Reliable, Trustworthy Reporting, Capturing The Heartbeat Of Our Community
Reliable, Trustworthy Reporting, Capturing The Heartbeat Of Our Community
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Attorneys with the Nebraska attorney general’s office will serve as special Holt County attorneys, to prosecute a case involving the death of a 13-month-old child. Bryor Weekley, born May 14, 2020, died July 8, allegedly as a result of child abuse at the hands of his biological father, John T. Applegarth, 22, of O’Neill. A Class 1B felony charge of intentional child abuse which resulted in the child’s death was filed against Applegarth on July 19, by Holt County attorney Brent Kelly. A warrant for Applegarth’s arrest, including bond set at...
I’m not sure who first said this, but it’s true: You can’t have a million-dollar dream on a minimum wage work ethic. I know it’s true. Teaching and freelancing both required a high level of energy, with long and unpredictable hours. The news cycle, along with business owner responsibilities, exist 24/7, and like my father-in-law told me, “You work twice as hard when you’re responsible to earn your own living.” P.S. I’m not a millionaire … not yet (wink, wink) … and my million-dollar drea...
Governor Ricketts signed the budget bills this past week with no line-item vetoes. He praised the Legislature for passing a budget that limited spending growth and placed an emphasis on increased funding for property tax relief measures. The Legislature gave first-round approval to LB 64, which addresses the taxation of social security benefits. LB 64 was introduced by Omaha Senator Brett Lindstrom and prioritized by Seward Senator Mark Kolterman. Only 13 states tax social security benefits....
MARK MAHONEY Hazel has a secret to share – she's going to be a big sister! My wife, Christina, and I are expecting our second child later this year. Her due date is Oct. 29. It seems so surreal. It's difficult to believe Hazel's almost 18 months old and we now have another kid on the way. I'm thrilled at the thought of raising two children, but I'm also terrified. I've gotten used to being the father of one kid, but two? Another child marks another major life milestone. It will be a huge a...
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...
An economic development program, designed to assist Clearwater businesses through COVID-19, will end Dec. 31. The Village of Clearwater LB840 Emergency Commercial Grant Program was established this summer and offered grants of $750 to businesses affected by the pandemic. Businesses with a net income of less than $75,000, per 2019 income taxes, are eligible to apply. Grant applications are scored on four categories: closed/reduced service due to directed health measures; length of time in...
Kelsey Carlson calls me from the road, as she drives the quiet ribbon of highway connecting the hospital where she works to the small-town child care that has changed her life. Not long ago, when her daughter, Avery, went to a different child care, Kelsey would sob while driving to pick her up. She worried her daughter wasn't safe. She dreaded the thought that Avery was planted in front of a TV. She cried because she felt terrified she was failing at work and failing her child. Today, as Kelsey...
"You say you are not a monster. You are wrong. You are." Those were words the Honorable Mark Johnson had for Roger D. Stuckwisch in the Antelope County district courtroom last Wednesday morning, before he passed sentence on the former Tilden resident who was convicted of six crimes in a sexual assault case with victims as young as four years of age. Stuckwisch was sentenced to the Nebraska Department of Corrections for not less than 30 years, nor more than 40 years on his conviction of...
Together, and only together, Nebraskans can rebuild the state’s struggling child care system, which is reeling during COVID-19. We can do it in a way that makes age-old problems, like a statewide shortage of quality child care, largely disappear. And we can do it in a way that benefits families, companies, communities and our state economy. That was the message Nebraskans delivered to the Legislature’s Appropriations Committee at a recent hearing. Child care providers, the University of Nebraska’s president, business leaders and experts made...
Governor Pete Ricketts announced Tuesday, new grant programs to continue growing Nebraska in the midst of the disruptions of the coronavirus pandemic. As part of the Coronavirus Relief Fund, the State of Nebraska received $1.084 billion in federal assistance to address coronavirus-related needs. Funds are being used to assist in the state’s direct response to the coronavirus pandemic, as well as providing assistance to Nebraska businesses, non-profits and public healthcare providers who have been adversely impacted due to the pandemic. Ricketts...
Dennis C. Statler, 50, of Neligh faced the Honorable Donna Taylor last Wednesday, Sept. 2, in the Antelope County courtroom for sentencing on a Class 1 misdemeanor count of domestic assault, cause body injury, committed March 31. He was sentenced to a 12-month term of probation, including related fees totaling $390 and $60 costs of prosecution. In addition to standard terms of probation, Statler was ordered to complete a co-occurring evaluation and to follow recommendations; complete an initial diagnostic interview for Batterer’s I...
Steph Allen has already weathered one unimaginable crisis, the nightmare scenario that struck Grand Island and her new Teaching Tree childcare center this spring. She had to close the Teaching Tree for eight weeks as the COVID pandemic hit Hall County earlier and harder than almost any other spot in Nebraska. When she reopened in June, her enrollment and revenue plunged by 40%. It’s only now that enrollment is back up and daily operations are starting to feel somewhat normal. The good news is that both Steph and her high-quality child care c...
UPDATED: APRIL 1, 2020 @ 8:04 P.M. North Central District Health Department, in communication with state officials, have signed the NCDHD counties, including Antelope, Boyd, Brown, Cherry, Holt, Keya Paha, Knox, Pierce and Rock, into the Directed Health Measures, effective April 1, at 10 p.m., through May 11, unless the order is extended. Please read the Directed Health Measures in full carefully, they can be found on the Department of Health and Human Services website at htt...
TESSA HAIN 4-H Youth Development Coordinator What do you think of when you hear 4-H? Do you think of showing animals, the fair, crafts and that 4-H is for just farm kids? Well, think again. 4-H is more than just showing animals or making crafts to bring to fair. It is about lifelong friendships, spending time with family, learning new skills and becoming the best person possible. 4-H is a youth development organization for kids, ages 5 to18 years old, as of Jan. 1. There are more than 150 different projects 4-H has to offer, so there is a...
The stereotype was established more than a century ago. Home economics curriculum focused on making life at home more efficient and included coursework covering nutrition, cooking, sewing construction and child care. In fact, The Morrill Act of 1862, which established land-grant colleges, led to the offering of domestic science courses adapted for farmers' wives, who were expected to maintain the household while assisting with the family farm. By 1945, home economics leaders pushed for the...
Sometimes, big ideas develop when least expected. The seeds of what ifs were planted in the thoughts of several area residents after listening to Melissa Ohden, an abortion survivor, speak at an event in O'Neill in 2015. For two years, a group of volunteers cared for and nurtured a vision resulting in the opening of Beginnings Pregnancy Resource Center, in O'Neill, in spring 2018. The facility is housed at 203 West Douglas Street. Mandy Chavez, director, said the non-denominational facility is...
The Honorable Donna Taylor handed down six sentences, bound two felony cases over to district court and scheduled a jury trial last Thursday morning, Sept. 26. Eli Jacob, 66, of Clearwater was scheduled for pretrial hearing on a count of theft by unlawful taking, alleged from Antelope County in January. A motion for continuance to Oct. 16 was filed by the defense Sept. 23, “for the reason that the defendant’s wife has a medical appointment.” Jacob is represented by Jason Doele of Norfolk. Joey Crooker, 37, incarcerated in the Antelope Count...
