Reliable, Trustworthy Reporting, Capturing The Heartbeat Of Our Community
Reliable, Trustworthy Reporting, Capturing The Heartbeat Of Our Community
Sorted by date Results 851 - 875 of 910
Phase one: complete. With Tuesday's successful passage of the Summerland school bond, board of education members from Clearwater, Ewing and Orchard plan to meet Wednesday, Nov. 20, in Ewing, to start phase two of the consolidation and building processes. Ewing Principal Greg Appleby said, "We have a lengthy agenda to discuss a number of items, including policy." Dale Martin, superintendent of Nebraska Unified District #1, which includes Clearwater and Orchard, said a number of items need to be...
Veterans Day took on special significance, Monday, Nov. 11, as Summerland communities showed appreciation for veterans who have fought for and continue to defend our country's freedoms. Veterans and American Legion Auxiliary members attended the events, which included guest speakers and patriotic music. Students from Clearwater, Ewing and Orchard schools participated in programs at their respective schools. In Clearwater, members of the American government class talked about the Korean War....
With the passage of the Summerland school bond, Clearwater, Ewing and Orchard boards of education will meet in joint session, Wednesday, Nov. 20, in Ewing. Nebraska Unified Superintendent Dale Martin submitted the following agenda to the Advocate-Messenger for publication. A Special Joint Meeting of the Clearwater Original Board of Education, the Ewing Board of Education, and the Orchard Original Board of Education will be held on Wednesday, November 20, 2019, at 7:00 p.m. at Ewing Public School. A Special Joint Meeting of the Clearwater...
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...
All the world's a stage, and on Nov. 19, actors from Niobrara Valley Conference east division schools will take center stage in Ewing. Curtain for the first performance is at 9 a.m., with Pope John taking the stage. Other performances include: Verdigre - 9:45 a.m. Elkhorn Valley - 10:30 a.m. Ewing - 11:15 a.m. LUNCH BREAK Clearwater/Orchard - 12:45 p.m. Niobrara - 1:30 p.m. Neligh-Oakdale - 2:15 p.m. Elgin - 3:30 p.m. Awards will begin at approximately 4:45 p.m., or as soon as possible...
The Honorable Donna Taylor sentenced several defendants when she presided over Antelope County court Wednesday, Nov. 6. Falisha A. Dewey, 31, of Afton, Missouri, appeared for arraignment on a Class 1 misdemeanor charge of third-degree assault, related to an incident at the Riverside Park campground in Neligh on July 31. Dewey, represented by Patrick Carney, Antelope County public defender, pleaded no contest to a charge of third-degree assault, fight by mutual consent, reduced pursuant to terms of a plea agreement with Joe Abler, Antelope Count...
The condition of an Antelope County road that connects U.S. Highway 275 and U.S. Highway 20 - a road that will see an increase in traffic if Tuesday's Summerland school bond is approved - was a discussion point during recent informational community meetings. It's a topic that has also been discussed at the school board level and during subcommittee meetings throughout the process, according to Dale Martin, superintendent of Nebraska Unified District #1. "Roads haven't been ignored. The focus...
Hadley Cheatum, Avery Cheatum and Kaci Wickersham, students at Orchard Public School, will sing the national anthem at the 2019 Class C1 football championship at Memorial Stadium, in Lincoln, Nov. 26. Approximately 200 auditions were submitted for consideration. The game will be televised on NET, with the trio scheduled to sing at 10:12 a.m....
When I submitted my column this past month, I presented the piece to one of my education professors to receive her input. As luck had it, the dissertation she spent three years researching and writing for her doctoral program focused on the transition from high school to college. Furthermore, her research focused on college freshman not being legitimately prepared for the academic struggles college presents. As she read through my article, she circled questions I presented in my writing that...
I am a Page resident, grandparent of students, and landowner in the Orchard district. I think there were 103 kids in the Page school when my kids started there in 1993. A few years later, families started transferring out as classes got smaller. Fourteen years later, Page had four students and five employees, and they closed. Orchard has 79 students in K-8 this year. I know that Orchard has enough money, but if the Summerland school bond doesn’t pass and families leave, which they will, I don’t think the Orchard school will even make it 10 mor...
Orchard Public School released its first quarter academic honors recently. Students receiving all A's are named to the principal's honor roll, including Cody Wickersham, Wyatt Shabram, Connor Thomson, Ashley Melcher, Moxon Fox, Sam Cheatum, Gunnar Shabram, Hadley Cheatum, Madison Melcher, Taelyn Switzer, Mason Hoke, Gage Clifton, Levi Cronk, Carter Bergman, Avery Cheatum, Kaci Wickersham and Grace Maxwell. Students who averaged 85% to 100% are named to the B honor roll. Those students include...
An Antelope County commissioner will face a jury of his peers in the county courtroom in January, more than a year after the alleged theft of county property. Eli Jacob, 66, of Clearwater, who is accused of taking a furnace from the Orchard county barn last January, faced the Honorable Donna Taylor last Wednesday for a pretrial hearing in the case. Madison County Attorney Joseph Smith, as special prosecutor for Antelope County, told Taylor he anticipates a two-day trial, possibly three days,...
