Reliable, Trustworthy Reporting, Capturing The Heartbeat Of Our Community
Reliable, Trustworthy Reporting, Capturing The Heartbeat Of Our Community
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The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission is looking to provide additional hunting and fishing opportunities on private lands through its Open Fields and Waters Program. Landowners willing to allow public, walk-in access for hunting or fishing can receive annual, per-acre payments through the program. Participating landowners are afforded liability protection through the Nebraska Recreational Liability Act. Additional financial incentives often are available for habitat improvements, such as...
The Legislature has completed Day 50 of this 90-day legislative session and is in the middle of debate on bills that have been designated as a priority by senators, committees and the speaker. As a general rule, only bills that have been designated as a priority are placed on the agenda at this point in the session. There is an exception to this rule for a procedure called consent calendar. This process allows non-controversial, non-prioritized bills to be considered in an efficient manner....
Come join Nebraska Extension - Antelope County on March 21 from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m., at the fairgrounds for a 4-H open house, to learn that 4-H has something to offer everyone. 4-H is a community of young people, ages 5-18, who are learning leadership, citizenship and life skills. 4-H empowers youth to reach their full potential, working and learning in partnership with community members. 4-H is education for life that uses a learn-by-doing approach while working on projects that the youth is interested in. At the open house, extension personnel...
Are masks giving people a false sense of security? The question was posed to Summerland School Board of Education members during its Oct. 12 meeting in Clearwater. During public participation, three district patrons offered comments, asking questions about the school mandate, which requires students in all grades to wear masks during the school day. The mandate went into effect Sept. 28. Sara Lemburg asked the board to be "objective and practical." She acknowledged COVID-19 is a dangerous...
The Niobrara Valley Conference may expand its membership. Ainsworth approached NVC schools, sending a formal request to join. Summerland’s board of education discussed the application during its Sept. 14 meeting. Superintendent Dale Martin said 75% of member schools would need to cast an affirmative vote for the measure to be approved. In the request, Ainsworth superintendent Dale Hafer and co-activities directors Jared Hansmeyer and Scott Steinhauser, wrote that while the school has enjoyed b...
PROCEEDINGS Summerland Public School Board of Education Sept. 14, 2020 Summerland Public School Board of Education held a regular meeting, Sept. 14, 2020, at the Orchard site. President Ed Nordby called the regular meeting that was duly published in Antelope County News on Sept. 9, 2020, to order at 7:21 p.m. Nordby noted the Open Meetings Act posted in the room. Roll call was taken with all members present: Candice Hoke, Marty Kerkman, Ed Nordby, Nate Schwager, Steve Thiele, Jeremy Wagner. Motion by Schwager, seconded by Kerkman, to approve th...
Summerland Public School Superintendent Dale Martin recently released preliminary enrollment numbers for the district. Martin listed the number of students per grade at each respective site, in a report released Aug. 24. Enrollment at the three sites totals 402 students, a decrease of eight students from the 2019-2020 school year Clearwater site The Clearwater site boasts the largest enrollment, totaling 140 students. While Clearwater’s enrollment shows a decrease of 11 students from last y...
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...
TRENTON BUHR Policy Assistant Center for Rural Affairs Nearly two years after voters approved a measure to expand Medicaid, Nebraskans will finally start to see the benefits take shape. Enrollment will begin Aug.1. To be eligible, an applicant’s annual income must be at, or below, 138% of the federal poverty level, which is roughly $17,000 for an individual or $35,000 for a family of four. Additional circumstances, such as a health condition, dependents or valuable assets, could alter eligibility. As is standard practice, enrollee eligibility w...
MADELEINE GRANT Nebraska News Service More than 90,000 additional Nebraskans are now eligible to apply for Medicaid, the government’s health insurance program for low-income individuals, the governor has announced. Nebraska residents can begin applying Aug. 1 at ACCESSNebraska.ne.gov and the coverage will take effect on Oct 1. The expansion was first approved in 2018 by Nebraska voters via Initiative 427. The department's Medicaid division submitted state plan amendments to the federal government in April 2019 and made preparations, such as sta...
CENTER FOR RURAL AFFAIRS On June 26, U.S. Reps. Don Bacon, a Nebraska Republican, and Abigail Spanberger, Democrat from Virginia, members of the House Agriculture Committee, introduced a companion bill to the Growing Climate Solutions Act, H.R. 7393. The Senate bill, S. 3894, was introduced by Sens. Mike Braun, Republican from Indiana, and Rhode Island Democrat Sheldon Whitehouse in early June. The bill would standardize the agricultural carbon market and was referred to the House Committee on Agriculture. “These bills come at a critical t...
A former Holt County resident was sentenced to three three-year prison terms for felony convictions and three one-year terms for misdemeanor convictions, all committed in Holt County, beginning more than three years ago. Jeff A. Dolberg, 45, was sentenced by the Honorable Karin Noakes on Monday, June 29, in Holt County district court. Noakes began presiding over the case after the Honorable Mark Kozisek recused himself, pursuant to a motion filed on Dolberg’s behalf by his attorney, Rodney Smith of O’Neill. The motion to disqualify cited Koz...
