Miles Garwood-Financial Advisor
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Atkinson, Nebraska
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HEADLINE STORIES IN THE KBRX NEWS CENTER Deb Fischer Statement on Winning Republican Nomination for United States Senate Senator Deb Fischer 5/15/12 Lincoln, NE – Sen. Deb Fischer won the Nebraska Republican Primary for United States Senate. Northeast Adult Education Program Hosts Recognition Night NORFOLK, Neb. – Some 22 students out of a total of 86 graduates were honored at Northeast Community College in Norfolk Monday during the 36th Annual Adult Education Recognition Night. The students were honored for completing the requirements to receive a Nebraska high school diploma through the GED ® (General Educational Development) tests administered by Northeast’s Adult Education (AE) Program. Wayne Erickson, dean of continuing education and distance learning, announced the recipients of the Northeast Adult Education Deans’ Scholarships. This scholarship is a $500, one-time award that the Adult Education Department grants to students who plan to attend Northeast Community College during the fall term after completing the Northeast Adult Education program requirements and earning his /her state of Nebraska high school diploma. Deans’ Scholarship winners from our area included Anna Sobotka, Inman. The honorees from the KBRX area included: Ainsworth – Tyler Palmer Bloomfield - Kelline Crump, Amber Wilson Inman - Anna Sobotka Neligh - Lindsay Carman Northeast Nursing Students Pinned NORFOLK, Neb. –Both associate degree nursing and practical nursing students received their nursing pins in a special Pinning Ceremony at Northeast Community College in Norfolk recently. In addition to the Pinning Ceremony, two associate degree nursing and two practical nursing students were presented the Essence of Nursing Award for their consistent academic effort, caring actions, positive motivation toward classroom learning and clinical experience, and professional behaviors. Connie Dupre, O'Neill, and Taysha Hingst, Emerson, were the associate degree nursing students honored with the Essence of Nursing Award while Katie Buckels, Fremont, and Meagan Carter, Norfolk, were the practical nursing students honored with the same award. Upon completion of the first two semesters of nursing studies at Northeast, students are eligible to take the National Council of Licensure Examination (NCLEX-PN) to become licensed practical nurses. Students who hold a 3.0 grade point average in their nursing courses are eligible to complete the last two semesters of the Northeast program and take the National Council of Licensure Exam (NCLEX-RN) to practice as licensed registered nurses. Students who graduate with an associate degree in nursing are eligible to continue their studies for a bachelor of science degree in nursing. Northeast also offers a nursing: University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC) transfer option. This program allows students interested in pursuing a degree from UNMC to complete their general education requirements at Northeast and continue classes for nursing at a UNMC College of Nursing division. One of those divisions, the J. Paul and Eleanor McIntosh College of Nursing, opened on the Northeast campus in Norfolk in August 2010. The Northeast nursing program also includes a preprofessional nursing degree option. This major provides a curriculum of courses to earn either an associate of arts or associate of science degree in preprofessional nursing. Current and prospective students not yet enrolled in the nursing program at Northeast can earn that degree. Students with a preprofessional nursing degree can transfer to a four-year college to continue with their bachelor’s degree in nursing. Students who were pinned with the Associate Degree Nursing pin, listed by hometown, include: Nebraska Elgin Jennifer Bush Lynch Amber Henderson Neligh Crystal Wright Niobrara Diane Teadtke O'Neill Connie Dupre, Pamela Taylor, Grace Tuttle
Students who were pinned with the Practical Nursing pin, listed by their hometowns, include: Nebraska Niobrara Ellison Teadtke O'Neill Gina Kramer, Amy Moore Page Ann Crumly Plainview Peggy Hanneman Out-of-State: S.D., Menno Erika Kishbaugh
Each nursing school, at every level of education, has its own unique pin which is worn on the nursing uniform. The nursing school pin that graduates of the NECC associate degree nursing and licensed practical nursing program receive is symbolic of nursing’s heritage and tradition. Some practical nursing students have chosen to continue in the associate degree nursing program at Northeast. Birthday Party Planned for Early Nebraska Homesteader Come celebrate 150 years of homesteading in Nebraska at the Historic Mars Campground, 7 miles north of Royal, on Saturday, May 26th. The campground will host Samuel Haskin’s 192nd birthday party from 10am to 4pm. The program will feature a novelty shooting demonstration by the Upper Missouri Muzzle Loaders, a blacksmith demonstration by Josh Montgomery, a musical performance by Karl Schultz, historical displays, vendors, and old-style pioneer games for the children. There will also be a lunch stand provided by “Time to Celebrate.” Nebraska author, D. R. Haskin, will give a living history presentation in costume and character of his great, great grandfather, Samuel Haskin entitled, “Samuel’s Women.” Cake and refreshments will be served. Samuel J. Haskin was the first pioneer of the Verdigris Creek valley in the area of Ashfall Fossil Beds near Royal. Samuel funded a colonization effort of the area and led a group of people to Nebraska from Sauk County, Wisconsin in 1873. The story of Samuel Haskin and his efforts to create a town named “Mars” on the banks of the Verdigris Creek was told in D. R. Haskin’s popular books, “The Hills of Mars” and “Beyond the Hills of Mars”. Books will be available for purchase during the event. For more information about the event, directions, cost, or other questions, contact 402-847-3415. New Boat Ramp at Sunshine Bottoms Completed LINCOLN, Neb. The Sunshine Bottoms boat launch facility on the Missouri River in Boyd County is open for public use following construction of a new concrete boat ramp mat and rock-surfaced parking area. Boaters should use caution while boating on the Missouri as upstream water releases from Fort Randall Dam have been reduced significantly for flood damage assessments to spillway slabs downstream below Gavins Point Dam. Compassionate Friends Balloon Launch The Northeast Chapter of The Compassionate Friends will hold their annual balloon launch on Thursday, May 17 at 7:00 in Ewing. This is a yearly event where balloons are sent off in memory of our children Please note change in location. We will meet at the Ewing Methodist-Presbyterian Church at 7:00 to prepare our balloons and then go to Memorial Park together. If you have lost a child of any age or relationship or if you would like to attend one of Compassionate Friends most moving events , you are welcome. Our goal is that everyone who needs us will find us and everyone who finds us will be helped. For more information please call-- Nick Hammerlun at 336-2695, or Steve or Janene Reynolds at 626-7569. Rep. Smith’s Office to Hold Mobile Office in O’Neill Washington, D.C. – Constituents of Third District Congressman Adrian Smith (R-NE) will be able to meet with a representative of Congressman Smith’s Grand Island office for a “mobile office” on Thursday, May 17, from 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. (CT) in O’Neill. A “mobile office” allows constituents to meet directly with one of Smith’s staff members about federal issues and take advantage of the constituent services available through his office, such as assisting individuals with challenges they face while working with a federal agency, ordering flags flown over the U.S. Capitol, and booking tours in Washington, D.C. Smith, who has offices in Grand Island and Scottsbluff, will provide his mobile office and a staff member on Thursday, May 17, at the following location: 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. (CT): The Blarney Stone, 432 East Douglas Street, O’Neill, NE For additional information, contact Congressman Smith’s Grand Island office at (308) 384-3900. NECC Named One Of Nation's Best
Washington, D.C. – For the second consecutive year, Northeast Community College has been named one of the nation's top 120 community colleges by the Aspen Institute's College Excellence Program. The College Excellence Program designation also means Northeast is eligible to compete for a portion of $1 million which will be awarded to one grand prize winner and four runners-up next March. The 120 colleges, the top 10 percent of approximately 1,200 community colleges in the nation, were so designated because they demonstrate high levels of student success in persistence, completion and transfer, consistent improvement in outcomes over time, and equity in outcomes for students of all racial/ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds. "This is a wonderful tribute to the dedication and hard work of each and every one of you at Northeast. I salute you for your continued efforts to bring special recognition to our college," Northeast President Dr. Michael Chipps said in a communication this week to Northeast faculty and staff. "We were pleased to be named to the top 10 percent of community colleges last year, the inaugural year of the Aspen Institute's College Excellence Program," he continued. "We are again honored to receive this recognition and will now compete for a portion of the 2013 $1,000,000 Award Prize for Community College Excellence from the Aspen Institute." On its path to find the final winners of the 2013 College Excellence Program awards, the Aspen Institute will announce eight-to-ten finalists in September. To compete, Northeast Community College must submit an application by the end of May containing detailed data showing that Northeast demonstrates exceptional student results, uses data to drive decisions, and continually improves over time. Once the finalists are chosen, the Aspen Institute will conduct visits to each campus in the fall. The jury, co-chaired by John Engler, president of Business Roundtable, former Michigan Governor, and former president of the National Association of Manufacturers, and Richard Riley, former South Carolina Governor and U.S. Secretary of Education, will select the grand prize winner and four runners-up. O'Neill Chamber Of Commerce Ambassadors Donate To Holt County Animal Shelter
O'Neill Chamber of Commerce Ambassadors present check for $1000 to Darcy Poese with Holt County Animal Shelter. The Ambassadors also challenged other organizations to donate to help finish the new facility in O'Neill (left to right) Shelia Johnston, Carol Poese, Darcy Poese & Lauri Havranek. Open House Held for West Holt Memorial Hospital
ATKINSON, Neb., May 9, 2012 – USDA Rural Development joined West Holt Memorial Hospital in Atkinson, Neb. today at an open house to celebrate the completion of the hospital’s renovations and improvements. “It is a pleasure to be here today to help celebrate the renovated West Holt Memorial Hospital,” said Area Specialist Roberta Mues, USDA Rural Development. “Ensuring quality health care is available to rural residents is important to Rural Development. The hospital improvements will allow for enhanced patient care, greater utilization of staff and for electronic medical reporting.” “We are excited offering a facility that has been updated to ensure patients and their family comfort and safety in all private rooms,” said Chief Executive Officer Michael Coyle, West Holt Memorial Hospital. “This renovation allows us to accommodate our patients’ diverse needs close to home with one of the nicest, patient friendly facilities in North Central Nebraska.” USDA provided a loan of $1,386,000 to renovate approximately 9,628 square feet of existing space, with roof repair, parking lot repaving, equipment and installation of a fire sprinkler system. The nurse’s station was expanded as it lacked the necessary privacy for the compliance and protection of health care information under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act. The expansion improves operating efficiencies of the staff and patient services. Portions of the hospital had not been updated since the 1970’s. New flooring, wall finishes, lighting and ceiling were installed. The patient rooms were updated to improve patient recovery, to accommodate better family visitation and improve patient privacy. The rooms are ready for the electronic medical records. The medication room with new medication dispensing system was moved close to the emergency room. A new procedure room was added to the surgery area for the less invasive procedures. A new commons area was developed for family waiting areas. The new fire sprinkler system has brought the hospital greater protection. Pavement work was completed for greater safety and the pavement was reinforced to accommodate the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and mammograms trucks. West Holt Memorial Hospital is a 17 bed Critical Access Hospital. West Holt Medical Services includes the hospital, two clinics, and four providers. The hospital is actively recruiting new providers to the area. The primary service area is from the counties of Holt, Boyd, Keya Paha and Rock. This area has a population base of 8,177. Rural Development assisted the hospital in 2006 with the funding for the addition of an emergency room garage and a new three bed emergency room unit. Administrative office space and the kitchen were completely remodeled. In 2009 a majority of the roof was replaced, assisted by funds from Rural Development. Application Period for Big Game Permits Starts May 21LINCOLN, Neb. The application period for 2012 Nebraska big game hunting permits begins at 1 p.m. Central time on May 21 and runs through June 1. A person may apply for only one deer permit, one antelope permit and one elk permit at that time. Deer Residents and nonresidents may apply for one draw permit in either the DeSoto, Frenchman, Platte or Republican units. Antelope Residents and eligible landowners may apply for one antelope buck or either-sex permit in available units. Elk Residents and eligible landowners may apply for one permit. Drawings for these permits will take place in early June, and residents will get preference over nonresidents. From July 9 through the close of the 2012 big game seasons, hunters may purchase all remaining permits on a first-come, first-served basis. More information about these permits may be found in the 2012 Big Game Guide, available now at OutdoorNebraska.org.
