Reliable, Trustworthy Reporting, Capturing The Heartbeat Of Our Community
Reliable, Trustworthy Reporting, Capturing The Heartbeat Of Our Community
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A new business offering home upgrades hopes to build a small business into a full-time gig. Travis Shaffer, of Orchard, started T. Shaffer Home Improvement three months ago. According to Shaffer, the venture started when he was working on a project for his father-in-law. People started complimenting his work and asked if he could complete projects for them. Shaffer thought he would try a small business to see if he could eventually make it a full-time business, since he is still working a...
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...
The first class of Summerland seniors to spend a school year together, under one roof, received diplomas, Saturday, in a 4 p.m. ceremony in the school's gymnasium. Seniors entered the gymnasium to the strains of "Pomp and Circumstance," played by the Summerland band, under the direction of Emily Heithoff. Superintendent Kyle Finke welcomed students, family and guests. He asked seniors to think back to the first day of classes in August, when he announced one word to describe the year:...
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...
The publisher of one of the state's newest weekly newspapers has been named the Nebraska Press Women Communicator of Achievement, according to Ruth Brown, NPW COA director. LuAnn Schindler, who publishes the Summerland Advocate Messenger in northeast Nebraska, received the award at the NPW fall conference, Saturday, Oct. 9, in Grand Island. The award recognizes achievement in the communications profession, service to the community and industry and leadership in the organization. A native of Clay...
Family entertainment filled Saturday's schedule during the annual Page Community Day celebration. A sand dig delighted many youngsters, who dug tunnels and holes in a large sandpile, in search of buried treasure. The bicycle parade drew approximately 25 participants. Decorations ranged from unicorns to tractors, princesses to daredevils. People gathered in Lamason Park for a watermelon feed before venturing across the street to watch the firefighters' water fights. Members of the Page Fire...
A full slate of activities is on tap, with events for all ages, during Page Community Day, Aug. 28. The Frederick Cronk Memorial Trap Shoot will begin at 9 a.m. Signs will be posted, directing contestants and spectators to the event. Kountry Korner Cafe will open at 10:30 a.m. and serve food until 4:30 p.m. Die-hard Cornhusker fans will be able to watch Nebraska take on Illinois on the big screen TV, starting at noon. Youngsters won't want to miss the sand dig. Money and prizes will be up for...
Most individuals have heard about service dogs that help individuals with physical or mental disabilities. But, have you ever heard of comfort dogs? Unlike service dogs, comfort dogs are trained to serve the needs of multiple people, not just one. They travel across different states and provide comfort to those who have been through tough situations, are terminally ill, have never seen a dog in real life or even just come to libraries and teach others about comfort dogs. On July 23, Katie Comfor...
They’ve hidden Easter eggs, frightened visitors at haunted houses, celebrated July 4 with a bang and planned the village’s sesquicentennial event. They’ve conducted fundraisers and reinvested in the community. Now, after nearly 26 years, those who are part of the Ewing Young Members Club are ready to relax and let the next generation of leaders organize the fun. It’s been a lot of work, organizers say, but it’s time to let younger community members take charge. In 1993, a group of men started t...
The Page Community Day Committee hosted a cookoff, Sunday. Ten competitors turned up the heat, entering soups ranging from chicken noodle to chili, zuppa toscana to chipotle sweet potato chili, cheeseburger to black bean soup. Even a pan - of the plastic variety - featured turtle soup, although most guests passed on the cuisine, preferring to watch the creatures swim in a dishpan. Organizer Joni Isom said individuals from Page, Bartlett, O'Neill and Clearwater participated in the event....
As winter finally looks like it may be exiting, but before we usher in spring, what better way to spend a Sunday evening than at a soup cookoff. The Page community will host the cookoff, Sunday, March 7. Serving will be from 5 to 8 p.m., or until soups are gone, at the new Page fire hall. All funds will be used for putting on Page Community Day, Saturday, Aug. 28. Judges will be available to choose first, second and third places. In addition, all those attending may vote for their favorite by...
If 2020 vision existed, the past year may have turned out differently. Or, maybe we needed this year to define our strengths and guide us toward a revision of what we deem as normal. The year 2020 caused us to slow down and realize what matters most. While coronavirus - and all its implications - dominated the news cycle, other news items drew attention: groundbreaking for the new school site, cruise nights honoring graduates, new businesses opening and surviving a pandemic, pumpkin patches spro...
