Reliable, Trustworthy Reporting, Capturing The Heartbeat Of Our Community
Reliable, Trustworthy Reporting, Capturing The Heartbeat Of Our Community
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Another year, another milestone. The volume number on page one's flag notes a flip of the calendar. This edition marks the beginning of what will culminate in our fifth year of publishing the "Summerland Advocate-Messenger." It's been a whirlwind. It's required late and/or early hours. It's meant hard work, occasional frustration and an intense amount of laughter. Plus, it's been some of the most rewarding work in which we've played a part. We believe in the power of community journalism, how a...
Each year, dozens of American farmers are injured or killed after they climb into a grain bin. A father-son duo from Aurora founded their one-of-a-kind company with one mission: No more boots in that grain. Chad Johnson and son Ben Johnson have created a robot, the Grain Weevil, meant to do most of the necessary – and oft-dangerous – tasks that farmers do inside their bins. The pair started developing their robot in 2020, after a farmer friend asked them to build a robot so the farmer would nev...
In early July, I will begin my new role as director of the department of economic development for the State of Nebraska. It is an extraordinary honor to serve my home state in this capacity and I will bring with me experiences from my past career. As chief operating officer of Nebraska Community Foundation, I like to think I learned a thing or two about community economic development. Lessons I will undoubtedly carry with me to my new appointment. I don’t have any illusions or preconceived n...
A Nebraska family has plowed more than $1.6 million into the Lincoln mayor's race, an unprecedented sum and latest burst in a multi-year deluge that, at the federal level, rivals the political spending by a famed Las Vegas casino magnate and a Silicon Valley titan. It's not the Nebraska family you think. It's the Peed family and its business, Sandhills Global – not the Ricketts family – that have eclipsed all other donors while trying to help former State Sen. Suzanne Geist, a Republican, ous...
The forest green roof and pair of bronze stags frozen in combat are impossible to miss as you drive down Interstate 80. So are the two corporate buildings – 550,000 square feet of nearly empty office space, long offered for a $1 a year lease. The water tower looms overhead, painted in the same green, heralding what once was: "Cabela's World Headquarters, City of Sidney." For 54 years, Cabela's made its home here, a juggernaut that kept the town humming. But in 2017, the sporting goods store s...
It is the last week of March and the Legislature has moved on to all-day debate. At this point in time in the prior 2021 90-day long session, the Legislature had passed 31 bills with 16 signed into law by the governor. This year, a grand total of zero bills have been passed into law and only one resolution - my resolution LR 13 - affirming the Legislature’s support for including the names of the Sage brothers and other 71 sailors of the USS Frank E. Evans on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial W...
Cole Gaughenbaugh didn't always know he would become a teacher. The O'Neill St. Mary's graduate envisioned life as a chiropractor and enrolled in classes at Wayne State College in the fall 2019 semester. Seven months later, the pandemic struck. "The whole world got thrown for a loop," he said. Gaughenbaugh packed his bags and headed home, to O'Neill, to finish classes. He contemplated returning to college, deciding to seek a business degree. Call it divine intervention - or the Master's plan -...
A decision whether non-village employees should be allowed to remove snow from village streets was tabled during the Feb. 13 Clearwater trustees’ meeting. Village vice chairman, Cody Kester, said during recent snow storms, non-village employees had removed snow from village streets. “We have a town of great volunteers. With some of that happening, we do have a little bit of destruction and we want to mitigate that as much as possible and not expose ourselves to a bunch of liability,” he said. “I...
NORFOLK – One of the last bus drivers in Norfolk begins his day by taking Nancy Stehlik to work. Wrapped in a purple coat and earmuffs, Stehlik inches her walker onto the small bus’s wheelchair lift. Driver Neil Schlecht pushes a button and the lift whirs down, placing Stehlik outside of work. For the rest of the day, he takes seven people to clinics, church and the grocery store. He jokes with riders just as he’s long done as a driver for North Fork Area Transit, the bus service which, until recently, used 35 buses and vans to give as many...
Garrett Dwyer runs about 500 head of Hereford and Angus cattle on his Bartlett ranch on the east edge of the Sandhills. The land he's on today has been in his family since 1894, when his great-great grandfather homesteaded it. Dwyer, who grew up there, is now the fifth generation in his family to ranch this land. But Dwyer didn't take over the family ranch until he did something far from home. For five years, he served in the U.S. Marine Corps, including two combat tours in Iraq. Now he's...
As Justin Taubenheim combined soybeans in a Buffalo County field on an October afternoon, he thought about why he does it. "I'm not farming to get rich,” he said. “I'm farming to maintain a legacy, a way of life. Faith, family and farming, in that order. The farm is kinda like the icing on the cake." Taubenheim, 31, sports fewer gray hairs than your normal Nebraska farmer. The average age of a principal Nebraska farm or ranch operator: 56.4 years old, according to census figures. The rising worry: There won’t be a next generation to carry...
On Nov. 8, 2022, I was elected to represent the people of District 6 on the Nebraska State Board of Education. District 6, located in central and northeast Nebraska, is comprised of the following counties: Adams, Antelope, Boone, Buffalo, Cedar, Dakota, Dixon, Greeley, Hall, Howard, Knox, Merrick, Nance, Pierce, Thurston, Wayne and Wheeler. Small areas of Cuming and Burt counties are also included in District 6. I am both grateful and honored to serve as your representative. To keep my constitue...