Section of Cowboy Trail Near O'Neill Open AgainLINCOLN, Neb. A section of the Cowboy Trail in Holt County has reopened following repair work on the trail, according to the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission. The trail from the western city limits of O'Neill to 1 mile west of town again is available for public use. FSA Certification For Those Done Planting 5/9/12 From the Holt-Boyd FSA Office: Any producers who are finished planting and would like to certify now, please call the Holt-Boyd FSA office at 402-336-3796 ext. 2 to make an appointment. Treasurer Stenberg Selects Winners in Essay Contest for Junior High 5/9/12 From the 3rd Congressional District, Molly Lambert, daughter of Tim and Kerri Lambert, of Chambers Public Schools was a second place winner.
O'Neill Woman Wins Teaching Award At UNMC
Stephane VanderMeulen 5/8/12 A former O’Neill, NE resident, Stephane VanderMeulen, has been selected as teacher of the year by the University of Nebraska Medical Center School of Allied Health Professions. VanderMeulen, who is academic coordinator in the physician assistant education program, was lauded for integrating her real-world clinical observations, and for her honest, thorough and eager approach to teaching. The award was presented at the School of Allied Health Professions’ annual awards ceremony earlier this month. She received her master’s degree in physician assistant studies in 1994 from UNMC and is a doctoral candidate in human sciences/gerontology at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. She also has served as a national director at large on the Physician Assistant Education Association (PAEA) board of directors, as faculty adviser to the PA Student Society at UNMC and as board liaison to the Nebraska State Board of Medicine and Surgery from the Nebraska Academy of Physician Assistants. Stephane VanderMeulen is the daughter of Carol Poese of O'Neill and Carlee Mathis of Spencer. West Holt High School Wins 2012 Nebraska State Envirothon
In their thirteenth appearance at the Nebraska State Envirothon competition and coming up just short of winning in previous years, the West Holt High School Envirothon team made their way to the 4-H Camp in the Nebraska National Forest near Halsey for the 2012 Nebraska State Envirothon competition held May 5th. This year the Huskies were ready and outscored all the other teams to be crowned the 2012 Nebraska State Envirothon Champions. West Holt High School will now represent Nebraska at the Canon Envirothon July 22 - July 27 at Susquehanna University in Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania.
The Envirothon is a program for 9th-12th grade students designed to promote awareness about our natural environment. Students compete in a forum that tests their knowledge on a wide array of subjects relating to natural resources and the environment. Seven Regional Envirothon competitions are held across Nebraska in early spring. The winning five-member team from each regional competition is then invited to represent their region at the Nebraska State Envirothon Competition. Seven additional Wildcard teams are also invited based on their scores. West Holt High School qualified for the Nebraska State Envirothon by winning the Northeast Regional Envirothon and posting the highest regional score from across the state. The top fourteen teams receiving an invitation to this years State Envirothon included; Aurora High School, Norris High School, Concordia High School Teams 1 & 2, Chase County High School, Burke High School, Bellevue West High School Teams 1 & 2, Sidney High School, Ord High School, Milford High School, West Holt High School, Hyannis High School and St. Edward High School.
During the State Envirothon, each team was tested in seven environmental areas, which included: Aquatics, Forestry; Policy; Range; Soils; Wildlife; and, an Oral presentation involving Non-Point Source Pollution. The teams competed for top honors at each of the seven stations. This year the team from West Holt High School won the Wildlife, Range, Soils and Forestry stations securing their bid for first place. Team members include Cole Gibbens, Marcus Marcellus, Josh Coyle, Dylan Laible and Abigael Olson . Each winning team member also received a $500 Scholarship from the University of Nebraska – Lincoln College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources which was presented by Sue Ellen Pegg. The Upper Elkhorn NRD would like to congratulate the West Holt High School Envirothon Team for their outstanding efforts at the state competition. Nebraska Cattlemen Foundation Announces Scholarship Recipients The Nebraska Cattlemen Foundation (NCF) is pleased to announce the recipients of NCF scholarships for the 2012-2013 academic year.
The Nebraska Cattlemen Foundation strongly believes in the importance of a sound education for tomorrow’s industry leaders and is pleased to be able to offer these scholarships which are provided through contributions received by NCF. “Over 55 applications from many well-qualified youth were reviewed and the Foundation is extremely pleased to be able to award these 18 scholarships to help these students with their educational goals,” says Loretta Hamilton, Thedford, NE, president of the Nebraska Cattlemen Foundation. “Thanks to the generosity of donors to the Retail Value Steer Challenge, the primary fundraiser for the Foundation, we have been able to almost double the number of scholarships awarded from just a few years ago.” Scholarship recipients will be recognized during the Nebraska Cattlemen Midyear Meeting in Atkinson, Friday, June 8th, at the Nebraska Cattlemen Foundation Luncheon. Plant Pumpkins Now For Page's "Great Pumpkin Party" The ROPE Parish Disciplemakers are sponsoring ‘The Great Pumpkin Party’ to be held on October 14, 2012 at the Page Park. Prizes will be given for the biggest, smallest, prettiest and ugliest pumpkins entered. Other events include a pumpkin pie eating contest, pumpkin blasting, pumpkin carving and painting, and a pumpkin baking contest. All pumpkins must be grown in your own garden, and if possible, please involve your children, grandchildren or neighbor children. Get your seed ordered and planted now- this could be BIG!!! O'Neill Chamber of Commerce Names Scholarship Winners 5/8/12 The O'Neill Chamber of Commerce announced their 2012 Scholarship winners at their monthly luncheon Monday, May 7 at the Blarney Stone Restaurant in O'Neill. Winners of $200 scholarships were:
Sarah Vandersnick, daughter of Charles and Renee Vandersnick graduating from St. Mary's who will attend the Nursing program at Northeast Community College in Norfolk. (left to right - Senator Tyson Larson, Sarah Vandersnick, Chamber President Jim Podany, Renee Vandersnick and Charles Vandersnick.
Stephanie Nemec, daughter of Donna Schald graduating from O'Neill High School will attend Wayne State College. (left to right -- Senator Tyson Larson, Stephanie Nemec, Chamber President Jim Podany and Donna Shald.
Tasha Lechtenberg, daughter of James and Jackie Lechtenberg will attend Morningside College. (left to right -- Senator Tyson Larson, James Lechtenberg, Tasha Lechtenberg and Chamber President Jim Podany. McIntosh Jewelry Makes Donation To Holt County Humane Society, Challenges Others To Donate
Rich McIntosh presents check to Darcy Poese with the Holt County Animal Shelter 5/8/12 The new Holt County Animal Shelter building is nearly finished on the outside, but there is still a need for furnishings for the inside. The building itself was taken care of by the donation of a generous local person.
The Holt County Animal Shelter is needing your help to make the new facility a reality.
Rich McIntosh of McIntosh Jewelry decided he would help the cause by running a promotion and matching the funds raised. McIntosh Jewelry ran the promotion by changing watch batteries for a $3.00 donation to the Holt County Animal Shelter and then matching it. By the end of the promotion McIntosh Jewelry had raised $425.00 and then matched it, giving a total of $850.00 to the Holt County Animal Shelter. McIntosh stated "I would like to challenge other businesses in the county to help with the furnishings of the Holt County Animal Shelter". The Holt County Animal Shelter serves not only O'Neill but also Atkinson and other communities in the county. Agricultural Water Management Meeting to Be May 18th University of Nebraska – Extension is holding a Nebraska Agricultural Water Management Network (NAWMN) Informational Meeting Friday, May 18, 2012. The meeting will examine the use of irrigation tools, ET gauges or atmometers and watermark sensors to manage irrigation water and maximize yield potentials. We will also explain what the NAWMN can do for farmers in Nebraska. There will be equipment and tools on hand for demonstration. Past NAWMN participants have reported reducing irrigation water application by 2 inches per year. Come and learn how these irrigation management tools can be incorporated into your operation at the following locations:
Please RSVP to the Holt County Extension Office (402-336-2760) or Antelope County Extension Office (402-887-5414). Holt-Boyd Extension Plans to Offer Livestock Quality Assurance Course The 4-H Quality Assurance (QA) Program teaches youth about the quality of meat and food products that come from livestock. Quality assurance for livestock producers means making a promise to the consumers, or the people who consume the meat, milk and dairy products, and eggs that come from livestock and poultry. The promise made is that products from livestock will be the highest possible quality and producers will do everything possible to make these products safe to eat. All Holt and Boyd County 4-H Youth ages 8-18, who are enrolled in a livestock project (beef, dairy cattle, dairy goat, meat goat, poultry, rabbit, sheep, and swine), will be required to complete the Livestock Quality Assurance Course offered on the following dates:
4-H Career Portfolios Judged at District Competition By: Megan Hanefeldt – UNL Extension Assistant – Holt/Boyd Counties Three 4-H members represented Holt County at the District Career Portfolio competition. The Career Portfolio is a summary of the 4-H career, emphasizing personal growth and leadership experiences related to knowledge learned, skills gained, and community or volunteer service as experienced through the 4-H program.
