Reliable, Trustworthy Reporting, Capturing The Heartbeat Of Our Community
Reliable, Trustworthy Reporting, Capturing The Heartbeat Of Our Community
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Small businesses face challenges on a daily basis and the holiday season is no exception. With the stress that comes with the holiday season, some small business owners become vulnerable to predatory lenders who target them with loans that seem too good to be true. However, small business owners can access many resources to make sure they don’t fall victim to a predatory loan. As with any loan, research is key. For example, before applying for a loan, the business owner should research c...
“Kids believe in Santa; adults believe in childhood.” Author Cate Kennedy hits the mark with that line from her short story collection, “Dark Roots.” Last week, while Scott, Elizabeth and I fulfilled Santa’s elf duty, stuffing toys, candy and fruit into brown paper sacks, visions from Christmases past reminded me of the good ol’ days and what days leading up to the holiday were like during the age of flower power and groovy, man. In Clay Center, Santa Claus made an appearance on Saturdays i...
Does American democracy survive without the backbone of independent local journalism? That question serves as the theme of the documentary, “Storm Lake,” airing recently on the PBS show, “Independent Lens.” The segment follows the daily ins and outs of Art Cullen and his family, who run the Storm Lake Times, which debuted in 1990. Initially, the paper printed weekly, with Friday distribution. Within three years, the Times began printing daily. A month later, another newspaper in Storm Lake st...
The holiday season is upon us, and for many people that means making purchases for gift exchanges and planning the menu for family and work gatherings. But, for our nation's small business owners, preparing for the biggest and busiest time of the year can take months of hard work and involves more than just inventory on the shelves. While consumers make their lists and check them twice, entrepreneurs have been working behind the scenes to prepare. They've spent nights and weekends learning how...
Peyton Thomas Unlimited Sports/Nebraska News Service LINCOLN--While the Collegiate Brand Value Index ranks the University of Nebraska-Lincoln the most valuable school in the nation, success in the world of name, image and likeness is far from guaranteed. "There are lots of different lists out there, right of likes, who has the most social media followers, the highest level of revenue, and all kinds of things," said Matt Balvanz, a writer at Navigate Sports Business, who created a metric to...
Six Saturdays of shopping remain until Christmas morning, which falls on the seventh Saturday from today. I haven't even started shopping. One of our kids told us no toys for the grandkids this year, please. "Get them something they need." Well, if we grandparents believe the kiddos need a LEGO set to work on for next year's 4-H project, they will, more than likely, get it. Or maybe they won't. I'm all about practical gifts, a necessity, a replacement, something you know you need but wouldn't ne...
GRAND ISLAND - The question rolled around in Laban Njuguna's mind long before he took action. Coffee? Really? Upend his life to sell Kenyan coffee? In Nebraska? He daydreamed about the idea as he hauled grain for farmers in the Grand Island area. It spilled out in long late-night conversations with his wife, Cora. Friends and family grew coffee in his native Kenya. He lived in the United States, the largest consumer of coffee in the world. Njuguna's logical side told him that he knew nothing...
Creating a safe environment in response to the COVID-19 pandemic often means additional expenses for farmers, farmers markets, food processors and distributors. A new U.S. Department of Agriculture program may be able to help. The Pandemic Response and Safety Grants program provides funding to help small-scale specialty crop producers and processors, other select producers, meat and other processors, distributors and farmers markets recover some of the costs incurred, including for measures to...
Retired social studies teacher Laura Nelson is used to seeing her small town send its children, and its dollars, off to bigger cities. "We tend to go that way," to Lincoln and the Omaha metro, where her nieces and many former students live and shop. But lately, from her seat at the cafe table where she meets friends most mornings for coffee and an omelette, she's witnessed a reversal of fortune. City folks are spending their money in her hometown. "The cafe has managed to bring them up here,"...
The true spirit of hard work and helping others is demonstrated on a daily basis in rural communities. However, those attributes weren't developed overnight and need to be nurtured for a strong sense of community to continue. Individual actions for the greater good can start with each of us. From volunteering for a local organization or event and working with local leaders on an issue, to running for public office, rural residents can make an impact in many ways. It can be as simple, yet...
From hair salons and restaurants to grocery and hardware stores, more than 80% of the state's entrepreneurs operate a microbusiness. Their hard work helps keep our community strong and our Main Street alive. With recent updates to the Nebraska Advantage Microenterprise Tax Credit, more of these small business owners are eligible for one of the state's only incentives available to businesses of five or fewer employees. The Nebraska Advantage Microenterprise Tax Credit is a 20% refundable tax...
Rural Americans with an eye for renewable energy recently received promising news-the U.S. Department of Agriculture is investing $464 million in solar, wind and other renewable energy projects benefiting small businesses and farming operations. Of the total investment, more than $128 million will be distributed through the Rural Energy for America Program. Designed specifically for agricultural producers and rural small businesses, REAP provides loan and grant funding for these entities to...
The 2020 census is an important tool for understanding population trends and demographic shifts in our greater Nebraska hometowns, but it doesn’t tell the whole story. Articles lamenting the shrinking population of rural areas abound, but we know better. Nebraska Community Foundation’s Youth Survey is taking a qualitative look at the reasons young Nebraskans choose to remain in, return to or leave their hometowns. Our work at NCF suggests there’s much to look forward to in greater Nebra...
