Nebraskans Speak on Wind

January 29, 2015 Leave a comment


Cortland, Nebraska – Approximately 100 residents from Cortland, Hallam and surrounding communities and from as far away as Gretna and Nebraska City met at the Cortland Community Center last night, Tuesday, January 27th to discuss the proposed development of a wind farm in the area and other related issues at a Wind Information Forum hosted by the Center for Rural Affairs and Lancaster County Farmers Union.

 

Participants heard from a panel of Nebraskans who have first-hand experience with wind development, and were able to ask questions and discuss their hopes for and concerns about wind energy development in the area.
“Everyone in and around communities impacted by wind energy development deserves an opportunity to ask questions and have their voices heard,” said Virginia Meyer, Rural Organizer for the Center for Rural Affairs. “We’ve heard from people in the community, who will be directly impacted by the proposed wind project, that they haven’t had a chance to engage in a public conversation on the project.”

 

This meeting emphasized the importance of community involvement and input. We’ve seen wind bring significant benefits to rural communities but we know it must be developed and sited in a way that works for the community, Meyer added. Attendees shared their siting concerns and came away with ideas about how to ensure developers site projects in ways that work for the entire local community.

 

Several attendees asked why their area had been chosen for potential wind development. Members of the panel noted that the Cortland area was outside of the central flyway, meaning it would have less impact on migrating birds. They also noted that there was already existing transmission infrastructure in the area that new wind generation could connect to.

 

According to Meyer, professionals from multiple fields were at the forum to address questions and share ideas.  Panelists included Ross Knott, president and CEO of Petersburg State Bank in Petersburg, Nebraska, Caroline Jezierski, Nebraska Wind Energy and Wildlife Project Coordinator at the University of Nebraska School of Natural Resources, and David Vavra, Chairman of the Saline County Wind Association.

 

“Many Nebraskans have questions about wind development, covering issues such property taxes, economic development, impacts on wildlife and payments to landowners,” concluded Meyer. “This forum provided participants the opportunity to ask questions and have them answered by knowledgeable experts.”

 

And a theme highlighted by the panelists and community members was the importance of the community coming together and working with each other to decide what is best for all of them, concluded Meyer.

 

For more information contact Virginia Meyer at the Center for Rural Affairs (402) 687-2103 ext. 1014 or email virginiam@cfra.org.
Photos from the event can be viewed here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/cfra/sets/72157650532810305/

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Lorna H. Webster, 84, of Lyons NE

January 28, 2015 Leave a comment


LORNA H. WEBSTER, 84 years, of Lyons, Nebraska, passed away Wednesday, January 28, 2015 at the Oakland Mercy Hospital in Oakland, Nebraska.

FUNERAL SERVICE: Services are pending with Pelan Funeral Services Lyons.

Pelan Funeral Services
Jim & Danielle Pelan, Lynn Pelan
www.pelanfuneralservices.com

  • Oakland PO Box 51, 68045 (402) 685-5673
  • Lyons PO Box 235, 68038 (402) 687-2644
  • Tekamah PO Box 203, 68061 (402) 374-1551

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News From Bancroft Senior Center

January 28, 2015 Leave a comment


The senior center provides Information and Assistance to any individual who is looking for services for themselves or another person 60 years and older, the center manager and/or center participant can provide information to individuals on services available within the community. We link individuals to the services and opportunities that are available within or beyond the community itself. We will then establish adequate follow-up procedures to see that their needs were met. For more information call 402-648-3387.

*If you are 60 years and older and need information on programs designed to help keep you in your home longer or if you need legal help, contact Connie at 402-648-3387 or in the evening at 402-648-7648.

* We have the following medical equipment to loan out on an as need basis, wheel chair, bath seats, toilet seat riser and portable toilet chair, crutches or walkers. Call 402-648-3387 during office hours.

Meals on Wheels

*Would you like to get Meals on Wheels? Anyone over the age of 60 years and lives within the city limits are eligible for these meals. You may sign up anytime for the Meals on Wheels program; you can get the meals delivered however many times you want them each week. You must call 402-687-2332 before 8:30 a.m. if you want a meal that day. The suggested donation for the meals is $4.00.

 

Weekly Activities:

Thurs. Jan. 29: Tai Chi class at 9:30, and walking ex class at 10:30. Stop in for coffee at 10:00. Remember to sign up to play in the pitch tournament at 1:30.

Fri. Jan. 30: Chair exercise at 10:00. Sign up to play in the pinochle tournament at 1:30.

Mon. Feb. 2: Plan on joining us for potluck dinner at noon; we will be serving chili and chicken noodle soup, please bring a salad or a dessert. You can play cards or work on a puzzle after lunch.

Tues. Feb. 3: Tai Chi class at 9:30, and walking ex. class at 10:30. Stop in for coffee at 10:00. Sign up to play in the pitch tournament at 1:30.

Wed. Feb. 4: Melody chimes practice at 9:00. Come and play in the golf game tournament at 1:30.