Andrea Lemmer, Atkinson was selected in the citizenship division to represent Nebraska at the National 4-H Congress in Atlanta, Georgia. Two other youth representing Holt County at the District Career Portfolio Competition were: Tyler Coburn – Science & Technology and Amanda Pischel – Beef. Sen. Ben Nelson Comments on New Keystone XL Application May 4, 2012 – Today, Nebraska’s Senator Ben Nelson issued this statement concerning TransCanada re-applying for a presidential permit to build its proposed Keystone XL pipeline that would pass through Nebraska. “Nebraskans expect the new application to receive thorough and objective review,” Senator Nelson said. “Hopefully, Nebraska officials will work with TransCanada on a route that is acceptable to Nebraskans and Congress will avoid further political meddling in the review process. It’s time to let the process move forward without further unnecessary delays or intrusion as a result of political gamesmanship.” O'Neill FCCLA Recognizes Former Officers, Installs New Officers
Above, former officers: Allison Ludwig, Grace Bunner, Ariel Lichty, Abby Krysl, Holly Hesse, Tasha Lechtenberg, and Laura Lueninghoener Below, new officers: Marie Sitz, Sarah Devall, Ariel Lichty, Holly Hesse, Morgan Langan, Abby Krysl, and Grace Bunner
Members of the O’Neill Chapter of Family, Career, and Community Leaders of America held their year-end banquet on Monday, April 30, 2012, in the high school gym. Members and their guests enjoyed a carry in meal followed by a program to celebrate the accomplishments of the past year. Outstanding member awards were presented to seventh grader Allison Ludwig, eighth grader Grace Bunner, freshman Ariel Lichty; sophomore Abby Krysl, junior Holly Hesse; senior Tasha Lechtenberg. and overall outstanding member Laura Lueninghoener. Awards were presented to the members for their years of participation in the organization. One, two, three, four, five, and six-year members were recognized. Six-Year member was Tasha Lechtenberg. An honorary membership was awarded to an individual who have helped the organization a great deal. This year’s recipient was Karter Otte. Outgoing officers were thanked for their efforts throughout the year. They were: President Tasha Lechtenberg; Vice President Laura Lueninghoener; Secretary Holly Hesse; Treasurer Ariel Lichty; Public Relations Natalie Brodersen; Historian Abby Krysl; Student Council Representative, Morgan Langan. The outgoing officers conducted the candle lighting and installation ceremony. Newly installed officers include: President Holly Hesse, Vice President Morgan Langan, Secretary Ariel Lichty, Treasurer Abby Krysl, Historian Grace Bunner, Public Relations Sarah Devall, and Student Council Representative Marie Sitz. TransCanada Submits New Application 5/5/12 WASHINGTON (AP) — A Canadian company that wants to build the disputed Keystone XL pipeline in the U.S. says it has submitted a new application for the project after changing the route to avoid environmentally sensitive land in Nebraska. TransCanada says it filed a new application Friday for the project to carry oil from western Canada to Steele City, Neb., to link up there with other pipelines to carry oil to refineries on the Texas Gulf Coast. President Barack Obama blocked the project earlier this year, citing uncertainty over the Nebraska route, and drawing fire from Republicans. TransCanada proposed a new route last month that would veer east around the groundwater-rich Sandhills region. Eme Aufdenkamp is SONE Athlete of the Week
Special Olympics Nebraska has chosen Eme Aufdenkamp of O’Neill as their featured athlete of the week. Eme is the daughter of Jon and Sherry Aufdenkamp. She is 11 years old and has been with the O’Neill Area Special Olympics team for 3 years. She competes in track and bowling, and may soon add basketball to her list of events. The Special Olympics Nebraska Facebook page also featured a story about Eme called the “Gold Medal Moment”. “Eme loves being part of a team. She enjoys being around others during training and at competitions. Eme has done a great job of helping her mom sell Big Red Raffle tickets to raise funds for O’Neill Area Special Olympics. She has attended several “Breakfast of Champions” events and her favorite and most memorable experience came from one of those Breakfasts. Ndamukong Suh showed up at one of the breakfast events and took pictures with the athletes and all the other star struck adults. When Eme approached him, she looked at me with eyes as large as saucers and said “He is really big”. Of course Suh was very gracious and said “Yes, I am”. We were able to capture a really cute picture of Suh and Eme that day and it has been a source of pride for her to be able to show all her friends that she got to meet Suh as one part of all her wonderful experiences with Special Olympics.” Congratulations from KBRX, Eme! O'Neill Academic Activity Award Winners
Conner Peterson and Laura Loeninghoener are this year's O'Neill High School Academic Activity Award Winners. Contratulations! Stewards Of Children Training in O'Neill The O’Neill Family Preservation Team is providing Stewards of Children abuse prevention trainings for $15 for adults in this area. Stewards of Children is the only evidence-based child sexual abuse prevention training proven effective in educating adults to prevent, recognize, and react responsibly to child sexual abuse. Free Fishing and Park Entry Day Set for May 19 LINCOLN, Neb. – Free Fishing and Park Entry Day on May 19 is an opportunity for everyone to enjoy fishing or a state park area in Nebraska without a permit. Although no fishing or park entry permits will be required on the free day, which is celebrated annually on the Saturday before Memorial Day weekend, all other fee requirements, laws and regulations will be in effect. Anglers at Two Rivers State Recreation Area's (SRA) trout lake must buy a daily trout tag. As part of the Free Fishing and Park Entry Day activities, the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission will host Family Fishing Clinics at the following locations: -- Alexandria SRA, 9:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. – Fort Robinson State Park (SP), 9 a.m.-noon – Fremont Lakes SRA, Lake No. 3, 9 a.m.-noon – Louisville SRA, 9 a.m.-noon – Eugene T. Mahoney SP, Owen Marina, 9-11 a.m. – Platte River SP, 9 a.m.-noon – Ponca SP, 9 a.m.-8 p.m. -- Two Rivers SRA, Lake No. 1, 9 a.m.-noon – Victoria Springs SRA, 9 a.m.-6 p.m. While the public is encouraged to bring their own fishing gear, tackle will be available for children to use, including rods and reels, bobbers, hooks, sinkers and bait. Game and Parks employees and volunteer fishing instructors will hand out materials and offer fishing tips to the participants. Catfish or trout will be stocked at most of the lakes to increase the odds of everyone catching a fish. NOVA Treatment Community Recruiting Foster Parents in O’Neill
OMAHA, NE – A child or siblings are currently in need of a caring foster home where they can experience the empowerment that will put them on the right path for the rest of their lives. Sandy Sippel, LMHP, PLADC, Child Welfare Services Director for NOVA Treatment Community, says “There are children who need a safe, stable environment that provides for their physical, social, emotional and spiritual support. We utilize a selection and matching process to help ensure that children and teens are placed in the most appropriate homes, as well as offering comprehensive training and 24/7 support to our foster families.” Foster parents come from all walks of life including:
If you or someone you know is interested in becoming a foster parent, call NOVA Treatment Community at 402-991-8566 for further information. Additional information about NOVA Treatment Community’s other services can be viewed at www.novatc.org. Central Valley Ag Makes Top 100 of Nation’s Largest Agriculture Co-ops WASHINGTON, May 1, 2012 – The nation’s 100 largest agriculture cooperatives reported near-record revenue of $118 billion in 2010, USDA Rural Development Under Secretary Dallas Tonsager announced today. This was an increase of 4 percent over 2009 figures. Net income for the 100 top agriculture co-ops was also up more than 10 percent in 2010, reaching $2.39 billion, up from $2.16 billion in 2009. Nine Nebraska Cooperatives made the Top 100 list. Ag Processing, Inc. in Omaha ranked fifth with $3.3 billion. Producers Livestock Marketing Association also of Omaha, had revenue of $908 million; Cooperative Producers Inc. of Hastings, $643 million; Aurora Cooperative Elevator Company of Aurora, $614 million; Farmers Cooperative of Dorchester, $602 million; Central Valley Ag Cooperative in O’Neill, $506 million; United Farmers Cooperative of York, $450 million; Frenchman Valley Farmers Cooperative, Inc. of Imperial, $419 million; and Ag Valley Cooperative Non-Stock of Edison $289 million. USDA’s top 100 ag co-op list shows that 23 co-ops had 2010 revenue of more than $1 billion. Another 47 co-ops had revenue between $506 million and $1 billion. The 100th ranked co-op had sales of $276 million. Leading the revenue increase from 2009 to 2010 were dairy cooperatives, which saw 2010 revenue climb more than 14.5 percent from the previous year, to $29.5 billion. Dairy cooperatives accounted for more than half of the revenue increase recorded by the top 100 ag co-ops in 2010. Gross margins, as a percent of total sales, were up slightly, from 9 percent to 9.2 percent. The increase in gross margins partially covered higher expenses. Gross margins plus service revenue climbed to $684 million. Total expenses for the top 100 ag co-ops were up $575 million in 2010. The largest cost increase was for labor, where expenses climbed by 7 percent, to $4.6 billion. On the other hand, lower interest rates and less debt caused interest expense to drop 11 percent. “While it is encouraging to see the nation’s largest farmer-owned cooperatives reporting strong revenue and income, it is also noteworthy that the nation is seeing a surge in the formation of small-farmer cooperatives and quasi-cooperatives that have been created to meet the growing demand for locally produced foods,” Tonsager said. The asset base for the top 100 ag co-ops grew by $2.3 billion between 2009 and 2010. Current assets accounted for nearly two-thirds of that increase. Fixed assets also showed an increase of $600 million. For a complete list of the top 100 cooperatives, go to http://www.rurdev.usda.gov/SupportDocuments/rdTop100AgCoopList04-27-2012.pdf. For a more detailed look at the top 100 Ag Co-ops, see page 16 of the March-April issue of USDA's "Rural Cooperatives" magazine: http://www.rurdev.usda.gov/rbs/pub/openmag.htm. St. Mary's Journalism Class Competes
St. Mary's journalism winners: Brad Reynoldsen, Tom Chvala, Claire Wetzel, Kaylee Krotter. 5/1/12 The St. Mary's Journalism department placed 7th in Class D competition in the NSAA State Journalism contest. Twenty-two schools competed in Class D. SMH winners in preliminary competition are Bradley Reynoldson, 1st, advertising; Claire Wetzel, 2nd, Newspaper Layout / Design; Kaylee Krotter, 2nd, Sports / Action Photography; and Tom Chvala, 3rd, Column Writing. Chambers To Hold Alumni Banquet 5/1/12 The Chambers Public School 2012 Alumni Banquet will be held on Saturday, May 26th at 7 p.m. in the school gymnasium. The legion will be available through out the day for visiting and gathering of the classes as in the past. The gym doors will open at 6 p.m. The cost is $15 per person before May 15th, from May 15th through May 23rd the price is $17 and no reservations will be accepted after May 23rd. The honor classes this year are 1986-1987 and 1961 - 1962. Pictures of the honor classes will be done by Studio B Photography in the gym at 6 p.m. Mail your registration to Chambers Alumni Banquet, P.O. Box 25, Chambers, NE 68725 or you can call Lisa Green at 402-482-5256 in the evenings or Carissa (Ehlers) Konrad at 402-340-0887 during the day. O'Neill Robotics Team Competes In Norfolk
The O'Neill High School Robotics team of Miranda Winter, Kyle Lorenz, Andrew Carlson, and Miguel Ochoa, and sponsored by Mr. Spangler and Mr. Walters competed in Norfolk last Saturday. Kyle and Miranda took first place and Andrew and Miguel took second place. These were also the same standings for overall winners for the entire year's competitions. Congrats O'Neill Robotics Team! St. Mary's 1st Grade Hatches Chicks
UNL Extension Assistant Megan Hanefeldt (back row) with 4/30/12 The first grade class at St. Mary’s Elementary School hatched chicks in their classroom during the month of April. The eggs were taken to the classroom on April 3 by Megan Hanefeldt, UNL Extension Assistant. The eggs take 21 days to hatch. The classroom was full of peeping and chirping the morning of April 25 when the students came to school. The students enjoyed having the chicks in their classroom. Through the hatching process the youth learned about the importance of turning the eggs, keeping the air moist in the incubator, and maintaining the temperature at 100 degrees at all times. As a part of the incubating process, the youth got a chance to study the growth and development of the embryo inside each egg through a process called candling. For more information about embryology and to watch the live “Egg Cam” in Lancaster County visit: http://lancaster.unl.edu/4h/embryology/ Area Communities Set Tornado Siren Testing Date The Boyd-Holt Joint E911 call center would like to inform the citizens in their coverage area that on May 12th at approximately 10:00 AM, monthly testing of tornado sirens will be held in the communities of Atkinson, Emmet, Inman, O'Neill, and Stuart in Holt County and Butte and Spencer in Boyd County. This testing will be in conjunction with the villages of Chambers, Ewing, and Page in Holt County, and Bristow, Gross, Lynch, Monowi, and Naper in Boyd County, who will be setting off sirens from their firehalls. This testing will take place on the second Saturday of each month from May through September to insure that all warning equipment is operating properly in the event of a severe weather issue. This testing will consist of a controlled 30 second sounding of the tornado sirens. However, if there is inclement weather in the area, and the potential for an actual tornado is possible, there will be no testing so as not to confuse or cause alarm. Holt County 4-H Speech Contest Results The 2012 Holt County 4-H Speech Contest was held Friday, April 13th at the Holt County Courthouse Annex in O’Neill. Results are as follows: SPEECH:
Clover Kid Division: Clover Kid Participation Ribbon: Sydney Estill, Stuart; Lawrence Werth, O’Neill; Jacob Haburchak, Ewing; Tyson Stracke, Stuart; Annie Corkle, Atkinson; Kirsten Koenig, Ewing