Ballots for the proposed Summerland school building project were expected to be mailed Wednesday, Oct. 23. That's a change from information presented during an informational meeting, Oct. 20, in Orchard. During the meeting, an estimated mailing date of Oct. 28 was mentioned. Tobin Buchanan, financial analyst for First National Capital Markets, said after visiting with election commissioners in Antelope and Holt counties, Oct. 21, they agreed to mailing ballots Wednesday, due to turn-around...
Getting kids involved with other cultures and people from different countries is one way many schools benefit in the United States. Orchard Public Schools is blessed with a second foreign exchange student for the 2019-20 school year. Silvia Bode-Garcia, an 18-year-old from Margarita Island, Venezuela, joins Madleen Repein, from Germany. Bode-Garcia will reside with Sam and Barb Schwager during the school year and will be a member of the senior class. Silvia wanted to become an exchange student...
I attended the Summerland building project meeting in Orchard on Sunday night, Oct. 20. There was a lot of important information shared. There is never a good time to ask taxpayers to build a school, but there is a right time. The three communities have realized they need each other. The old rivalries have been pushed aside. I went to school through eighth grade in Page, in a building that someone else paid for. I then went to high school in Orchard, and our four children followed, in a school that someone else paid for. I cannot think of a...
It took five sets for Summerland to put away Elkhorn Valley in a classic Niobrara Valley Conference regular season match, played Oct. 15, in Orchard. The Bobcats pounced on the visiting squad, taking set one, 25-19. But, the Falcons responded with identical 25-22 wins in sets two and three. Summerland refused to give in, powering through the fourth set, picking up a 25-18 win. The final set belonged to the Bobcats, grinding out a 15-5 win. Three Bobcats reached double figures in hitting. Ashley...
Eli Macke exploded downfield on the opening play of the game for a 75-yard touchdown, but it wasn't enough spark to keep the Cyclones in the hunt for a win against St. Mary's. The Redbirds downed OC, 32-16, in an Oct. 18 contest played in Orchard. Macke's game-starting run resulted in the only points for either team in the first quarter. Aidan Hedstrom scooted in from the 3-yard line in the second quarter, narrowing OC's lead. The PAT failed. Hedstrom connected with Connor Semin for a 4-yard...
Jesse J. White, 27, of Creighton faced the Honorable Donna Taylor last Wednesday, Oct. 16. Originally charged with a felony count of leaving the scene of a personal injury accident, White was scheduled for a preliminary hearing. However, after a review of the charge revealed the statute cited had been removed from state law, Antelope County Attorney Joe Abler amended the complaint, charging White with two misdemeanor counts, false reporting, a Class 1 misdemeanor; and leaving the scene of a property-damage accident, a Class 2 misdemeanor....
The Antelope County Commissioners worked through their agenda in short order Oct. 8, at the Neligh courthouse, authorizing claims and payroll before hearing Casey Dittrich's road report and a complaint that had been posted on social media. "We had some complaints about south of Clearwater, grinding up the road," Dittrich said. "I reached out to some of the people who started a post on Facebook that's gained a lot of attraction," he said. The road in question is 846 Road, from the bridge...
Close Up participants from Clearwater and Orchard will host a breakfast, Sunday, Oct. 20. Serving will begin at 8:30 a.m. and continue until 1 p.m. at the Clearwater Public School multi-purpose room. A free-will donation will be accepted. Funds raised will be used to defray trip costs....
Orchard’s advisory board of education faced a short agenda when they met in the high school business room last Wednesday, Oct. 9. Principal Cathy Cooper updated board members Candace Hoke, Kristi Schutt, DeAnna Clifton and Nate Schwager on recent parent-teacher conferences. She reported a 93% elementary parent turnout, with 71% participation at the high school level. “That’s a really good percentage and it probably went up, because a couple of parents and teachers got together and talked at an alternate time,” she said. “We probably were clos...
The Oct. 10 edition of the Summerland Advocate Messenger included a section of frequently asked questions regarding the proposed Summerland school building project. Questions and responses were supplied by Bobcats Unite, a group of volunteers from Clearwater, Ewing and Orchard communities who have been researching the issue, finding answers to questions and presenting information to the public. This article contains the second half of questions and responses. Summary Statements (based on...
The Nebraska Department of Education released AQuESTT profiles last Wednesday. Accountability for a Quality Education System Today and Tomorrow is an assessment of the state's schools that was developed to ensure all students across backgrounds and circumstances have access and opportunities for success, according to David Jesperson, public information officer for the Nebraska Department of Education AQuESTT annually classifies schools and the state's districts as excellent, great, good, or need...
Fire fighers and emergency medical personnel from six area fire departments participate in a two-session extrication training, Thursday, Oct. 10 and Saturday, Oct. 12, at the Ewing Fire Hall. Ewing Fire Chief Chad Napier said the first session involved classroom training, while Saturday's time was divided between classroom and hands-on training. The drill included a multi-vehicle collision, with personnel attempting to remove injured individuals from vehicles. "Vehicles are always changing, so...
Approximately 120 individuals attended an informal gathering at Summerland Golf Course, Oct. 6, to learn facts and figures associated with the Summerland school building project. Tobin Buchanan, a bond analyst with First National Capital Markets, said the Summerland project, when compared to others he has worked with, is unique. Most bond projects involve a rural community, often with a 100-year-old, three-tier building "that's outlived its usefulness." "(With that scenario) you're not...