A common conversation at our house focuses on the difference between fact and opinion. I’m positive Scott knows the first words I’ll say when we discuss news or politics: Have you fact-checked it? Recently, during discussions with friends and other families, I’ve noticed similar trends. I know, I say fact check a lot. At a time when so many options exist for your news listening or reading habit, and considering how the fast-paced nature of news bombards consumers, fact versus opinion findi...
Holt and Antelope county residents who want to request ballots in person to vote early, must do so by 5 p.m. Monday, Nov. 2, at either county clerk’s office in O’Neill or Neligh, respectively. All ballots for early voting must be returned to the county clerk’s office by 8 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 3, either in person, by mail or in the courthouse’s dropbox. The polls will be open 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Election Day across both counties, including at the following sites: -Brunswick Precinct: Brunswick Community Room. -Clearwater Precinct: America...
Family fun is on tap for Saturday’s Page Community Day celebration. The Fredrick Cronk Memorial trap shoot will start the day’s events, at 9 a.m. A horseshoe tournament, scheduled for 10 a.m., will be held in Lamason Park. Burgers and hot dogs will be available between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. Kids are invited to decorate their bicycles and show them off during the kids’ bike show. The event will begin at 1 p.m. Free watermelon will be served at Lamason Park at 1 p.m. Members of the Page Volun...
Facing a fierce public outcry, the U.S. Postal Service is “suspending” its sudden cost-cutting moves — tossing out high-speed sorting machines, uprooting collection boxes, reducing Post Office hours and eliminating carrier overtime — that have slowed mail delivery and threatened the on-time delivery of mail-in ballots for the presidential election. That’s all to the good, but it’s important to understand that the changes to USPS that Postmaster General Louis DeJoy and the current administration...
A quest to visit all 531 incorporated towns in Nebraska has turned into a geography lesson for residents of the state. University of Nebraska-Omaha college students Seth Varner and Austin Schneider, of Wahoo, got the idea after college classes moved to online learning in March, when the coronavirus pandemic curbed traditional learning and sent college students back home for the semester. The statewide road trip is similar to a venture Varner took with his dad nearly a decade ago. "We were going...
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...
Orchard principal Cathy Cooper told Orchard board members that graduation is still planned, when the original and advisory boards met recently. She said graduation will “definitely” take place, but factors regarding timing will have to be worked out. Cooper is consulting with other administrators in the Unified district regarding graduation and other end-of-year award ceremonies. “Safety is obviously the first priority,” she said. “We definitely want to recognize our seniors…We’re still planning for graduation…there are just so many things that...
The Honorable Kale Burdick, in Holt County court last week, sentenced Joshua A. Boettcher, 28, to serve 30 days in the Holt County Jail for a Class 2 misdemeanor count of theft, less than $500. The complaint, filed in June 2019, stated Boettcher took movable property of another between Jan. 9, 2018, and Jan. 9, 2019. Boettcher will serve a 45-day sentence at the same time on a conviction of second-degree forgery, a Class 2 misdemeanor committed Oct. 27, 2018, included in the same complaint. As part of a plea agreement entered in October 2019,...
Holt County citizens filled the county supervisors’ meeting room in the courthouse last Friday morning as the county leaders took care of business. Bryan Steskal of Steskal read a letter penned by his wife, Diana Steskal, who was unable to attend the meeting. In the letter, Steskal wrote the Holt County zoning board members denied TransCanada’s conditional use permit until two conditions are met, including one that requires obtaining easements. Many, she said will most likely be appealed. She also cited three federal court cases filed aga...
Diners searching for old-fashioned comfort food, classic staples and decadent desserts can venture four miles off U.S. Highway 20 and discover Kountry Korner Cafe in Page. Tyson Peed assumed managerial duties Sept. 18 after attending several community meetings about the future of the business. "I didn't even think this would be a possibility," he said. At one meeting, investors told community members the cafe was slated to be shuttered Oct. 1. "I didn't know if anybody else would take over. I...
Clearwater, Ewing and Orchard school boards covered a long list of agenda items, Nov. 20, during a three and one-half hour meeting, in Ewing. Discussion focused on the new Summerland school district, which will take effect June 6, 2020. While a chunk of the meeting was spent discussing staffing and administration timeline, other topics included the new district's reorganization petition, selection of Summerland school board members, policies, curriculum and sales of assets. Steve Williams,...
The Norfolk campus of Northeast Community College was filled with the sound of music early last week, as a number of the region's top high school musicians and vocalists had the opportunity to participate in an honors program through the institution's music department. HAWKFEST, in its second year, featured 110 students from 23 schools, including three musicians from Clearwater Public Schools. The event featured daylong rehearsals, capped off by a public performance in the college's Lifelong...
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...