 

 

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Simonsen’s Share Love of Hobbies

January 28, 2015 Leave a comment


Hobbies are a source of pleasure for many people, providing relaxation in one’s leisure time. Choosing a hobby greatly depends on one’s ambitions. Some enjoy reading, stamp collecting, craft projects and gardening, to name but a few.

Woodworking and reading are two of Abby Simonsen’s (of Lyons) favorite hobbies. “I took woodworking class in high school. It was fun. I made a show tack box for my FFA and 4-H stuff and a picnic table,” Abby said. “We still had the table up until a while ago. Mr. Schoch and Mr. Kamp were great teachers. I also learned about woodworking from my mom and dad and from Pinterest.”

She has made several other different items over the years, such as a potato bin and more recently, two new beds. One of the beds she made was for her son Tate, but she didn’t do it alone. Her husband Kyle also enjoys woodworking projects and assisted in making the bed. “My husband is awesome. I come up with some hair brained ideas and together we make the plans, buy the stuff and make it,” Abby stated. “My son’s bed has been my favorite project so far.”

Making a bed takes time, but also requires a place to work in large enough for the bed. “It took us about a week to make it. We worked on it at night and few afternoons when we were off of work early,” Abby said. “Most of our projects originate in the garage, then radiate into the room it will be used in.”

Abby also reads in her spare time. “I like romance books, the ones from historical times. I read as often as I can. It helps to have iBooks on my cell phone as opposed to real books,” Abby stated.

Her children, Tate and Kassi, are also avid readers. “Tate, age nine, is currently reading at the 6th grade level. Kassi, age six, is just beginning, but seems to exude the same passion as Tate and I for books,” Abby said.

Hobbies are also very educational, as the Simonsen’s can attest to. They also pass their passions from one generation to the next, enjoying their hobbies together. Whether it is creating a new woodworking project, or reading a book, it is a family affair.

 

The bed that Abby and Kyle Simonsen made for their son Tate. Photo courtesy of Abby Simonsen.

The bed that Abby and Kyle Simonsen made for their son Tate. Photo courtesy of Abby Simonsen.

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Meetings Being Held on Syngenta Lawsuit and Water Rights

January 28, 2015 Leave a comment


An area informational meeting for corn farmers will be Tuesday, February 3rd at 10am at the Green Lantern in Decatur.  Dave Domina plans to be there to speak on the Syngenta Lawsuit & Water Rights. There are also other meetings on the subject listed below:

February 2, 2015 Hartington VFW Club 7:00 PM
February 3, 2015 Decatur Green Lantern Steak House 10:00 AM
February 5, 2015 Beatrice Aunt Mary’s 10:00 AM
February 5, 2015 Blue Hill Community Center 2:00 PM
February 5, 2015 Holdrege Super 8 7:00 PM
February 6, 2015 Cambridge Community Center 1:30 PM
February 8, 2015 Doniphan Event Center 1:30 PM
February 8, 2015 York Holthus Convention Center 4:00 PM

 

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Lady Cougars Win Three, Earn Rankings

January 28, 2015 Leave a comment


By Clare Wiltse, Sports Contributor

The Lady Cougars have put three wins together to bring their record to 11-5.  Their recent success has brought attention from the newspaper raters.  The Omaha World-Herald puts them at number eight in D-2 while The Lincoln Star has them at number ten.

 

This past week, the Cougars have wins over (10-7) Cedar Bluffs and (8-9) Humphrey/Lindsay Holy Family.  Their run came to an end when the EHC’s top team, Stanton, beat them 59-34.

 

“Our defense made the difference against Cedar Bluffs,” said Coach Rex Haskell.  “They couldn’t handle our ball pressure and we had a 23-8 lead in the first quarter.”

 

Darcey Simonsen led the way with 5 steals as the team had a total of 12.  Top scorers were Lexie Bacon with 14 and Kelly Wakeley with 11.

 

LDNE              23        13        9          7          -52

Cedar Bluffs     8         10        5          7          -30

 

2pt       3pt       FT        Rb        TP

Ronnfeldt          1          0          1/3       2          3

Simonsen          4          0          1/2       5          9

Wakeley           4          1          0/0       6          11

Haskell             2          0          5/6       1          9

Collins              1          0          0/0       1          2

Bacon              4          2          0/0       2          14

L. Henneman     0           0          0/0       0          0

Jessen              0          0          0/0       4          0

Peterson           2          0          0/0       2          4

Totals               18-41   3-14     7-11     23        52

Cedar Bluffs     5-31     2-14     12-22   31        30

 

“We had to fight back against Humphrey,”  stated Coach Haskell.  “We had an early 9-2 lead, but the next thing I look up at the scoreboard and we are behind.  They had a 29-27 lead at half.”

 

Northeast dominated the second half on the way to a 56-44 win.  Three scored in double figures.  Brianne Haskell put in 18, Kelly Wakeley had 17 points and Lexie Bacon added 10.

 

The coach noted that Kelly Wakeley was good at both ends of the court. “She shot well and defended  really well.”  Wakeley made seven of nine shots and had 4 defensive rebounds and 3 steals.

