appointments to those eligible for Medicaid. Drivers take patients, who live approximately 75 miles from O'Neill, to health care destinations, including appointments in Norfolk, Yankton, Omaha, Lincoln, Grand Island, Kearney,Sioux Falls and Sioux City, as well as others. Medicaid-eligible riders need to contact their insurance providers for more...
Tiffany Beckman, 35, of Neligh faced the Honorable Donna Taylor in the Antelope County court in Neligh last Wednesday, Aug. 4, on allegations of obtaining Medicaid assistance by fraud between Nov. 1, 2018, and April 30, 2020, (in an aggregate in excess of $1,500) and obtaining Nebraska Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits by fraud between Nov. 1, 2018, and Aug. 31, 2020, (in an aggregate in excess of $1,500). The charges were filed by Antelope County attorney Joe Abler last month. Both charges are Class 4 felonies. Each carries a...
Senators approved an increase in state spending on initiatives such as broadband, foster care reimbursement rates, pay for people who provide services under Medicaid and rail industrial parks during Nebraska’s 107th legislative session, which adjourned on May 27. Senators also focused on cutting taxes and designated a portion of the state’s FY 2021- 2022 $4.8 billion budget toward tax relief, according to the 2021 general fund budget summary. Sen. Dan Hughes of Venango said this session was different because there was more money to work wit...
April 2021 AbleNet, sup-SPED, 255.00 ACT, preACT package, 126.00; Amazon, print exp, 290.69; Anson Electric, Inc., labor, 65.00; Antelope Memorial Hospital, bus driver phys; 145.00; Appeara, sup, 503.06; Avera St. Anthony’s Hospital, therapy - OT, 670.40; Black Hills Energy, nat gas, 6,814.95; Candlewood Suites, state speech rooms, 599.80; Canon Financial Services, Inc., Print lease, 22.81; Capital One Bk(USA), NA, sup/rooms/equip, 9.249.88; Clearwater Public School - op acct, misc reimb, 387.49; ColdType Publishing, LLC, print, 190.13; C...
The Appropriations Committee advanced their finalized recommendations for the Fiscal Year 2021-22 and 2022-23 biennial budget to the full Legislature. First-round debate took place this past week and all bills were advanced unanimously except LB383, dealing with capital construction. Under the $9.7 billion biennial budget proposal, the two-year average estimated revenue growth is 3.0%, whereas the two-year average growth in spending is just 1.6%. The committee was able to control the growth of spending due to a higher federal match for...
North Central District Health Department will offer a drive-through flu vaccine clinic, Thursday, Oct. 15, in Orchard. The clinic will be held between 2 and 6 p.m., at the Rex Theater. Enter the alley from the east to line up. Individuals taking part are asked to remain in their vehicle and follow the signs. Individuals six months old and older may participate in the clinic. A high-dose vaccine will be available for individuals more than 65 years old. A screening form must be filled out and can be found online at ncdhd.ne.gov. Health...
TRENTON BUHR Policy Assistant Center for Rural Affairs Nearly two years after voters approved a measure to expand Medicaid, Nebraskans will finally start to see the benefits take shape. Enrollment will begin Aug.1. To be eligible, an applicant’s annual income must be at, or below, 138% of the federal poverty level, which is roughly $17,000 for an individual or $35,000 for a family of four. Additional circumstances, such as a health condition, dependents or valuable assets, could alter eligibility. As is standard practice, enrollee eligibility w...
MADELEINE GRANT Nebraska News Service More than 90,000 additional Nebraskans are now eligible to apply for Medicaid, the government’s health insurance program for low-income individuals, the governor has announced. Nebraska residents can begin applying Aug. 1 at ACCESSNebraska.ne.gov and the coverage will take effect on Oct 1. The expansion was first approved in 2018 by Nebraska voters via Initiative 427. The department's Medicaid division submitted state plan amendments to the federal government in April 2019 and made preparations, such as sta...
Prepared. Diane Carlin, chief executive officer of Antelope Memorial Hospital, used the word to describe staff members' efforts to be prepared if the health care facility in Neligh is faced with an influx of COVID-19 patients. "We've done a lot of good work here at the hospital to be prepared. That's been a best part of this - the coming together of staff," Carlin said during a telephone interview Monday afternoon. She said the hospital has had several trial runs with testing patients and have...
For more than a year, I’ve been navigating the health care system for Dad. It’s been an eye-opening experience. I’m not sure you’re ever prepared to take over your parents’ finances and deal with insurance, Medicare and hospice requirements. I know I wasn’t. My saving grace: a family of medical professionals who are willing to help me understand the system and endless forms I’m filing. Our family agrees he receives excellent care at the facility in Battle Creek. We’re encouraged by his willingne...