Novice Division Purple – Champion: Landyn Mlady, Atkinson Purple – Reserve Champion: Ryann Haburchak, Ewing Blue: Emma Green, Ewing
Junior Division Purple – Champion: Leighton Mlady, Atkinson Blue – Reserve Champion: Jace Stagemeyer, Page Blue: Christopher Jennings, O’Neill; Andy Koenig, Ewing; Anna Albrecht, Atkinson; Madison Stracke, Stuart
Intermediate Division Purple – Champion: Miles Stagemeyer, Page Blue – Reserve Champion: Cadrien Livingston, Orchard Blue: Nathaniel Jennings, O’Neill; Ryan Koenig, Ewing
Senior Division Purple – Champion: Kami Crabtree, Chambers Purple – Reserve Champion: Carissa Soukup, O’Neill Purple: Brittany Soukup, O’Neill Blue: Levi Koenig, Ewing
PSA’s: Junior Division Purple – Champion: Emily Burk, Atkinson Intermediate Division Blue – Champion: Cadrien Livingston, Orchard Blue – Reserve Champion: Travis Halsey, Chambers Area UNMC Students to Receive Diplomas Diplomas will be conferred on 1,017 students -- the largest number of graduates for a spring commencement in the history of the University of Nebraska Medical Center. Ceremonies will take place next week in Kearney, Lincoln, Norfolk, Omaha and Scottsbluff. On Thursday, May 3, at 2 p.m., a ceremony will be held for the UNMC College of Nursing Northern Division at the Lifelong Learning Center on the Northeast Community College campus in Norfolk. This is the first graduating class since the college opened in 2010. UNMC College of Nursing Northern Division (Norfolk) Bachelor of Science in Nursing Students from our area that will be graduating are: On Thursday, May 3, at 7 p.m., a ceremony will be held for UNMC College of Nursing Kearney Division students at the University of Nebraska at Kearney Health & Sports Center. UNMC College of Nursing Kearney Division Bachelor of Science in Nursing Atkinson -- Ross McClanahan Axtell -- Emalie Petersen Butte -- Chelsey Reiser (With Distinction) On Friday, May 4, at 2 p.m., a ceremony will be held for students graduating from the UNMC College of Nursing Lincoln Division and the UNMC College of Dentistry at the Lied Center for Performing Arts. UNMC College of Nursing Lincoln Division Bachelor of Science in Nursing Atkinson -- Jamie Rossman Ewing -- Megan Schnebel Mitchell (With High Distinction) On Saturday, May 5, at 10 a.m., a ceremony will be held in the Omaha Civic Auditorium for students graduating from the colleges of medicine, nursing, pharmacy, public health, the graduate college and the School of Allied Health Professions. UNMC College of Nursing (Omaha) Bachelor of Science in Nursing UNMC College of Nursing (Omaha) Post-Master's Certificate in Nursing Students from our area that will be graduating are: Clearwater -- Jenna Thiele Jacob ONeill -- Terra Drueke and Kelli Culver UNMC College of Medicine (Omaha) Doctor of Medicine Students from our area that will be graduating are: Atkinson -- Jeremy Peterson Creighton -- Brian Jundt Ewing -- Joshua Thoendel O`Neill -- Travis Ptacek and Gina Hoesing Torpin UNMC College of Pharmacy (Omaha) Doctor of Pharmacy Students from our area that will be graduating are: UNMC School of Allied Health Professions Bachelor of Science in Clinical Laboratory Science Students from our area that will be graduating are: UNMC School of Allied Health Professions Doctor of Physical Therapy Students from our area that will be graduating are: UNMC College of Nursing West Nebraska Division (Scottsbluff) Bachelor of Science in Nursing
Local Riders Cruising 1,000 miles in 24 hours for Healthcare
Northeast to Offer EMT Workshops in Area Communities in May
NORFOLK, Neb. – The Allied Health Department at Northeast Community College in Norfolk has announced the May schedule of its free, one-session workshops for emergency medical service technicians in the area. All workshops are offered for three continuing education units. All will be held in the local fire halls from 7-10 p.m. There is no need to pre-register. The workshops, dates, and locations include: Lung/Airway Wednesday, May 2 Hartington When to Call for ALS Intercept Tuesday, May 15 Plainview Start Triage Monday, May 21 (rescheduled from 4/16) Elgin Sports Injuries Tuesday, May 29 Chambers This program is funded in whole or in part with public funds provided through the Preventive Health and Health Services Block Grant administered by the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services System Emergency Medical Services Program. For additional information, call the Allied Health Department, Northeast Community College, at 1-800-348-9033, Ext. 7335, or (402)844-7335 County Road Closed Wellington Road (Chambers cut across) will be closed at Ewing from U.S. Highway 275 to the intersection of 856th Road & 505th Avenue from Saturday, April 28th thru Monday, April 30th. Local traffic only. Age Ban Legislation on Farm Children Dropped WASHINGTON (AP) — Under heavy pressure from farm groups, the Obama administration is dropping an effort to prevent children from doing hazardous work on farms owned by anyone other than their parents. The Labor Department says it is withdrawing proposed rules that would ban children younger than 16 from using most power-driven equipment. The rules also would prevent those younger than 18 from working in feed lots, grain bins and stockyards. The agency says thousands of comments have expressed concern about the impact of the changes on small family-owned farms. Many farm groups have complained that the rules would upset traditions in which children often work alongside relatives other than parents to learn how a farm operates. Government officials have said their goal was to protect children from life-threatening injuries. Several organizations have released statements concering this ruling: Statement by Steve Nelson, President, Nebraska Farm Bureau Federation LINCOLN, NE, April 26, 2012 – “The Nebraska Farm Bureau is elated with the Department of Labor’s decision to withdraw the agency’s proposed rule to restrict the ability of children to work on America’s farms and ranches. This is a true victory for farm and ranch families everywhere. This decision will continue to allow us to maintain the valued traditions of our rural way of life by providing opportunities for children to actively participate on agriculture operations.” “No one cares more about the safety of children working in agriculture more than those farmers and ranchers who allow their children, their neighbors and young people to the opportunity to work on their farms and learn first-hand the skills and passion needed to provide food for families everywhere. This rule would have been unbelievably restrictive preventing young people from being able to get their hands dirty on farms and ranches across our state.” “We are proud to have contributed to the effort with our “Let Me Get My Hands Dirty” campaign which encouraged farmers, their children and FFA students across the state to share their concerns with the Department of Labor. It’s critical that our voices were heard throughout this rulemaking process. In a little over a month, Nebraska Farm Bureau collected over 1,800 signatures from Nebraska FFA students in opposition to the proposed rule. We stand ready to work with the Department of Labor to further the agency’s awareness about our efforts to keep kids safe on Nebraska’s farms and ranches.” Statement from the Nebraska Cattlemen Late in the day on April 26th the U.S. Department of Labor withdrew proposed regulations of Child Labor in Agriculture. Nebraska Cattlemen submitted comments in opposition to the proposed regulations last fall when they were first introduced. These comments were among thousands that the Department of Labor received. Nebraska Cattlemen also organized a coalition of agriculture associations and agriculture supporters to sign an open letter to the Secretary of Labor opposing the proposed Child Labor in Agriculture regulations. Nebraska Cattlemen opposed these regulations because rather than trying to understand agriculture and work to find safety solutions; the Department of Labor was opting, by regulation, to effectively prohibit young workers from being employed in agriculture at all. “The withdrawal of the proposed child labor regulations comes as a relief to the farmers and ranchers in Nebraska because now they can continue to teach their children about the importance of agriculture through first hand experiences,” states Jim Ramm, Nebraska Cattlemen President. Nebraska Cattlemen, along with the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association worked to give the beef producers in the state a voice and allow their children to work alongside them or with their neighbors as they learn more about agriculture. Nebraska Environmental Department Set Pipeline Sessions - O'Neill & Neligh To Host Meetings
4/27/12 The Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality will conduct a series of information sessions in May, to discuss with the public the proposed Keystone XL pipeline route corridor information that has been submitted by TransCanada. The four meetings will be located along the proposed corridor area. O’Neill - May 9, 4-7 p.m. at the O’Neill Community Center, 501 S. 4th St.
Neligh – May 10, 4-7 p.m. at the Neligh-Oakdale High School Gym, 600 J St. Albion – May 16, 4-7 p.m. at the Boone County Fairgrounds, 11th and Fairview Ave. Central City – May 17, 4-7 p.m. at the Central City Community Room, 1515 17th St. The information sessions will be an opportunity to meet and talk with those involved in the review, in an “open house” format with tables and posters around the room. Topics will include NDEQ’s role in the review process, a large area featuring detailed map enlargements, an overview of the next steps in the review process, and an area to submit comments to be considered by the agency. NDEQ has also invited TransCanada to attend the information sessions, to respond to questions that are beyond the scope of the state’s review.
“NDEQ and our contractor, HDR Engineering, will continue to review this initial proposal, and following the meetings, we will have discussions with TransCanada about our initial reactions to their route corridor report,” Linder said. “TransCanada is then expected to submit a more refined route plan for the state’s evaluation.” Linder said that during this review, NDEQ will develop a draft evaluation report which will be made available to the public. Several months from now when the draft evaluation report is completed, the agency will announce a public hearing on Nebraska’s review. Public comments are invited now through the conclusion of the public hearing, and those comments will be considered as the state develops a final report to submit to the Governor. To find out more about the process, review documents or submit comments, go to NDEQ’s new web site that focuses on the pipeline review at: https://ecmp.nebraska.gov/deq-seis/ A link to this area can also be found on NDEQ’s main web site, at www.deq.ne.gov O'Neill Word Of Life Christian School & Church To Celebrate Anniversaries This Weekend Public Invited
O'Neill Judge Appointed To Nebraska Supreme Court
4/26/12 LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A Nebraska Court of Appeals judge has been chosen to fill a vacancy on the state Supreme Court. Gov. Dave Heineman said Thursday that he had chosen William Cassel, of O'Neill, to join the Nebraska Supreme Court. He replaces Judge John Gerrard, who left the high court for appointment as a U.S. District Court judge in Nebraska. Cassel will represent the Third Judicial District, which includes Antelope, Boone, Boyd, Burt, Cedar, Cuming, Dakota, Dixon, Dodge, Holt, Knox, Madison, Pierce, Platte, Stanton, Thurston, Washington, Wayne, and Wheeler counties, in addition to portions of Douglas and Sarpy counties. Cassel will be eligible to begin serving immediately because he already is a judge. Cassel has served on the Appeals Court since 2003. Before that he was a district judge for 12 years. He has participated in roughly 5,000 appeals cases and written 650 opinions. Cassel also has helped the University of Nebraska's Law College teach students about ethics and professionalism. Public Meeting Reveals Details on Possible Wind Farm
Representatives from companies proposing to build a wind farm in Holt County were on hand to hear comments and field questions from the public Monday night in O’Neill. The gathering at the Community Center was a public scoping meeting, a legally mandated step in the application process for Grande Prairie Wind, LLC to build a wind farm. Grande Prairie plans to build a 400 megawatt wind farm over 54,250 acres of northeast Holt County. The wind farm would be located on public and privately owned land, and could involve up to 266 wind turbines. The turbine model has not been selected, but the total height of the towers could reach 521 feet. Although the number could change, it is estimated that the wind farm could generate nearly 40 permanent jobs, plus the temporary construction jobs needed to build it. The farm will be located northeast of O'Neill. The eastern edge will border Knox County, while the southern part will be about 4 miles north of Old Highway 108. Here is the planned location of the wind farm and placement of the turbines:
Grande Prairie is working with Western Area Power Administration on this project, proposing to connect the wind farm with Western’s power grid. A buyer for the power has not been found yet, but most likely the power produced by the wind farm would primarily be shipped to a buyer out of state. However, an offer to sell 10% to NPPD is also part of the deal. NPPD has not officially stated their intentions, but indications point to NPPD declining the offer due to lack of demand.
At this time, Grande Prairie and Western are submitting an Environmental Impact Statement, or EIS, that will give them the rights to build the wind farm if approved. That process will most likely take a couple of years. Some of the steps include the environmental review, drafting the EIS, issuing it for public review, and waiting for the decision of approval or disapproval. Right now the target date is early 2014 for the final decision to be made. If the wind farm is permitted, Grande Prairie plans to begin building soon afterward, and hopes to have the wind farm operational by the fall of 2014.
Another public meeting will have to take place as soon as the EIS is released to the public. That meeting is tentatively scheduled for August 2013, and will give the public a chance to voice final comments before the decision is made. If anyone would like to make a comment, they may email grandeprairie@wapa.gov, or contact Matt Marsh of Western Area Power Administration. To hear an interview with Grande Prairie Representative Patrick Dalseth, click here. The Wizard of Oz Huge Hit at OHS!