Kayla Bergman Policy associate Center for Rural Affairs A recently introduced piece of legislation into the U.S. Senate is a positive step forward in addressing climate change in rural areas. The Growing Climate Solutions Act, intended to establish a certification program for private parties who work with producers to receive payments for carbon sequestration, comes at a critical time for the agriculture industry and the environment. Introduced by Sens. Mike Braun (R-Ind.) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I) in early June, the bill also further...
The Honorable Mark Johnson presided from the bench in the Antelope County district court Wednesday, June 24, when he sentenced a former Neligh man to 18 months in prison for domestic assault. Brennon J. Coleman, 36, of Randolph, who was convicted of the Class 3A felony charge of third-degree domestic assault, subsequent offense, March 25, was sentenced to incarceration in a facility under the jurisdiction of the Nebraska Department of Corrections, with credit for 69 days previously served. Assuming he loses none of his good time, Coleman will...
Charles E. Krysl, 44, of O’Neill was sentenced by the Honorable Mark Kozisek last Monday, May 4, in the Holt County district court. Krysl pleaded no contest March 9, pursuant to a plea agreement reached with Brent Kelly, Holt County attorney. In return Kelly dismissed counts I, III, IV and VI, first-degree false imprisonment, Class 3A felony, third-degree domestic assault, Class 1 misdemeanor, disturbing the peace, Class 3 misdemeanor, and child abuse, Class I misdemeanor, respectively; as well as a separate Holt County court case, and a...
Recently, a friend shared a video with me they were required to watch for class. With little explanation, I clicked the link, which directed me to a Ted Talk titled, “Why does it take so long to grow up today?” The video begins by spewing statistics comparing milestones young people experience from today to 50 years ago. Marriage, children, education and other relatable milestones are compared in the video. As expected, ages where these milestones are reached from 50 years ago to the pre...
Joel Schrader, 48, of Martel, one of three men convicted in a 2018 burglary at a business in Atkinson, was granted continuance of his sentencing, due to COVID-19 concern. Schrader, who pleaded guilty to a Class 3 felony charge of attempted burglary in January this year after reaching a plea deal in Holt County district court and was to be sentenced by the Honorable Mark Kozisek on March 30, is now set for sentencing Oct. 19. “Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and defense counsel’s wish to keep himself, his family and those around him safe, defense...
Effective Monday, March 23, the Holt County courthouse and annex are open to customers by appointment only. Holt County supervisors approved a motion to limit access to the courthouse during an emergency video-conference meeting, March 20. Limited access will be in effect until at least until March 31, when the supervisors will re-evaluate the situation at their regular meeting. The meeting was called after department heads met Thursday to discuss possible procedures to enact. Individuals needing to conduct business with county officials are...
The Honorable Kale Burdick sentenced four Holt County residents when he presided over the Holt County court last Tuesday, March 10. Harold A. Rockford, 61, of Chambers was sentenced to concurrent terms of 30 and two days in the county jail, respectively, for convictions of first-degree criminal trespass, a Class 1 misdemeanor, and criminal mischief, less than $500, a Class 3 misdemeanor. The sentences were ordered consecutive to a jail sentence ordered in a Holt County district court case. He was also ordered to pay $52 costs and $40 restitutio...
Effective Monday, March 23, the Holt County courthouse and annex are open to customers by appointment only. Holt County supervisors approved a motion to limit access to the courthouse during an emergency video-conference meeting, March 20. Limited access will be in effect until at least until March 31, when the supervisors will re-evaluate the situation at their regular meeting. The meeting was called after department heads met Thursday to discuss possible procedures to enact. Individuals needing to conduct business with county officials are...
Antelope County commissioners met March 3 in their meeting room at the courthouse in Neligh, with consideration of six driveway permits for the new Summerland school included on the meeting agenda. Steve Thiele of Clearwater was present, representing both the school district and the builder, Hausmann Construction. The county leaders gave unanimous approval for two of the applications, as temporary construction driveways and passed a motion to require a traffic study as part of the requirement for consideration of permanent permits. A 30-foot...
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 Honorable Kale Burdick presided over Holt County court last Tuesday, Feb. 11, handing down four sentences. Conrad A Lurz, 29, of Ellington, Missouri, formerly of O’Neill, faced Burdick for sentencing on two counts, second-degree false imprisonment, a Class 1 misdemeanor, and disturbing the peace, a Class 3 misdemeanor. He was sentenced to concurrent sentences of 30 days and five days in the county jail, respectively, and $60 costs of prosecution. Lurz was given credit for 10 days previously served for the May 4, 2019, offenses. Lurz changed...
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,...
“At Holt County Economic Development we believe we are stronger together. When all of Holt County’s communities work together we build a stronger rural community in Holt County,” said director Darby Paxton. Holt County’s leadership program, HomeTown Leadership Institute, is a way to learn more about the people, businesses and organizations in Holt County and bring the communities together. Join the 2020 HomeTown Leadership Institute to be inspired to build a stronger rural community and continue to grow Holt County. HomeTown Leadership Institu...
