Reliable, Trustworthy Reporting, Capturing The Heartbeat Of Our Community
Reliable, Trustworthy Reporting, Capturing The Heartbeat Of Our Community
Sorted by date Results 101 - 125 of 129
There’s an acronym that has been stirring things up in government for the last 30-plus years. It’s called TEEOSA and the mere mention of its name sends senators to consult with staff, lobbyists to check their wallets and school administrators to check with their budget gurus. Since it was passed in 1990, the Tax Equity and Educational Opportunities Support Act has been revamped, revised, retooled, debated and forgotten. Gov.-elect Jim Pillen calls it “our antiquated school aid formula” and has...
Nick Herringer claps along with a metronome. He draws lines on a big screen, repeating patterns drawn by the computer. He identifies icons of cars when they flash before his eyes. This is the 22-year-old's speech and cognitive therapy, which he has been doing at least twice a week. Every week. For three years. Nick's thick brown hair hides a massive, ear-to-ear scar from his four brain surgeries for glioblastoma, an aggressive brain cancer he has battled since he was a teenager. His mom, Tammy Herringer, drives Nick to therapy and back. She...
The North Central District Health Department board of health faced several questions from some of its own membership, Friday, when the group met in O'Neill. Concerns about the structure of the board of health and powers granted to an unidentified executive committee, legal representation, the district's computer system policies and lack of complete inventory, were expressed. James Ward, a Cherry County Commissioner serving on NCDHD's board, asked what action was taken, and when, to form an...
Kylie Adolf knows what it takes to run a successful second-grade classroom. She needs jump ropes. Tissues. Colorful paper. Puzzles. A princess puzzle is always a good idea. But the Omaha second-grade teacher can't request those supplies from her school and expect to find them in her supply closet the next week. There are no funds in the budget for that. Instead, she spends her own money out of her teacher's paycheck. Instead, she posts to Facebook and asks friends and strangers for help. "My...
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...
ADDIE COSTELLO Flatwater Free Press Mary Terry, the longtime village clerk in Cedar Creek, shook her head no whenever Steve Sharp told her she deserved a raise. "Her answer was always the same. It was always, 'You can't afford to give me a raise,'" said Sharp, elected chairperson of the village board in 2010. What Sharp didn't know: Terry, the clerk and treasurer, was giving herself unauthorized raises. She padded her paycheck with more than $75,000 in stolen village funds over six years while...
Even though weather changes daily (and sometimes, minute to minute), it is a constant discussion point. It’s usually one of the few television channels I will tune into while working. Weather has been in the news a lot lately: the May 12 dust and rain storm that caused damage in the area, the nearly month-long days of strong winds this spring, the weekend storms. Sometimes, it feels like I am constantly checking weather notices and sharing updates on the SAM website and our social media c...
Alexander Pope said, “A little learning is a dangerous thing.” Oh, so true. It’s also why I look forward to attending two industry conventions, which take place annually in April. Nebraska Press Women and Nebraska Press Association conventions offer workshops and panel discussions that reinforce our mission here at SAM. They also provide food for thought. That can be dangerous. After attending the NPA get-together in Kearney, Scott and I poured over our notes, tossed around ideas prese...
Six-year-old Elijah Wastell started feeling anxious last fall. It came hard for the Omaha kindergartener at bedtime. His parents tried breathing exercises. They attempted to build his confidence. The anxiety got worse. It got to the point where "he wanted to be in bed with a blanket over his head before the sun went down, which can be tricky in September," said mother Anna Wastell. Elijah himself didn't tie his newfound anxiety to the pandemic that has altered the lives of everyone – i...
The Nebraska Press Association has launched a new public website to provide greater public access and notification to the workings of all government entities and courts in Nebraska. The website – www.nepublicnotices.com – is a cooperative effort of all Nebraska newspapers and is managed through the NPA. The free-access website was initiated in June 2021. Currently, more than 90,000 notices are on the site and more are posted each day. Notices are fully searchable by keyword, type of notice, by...
I’m not sure who first said, “Don’t work hard just for recognition. Work hard for your own inner satisfaction and to better yourself.” The quote is spot on, especially right now. Since starting a writing business in the 90s, I’ve analyzed and reviewed work from the previous year. It’s a way to see your writing range, chart growth, determine if your style has or has not adapted. Basically, it is a measuring stick to set realistic goals and develop new ideas. As a freelancer, I could submit work t...
HASTINGS – With two nurses out sick in early December, charge nurse Osa Brooks found herself scrambling to care for 28 patients. With only one floor nurse available, employees from other units were called in to work the floor or give medications. “It was really scary because I had 10 patients that I was responsible for, and I had another nurse giving medications for me,” Brooks said. Brooks said the chaos scared her because of the chance that she could have missed something, causing her patie...