Spring Turkey Hunt Kickoff Banquet Special Youth Challenge of Northern Nebraska invites you to a Spring Turkey Hunt Kickoff Banquet, Friday, May 4 at 6:30 pm at the Rock County High School in Bassett Multi Purpose Room. Special Youth Challenge of Northern Nebraska is a new organization designed to teach and assist youth that have a physical challenge, special need or have or have had a life threatening disease to participate in and enjoy shooting sports in God's great outdoors. SYC provides training and other necessary aides to help the hunters achieve this goal at no cost to them. So come to the banquet Friday, May 4 at 6:30 pm at the Rock County High School to meet the team, kids and families and to help spread the word about this organization. Meal will be provided by Men 4 Men Ministry Group of Atkinson and would appreciate an RSVP by April 27th would be appreciated but is not required to let them know you are coming so they can plan for food. Call 402-336-0086 to RSVP or for more information. Senator Nelson Weighs In On Rural Post Offices 4/25/12 This is a news release sent out by Senator Ben Nelson concerning the issue of closing rural post offices. Nebraskans are some of the most thoughtful and patriotic Americans you can find. We’re always ready, willing, and able to do our part for the country, but that doesn’t mean we’re not watchful for proposals that would impact life in rural America. Proposals put forth by the U.S. Postal Service to close rural post offices and end Saturday mail delivery would do just that. Inconvenient Driving Distances Those who live in cities don’t always appreciate driving distances in agriculture country and what rural folks have to deal with when it comes to post offices in a state this large. For instance, a business owner in Lisco, in Nebraska’s Panhandle, wrote to me saying if the Lisco office is closed, as is proposed, he’ll have to drive to Oshkosh just to get his mail. That’s about 15 miles one way or a round trip of 30 miles which would amount to 150 miles for a five day work week. That’s a lot of inconvenience and added expense especially with gas prices what they are today. The U.S. Postal Service has proposed closing many mail processing centers and 3,700 mainly rural post offices across the country, including 90 in Nebraska. Congress is currently working on comprehensive postal reform legislation to protect rural post offices from closure and I’ve supported these efforts. Important Issue for Newspapers I know local post offices and regular mail delivery are very important to communities across Nebraska. Keeping Saturday delivery shows one example. Without Saturday delivery, rural Nebraskans might not see their local newspaper they get now in the mail on Friday or Saturday until the following Tuesday. People won’t be able to keep up on local news. Daily papers will become like weeklies. Delivery of weekly papers could slide too. This hurts the right of citizens to be informed, which has been an important principle since America was founded. If Congress doesn’t pass a postal reform bill soon, there’s nothing to stop the U.S. Postmaster General from going ahead with a draconian cost-savings plan that would change small town life in Nebraska and across the country. Impact on the Community Rural post offices, the services they provide, and the people who provide them, have great value to communities across Nebraska. Everyone understands that the Postal Service is in the midst of a financial crisis that has to be addressed. This problem can be solved without substantially slowing down the delivery of mail or harming rural America. But we can’t do that if some in Congress continue with tactics that only delays postal reform from moving forward and obstructing Congress with more job killing gridlock. Meanwhile, time is running out and the D.C. bureaucrats still don’t get it when it comes to rural living. Bed Bugs Workshop To Be Held Saturday, April 28th 4/25/12 Don’t Let The Bed Bugs Bite! Until recently, that phrase has been lost on many who never experienced it. Now, bed bugs have been on the increase. This increase has been on the global scale and includes the United States. Nebraska has not escaped the problem, and Northeast Nebraska is no exception. Bed bugs can be a problem in homes, apartments, long-term care facilities, and hotels. Their spread is due to the increase in global travel and pesticide resistance. Once established, bed bugs can be quite difficult to control. In response to this issue in Nebraska, UNL Extension will be holding an informational workshop the Holt County Annex in O’Neill Nebraska on April 28 at 9 AM. This is a free event. Please contact the Holt County Extension Office at 402-336-2760 to register. St. Mary's To Present "The Diary Of Anne Frank" This Weekend 4/24/12 St. Mary's High School students will present "The Diary Of Anne Frank" this Friday and Saturday at St. Mary's High School Gym. Performance will be both nights at 7:00 pm and admission is $3 for students and $5 for adults. St. Mary's Students Megan Schneider, David Shields and Tom Chvala were on KBRX Tuesday morning to talk about the presentation. To Hear The Interview Click Here Administrative Professionals KBRX Winners For Monday 4/24/12 It's Administrative Professionals Week. Every day KBRX will draw 10 lucky winners who will receive a box of cookies!! Winners for Monday, April 24 JENNIFER ROTHCHILD--------HOLT COUNTY TIRE ----O’NEILL AMANDA WELKE----FAMILY DENTISTRY & DENTAL HYGIENE----O’NEILL LINDA HUBEL---McINTOSH JEWELRY -----O’NEILL SUSAN BRAUN---BRAUN’S FOOD CENTER-----ATKINSON ALEXA EMME----NORTH CENTRAL DISTRICT HEALTH DEPT.----O’NEILL DIANE KAUP----KEOGH ELECTRIC ------ATKINSON JEAN ESTILL---GREEN VALLEY IRRIGATION &FARM BUREAU INSURANCE—ATKINSON KARA BOETCHER---HAGBERG FEED YARD & TRUCKING ----SPENCER KIM TIELKE----STUART FERT. & GRAIN INC. -----STUART PAULA MATHISON---3 RIVER TELCO------LYNCH NPPD Goes "Behind The Outlet" in O'Neill
NPPD held another “Behind the Outlet” workshop in O’Neill on Monday. The general public was given the chance to come learn about how NPPD provides power, and also find out what NPPD is doing to develop better and more cost effective ways of providing electricity to its consumers. Stations were set up to walk the public through the different aspects NPPD has to take into account as a business, the current forms of energy usage, and also a look into the future with some of the projects being researched and tested. While NPPD has a goal to develop renewable energy into 10% of their production by 2020, the Board of Directors is also considering refurbishing existing energy production units, including fossil fuel based plants. The meetings also give the public a chance to give NPPD feedback about issues that may concern them, and ask questions about different aspects of energy production. While there have been about a half-dozen workshops, mostly held in the western part of the state, there are also more to be held. NPPD will have more meetings this week in Kearney and Lincoln, as well as another workshop at the Divots Conference Center in Norfolk on May 2nd, which will be open to the public as well. Chambers FCCLA Sponsors “Stand for the Silent” Ceremony
On Friday, April 20, 2012 the students of Chambers Elementary under the leadership provided by Chambers FCCLA, joined with other students across the nation to “Stand for the Silent” against bullying. After a short program explaining bullying, four Chambers FCCLA members (Abby Reiman, Alexa Farewell, Leanne DeKay, and Andrea Lemmer) led the Chambers elementary school in seven seconds of silence in remembrance of the fact that every seven seconds someone, somewhere is bullied. At the end of the seven seconds, each class released a blue balloon. Students then recited the anti-bullying pledge and received pledge cards to help them remember their pledge to ‘stand for the silent’ in preventing bullying in our school and community. Neligh-Oakdale Honor Bands Held
O'Neill 5th grade participants included:
O'Neill 6th grade participants included:
OHS Band 'Superior' at District Music
Spring Walk to School Day is April 25 Children, parents and teachers from across the state will take a step toward healthier lifestyles on April 25 when they walk or bike to school in celebration of Spring Walk to School Day. More than 4,500 children are expected to participate in activities including walking school buses, safety presentations, health fairs and walk-a-thons. Nebraska schools will join thousands of communities around the world that are working to stamp out childhood obesity and promote daily activity through safe routes for walking and biking to school. Local event details are as follows:
For a complete list of registered events across Nebraska, visit www.SafeRoutesNE.com. Spring Walk to School Day events are conducted through Safe Routes Nebraska, a part of the National Safe Routes to School program. Through the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users, passed in 2005, Congress designated $612 million toward developing the National Safe Routes to School program. Money is distributed to the Nebraska Department of Roads to fund education, planning and implementation of Safe Routes to School plans and programs. UNL Extension Tractor Safety Courses Offered Across Nebraska LINCOLN, Neb. -- University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension Tractor Safety/Hazardous Occupations Courses will be offered at seven locations in Nebraska during May and June. Federal law prohibits youth under 16 years of age from working on a farm other than their parents'. Certification through the course grants an exemption to the law allowing 14- and 15-year-olds to drive a tractor and to do field work with mechanized equipment.
Dates and locations include: -- May 24-25, Fairgrounds, Kearney -- June 4-5, Panhandle Research and Extension Center, Scottsbluff -- June 7-8, West Central Research and Extension Center, North Platte -- June 11-12, Evangelical Free Church, Ainsworth -- June 14-15, Fairgrounds, Beatrice -- June 18-19, College Park, Grand Island Pre-registration is strongly encouraged at least one week before a location's start date to the Holt County Extension office, 128 N. 6th Street, Suite 100, O’Neill, NE 68763. Cost is $60, which includes educational materials, testing, supplies, lunches and breaks. For more information, contact the Extension Office or Sharry Nielsen at (308) 832-0645, snielsen1@unl.edu. The first day of class will consist of intensive classroom instruction with hands-on demonstrations, concluding with a written test that must be completed satisfactorily before the student may continue driving tests the next day. Classroom instruction will cover the required elements of the National Safe Tractor and Machinery Operation Program. Homework will be assigned to turn in the next day. Northeast hosts 29th High School Scholastic ContestNORFOLK, Neb. - Approximately 1,200 students from 49 area Class C and D high schools participated in the 29th annual event High School Scholastic Contest held at Northeast Community College. Wisner-Pilger grabbed the gold, O'Neill High School took second place and Pierce High School took third place in the Class C competition. In the Class D contest, West Boyd Schools was the first place winner. Elgin Public High School won second place in the Class D contest. St. Mary's High School, O'Neill, won third place. Individual student medals were awarded for first, second, and third place in each test, in each class. Team plaques were awarded to schools receiving the most points in Class C and D. Championship and runner-up plaques were awarded for the Quiz Bowl with members of the championship team receiving individual medals. Each first-place championship school from Class C and D were awarded a $1,000 scholarship from the Northeast Community College Foundation. The scholarship is to be given to a student from that school who participated in the 2012 Scholastic Contest, will graduate this spring, and registers as a full-time student at Northeast for the 2012-2013 academic year. Participating schools included Ainsworth, Allen, Bancroft-Rosalie, Battle Creek, Bloomfield, Cedar Catholic-Hartington, Chambers, Clarkson, Clearwater-Orchard, Dodge, Elgin, Elkhorn Valley-Tilden, Emerson-Hubbard, Ewing, Guardian Angels Central Catholic-West Point, Holy Family-Lindsay, Howells, Humphrey, Laurel-Concord/Coleridge, Leigh, Lynch, Lyons-Decatur Northeast, Lutheran High Northeast-Norfolk, Madison, Newcastle, Newman Grove, Niobrara, Oakland-Craig, Norfolk Catholic, O’Neill, Omaha Nation, Pender, Pierce, Plainview, Pope John-Elgin, Rock County-Bassett, St. Francis-Humphrey, St. Mary’s-O’Neill, Stanton, Stuart, Verdigre, Wausa, Wayne, West Boyd-Spencer, West Holt-Atkinson, West Point-Beemer, Wheeler Central-Bartlett, Winside, and Wisner-Pilger. The first High School Scholastic Contest was held in 1984 with 13 Class C and D schools participating. There were also a few Class B schools in that original contest.
Northeast to sponsor annual O’Neill Health Conference O’NEILL, Neb. – Organizers are expecting another large turn-out for the 2012 O’Neill Health Conference on Tuesday, June 26. It is scheduled for 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the O’Neill Community Center. Following a registration and breakfast that begins at 8 a.m., Karel Murray, B.A., will open the morning presentations at 8 with a program on “There’s No Such Thing as a One-Person Tango.” Murray will teach participants about effectively communicating with others based on the premise that it takes two people to communicate effectively. She will also explain various parts of human communication, including handshakes, first impressions and how men and women interact differently. Deb Fischer-Clemens, M.H.A., B.S.N., will present, “Health Care Reform: The ACA and You.” Participants will learn about changes in health care due to the Affordable Care Act. They will also learn about the modifications employed by additional federal policies, regulations and legislation. Laura Neece-Baltaro, M.B.A., will present “Quality Epilepsy Care: Where We Are and Where We Need to Be.” Participants will hear about the various common types of seizures and learn the appropriate responses for each. They will also learn about the common myths of epilepsy and answers to the common questions surrounding epilepsy as well as the future in the treatment of epilepsy. Jennifer Koehlmoos, R.N., will present “You’re Holding My Life in Your Arms: Treating the Child with Epilepsy.” Participants will focus on children with epilepsy, as told through the eyes of a mother raising a child with the disorder. This focuses primarily on identifying seizures and appropriate medical responses, as well as administering rescue medications and preparing family for future care and their dramatic future changes. Murray will return for the last session of the day, “The Great and Powerful 'Ah': Think Forward and Get Remarkable.” This presentation teaches participants to focus their lives by using the clarity of purpose. It’s about finding that memorable ‘Ah’ moment and acting on it and seizing opportunities when they come to you. The O’Neill Health Conference is a workshop to provide members of the public or professionals in healthcare and social services with knowledge and understanding of the general and unique health care needs of the public. The conference has been approved by the North Dakota Nurses Association for 6.75 nurse contact hours of continuing education. Cost of the conference is $60 for those earning contact hours for professional certification. Those guests are asked to register for course number HLTH 0500 and CRN #60072. Attendance for the entire day and an evaluation at the workshop conclusion is required for contact hours. Credit is also available for counselors and daycare providers. Conference cost for those not interested in contact hours is $30 and those individuals should register for course number HLTH 0500 and CRN #60074. For further information and a schedule, contact Merri Schneider at 402-336-3590. Kunz To Represent Stuart at Boys' State 4/20/12 Nickolas J Kunz of Stuart, Nebraska, sponsored by The Stuart American Legion, Norton-Carlisle Post #115 will join nearly 400 other high school juniors from across Nebraska participating in The American Legion Cornhusker Boys’ State, June 3-9, 2012 at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln downtown campus. The annual citizenship program, sponsored by the Nebraska American Legion is designed to provide youths with a better understanding of how city, county and state governments operate. Each boy is sponsored locally by an organization such as an American Legion Post, or by some other patriotic, civic, fraternal or religious group in cooperation with the local American Legion Post. American Legion Cornhuskers Boys’ State is set up as a functional “51st” state and each boy learns how government subdivisions operate by actually doing the job. Participants will campaign for office, hold elections, take part in band and chorus, compete in athletics and be involved in other activities as part of the citizenship training program. Special lectures and addresses will be delivered by experienced public officials and professional leaders including, Governor Dave Heineman and Supreme Court Chief Justice, John M. Gerrard. National acclaimed motivational speaker, JoAnne Owens-Nauslar is also scheduled to address the group. You are invited to attend any or all activities of Cornhuskers Boys’ State. Administration Offices will be located at Harper Hall on the UNL Campus. The office telephone number will be 402-472-1055. New Keystone XL Route Revealed 4/19/12 LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Officials have unveiled a new preferred route for the Nebraska portion of the stalled Keystone XL oil pipeline that avoids the state's groundwater-rich Sandhills region. Nebraska environmental officials released details Thursday about the proposal that would veer east around the Sandhills before looping back to the original route. Developer Transcanada says the reroute adds about 100 miles to the original 1,700-mile project that would carry oil from Canada to the Gulf Coast. The new plan will send the pipeline angling across the Boyd/Holt/Keya Paha county borders to the northern part of Antelope County. From there it will travel south through Boone and Nance Counties until it rejoins the old route in Merrick County. TransCanada submitted the proposal after Gov. Dave Heineman allowed the state officials to proceed with an environmental review. The review had stalled in January after the Obama administration rejected a federal permit for the pipeline. Administration officials said they didn't have time to review the project before a congressional deadline and cited uncertainty about the Nebraska route. Wetland Restoration Assistance Available for Landowners Affected By 2011 Flooding 4/19/2012 LINCOLN, NEB., April 19, 2012 - Nebraska landowners with farm ground affected by 2011 Missouri River flooding may be eligible for wetland restoration assistance from the Wetlands Reserve Enhancement Program (WREP) through a five-state project sponsored by the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and The Nature Conservancy, said Craig Derickson, state conservationist with NRCS in Lincoln, Neb. Deadline to apply for this assistance is May 4.
