Reliable, Trustworthy Reporting, Capturing The Heartbeat Of Our Community
Reliable, Trustworthy Reporting, Capturing The Heartbeat Of Our Community
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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...
Oh, to be on the edge of 17 again, ready to explore the world, ready to turn the page and start a new chapter of life. One of my parents told me, at the time, I thought I knew everything, that my worldly experiences offered a depth of knowledge unrivaled by my peers. So wait, Mom and Dad. Sarcasm noted. I didn’t know everything? Wow. Admit it, you, too, thought you knew it all when you graduated and couldn’t wait to leave the nest to fly on your own. Life at 17 doesn’t offer the same conce...
KIM PRESTON Rural Enterprise Assistance Project director Center for Rural Affairs You have a great idea for a new small business. Congratulations! Now, what do you do to turn that idea into a legitimate business? To celebrate National Small Business Week, May 5 to 11, here is a checklist with step-by-step actions to get you started. 1. Choose and register your business name. Check with the secretary of state's office where you plan to set up shop. 2. Decide on a legal structure: Sole proprietorship, LLC, partnership, s corporation, etc. You...
A 10-county road trip, featuring more than 140 small businesses, including 11 Antelope County locations, begins Saturday and continues through Sept. 30.. The 2021 Best of the Backroad Tour of Northeast Nebraska, sponsored by News Channel Nebraska and Giant Gear, combines travel, adventure and unique small-town charm and hospitality. The tour features four Summerland-area sites, including the Sidebar, in Clearwater; Corner Hardware & More and the Orchard Historical Society, in Orchard and Royal...
Plans to develop single-family housing units, in Clearwater, are one step closer to reality. Clearwater Community Development Group, LLC, broke ground on property located at Sixth and Iowa streets, March 23. Group members, including Jeremy Sanne, Bill Thiele, Curt Thiele and Walt Aschoff outlined plans to a gathering of approximately 30 community members at a March 28 meeting. Bill Thiele said the group has tapped into Aschoff's experience with construction and development in communities across...
A couple topics are brewing in my mind and, since it’s Tuesday, and I’ve been attempting to construct on outline for this week’s column, I’ll probably split it into two sections. See, this is what happens when I procrastinate, -er, utilize my collegiate debate skills to fine-tune a creative argument. *** A recent National Public Radio segment got me thinking. I want to break up with Facebook, personally and professionally. The segment talked about tensions between the social network and Austral...
JOHNATHAN HLADIK Policy director Center for Rural Affairs The past 12 months have not been easy for small businesses. Communities have lost longtime staples, as well as opportunities for future growth, as entrepreneurs were forced to delay planned investments. As business and community leaders work to recover, it is important that every tool, including the Microenterprise Tax Credit, remains available. From hair salons and restaurants to grocery and hardware stores, more than 80% of the state’s businesses fall into the microenterprise category....
How do you measure a year? According to “Seasons of Love,” from the Broadway hit “Rent,” in 525,600 minutes, you measure life “in daylights, in sunsets, in midnights, in cups of coffee, in inches, in miles, in laughter, in strife. You measure life, “In truths that she learned, or in times that he cried. In bridges he burned, or the way that she died.” In the past year, many of us have, undoubtedly, measured life in a few of these ways. One day, life is smooth (or perhaps a little bumpy) sailin...
The legislature has wrapped up most committee hearings, and began half-day floor debate this week. Full-day floor debate will begin next week. In the meantime, committees are voting on which bills will be moved on to general file. By the time you read this, most priority designations will have been announced. The determination by individual senators, committees and the speaker as to which bills get a priority designation is extremely important, as bills without a priority designation will...
The Center for Rural Affairs is now offering home ownership and home improvement loans in rural Nebraska. Loans between $5,000 and $100,000 are available for the purchase of a home, owner occupied rehabilitation or renovation or emergency repair to property. “Rural areas tend to have fewer quality housing options available compared to urban communities,” said Kim Preston, Center for Rural Affairs’ Rural Enterprise Assistance Project director. “Small towns suffer from low home vacancy rates, aging housing stock, insufficient rehabil...
PROCEEDINGS SUMMERLAND PUBLIC SCHOOL BOARD OF EDUCATION February 15, 2021 Summerland Public School Board of Education held a regular meeting, Monday, Feb. 15, at 12 p.m., at the Ewing site. President Ed Nordby called the meeting, which was published in the February 10, 2021, newspaper, to order at 12 p.m. The Nebraska Open Meetings Act was noted in the room by Nordby. Roll call. Present: Candice Hoke, Marty Kerkman, Ed Nordby, Nate Schwager, Steven Thiele, Jeremy Wagner. All board members were present. Possible motion on board member absence....