Summerland elementary students in grades three through five will be building literacy skills via the newspaper, thanks to a grant from the Nebraska Press Association Foundation. The organization granted $10,000 to Kid Scoop News Nebraska, to support its mission to get kids to read more. "As newspaper editors and publishers, we want to do everything we can to promote literacy. I believe the Kid Scoop News can be a great tool in the toolbox for elementary teachers. We appreciate the opportunity...
The Summerland Advocate-Messenger finished third in the Class A digital sweepstakes of the Nebraska Press Association's Better Newspaper Contest. Awards were announced June 17, via video presentation. SAM staff members submitted entires in 58 categories focusing on writing, photography, advertising, digital, design and creativity. According to the Nebraska Press Association, which sponsors the contest, more than 3,100 separate entries, representing nine dailies and 66 weeklies, were judged by...
KLOEE SANDER Nebraska Press Association Every traveler has time to stop for ice cream. And when travelers make it to Potter, Nebraska, the ice cream shop adorned in red and white draws them in. The Potter Sundry old-fashioned soda fountain is home to a classic—the tin roof sundae, which is made of chocolate and vanilla ice cream, chocolate syrup, fluffy marshmallow cream and nuts. As weary wanderers walk into the Sundry, they are stepping back in time. The antique tin ceiling captivates them a...
After more than 50 years of reporting, writing and distributing stories, an Albion couple sent something unusual off to print: a for-sale ad for their newspaper business. Jim and Julie Dickerson own three weekly papers in Boone County: the Albion News and Petersburg Press — both of which they have owned for 13 years — and The St. Edward Advance, which they have owned since 2018. They are looking to sell all three. Jim Dickerson, 67, writes and reports on meetings and community events, and Jul...
A community journalist with Nebraska ties joined the Advocate-Messenger staff, July 22. Mark Mahoney, an Omaha native and University of Nebraska-Lincoln graduate, will cover the Antelope County Commissioners and general beat articles. Originally a biochemistry major, Mahoney realized science wasn't for him after taking a 100-level biochemistry class aimed at weeding out people from that program. "I looked at other possible majors and I realized I was a good writer, so I considered English and...
The Nebraska School Activities Association is preparing to begin the 2020 fall sports season as currently scheduled. First practices for football, volleyball, cross country, girls' golf, boys' tennis and softball are set to begin Aug. 10. "The health and safety of our student participants, coaches and officials has been our priority as we work to provide activities for our member schools," the association said in a press release. "This will not change and modifications may have to be made. Pleas...
MADELEINE GRANT Nebraska News Service Ballot initiatives that encourage economic development and repeal slavery language in the state constitution will appear on the Nebraska ballot in November. The Nebraska Tax Increment Financing Repayment Amendment increases the repayment period for TIF in blighted areas, which can help stimulate economic growth. The second amendment on the ballot is Remove Slavery as Punishment for Crime, which removes language in the Nebraska state constitution that says slavery can be used as punishment for a crime. Both...
A Wayne State College senior will join the Summerland Advocate-Messenger staff, as an intern, through a program sponsored by the Nebraska Press Association. Morgan Cardenas, a 2016 graduate of Gothenburg Public Schools, majors in journalism, with a minor in online, social and electronic media at WSC. She was originally accepted into the Rural Health Opportunities Program at WSC. "After about two years, I realized that it wasn't what I actually wanted to do with my life. I have loved to read and...
A Holt County supervisor recently traveled to Washington, D.C., to participate in the National Association of Counties Legislative Conference. Bill Tielke, chairman of the county supervisor board, was notified in January that he had been appointed to the association's Environment, Energy and Land Use Policy Steering Committee. The committee is responsible for matters pertaining to air, water, energy and land use – including such things as water resources/management; stormwater; pesticides; a...
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...
After seeking advice from county attorney Joe Abler, the Antelope County commissioners approved issuing a COVID-19 pandemic disaster declaration for Antelope County, beginning Jan. 31, and continuing, per recommendation of the Nebraska Association of County Officials. The attorney was called after county clerk, Lisa Payne, suggested the declaration be backdated to January. After further discussion and Abler's input, the declaration was approved unanimously and dated April 14, but covered...
Organizations and institutions across Nebraska are taking precautionary measures amidst concerns about COVID-19. While no cases have been reported in Antelope, Holt or Wheeler counties, the North Central District Health Department has identified a presumptive positive case in Knox County. NCDHD received notification a Cherry County individual tested negative for the disease. Here is a list of cancellations, as of Friday, March 13: Fish fries On Thursday, the Archdiocese of Omaha requested its...
The Holt County supervisors addressed a recent article submitted to area media when they met at the courthouse Monday, Nov. 18. According to the letter submitted by Holt County attorney Brent Kelly, published in the Nov. 20 edition of the Advocate and online at SummerlandAdvocate.com, and by other area news media, his purpose was to explain some of the issues county residents and elected officials will face as TC Energy proceeds with its effort to build a pipeline. Chairman Bill Tielke turned...