Landowners in Boyd, Knox, Cedar, Dixon, Dakota, Thurston, Burt, Washington, Douglas, Sarpy, Cass, Otoe, Nemaha, and Richardson counties with areas that flooded during the 2011 Missouri River flood, and eligible land within 1,000 meters of the Missouri River, may apply to restore wetlands on their land through 30 year or permanent easements. A map of eligible areas is available at www.ne.nrcs.usda.gov.
“Much of the farmland along the Missouri River was damaged by scouring and sand deposition,” said Derickson. “The Wetlands Reserve Enhancement Program provides economic options for flood-impacted agricultural landowners. The resulting wetlands will also offset costs of future floods while providing valuable water quality and wildlife habitat benefits.”
Nearly $3 million is available for easements and restoration costs to landowners in Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska and South Dakota, said Derickson. The Nature Conservancy is providing a five percent cash match of the restoration costs for key restoration practices.
“We’re very pleased to partner with the NRCS on this new easement program and think it’s a winning solution for farmers, wildlife habitat, and flood control. We hope landowners will respond favorably to this opportunity so that we can grow it in future years,” said Mace Hack, director of The Nature Conservancy in Nebraska.
In addition to the funding available from USDA and The Nature Conservancy, the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission and the Nebraska Environmental Trust will also provide up to $100,000 for restoration projects in Nebraska through this WREP project. This funding is available per year for the next three years. “The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission is looking forward to working with landowners to provide cost share on wetland restorations with the help of the Nebraska Environmental Trust funding,” said Scott Luedtke, District Manager for the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission southeast district.
WREP is a voluntary program carried out through partnership agreements with state and local governments, non-governmental organizations and Indian tribes. It is a component of the Wetlands Reserve Program (WRP). Landowners participating in WREP retain ownership and access to the land, and may be able to generate income from grazing, haying or recreation approved by NRCS.
Landowners may apply at their local NRCS office (find your nearest NRCS service center at http://go.usa.gov/m2Y).
Learn more about WREP at http://go.usa.gov/m24 and find out about other NRCS programs and initiatives at http://go.usa.gov/m22. Chinese Class Students from Holt County Win Places in UNL
4/19/12 Last Thursday, April 12th , students from Holt County Chinese classes, led by the Chinese teacher Ms. Nan Wang, traveled to Lincoln to compete in the 36th annual UNL Language Fair.
Over 1200 students from high schools all over Nebraska join together to compete in five foreign languages groups: Spanish, Germany, French, Japanese and Chinese. They competed on poetry, music, drama and poster. Competitors in Chinese came from Lincoln North Star; Lincoln East; Omaha South; Omaha Central High; and Holt County combined team from O’Neill High School, West Holt High School and Chambers High School.
The competitors from O’Neill Junior-Senior High School competed well, finishing with one first place and two second-place ribbons as well as several additional ribbons for quality performance in the competition.
Cameron Schumecker (West Holt)’s performance of Chinese poetry Yong Liu( Sing of the Willow Tree) earned blue ribbon ( Superior) and won first place on Level 1 Chinese poetry earning the medal and trophy.
Jeremy Lau (O’Neill)’s performance of the Chinese song Kang Ding Qing Ge( Love Song of Kang Ding) earned a blue ribbon ( Superior) and won Second place on Level 2 Chinese music.
Karen Quintero and Francelia Luzania(O’Neill)’s Poster Bai Ta Si (White Pagoda Temple) earned blue ribbon (superior) and won Second place on Level 1 Chinese poster.
Rebecca Barger(West Holt)’s Poster Huang He Lou (Yellow Crane Tower) got blue ribbon (superior)
O’Neill High School Students Karen Quintero’s Chinese song performance Wu Yu Lun Bi de Mei Li (You are the Most Beautiful Person ever), Marie Sitz’s Ning Xia (Quiet Summer) as well as West Holt student Alyssa Sindelar’s Peng You (Friend) all won red ribbons (very good).
Andrea Lemmer (Chambers)’s poster Gu Dai Jian Zhu ( Ancient Architectures) earned red ribbon ( very good).
This is their second year of learning Chinese. Students’ efforts of learning this most difficult foreign language are worthy of respect. Best wishes to their future academic achieving.
O'Neill Eagles Place 2nd at NECC Scholastic Competition 4/19/12 The O’Neill Eagles placed 2nd in the annual Northeast Community College Scholastic Competition on Monday. Students placing in the top three places and earning points for the team were:
Kelsey Appleby – 3rd in Accounting II Holly Hesse – 1st in American Government Davita Dick – 3rd in Art History Lucas George – 2nd in Auto Technology Austin Ducker – 1st in Basic Construction Allison Depko – 2nd in Business English Kyle Lorenz – 2nd in Computer Literacy Alexandria Hedlund – 3rd in English Composition Stephanie Ross – 3rd in Foods and Nutrition Collin Nemec – 1st in Geometry Donnie Taylor – 3rd in Introduction to Health/Wellness/Sports/Physical Education Holly Hesse – 2nd in Library Usage Kailey Kumm – 3rd in Literature Shea Lueninghoener – 2nd in Music Tasha Lechtenberg – 2nd in Parenting/Child Development Allison Depko – 2nd in Personal Finance Maranda Winter – 1st in Public Speaking Derek Krieger – 2nd in Small Engines Kelsey Appleby – 2nd in Trigonometry Kailey Kumm – 2nd in Vocabulary Thomas Schipporeit – 2nd in Welding/SMAW Jonathan Hunt – 2nd in World History TransCanada Submits New Route For Oil Pipeline 4/19/12 WASHINGTON (AP) - TransCanada says it has submitted a proposal for a new route through Nebraska for the disputed Keystone XL oil pipeline. The company said in a statement Wednesday that it has submitted a planned route for the pipeline to Nebraska officials. The state has become a focus of concern for the 1,700-mile pipeline, which would carry oil from Canada to the Texas Gulf Coast. President Barack Obama blocked the pipeline earlier this year, citing uncertainty over a planned route intended to avoid Nebraska's environmentally sensitive Sandhills region. Details of the new route were not immediately available. A spokeswoman for the State Department said officials had not received notification of a new route. State Department approval is needed because the $7 billion pipeline crosses a U.S. border. Wind Farm Meeting Open to Holt County Public 4/18/12 Western Area Power Administration needs your comments to help define the scope and alternatives for an environmental impact statement on an application by Grande Prairie Wind, LLC to interconnect its proposed project to Western't power transmission system. The proposed Grande Prairie Wind Farm will be located in Holt County, northeast of O'Neill. The proposed 400 megawatt wind farm may include up to 266 wind turbine generators, a power collection system, access roads and ancillary facilities. Western Area Power Administration has determined that an Environmental Impact Statement is appropriate to analyze the effects of the proposed action. The EIS will address potential effects associated with the construction of the wind farm and the interconnection to Western's power transmission system. Representatives from the Western Area Power Administration and Grande Prairie Wind, LLC will be available to answer questions about the EIS process and to hear ideas to help define the scope of the Grande Prairie Wind Farm EIS. The meeting will be held at the O'Neill Community Center on Tuesday, April 24th from 5-8 p.m. Santee Sioux Tribe Receives $1 Million Grant4/18/12Prior Lake, MN – The Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community today announced a $1 million grant to the Santee Sioux Nation of Nebraska for community and economic development. The funds will be used for energy assistance, elderly nutrition program, a youth center, swimming pool, land purchase, law enforcement and security, two existing convenience stores, and for construction of a third new convenience store. St. Mary's Places 3rd At NECC Scholastic Competition 4/18/12 St. Mary's placed 3rd of 28 teams in Class D at the NECC Scholastic Contest held Monday in Norfolk. Following are the individual medalists: Jacob Hipke, First Place in American History Wil Hupp, First Place in World History Tyler Timmerman, First Place in Introduction to Psychology Erin Boyle, Second Place in Geometry Mint Chitthammachak, Second Place in Trigonometry Ty Eiler, Second Place in Computer Literacy Sarah Pribil, Second Place in Library Usage Paula Zakrzewski, Second Place in Algebra 1 St. Mary's 2012 Prom Royalty Crowned Saturday
St. Mary's High School Prom was held Saturday. Here is the Royalty that was crowned. (left to right) Crown Bearer Blake Couch, Prince – Alex Fuhrer King – Tyler Timmerman, Queen – Claire Wetzel, Princess – Miranda Pribil and Ring Bearer Sydney Birkel Nebraska To Resume Keystone XL Pipeline Review
4/18/12 LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) - Gov. Dave Heineman has signed a bill that will allow the state to proceed with its review of the proposed Keystone XL pipeline through Nebraska. The Republican governor signed the measure Tuesday, declaring the review process a top priority for his state. The state review stopped in January, when President Barack Obama denied a permit for the project after congressional Republicans tried to force his hand. Environmental groups strongly oppose the proposed crude oil pipeline, which would travel through Nebraska on a Canada-to-Texas route. The bill will allow the Nebraska to proceed, regardless of what happens at the federal level. It will go into effect after midnight on Wednesday. A spokesman for pipeline developer TransCanada says the company will submit a proposed corridor through Nebraska very soon. West Boyd Students Are Top of the Class 4/18/12 West Boyd High School earned First Place Honors at the Northeast Community College Scholastic Contest on Monday, April 16 by competing in thirty –three academic contests with students from 28 other northeast Nebraska Class D schools. Congratulations to all who earned Gold, Silver, and Bronze Awards. First place winners: Tanat (Map) Tanypongpanich-Computer Literacy, Austin Mohr-Drafting, Laura Ohri-Foods and Nutrition, Dempsey Tapley-General Science, Alix Mashino-Library Usage, Beth Reiser-Medical Terminology, Joslynn Roth-Parenting & Child Development, David Engelhaupt-Physics, Kristen Reiman-Public Speaking, Hannah Sobotka-Spanish 1, Rebekah Sobotka-Vocabulary and Anatomy & Physiology. Second place winners are: Megan Goesch-Algebra 2 and Biology, Ryan Kaczor in Basic Construction, Kimi Hiatt-Music, and Miranda Haun-Mass Communications. Third place winners: Nolan Reiman-Geography and Tyler Haun-Trignometry. Students completing our academic team were: Jon Alford, Rebekah Binder, Yazmin Bentz, Frida Dahle-Granli, Jesse Davis, Darcy Hagberg, Melissa Roth, Zach Kuhl, Amber Bendig, Justin Goesch, Bailey Kuhl, and Zach Sextro. Thank you for representing our school so well and doing another great job. We are so proud of your participation and accomplishments. Hailee Harmon Wins State Champion Medal
Hailee Harmon with her Gold Medal 4/18/12 The State BB Gun Competition was held last weekend in Wayne, Nebraska. Over 150 BB Gunners from all over the state participated in the competition. Six BB Gunners from Holt County competed. They were Christopher Jennings, Hailee Harmon, Larissa Thomson, Colby Sholes, Caitlyn TenEyck and Andrew Kohlmoos. Hailee Harmon received the 1st place medal in the Overall Competition. Congratulations Hailee!! O'Neill Men Cash In at Cedar Shore Fishing Tournament
Don Baker & Larry Beach from O’Neill, NE were the winners of the 12th Annual Cedar Shore Resort Walleye Tournament held April 14 in Oacoma, SD. They had a total of 5 fish for 18.38 pounds. 1st place winners received $10,000 and $250 for the largest walleye weighing in at 5.86 pounds. 120 teams from South Dakota, Minnesota, Iowa, Montana, Wyoming, North Dakota, Colorado and Nebraska competed for a total payout of $27,000. Top 15 places earned cash. Michael Poese Sells St. Patrick's Day Pins & Raises $1000 For O'Neill Community Center
Michael Poese (right) sold St. Patrick's Day pins and raised $1000 for the O'Neill Community Center. He presented the check to O'Neill Community Center Committee Member Rich McIntosh on Monday. Molly Shane & Connor Peterson Prom Queen & King At OHS