Earlier this month, the Small Business Administration announced major enhancements to the COVID Economic Injury Disaster Loan program, a federal disaster relief loan designed to support small businesses. Changes to the program include: • Increasing the COVID EIDL cap. The SBA will lift the COVID EIDL cap from $500,000 to $2 million. Loan funds can be used for any normal operating expenses and working capital, including payroll, purchasing equipment and paying debt. • Implementation of a def...
BRETT WESNER Chair of the National Newspaper Association, a community newspaper organization and president of Wesner Publications, Cordell, Oklahoma A little-noticed initiative by Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Washington, and six other senators would boost local jobs, accelerate sales and improve economies. The Local Journalism Sustainability Act, S. 2434, is designed to help local news media support their newsgathering missions. One provision goes far beyond offering aid to community newspapers,...
Four individuals, who were charged with selling alcohol or tobacco to a 16-year-old female informant during July 20-22 compliance checks by the Nebraska State Patrol, waived their rights to counsel, pleaded guilty and were each fined $500 and taxed $50 costs by the Honorable Donna Taylor last week. Taylor said there is “an underground network” among underage individuals looking to buy alcohol and tobacco. County attorney Joe Abler showed Taylor a copy of the informant’s identification card, which both said has the date in “large red letters...
Do you have a great idea for a business? Or already own a business and are looking for ways to take it to the next level? A loan could provide the extra boost your small business needs. However, before applying for a loan, ask yourself these questions. Why do you need the money? What is that money going to help you accomplish? What is the purpose of this loan? Itemize how you're going to spend every dollar that you're going to be requesting. It's really important that you've put some thought in...
Since the Advocate-Messenger's first edition hit your mailboxes on July 25, 2019, our newspaper has had a single mission: Bring community stories to the forefront. We've shared our region's success stories and we've covered the moments when we all have faced struggles. We share photos from sporting events, document engagements and weddings, promote area businesses and record community history. One of the biggest challenges we collectively have faced is the COVID-19 pandemic. As a small...
Michael Myers had been on the job only one month when he learned the story of co-worker, Leo Cooney, and knew he had to make a difference. A package arrived on a job site, a rarity in the electrical business. Inside, a baseball cap with a Friends of Leo logo. Inquisitive, Myers asked about the significance of the cap. Co-workers shared Cooney's story and it hit home. "It hit me kind of hard because my dad had MS, a different disease but fairly similar, it affects the nervous system," Myers...
Small business development is important in rural areas of our nation, where access to employment opportunities are limited and where jobs pay less. Microbusinesses (businesses with 10 or fewer employees) provide all or most of the income for many rural households. In our home state of Nebraska, self-employment provides up to 90% of all jobs in most rural counties. For others, it is part of a patching strategy to make ends meet. However, access to capital is a challenge for many rural business...
This summer, the U.S. Department of Agriculture has begun accepting applications for two important programs for rural development. The first is the Rural Placemaking Innovation Challenge, which has seen a $2 million increase in funding after its initial set of grants met with a great deal of enthusiasm. This program is available to tribal entities, non-profits, local governments, universities and small businesses for the purpose of rural placemaking, which is a collaborative process to...
Clearwater's newest business offers a variety of hair and beauty services to give client's a new look. Visitors to Roots by Jaci, located at the intersection of Main and Nebraska streets, in Clearwater, may also want to check out boutique clothing shoes and jewelry available for sale. The business opened June 8. Owner Jaci Bruhn said she grew up watching her mom, Sue Burtwistle, work in the industry. "I followed in her footsteps. It's just something I always wanted to do," Bruhn said. A...
NOTICE OF BIDS Roofing, Antelope County Courthouse Annex The Antelope County Board of Commissioners will accept sealed bids for reroofing of the Antelope County Courthouse Annex, which is located at 501 M Street, Neligh, being a part of Antelope County Courthouse Complex. Bids will be accepted until 10 a.m., on July 13, 2021, and shall be submitted in a sealed envelope with the wording “Bid for Roofing” in the lower left-hand corner. Bids may be addressed to the Antelope County Clerk, 501 Main Street, PO Box 26, Neligh, NE 68756-0026 or dro...
SUBMITTED ARTICLE O'Neill Community Foundation Fund and Holt County Economic Development Fund welcome Emily Morrow and Katie Hawk home for the summer to help local leadership further their missions. Morrow and Hawk are both students at the University of Nebraska – Lincoln. Morrow graduated from UNL in May with a dual degree in advertising and public relations and broadcasting. Hawk will begin her sophomore year in the fall at UNL studying business management. Both began their duties in May a...
JOHNATHAN HLADIK Policy director Center for Rural Affairs Small business entrepreneurship is a key source of job creation for rural counties. These businesses generate economic activity that can multiply throughout the community. But, they also face many challenges, including difficulty in accessing capital and acquiring training for business planning and financial management. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Rural Microentrepreneur Assistance Program aims to address these challenges. R...
