Reliable, Trustworthy Reporting, Capturing The Heartbeat Of Our Community
Reliable, Trustworthy Reporting, Capturing The Heartbeat Of Our Community
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Orchard Community Club invites area residents to celebrate homecoming during the 2024 Orchard Free Days celebration, scheduled for July 25 to 28. Thursday, July 25 Kickoff the weekend celebration at the dive-in movie at the Orchard Swimming Pool, sponsored by the Orchard Public Library and Village of Orchard. The event is free and the movie will begin at dusk. Friday, July 26 On Friday, make plans to attend the Orchard Historical Society's chicken dinner. Serving will begin at 11 a.m. and...
Blood may be thicker than water. It's the fluid of life, an essential force providing a constant flow of resources and creating energy. For Jesse Thiele, son of Jim and Leenda, the constant flow slowed to a trickle on a fateful September day in 2016. Thiele, then a fifth-grade student, was at home in Clearwater on Sept. 29, working on a math worksheet, alongside older brothers Eli and Alex. Alex and Jesse took a break, which turned into a wrestling match. "I still had a pencil in my hand,"...
A March 6 crash, near Neligh, claimed the life of an Orchard man and injured another individual. The collision occurred at approximately 3:49 p.m., near the Antelope County Road Department shed, east of Neligh on Highway 275, said Antelope County Sheriff Bob Moore. Billy Ziegenbein, 76, of Orchard, was traveling west in a 1997 Ford pickup when the front driver’s side tire blew out, causing the pickup to swerve into the eastbound lane, resulting in a head-on collision with another vehicle. Dean Baker, 76, of Columbus, was driving a 1997 Ford E...
Duane Risinger of Orchard was presented with the Heritage Instructor Award by hunter safety coordinator Hunter Nikolai at a recent class held at the Orchard Community Center. The Heritage Instructor Award is the highest honor given by the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission, recognizing hunter safety instructors for their service and dedication to the program. Risinger has faithfully taught hunter safety classes for more than 35 years. In addition, he has volunteered his services for many...
Orchard will be aglow this weekend as the 2023 version of Orchard Free Days celebrates "Let's Glow Crazy in Orchard." Events kick off Friday, July 28, when the Orchard Historical Society will host a chicken dinner, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., at The Rex. A freewill donation of $12 is suggested. The menu includes broasted chicken, potato salad, dinner roll and Texas sheet cake. Drive thru, dine in or carryout orders will be available. Before or after lunch, stop by the District 57 school, situated ne...
Brock Belik and Justin Brandt, of Orchard, caught 12.75 pounds of fish during Sunday's Royal Ice Fishing Tournament at Grove Lake, sponsored by the Royal Volunteer Fire Department. The poundage was enough to tip the scales in the duo's favor. The second-place team, Corey Curtis and Max Hieter, of Royal, caught 12.09 pounds. Derek Price and Rod Jonson, of Pierce, finished third, with 11.83 pounds. Spencer Strope, of Orchard, and Tanner Hart, of Clearwater, caught 11.74 pounds, finishing in...
A sooty film of gray and black covers the walls of Orchard's BobKitten Preschool, a sharp contrast to the normal colorful artwork that decorates the space. The smoke damage is the result of a late-evening fire that started - and was contained - in the classroom, located in the Orchard Community Center, Monday, Nov. 21. Orchard Village Chairman Stephanie Cleveland said a passerby heard the alarm sounding at the school and reported it. She was notified of a potential fire at approximately 10:38...
Giving back • Bev Krutz of the Orchard Old School Thrift Store presents a check to Orchard Fire Department members Ryan Bergman, Pat Bergman and Colton Hahn. "Orchard and the surrounding area appreciates all of the volunteers who serve the department," Krutz said. The Orchard Old School Thrift Store is a non-profit thrift store, located in the former school, in Orchard....
Michael F. Doty, 29, of Page faced the Honorable Donna Taylor in the Antelope County courtroom in Neligh on Aug. 3 for further arraignment on two Class 3A felony counts of making terroristic threats and a Class 3 misdemeanor count of disturbing the peace, all alleged June 28 in Orchard, following a residential fire in Page. Doty waived his right to preliminary hearing and was bound over to Antelope County district court, where he is set for arraignment Aug. 31 on the two felonies. The misdemeanor count was dismissed by Antelope County attorney...
Orchard Community Club will give a nod to area farmers during the 2022 Orchard Free Days Celebration, with events scheduled to begin Friday, July 29 and continue through Sunday, July 31. Orchard Historical Society will host the Remember the Fallen exhibit at the Rex Theatre. The moving memorial opened to the public, Tuesday and will be open from 1 to 5 p.m. July 27 and 28. On Friday, July 29, the District 57 School will open from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. At the same time, visit the Remember the Fallen...
The Allied Health Department at Northeast Community College in Norfolk has announced a free, one-session workshop for emergency medical service technicians to be held in Orchard in early May. The workshop on Documentation/HIPAA will be held Monday, May 4, from 7 to 10 p.m., at the Orchard Fire Hall. There is no need to pre-register. EMS workshops are funded, in whole or in part, with funds provided through the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services Office of Emergency Health System. For additional information, call the Allied Health...
The 911 call came in shortly after 3 p.m., Sunday, March 20: a wildfire sweeping across ranchland between Page and Verdigre, along the Holt and Knox county line, near 509 Avenue and 875 Road. While the fire began in the Verdigre fire district, it jumped into the Page district at some points. Page Volunteer Fire Department was called to the scene at 3:24 p.m., according to chief Rod Isom. Initially, the fire moved northwest and moved quickly. Weather conditions created a perfect storm for the...