Molly Shane daughter of Amy & Todd Shane and Connor Peterson son of Mike and Liz Peterson were crowned King & Queen of O'Neill High School Prom on Saturday. O'Neill Holcaust Literature Class to Present The O'Neill High School Holocaust Literature class would like to invite the community to attend their presentation at the O'Neill Public Library at 6:30 Monday, April 23rd. The students will present about their studies of The Holocaust, share about "The Remembrance Project", a hands on learning opportunity that culminated in a journey to the National Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington D.C, and discuss how this learning can help support strong community relationships and citizenship in adolescents. All are welcome, and thank you for your support for our students! Please contact Katrina Gotschall at O'Neill High School if you have questions. O'Neill Legion Sends 4 To Girls' State
Cornhusker Girls' State of Lincoln has accepted the applications of four O'Neill girls to attend Girls' State in June. Girls' State will be held in Lincoln from June 3-9th. The girls are sponsored by the O'Neill American Legion Auxiliary Simonson Post #93. Holly Jo Hesse, daughter of Wayne and Barb Hesse, and Morgan Nicole Langan, daughter of Pat and Jill Langan, will represent O'Neill Public High School. Kaylee Marie Krotter, daughter of Jeanne and the late Bill Krotter of Spencer, and Carli Baseggio, daughter of Victor and Tracey Baseggio of Gordon and Melanie and Frosty Peetz, will represent St. Mary's High School. All four girls are involved in many extra school and community activities. NPPD’s “Behind the Outlet” Comes to O’Neill
Columbus, Neb. – What will Nebraska Public Power District’s future electric generation mix look like? Will coal-fired and nuclear power generation facilities remain NPPD’s low-cost mainstay for generating electricity? How much renewable energy is on the horizon? Which environmental regulations will have the greatest impact on consumers in terms of cost and quality of life? NPPD is currently giving Nebraskans an inside look at how it plans for future electric generation resources through a series of “Behind the Outlet” open houses being conducted across the state. One of those open houses will be held in O’Neill on Monday, April 23 from 3 to 6 p.m. at the O’Neill Community Center, 501 South 4th Street. The public is welcome to attend any time during the open house hours, and should allow for a minimum of an hour to go through the stations and interact with NPPD personnel. The public events will show what goes on “behind the outlet” in generating low-cost, reliable, and sustainable electricity for Nebraskans. NPPD will also be sharing the preliminary results of a study underway about its generation resources and seek opinions as to what its energy portfolio could or should look like in the future. Additional open house sessions will be held at the following locations:
The Kearney, Lincoln and Norfolk sessions will all run from 2 to 8 p.m. “Our Board, customers and subject matter experts have spent the past eight months analyzing the benefits and challenges of investing in additional environmental equipment at NPPD’s coal-fired facilities,” said NPPD President and CEO Pat Pope. The study also looked at the costs and benefits of increasing the amount of power generated at Cooper Nuclear Station. The analysis focused on the major drivers of future electricity costs, such as environmental regulations, and how much electricity will need to be generated to serve NPPD’s customers in 20 years. “NPPD is required to have a long-term resource plan, and because Nebraska is a public power state, it must include the least-cost options,” Pope added. The study is part of NPPD’s responsibility as one of states generating utilities to maintain a long-term Integrated Resource Plan (IRP), and meet the customers’ need for electric energy in 20 years. The objective of the IRP process is to secure the lowest long-term electricity cost consistent with the quantity and quality of electric service required by customers. “NPPD modeled thousands of scenarios and every resource plan included up to 20 percent energy efficiency and renewable energy resources,” Pope explained. Although no decision has been made by the Board of Directors – and won’t be made until early 2013 – the study’s preliminary results show, in order to maintain the lowest-cost, electric generation and meet customer demand for electricity, NPPD should:
NPPD will also be accepting feedback on what Nebraskans feel should be part of their future energy generation mix. Feedback can be submitted to GOAinput@nppd.com located at www.nppd.com/behindtheoutlet. Comments received will be included as part of the IRP. 4/16/12 Despite the hard-working efforts of the board of Independent Cattlemen of Nebraska (ICON) and ICON's government affairs personal, Jim Pappas, LB927 appears to be doomed to fade into the sunset after the Legislative Session ends this week. LB927 was introduced by Senator Louden on behalf of ICON as an alternative to the individual animal ID program currently being considered by USDA. Louden described the bill as follows: “LB 927 would authorize cattle brands as official identification as prescribed and to provide that cattle brands are official identification for import of cattle under certain conditions. A brand shall be accepted as official identification of cattle for purposes of animal disease traceability.” USDA guidelines state that each state is permitted to develop a cattle identification program to permit interstate shipment of cattle, with varying agreements between any two states. “This bill is economic development for Nebraska with no tax subsidies, no grants, and no onerous rules. It’s a complete win-win for Nebraska ,” said Al Davis, ICON treasurer, and candidate for Legislature in District 43. ICON’s leadership has promoted the bill as an economic development tool for Nebraska . LB 927 permitted cattle to be imported into Nebraska with a current brand registration certificate and a certificate of veterinary inspection, but it did not prohibit the Nebraska Department of Agriculture from imposing other rules should circumstances dictate need. “Every newspaper in western Nebraska has been saturated with ads from Nebraska Department of Agriculture promoting “Locate in 48,” these past few weeks.” Davis said. “I guess the Nebraska Department of Ag made the decision that LB927 was dead in the water long before the session even ended.” The bill came out of hearing under the Agriculture Committee by a vote of 8-0 and was placed on General File on March 5. At the Final Reading on Friday, April 6, the bill was read with new language accepted by ICON, Farm Bureau, Farmer’s Union , and the Nebraska Cattlemens’ Association but was shot down by the Nebraska Dept. of Agriculture and the Nebraska Veterinary Medical (NVMA) Association. LB927 was tagged onto a procurement bill covering tax and revenue changes which was introduced by Senator Abbie Cornett who agreed to support the bill provided there wasn’t any opposition from any other group in the cattle industry. “It was very disingenious to have a bill come out of committee with an 8-0 vote, no opposition whatsoever, and then have to pull it because the Nebraska Dept. of Agriculture speaks against it,” said Cornett. She added NVMA took no stand on the bill at its hearing, and made no comments at any point during the advancement of the bill until it was posted for the final reading. After having several opportunities to express opinions, the lobbyists for the Ag officials made no effort to work with the sponsoring senator, LeRoy Louden, to work on acceptable language. Officials with the NVA who were reached in the last hours to try and reverse the changes seemed to be uninformed about the bill’s true purpose. “It is unfortunate that organizations don’t do their research before jumping in to take a position on an important piece of legislation.” said David Wright, ICON president. “Individual animal ID is unrealistic and unnecessary for feeder cattle. We definitely don’t want our industry to shoulder the tremendous costs which that program would put in place.” ICON will attempt to reintroduce the bill during the 2012-13 session unless USDA’s animal ID regulations are unveiled before the next session. Democratic Caucus Held in O'Neill 4/16/12 The Holt, Boyd and Rock County Democrats held a Presidential Caucus April 14th in O’Neill as part of a statewide event for the Nebraska Democratic Party. A slide show with information about the “Affordable Care Act” was presented, along with a video statement from Jim Messina, campaign manager for “Obama for America”. Bob Kerry TV ads were shown and a documentary “The Road We’ve Traveled” summarized President Obama’s first four years.
Darlene Walz read a letter from her son Tim Walz, U.S. Congressman from the first district in Minnesota. He stated “I hope that you enjoy your caucus and that you take a moment to recognize the awesome power that we have as citizens, to give voice to our hopes and our concerns, to elect representatives who share our beliefs, to fight for the issues in which we believe and to shape our country’s future together.”
The democratic process was experienced with an open forum discussion of current issues. Attendees freely voiced their comments and opinions. Several members committed as delegates to the County Convention scheduled tentatively for June 9th in O’Neill. O'Neill Technology Students Compete at Wayne State
Front row: Derek Krieger, Wyatt Bordovsky, Austin Ducker, Spencer Knopp, Tyler Hipke. Jose Lopez, Lucas George, Cody Campbell, Mr. James Burtwistle. The 29th Annual Industrial Technology Competition was held April 4, 2012 on the Wayne State College campus. A total of 110 junior high and high school students from Nebraska, Iowa, and South Dakota took the opportunity to test their knowledge and skills. Schools attending were Chambers, David City, Gayville-Volin, Laurel-Concord-Coleridge, LeMars, Lyons-Decatur, O'Neill, and Wayne. Awards were given in fifteen competition areas with 7th - 9th grades in Level 1 (L1) and 10th - 12th grades in Level 2 (L2). Students competed in construction, manufacturing, communications, and energy, power, and transportation areas. The Industrial Technology faculty and students of Wayne State College sponsored and judged the competition. Coordinator of the event was Dr. John Renzelman of the WSC Technology and Applied Science Department. The Technology and Applied Science Department is within the School of Business and Technology at Wayne State College. Award winners from O'Neill: Kyle Fowler, 3rd pl, Bridge Building, L1; Dillon Dick, 1st pl, Bridge Building, L2; Jacob Dickau, 1st pl, Construction Layout, L2; Miguel Ochoa, 1st pl, Brian Hahlbeck, 2nd pl, Mouse Trap Derby, L1; Lucas George/Tanner Sawyer, 1st pl, Tyler Hipke/Tristan Strong, 3rd pl, Mouse Trap Derby, L2; team of Cody Campbell, Lucas George, Kyle Lorenz, 1st pl, Problem Solving, L2;Kyle Fowler/ Tristan Strong, 2nd pl, Solar Cookers, L1; team of Jacob Emme, Kyle Fowler, Jose Lopez, Jon Marvin, 1st pl, Technology Bowl, L1; team of Lucas George, Spencer Knopp, Derek Krieger, Kyle Lorenz, 3rd pl, Technology Bowl, L2; Derek Krieger, 2nd pl, Technology Quiz, L2; Tyler Hipke, 3rd pl, Welding, L2. What is up with all the Blue Pinwheels in Town? April is Child Abuse Awareness Month and starting April 22, it is the week of “The Young Child – Early Years are Learning Years”. Blue pinwheels are being placed in front of local organizations and businesses that provide services to youth in our community. How many blue pinwheels are in O’Neill? The blue pinwheel hunt is on! Can you find how many organizations and businesses provide services to youth in our community? Turn in your guess and/or a list of the businesses and organizations that have pinwheels to North Central Community Services or to UNL Extension Holt County and see if you are a winner. Two prizes will be presented. O’Neill is a thriving “Kid Friendly” community. If your business or organization is “Kid Friendly” and has not received a blue pinwheel after Monday, April 2 please call CNCS 336-4298 Ext. 26 or UNL Extension – Holt County 336-2760. Join the fun and get PINNED! 1st Annual Positive Painters Charity Art Auction
Tyson Hostert Receives Recognition From Governor Heineman
4/12/12 O’Neill Public School student, Tyson Hostert, was recognized by Gov. Dave Heineman at a proclamation signing ceremony celebrating National Library Week. Hostert’s letter to Gary Paulsen about the Hatchet series for the Letters about Literature program was selected. This competition encourages young people to read, be inspired, and write back to the author who had an impact on their lives. To learn more about the program, visit a previous story by clicking here. Christ Light 4th Graders Pack Meals For Kids In Uganda
at Mercy Meals in Norfolk on Wednesday. The meals will be shipped to Uganda to feed hungry kids. The group packed enough meals to feed 930 children.
