Reliable, Trustworthy Reporting, Capturing The Heartbeat Of Our Community
Reliable, Trustworthy Reporting, Capturing The Heartbeat Of Our Community
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An agreement outlining responsibilities for road upkeep during potential pipeline construction, signed by TC Energy and Holt County officials, is no longer in effect. County supervisors voted to terminate the road haul agreement, April 28, during the board's regular meeting. Holt County Attorney Brent Kelly said TC Energy lawyers, from MacGrath North, in Omaha, reached out regarding the agreement. "To make sure their I's are dotted and T's are crossed, they want to go ahead and terminate those...
TC Energy terminated its project along the proposed 1,200-mile Keystone XL route, last Wednesday. The company suspended construction in January after President Biden revoked a presidential permit to cross the US - Canada border. Approximately 300 miles of the $8 billion project was completed. The pipeline would have carried tarsands from Alberta to refineries along the Gulf Coast in Texas. Pipeline opponents in the Cornhusker state expressed concerns that any leak along the route would damage...
After nearly 13 years of debate, impact studies, hearings and executive orders, a proposed pipeline route criss-crossing Holt and Antelope counties will not be constructed. In one of his first actions as president, Joe Biden revoked the Keystone XL pipeline permit, Jan. 20. The pipeline would have stretched from Alberta, Canada, across the U.S. border and through Montana, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas, pushing approximately 800,000 barrels of tar sands oil a day. Per...
Holt County Board of Adjustment members unanimously upheld a previous decision, made by county supervisors, to deny a pipeline application permit, until TC Energy agrees to follow proposed conditions. The decision was announced Thursday, when the board reconvened a meeting that started Oct. 30. The meeting lasted approximately 45 minutes. In February, Holt County supervisors voted to deny the permit, until conditions laid out by the county planning commission are met, noting TC Energy must have...
A decision on an appeal regarding TC Energy's application for a pipeline construction permit in Holt County will wait a little longer. Following nearly 3 and one-half hours of testimony by 60 individuals during a public hearing Oct. 29, at O'Neill's community center, the Holt County board of adjustment recessed until Thursday, Nov. 5, at 2 p.m. In February, Holt County supervisors voted to deny the permit, until conditions laid out by the county planning commission, are met. In denying the permi...
At the regular board meeting on Oct. 5, the Holt County Ag Society discussed bids submitted for a proposed concession stand and restroom project at the fairgrounds. On Oct. 14, groundbreaking took place for a new 25-foot by 68-foot concession stand, restroom and ticket booth. Five board members were present to kick off the project. During the Oct. 5 meeting, the board discussed starting the project this fall, with a tentative completion date of July 15, 2021. The board has been using a...
Last week, I spent part of Thursday, Friday and Saturday meeting colleagues via Zoom, taking part in sessions of the National Newspaper Conference. The socially-distanced version offered multiple chances for sharpening skills and networking with newspaper publishers and reporters from across the United States. The event renewed nearly all of the ethics I believe are key to providing community journalism. And, several sessions left me re-evaluating some ideas newspapers use because “it’s the way...
NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING HOLT COUNTY BOARD OF ADJUSTMENTS October 29, 2020 NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the Holt County Board of Supervisors will hold a public hearing, Oct. 29, 2020, at 4 p.m., in the O’Neill Community Center, O’Neill, Nebraska. This meeting will be open to the public. The purpose of the meeting is to hear public comment on the TC Energy Pipeline Construction Permit Application Appeal in Holt County, Nebraska /s/Gene Kelly Holt County Board of Adjustments Chairman Publish October 8 and October 15, 2020 ZNEZ...
NOTICE OF REGULAR MEETING HOLT COUNTY BOARD OF ADJUSTMENTS October 29, 2020 NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the regular meeting of the Holt County Board of Adjustments will be held, Thursday, Oct. 29, 2020, immediately following the public hearing on the TC Energy Pipeline Construction Permit Application Appeal, at the O’Neill Community Center, O’Neill, Nebraska. The meeting will be open to the public. The current agenda is kept continuously current and shall be available for public inspection at the office of the County Clerk in the Holt Cou...
istory, the Holt County Board of Adjustment held an organizational meeting, Sept. 24, to elect a chairman and set parameters for an Oct. 29 public hearing on the TC Energy pipeline construction permit application appeal. O’Neill resident Gene Kelly was selected chairman and presided over the meeting, which ran approximately two hours. Board members opted to hold the hearing at the O’Neill Community Center, scheduled to begin at 4 p.m., with sign-up scheduled to begin at 3 p.m. A list of cri...
An Antelope County commissioner had several questions about an annual agenda item during the board’s meeting Tuesday, Sept. 8, in Neligh. Commissioner Dean Smith was curious about the 2020 inventories of county personal property, which had been presented to the board the previous week. However, due to the absence of the inventory of the county sheriff’s office at the time, the commissioners delayed acting on the agenda item. “How thoroughly have they been reviewed?” Smith asked about the inv...
Holt County Supervisors faced a Shakespearean-like conundrum during the group’s Aug. 31 meeting at the Holt County Courthouse. To include $2.5 million, monies promised by TC Energy for a road-use agreement, or not to include that amount in the upcoming road and bridge budget, dominated more than an hour of discussion. Without payment in hand, the proposed levy would cost taxpayers an additional eight pennies, jumping to 36.25 cents, a 31% increase. In the end, supervisors agreed to pursue a $...