“If you’re going to talk the talk, you better be able to walk the walk.” A superintendent I worked for said this phrase during monthly faculty meetings too many times to count. I’ve been thinking a lot that quote - and how he leveraged the phrase to spur people to action. Since the November election, I’ve listened to grumbling about everything from political candidates’ qualifications to an overabundance of government overreach to a general dissatisfaction with public policy. Most conversatio...
PROCEEDINGS Village of Clearwate rBoard of Trustees Feb. 8, 2021 The Board of Trustees of the Village of Clearwater met in regular session Monday, Feb. 8, at 7 p.m., in the fire hall meeting room. Meeting opened at 7:01 p.m. Notice of meeting was given in advance by publication in Summerland Advocate-Messenger and notice was given to council persons prior to meeting. Public was informed of location of Open Meeting Act poster. Present: Kevin Filsinger, Steve Stearns, Kelly Kerkman, Mike Klabenes, Steve Hankla. Others present: Lauren...
I’m guilty ... and I imagine you are, too. I’m guilty of spending dollars outside the community, sharing my wealth with box stores and high-dollar chains, instead of investing in mom and pop establishments. Granted, I don’t do it all the time, but if I happen to be in Norfolk or Lincoln, I’ll stop and pick up items I may need soon. I’ve written it before, but it bears repeating. Spending locally makes dollars and sense. (Yes, that’s a play on words.) Let’s use my shopping example mentioned abo...
Martin Luther King, Jr., said, “Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, ‘What are you doing for others?’” I was reminded of the quote during Sunday’s town hall meeting in Orchard. The quote isn’t specific to our local communities. No, it’s a question worth asking no matter where you call home. But, the premise of King’s words - the notion that volunteering and making an impact in another person’s life - is what sticks out. Sunday’s meeting reinforced the meaning. It’s one of the great...
JOHNATHAN HLADIK Policy director Center for Rural Affairs As they continue to face challenges caused by the coronavirus pandemic, rural small businesses and communities with loans through the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Rural Development program find themselves on the outside once again. Provisions of the Rural Equal Aid Act, a measure with bipartisan support in the House and Senate, were left out of the latest round of stimulus funding approved Monday by Congress. Our elected officials have again let these rural entrepreneurs down and h...
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...
PROCEEDINGS VILLAGE OF CLEARWATER BOARD OF TRUSTEES DECEMBER 2020 The Board of Trustees of the Village of Clearwater met in regular session Monday, Dec. 14, 2020, at 7 p.m., in the Fire Hall meeting room. Regular meeting was opened at 7:02 p.m. Notice of meeting was given in advance by publication in Summerland Advocate-Messenger and notice was given to chairman and village board members prior to meeting. Public was informed of location of Open Meeting Act poster. Present: Jay Snider, Kevin Filsinger, Steve Stearns and Paul Horman. Absent:...
For almost 50 years, the Center for Rural Affairs has been a leading force in standing up for the family farmer and rancher, small business owner and rural communities. We look forward to working with former Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack; President-Elect Joe Biden; and the new USDA leadership as they listen to and work with rural Americans. On Dec. 10, Vilsack was officially nominated for the next secretary of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. All Cabinet appointees, including Secretary of...
The coronavirus pandemic has laid much of the American economy on its back - but a bright spot made the disaster less crippling than it might have been. That is the Paycheck Protection Program, which funneled money to workers through small businesses. More than five million small businesses took the PPP loans, representing 50 million jobs, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin told Congress in June. It persuaded small businesses to keep people on the payroll instead of laying them off. That helped...
The COVID-19 pandemic has caused many events to be canceled this year, but it does not take away the opportunity to shop local during the holiday season. Communities across the country have found innovative ways to keep both business owners and customers safe. For example, the Valley County Chamber in Ord, made its annual Snowball Drop a virtual event. Starting in early November, the Chamber posted questions about local businesses on their social media. Every community member who responds to a...
With a crazy 2020 almost on the books, let’s take a look at the opportunities your business has had available and what you need to do to cross the finish line on Dec. 31. Have you spent your Payment Protection Program dollars? This Small Business Administration loan program is closed and now is the time to seek forgiveness. According to the SBA, borrowers may be eligible for loan forgiveness if the funds were used for eligible payroll costs, payments on business mortgage interest payments, r...
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...
“Do one thing every day that scares you.” When our 10-year-old grandson was relaying a story about reading aloud in class, Eleanor Roosevelt’s quote came to mind. It’s not that he dislikes reading outloud. He told us he wants to feel confident about speaking in front of a group of people, and to do that, he will need to step outside his comfort zone. It’s okay, Jorden. It doesn’t matter if you’re 10 or 60. We all have a comfort zone. How we approach that area filled with fear is what sets indivi...