Christ Light 4th Graders at Mercy Meals in Norfolk 6-Star Sanitation Holds Ribbon Cutting In Atkinson
Keystone XL Opponents Decry Nebraska Pipeline Bill 4/11/12 LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) - Opponents of the Keystone XL pipeline proposal say a Nebraska bill on the verge of final lawmaker approval would effectively rubber-stamp the project. Lawmakers are scheduled for a final vote Wednesday on a bill that would allow the state Department of Environmental Quality to resume its review of the proposed crude-oil pipeline. A federal permit was denied in January. Opponents say they're concerned because the department is part of Gov. Dave Heineman's administration. Heineman supports the project. The bill also requires an evaluation of the social, environmental and economic impact of any proposed route. But Ken Winston of the Nebraska Sierra Club says that wording lacks teeth, because the bill doesn't define any of those impacts or specify whether they should factor into the final decision. Stuart HS To Send 4 To Girls' State
Caitlin Kunz, Jordan Paxton, Megan Riha, and Shelby Paxton will represent Stuart at Girls' State. The Stuart American Legion Auxiliary is proud to announce four candidates will be attending Girls State this year! The Girls are being sponsored by: Stuart American Legion, Sons of the American Legion, American Legion Auxiliary and the Stuart Knights of Columbus. O'Neill High School is pleased to announce the the 2012 Prom Candidates for the Prom Dance this Saturday, April 14
Nashville Hit Writers To Play "In The Round" April 20 In Clearwater
to perform in Clearwater April 20 4/10/12 A group of songwriters and musicians from Nashville will be “rocking” the Clearwater Fire Hall on Friday, April 20th to raise money for the Clearwater American Legion. The acoustic, Nashville-style “in the round” concert will start at 7:30 P.M. and the cash bar will continue until 1:00 A.M.
Michael Platek, a native of St. Paul, Nebraska, along with friends Jarod and Tammy Bearinger of Clearwater and the Clearwater Chamber of Commerce, are organizing the event on behalf of the Legion.
Tickets are on sale now for $10.00 each (general admission) at Bearinger Tax & Accounting, Citizens State Bank, DK Feed & Supply, Hi-Way Mart, and Jo’s Market in Clearwater and at Bearinger Tax & Accounting, Hilltop Drugs, Etc. and Wanek Pharmacy in Neligh.
Round tables for eight people, including tickets for the first round of drinks, can be reserved for $150.00. To reserve a table, contact Jarod or Tammy Bearinger at (402) 485-9209 or at tamara@nntc.net. The event has a website with more information about the songwriters and the benefit: www.clearwaterbenefit.com.
A silent auction will be held during the performance, and includes such items as an autographed guitar, a football signed by Tom Osborne, a football signed by Bo Pelini, a baseball signed by Darin Erstad, a baseball signed by the current Husker baseball team, Husker baseball game tickets, and framed music lyrics handwritten and signed by country songwriters. Items are still being sought for the silent auction – please contact the Bearingers if you are interested in donating.
The writers who will perform at the benefit include the following:
David Chamberlain David is a master of the craft of songwriting. Having written such legendary hits as “Am I Blue” and “What’s Going On In Your World” for George Strait, “Without You, What Do I Do With Me” for Tanya Tucker, “A Hard Act To Follow” for Keith Whitley, and dozens more, David has secured his spot in country music history.
Kevin Denney Kevin, a native of Monticello, Kentucky, released the critically acclaimed album and hit single “That’s Just Jesse”. His most recent success, “Bonfire”, was recorded by Craig Morgan and cracked the #4 spot on Billboard’s Hot Country chart. Other recent cuts include “A Cowboy And A Dancer” by Tracy Byrd, “Don’t Ask Me About A Woman” by Easton Corbin, and “On The Other Side” by Dailey & Vincent.
Rick Huckaby “Huck”, as he is referred to, was born in Baton Rouge, LA, son of the legendary basketball coach, Rick Huckabay, Sr. After starting as a drummer and playing in bands, Huck moved to Nashville and later landed a dream gig as the acoustic guitar player for country music superstar Tracy Lawrence for 5 years. Huck wrote 10 songs that were recorded on various Tracy Lawrence albums, including “Sawdust On Her Halo”. He later formed an independent label and released an album entitled “Call Me Huck”. While touring and promoting his music, Rick wrote the top 20 single “Muddy Water”, released by Trace Adkins in 2008.
Buddy Hyatt Buddy has established himself as one of Nashville’s elite. A former touring member of the band “Toto”, Buddy performs on literally hundreds of demo recordings each year. A world-class piano player, Buddy recently secured a cut, “Say Hello To Heaven”, on the highly selective, upcoming Kenny Rogers album.
Michael Platek Mike taught himself to play guitar by watching his Dad play Hank Williams and Merle Haggard songs. After receiving a degree in accounting from UNL and working in both Lincoln and Minneapolis, Mike and his wife made the decision to move their family to Nashville in 2003 so Mike could pursue a career in music. He has developed his own style of honest, straight-forward and self-revealing artistry that remains true to his small-town upbringing. His song, “Knowing You”, written for a friend battling cancer, was selected as one of the Top 10 songs of the 2012 CMT/NSAI Listener’s Choice contest.
Mike Platek writes: “On behalf of all of the amazing writers scheduled to perform, we are honored and humbled to be able to help support an iconic establishment like the American Legion. We are very aware of the fact that we live in the greatest country in the world, thanks to the men and women who have served in our armed forces. We hope this event serves as a reminder of that sacrifice, and is a celebration of the great town and the great people of Clearwater!” Loecker And Ohri To Attend Boys' State
Aaron Ohri (left) and Kyle Loecker will represent O'Neill at Boys' State 4/9/12 Kyle R. Loecker and Aaron P. Ohri, attending St. Mary's High School in O'Neill, sponsored by O'Neill American Legion Post #93, will join nearly 400 other high school juniors from across Nebraska participating in the American Legion Cornhusker Boys' State. This year Boys' State will be held June 3-9, 2012 at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln downtown campus. The annual citizenship program, sponsored by the Nebraska American Legion, is designed to provide youths with a better understanding of how city, county, and state governments operate. Each boy is sponsored locally by an organization such as an American Legion Post, or by some other patriotic, civic, fraternal or religious group in cooperation with the local American Legion Post. American Legion Cornhusker Boys' State is set up as a functional "51st state" and each boy learns how government subdivisions operate by actually doing the job. Participants will campaign for offices, hold elections, take part in band and chorus, compete in athletics, and be involved in other varied activities as part of the citizenship training program. They will set up their own state government and draft bills. Special lectures and addresses will be delivered by experienced public officials and professional leaders including Governor Dave Heineman and Supreme Court Cheif Justice John M. Gerrard. National acclaimed motivational speaker JoAnne Owens-Nauslar is also scheduled to address the group. Kyle is the son of Kevin and Jodi Loecker. Aaron is the son of Melvin and Camille Ohri. 
“Bed Bugs Workshop to be held Saturday, April 28th”
Don’t Let The Bed Bugs Bite! Until recently, that phrase has been lost on many who never experienced it. Now, bed bugs have been on the increase. This increase has been on the global scale and includes the United States. Nebraska has not escaped the problem, and Northeast Nebraska is no exception. Bed bugs can be a problem in homes, apartments, long-term care facilities, and hotels. Their spread is due to the increase in global travel and pesticide resistance. Once established, bed bugs can be quite difficult to control. In response to this issue in Nebraska, UNL Extension will be holding an informational workshop the Holt County Annex in O’Neill Nebraska on April 28 at 9 AM. This is a free event. Please contact the Holt County Extension Office at 402-336-2760 to register. Young Nebraskans Win Writing Competition Young Nebraska writers will receive Letters about Literature award certificates from Gov. Dave Heineman on April 11, 2012 at a proclamation-signing ceremony celebrating National Library Week, April 8-14, 2012. Letters about Literature is a national reading and writing promotion program. Nearly 60,000 adolescent and young readers nationwide in grades 4 through 12 participated in this year’s Letters about Literature program—378 of them from Nebraska. The competition en courages young people to read, be inspired, and write back to the author who had an impact on their lives. This annual contest is sponsored nationally by the Center for the Book in the Library of Congress in partnership with Target Stores. Target sponsors Letters about Literature as part of its national reading initiative, “Ready. Sit. Read!,” which is aimed at fostering a love of reading among children at an early age. Since opening its first store in 1962, Target has partnered with nonprofit organizations, guests, and team members to help meet community needs. The Center for the Book was established in 1977 as a public-private partnership to use the resources of the Library of Congress to stimulate public interest in books and reading. The Nebraska competition is coordinated and sponsored by the Nebraska Center for the Book, Nebraska Library Commission, and Houchen Bindery Ltd. Selected as an Alternate Winner was Tyson Hostert of O'Neill, for his letter to Gary Paulsen about the Hatchet series. The students wrote personal letters to authors explaining how his or her work changed their view of themselves or the world. They selected authors from any genre, fiction or nonfiction, contemporary or classic. Winners were chosen from three competition levels: upper elementary, middle, and secondary school. The Nebraska winners will be honored at a luncheon, receive cash prizes and gift certificates to Target Stores, and their winning letters will be placed in the Jane Pope Geske Heritage Room of Nebraska Authors at Bennett Martin Public Library in Lincoln. They will advance to the national competition, with a chance to win a trip to Washington, D.C. for themselves and their parents. For more information see http://centerforthebook.nebraska.gov/programs/LAL.html. The Nebraska Center for the Book is housed at the Nebraska Library Commission and brings together the state's readers, writers, booksellers, librarians, publishers, printers, educators, and scholars to build the community of the book—supporting programs to celebrate and stimulate public interest in books, reading, and the written word. The Nebraska Center for the Book is supported by the Nebraska Library Commission. As Nebraska's state library agency, the Nebraska Library Commission is an advocate for the library and information needs of all Nebraskans. The mission of the Library Commission is statewide promotion, development, and coordination of library and information services-"bringing together people and information." The most up-to-date news releases from the Nebraska Library Commission are always available on the Library Commission Website, http://nlc.nebraska.gov/publications/newsreleases. Mrs. Laible’s Third Grade Class presenting a check to West Holt Medical Services Foundation’s Executive Director, Monique Johnson
Avera St. Anthony's Offers Annual Health Screens 4/6/12 Avera St. Anthony’s Hospital will offer their annual health screens on Wednesday, April 11, Monday, April 16 and Monday, April 23 from 5:30-8 a.m. each day in the hospital lobby. The cost of each blood profile is $40. A PSA test is an additional $15. Please do not eat or drink, with the exception of limited quantities of water, at least 10 hours prior to the blood draw, and take all medications at normal times. A FREE colo-rectal screening kit will be offered the days of the health screens to anyone 50 and over. This take home test is funded by Avera St. Anthony’s Hospital and North Central District Health Department. FREE sleep equipment inspections and cleaning will be available to persons bringing their equipment on the days of the draw. FREE tubing, masks and filters will also be distributed to those being treated for a sleep disorder. We will be serving breakfast following the screening to raise money for Avera Angels Relay for Life team. This is a freewill donation. If there are any questions, please contact Mary Jo Doolittle at (402) 336-5107. |