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...
Northeast Community College is thrilled to announce that TC Energy and the TC Energy Foundation have donated $500,000 to its Nexus campaign to support the construction of new agriculture facilities at the College. The donation will further enable students to take courses in areas of crop production, livestock, crop science, entomology, forages, chemicals, marketing, sales and a number of other fields to form a strong foundation in the agriculture field. The donation was presented by Trevor Jones, government and community relations advisor for...
Antelope County Commissioners will look at potential road projects, Sept. 1, during the one- and six-year road plan hearing, scheduled for 9:30 a.m., in the commissioners’ meeting room. Antelope County road boss Aaron Boggs said he is “not 100% sure” which projects will be approve. Boggs and highway superintendent Brian McDonald, will share a list of current projects and future upgrades. “Basically, we submit a wish list,” Boggs said. Commissioners will determine which projects get the green...
The Antelope County Board of Commissioners has approved a road-use agreement for the duration of potential construction of the Keystone XL Pipeline. However, the board’s decision was neither quick nor unanimous, as the commissioners discussed the agreement for about an hour and 40 minutes during their nearly five-hour meeting, Tuesday, Aug. 4, at the courthouse in Neligh. Board chair Charlie Henery and commissioners Eli Jacob and Carolyn Pedersen approved the agreement as presented, while v...
The Antelope County commissioners voted, last week, to issue $3 million in bonds to repair county roads. All five commissioners voted aye to a motion made by commissioner Carolyn Pedersen, seconded by commissioner Eli Jacob, late in an eight-hour meeting at the courthouse in Neligh on July 14. Proceeds from bonds will allow county employees to complete projects totaling more than $2.5 million yet this calendar year, road superintendent Aaron Boggs told the Advocate-Messenger. "Big-money" overlay...
Antelope County commissioners worked a little closer to resolving a plethora of road issues last week, although no decision was reached for bonding more work. The bulk of the July 7 meeting at the courthouse in Neligh was dedicated to county roads, in one form or another. After clearing the agenda of other business and more than an hour of discussion with road superintendent Aaron Boggs, an unofficial agreement was reached, giving Boggs direction to move forward with work on four heavily...
The Holt County supervisors finalized seating of a board of adjustment when they met at the courthouse in O’Neill last Tuesday, June 30. Vice chair Steve Boshart presided, due to the potential for board of adjustment action related to TC Energy matters, with which chairman Bill Tielke has a declared conflict of interest. Clayton Goeke of Atkinson was selected, by written ballot from a pool of three interested citizens, to serve as the alternate board member. Goeke garnered three votes, Cheri Frisch of Atkinson, two, and Tom Schaaf of Lynch, non...
Antelope County commissioners approved an upgrade to security technology at the Antelope County Jail when they met at the courthouse in Neligh last week. After hearing some security-sensitive information during an executive session called on the advice of county attorney Joe Abler, the board heard a presentation by Rick Scheer with Control Masters, an Omaha technology company. Scheer said Control Masters is one of just a few companies in the country that provide corrections’ electronic services and he was asked to resolve some security e...
The Holt County supervisors approved hiring a human resource firm when they met at the courthouse in O’Neill on April 16. With all seven supervisors in attendance at the meeting, the leaders voted 5-2 to contract with Zelle Human Resources of Lincoln to provide consulting services for an initial six-month term, after holding a phone conference with Zelle representative Chad Thies. Supervisors Bob Snyder and Don Butterfield voted nay. According to Thies, the firm would update the county’s employee handbook, making sure it is relevant and mak...
June 30 retirement of longtime Antelope County clerk of the district court, Judy Cole was announced during the April 14 meeting of the Antelope County commissioners. The meeting was held via video conference, with commissioner Eli Jacob and chairman Charlie Henery present in the meeting room, along with clerk Lisa Payne. Commissioners Dean Smith, Regina Krebs and Carolyn Pedersen participated remotely via Zoom. Sheriff Bob Moore, county attorney Joe Abler, zoning administrator Liz Doerr and...
The Holt County supervisors held a regular meeting at the courthouse in O’Neill last Tuesday, March 31, with all seven supervisors in attendance. The supervisors adopted a resolution, declaring a state of emergency in the county, beginning Jan. 31 and continuing, due to the health and safety of county citizens in relation to a global pandemic. The declaration allows expenditure of emergency funds if deemed necessary. Chad Thies with Zelle Human Resource Solutions in Lincoln discussed a proposed contract via phone conference. The board took t...
Holt County supervisors are considering the engagement of a human resources firm to help navigate employment issues. A telephone conference was held with Chad Thies from Zelle Human Resource Solutions in Lincoln during the March 16 meeting at the courthouse in O'Neill. After hearing what the firm offered in services, chairman Bill Tielke asked Thies to submit a proposal. Supervisor Steve Boshart estimated an annual cost of $36,000 to $40,000. "It will be high," Tielke said. "But the thing is, if...
Aaron Boggs of Creighton, who has served as foreman of Antelope County's road department for about a year, was hired to head the department when the county commissioners met at the courthouse in Neligh on March 10. The commissioners entered closed session to consider applications, after an announcement by chairman Charlie Henery just before 11 a.m. "I have to leave by noon or so," he said. "So, we need to go into executive session to talk about personal employee stuff. We need a motion to do...