Under the warm lights of the Casa Bovina dining room, a round of Certified Piedmontese rib cap glows red, like a rare jewel. A selection of house-cured charcuterie made from Nebraska-raised Mangalitsa pork is served artfully arranged on a slab of reclaimed wood. Beef Wellington - a dish chef Zach Midgett, who came to Lincoln from Napa Valley's famed French Laundry, says he's still perfecting - arrives beautifully plated, with a piece of fork-tender Piedmontese meat at its center, surrounded by...
McCOOK – In a 100-year-old building in downtown McCook, push the round number six and an elevator ride takes you up, up, up to the highest floor in this railroad town’s tallest building. The elevator lurches stopped. The doors slide open. And here it is – an open concrete floor covered in hundreds of glittering metal sculptures, carved wooden figures, “outsider art” paintings by artists who have shown work in New York, Washington D.C., London. The space is an explosion of color and texture. It’s a global contemporary art tour. It’s a four...
CORTLAND – It's five days before the big day. The Model A dashes down West Fourth Street. Its driver pulls up to a brick storefront and strolls inside, jaunty, dressed in his Sunday best. The black-and-white scene turns technicolor, like a Gage County "Pleasantville," as a brunette with cherry red lips leans in with a coffee pot and winks. Welcome to Paper Moon Pastries, the 1930s-style small-town bakery inspired by a classic movie – its public introduction captured by drone and iPhone. Tha...
This holiday season, pitching in to support a small business may be easier than you think. Many small towns are proud to feature a vibrant main street, and rightfully so. Busy storefronts are a sign of activity and growth. They also indicate strong community support. But not every small business gets it start in a brick-and-mortar location. With the popularity of online shopping, more small entrepreneurs are learning that their dream of selling locally-produced food, artwork and handmade items...
Local journalism is a cornerstone of democracy and a vital source of information for communities across the country, with newsrooms covering local politics, high school sports, local business openings, cultural events, and other matters that help a community remain vibrant and connected. But the industry is facing an existential crisis because of the unyielding power of Big Tech platforms, such as Google and Facebook. With less than four weeks left in this Congress, now is the time for the Senate to pass the Journalism Competition and...
Christmas is coming and Clearwater Public Library is making plans to provide its annual craft table for kids during the Old-Fashioned Christmas, planned for Dec. 4. Additionally, two fundraisers are being offered for the library and help is requestion. A gold ole' cake walk will take place. Consider donating a cake or other baked goods. Call or text Library Director Kathy Feusse or sign up at Clearwater Market. Bring baked goods to the old-fashioned Christmas or make arrangements to have items p...
First of all, thank you for giving me the opportunity to address your group about the proposed planning commission changes. I thought we had killed this a while back and would not hear from the commission until they had a complete plan that had been thoroughly vetted. I have been on quite a few boards in my life. I can appreciate that you are doing what you think is best. I would ask you to consider an additional point of view. • I had a conversation at Elgin a few years back, that sounded like what I believe is happening again here, now. I w...
North Central District Health Department board of health members learned two things Friday about personal protective equipment storage at the O’Neill Armory, during Friday’s monthly meeting in O’Neill. NCDHD interim director Liz Parks said efforts to dispense surplus PPE, including gowns and masks, had been exhausted. At the board’s Sept. 29 meeting, Danielle Roessler, emergency response coordinator, said she had contacted multiple schools and agencies about potential use of some of the PPE, in...
Transitioning from military to civilian life can be challenging for veterans. As they contemplate what's next on their career path, the answer may lie in a rural community. Returning veterans are a perfect fit for the next generation of rural small business owners, farmers or ranchers. Some, however, face challenges, including difficulty accessing capital and acquiring training. But with the help of programs offered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, veterans can access financial and educati...
In 2024, NASA will send a small surgical robot from Nebraska to the International Space Station. The tiny, two-pound robot will be able to perform surgeries on the space station that would normally require a surgeon’s expertise and much larger equipment. The surgical robot can operate more or less on its own, performing complex procedures at the flip of a switch. The device, developed by Nebraska-based Virtual Incision, is a significant step toward making it possible for surgeons to operate r...
A program incentivizing microentrepreneurship, by encouraging business investment, is seeing renewed interest after updates made last year. Established in 2005, the Nebraska Advantage Microenterprise Tax Credit experienced strong usage from 2008 to 2014 but saw a decline to only 75 applicants in 2019 and 81 in 2020. These dwindling participation rates encouraged a small group of senators to propose canceling the program. Understanding its value to rural communities, the Center for Rural Affairs...
Nebraska is experiencing terrific growth. We’ve seen big success creating jobs, cutting taxes and attracting investment to our state. Recently, I hosted Nebraska’s Ag and Economic Development Summit in Kearney. The summit convenes key leaders from across the state to discuss how to build on our strong momentum. Over the course of the summit, we dove into the challenges and opportunities we face as a state. Some topics are familiar: developing our workforce, opening new markets for Nebraska’s exp...
Larry Pendergast 1943 - 2022 Memorial services for Larry L. Pendergast, 78 of Inman, will be Saturday, Aug. 27, at 1 p.m., at Zion Lutheran Church in Plainview. A private graveside gathering for immediate family will follow the service. The family will host a celebration of life for Larry following the graveside gathering, at the Zion Lutheran Church Fellowship Hall. Larry died Saturday, Aug. 6, 2022, at Faith Regional Health Services in Norfolk after a brief illness (pulmonary fibrosis). He was...