After a two-years hiatus from ice, the Royal Volunteer Fire Department Ice Fishing Tournament returned with a large group of competitors. Forty-one teams entered the five-hour event, Sunday, at Grove Lake. Royal Fire Chief Gary Ober said it's "great" to have a large number of teams participate and be back on the ice. Now in its 39th year, Ober said the tournament hasn't been held nine times, either due to weather conditions or, more recently, the COVID-19 pandemic. The event brought anglers...
Orchard Fire & Rescue recognized department members for years of service, Jan. 17. Three members will be retiring from the squad, including Duane Risinger, 42 years; Irene Risinger, 40 years and Myron Hergert, from Orchard EMS, 40 years. Six department members were honored for their years of service to the department and community. Receiving awards were Dean Holliday, 35 years; Larry Mieras, 35 years; Kathy Belik, 35 years; Pat Bergman, 20 years; Ben Sayers, 15 years and Colton Hahn, five...
Three-hundred and forty-three firemen lost their lives in the 9/11 attacks. Eleven current and retired firefighters are bicycling across America to ensure those 343 colleagues are not forgotten. Led by retired firefighter Darrell Sales, the Bay to Brooklyn project riders departed Santa Clara, California, Aug. 1 and will arrive at Ground Zero, Sept. 9. The group rode to Eugene, Oregon, before veering east, traveling through Idaho and Wyoming. In Nebraska, they have followed U.S. Highway 20 and...
Orchard Community Club members are bringing “free” back. The 2021 version of Orchard Free Days celebration, slated for July 23 through 25, includes at least 10 free events. The three-day event, funded in part by the Antelope County Visitor’s Promotion Fund, includes activities for all ages. Friday, July 23 The District 57 School will be open between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. After peeking into the past, stop next door and pick up lunch at the Rex. The Orchard Historical Society will host a drive-thru chicken dinner from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. At 5 p.m., du...
A crash, in Neligh, Friday afternoon claimed the lives of three individuals. Geraldine Elsberry, 74, and passenger Norman Elsberry, 72, of Orchard and Shane Ernest, 31, of Dalton, were killed in the accident, which occurred at approximately 1 p.m., at the intersection of Nebraska Highway 14 and U.S. Highway 275. The Nebraska State Patrol released names of the individuals involved in the accident at approximately 8:45, Friday evening. According to a press release from NSP, troopers said they...
The Allied Health Department at Northeast Community College in Norfolk has announced a free, one-session workshop for emergency medical service technicians, in Orchard later this month. The workshop, EVOC, will be held Sat. June 19, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., in the Orchard Fire Hall. The workshop is funded, in whole or in part, with funds provided through the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services Office of Emergency Health System. For additional information, call the Allied Health Department, Northeast Community College, at...
This August, I was extremely excited to get back to college and start making up for the memories lost during the pandemic at my first year of college. The day before I left, I went to tell my grandparents goodbye. My grandpa Jim Fink, 81, hugged me extra tight as he joked about staying away from boys. Then my grandma Gladys, 87, followed me out the door, gave me multiple hugs, as tears began to roll off her cheeks. "I just hope you know how proud your grandpa and I are of you." While both my...
This year has been extremely hard on small-town fire departments. Within the past two months alone, the Royal Volunteer Fire Department has responded to six calls in the area. On a brighter note, department members recently received exciting news: They are now the proud new owners of another fire truck. On Nov. 2, the Bloomfield Rural Fire District, opened bids on a 1999 GMC Topkick 7500 Midwest Pumping Unit fire truck. Royal firefighters, with the help of the Orchard Rural Fire Board,...
A Wednesday evening fire leaves an Orchard couple homeless after their residence, located at 405 E. 3rd Street, was destroyed. Orchard Fire Chief Duane Risinger said the department received an emergency call for a structure fire, Nov. 4, around 11 p.m. Royal Fire Department also responded. The residents, Jim and Gladys Fink, were able to escape from the blaze. A mutual aid call was issued for departments from Brunswick, Ewing, Neligh and O'Neill. Clearwater's rescue department also was on...
The village of Orchard's shop building went up in flames Tuesday afternoon, Nov. 3. Firefighters from Orchard and Royal responded to a call of a structure fire about 10 minutes before 4 p.m. The shop building is located directly behind the structure where the village office is located at 230 Windom St. Orchard Fire Chief Duane Risinger said the fire was "about two hose lengths away from the fire hall." An incident command vehicle from the Neligh Volunteer Fire Department also responded to the...
Summerland - Orchard students visited the Orchard Fire Department, Thursday, to learn fire safety techniques, like stop, drop and roll. Fire department member Colton Hahn said this year's prevention week focused on safety in the kitchen. During sessions, Josh Stelling and Kyle Maxwell simulated a grease fire in a make-shift kitchen and showed students proper ways to put out the flames. First, Maxwell used water, which created a fire ball. Then, he stopped the fire by placing a baking sheet over...
Orchard Fire and Rescue Department responded to a house fire, Thursday, Oct. 8, at 436 Noble Street. The call was issued at approximately 10 p.m. According to Antelope County deputy John Shaver, the dwelling's resident, Andrew Clifton, escaped from the home without injury. Shaver said the cause of the fire is undetermined. The Nebraska State Fire Marshal's office is investigating. "I should have the report in two to three weeks," Shaver said. Details about the fire were not released at this...
North Central District Health Department will host the following upcoming drive-through public influenza vaccine clinics throughout the district: • Monday, Oct. 12, 9 a.m. to 12 p.m., Ainsworth - Ainsworth School – Ag Tech Building • Monday, Oct. 12, 1:30 to 4:30 p.m., Springview - Activity Center -Enter on the south side • Tuesday, Oct. 13, 10 a.m. to 12 p.m., Bloomfield • Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2 to 6 p.m., Plainview – Plainview Elementary School – Line up on Woodland Avenue and enter from th...