 

LDNE                          15        12        15        14        -56

Humphrey/LHF            15        14        4          11        -44

 

 

2pt       3pt       FT        Rb        TP

Ronnfeldt          0          0          0          0          0

Simonsen          2          0          3/6       5          7

Wakeley           4          3          0/0       5          17

Haskell            4          0          10/12   5          18

Collins              0          0          0/0       0          0

Bacon              3          1          1/2       6          10

Jessen              0          0          0/0       4          0

Peterson           0          0          0/0       0          0

Totals               13-23   4-14     14-20   25        56

H/LHF             13-44   2-14     12-15   31        44

 

The (16-1) Stanton team had too much speed for the Cougars to slow down.  “It seemed like they beat us to every loose ball and turned it into a lay-up,” said Coach Haskell.

 

“We played hard he whole game, but just could not cash in when we had the chances.  When we were down by fifteen, we missed three straight lay-ups that could have cut the lead to single digits.”

 

Brianne Haskell was the lone Cougars in double figures with 12 points.  The Fillies were led by Hilary Huss with 30.

 

Stanton         17        11        19        12        -59

LDNE              9          10        10        5-         -34

 

 

2pt       3pt       FT        Rb        TP

Ronnfeldt          0          0          0/0       0          0

Simonsen          1          0          1/1       1          3

Wakeley           1          1          0/0       2          5

Haskell             3          1          3/6       2          12

Collins              0          0          0/0       2          0

Bacon              2          1          2/3       4          9

  1. Henneman00          0/0       0          0

Jessen              1          0          1/2       2          3

Peterson           1          0          0/0       6          2

Totals               9-25     3-20     7-12     19        34

Stanton            17-43   3-10     16-26   35        59

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Puppies Were the Theme during Story Time at Oakland Public Library

January 27, 2015 Leave a comment


Oakland Library Director Rosa Schmidt reads a book about puppies to Laityn Johnson, from left, Rachel Gatewood, Hilary Ray and Blaise Hartwell. Photo Credit/Denise Gilliland, Editor and Chief, Kat Country Hub.

Oakland Library Director Rosa Schmidt reads a book about puppies to Laityn Johnson, from left, Rachel Gatewood, Hilary Ray and Blaise Hartwell. Photo Credit/Denise Gilliland, Editor and Chief, Kat Country Hub.

Sutton Hartwell enjoys watching the kids enjoy story time at the Oakland library. Soon, she will be participating. Photo Credit/Denise Gilliland, Editor and Chief, Kat Country Hub.

Sutton Hartwell enjoys watching the kids enjoy story time at the Oakland library. Soon, she will be participating. Photo Credit/Denise Gilliland, Editor and Chief, Kat Country Hub.

Blaise Hartwell proudly displays the puppy he made during craft time at the Oakland library. Photo Credit/Denise Gilliland, Editor and Chief, Kat Country Hub.

Blaise Hartwell proudly displays the puppy he made during craft time at the Oakland library. Photo Credit/Denise Gilliland, Editor and Chief, Kat Country Hub.

Blaise Hartwell shows what his puppy does at the Oakland Public Library. Photo Credit/Denise Gilliland, Editor and Chief, Kat Country Hub.

Blaise Hartwell shows what his puppy does at the Oakland Public Library. Photo Credit/Denise Gilliland, Editor and Chief, Kat Country Hub.

Making a puppy was fun for Hilary Ray at the Oakland library. Photo Credit/Denise Gilliland, Editor and Chief, Kat Country Hub.

Making a puppy was fun for Hilary Ray at the Oakland library. Photo Credit/Denise Gilliland, Editor and Chief, Kat Country Hub.

Laityn Johnson has a cute puppy to show off at the Oakland Library. Photo Credit/Denise Gilliland, Editor and Chief, Kat Country Hub.

Laityn Johnson has a cute puppy to show off at the Oakland Library. Photo Credit/Denise Gilliland, Editor and Chief, Kat Country Hub.

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Marcella “Sally” Williamsen, 72, of Uehling NE

January 27, 2015 Leave a comment


Marcella “Sally” Williamsen age 72
of Uehling
passed away on January 26, 2015
at Nye Legacy Health and Rehabilitation Center in Fremont

Marcella “Sally” Williamsen was born to Otto F. and Ida A. (Poppe) Pribnow on January 11th, 1943, in Scribner, NE. Sally grew up on a farm outside of Scribner, NE, graduating from Scribner High School in 1960.
On September 18th, 1960, Sally married Roger Williamsen in Scribner (they were later divorced). Sally and Roger made their home in lots of places, most of the years in a farm south of Craig, NE (Alder Grove) and Craig itself, where they operated an auto repair shop and raised their four children. Sally was employed many years at the Pendleton Mills as a steam press operator. She was also employed as a waitress, bookkeeper, housecleaner, and store clerk over the years. Sally enjoyed sewing, traveling, hunting, and flying. She was an enthusiastic angler, having fished in Alaska, Colorado, Montana, Arkansas, and many other locations. She especially loved spending time with her grandchildren.

She is preceded in death by her parents, Otto and Ida Pribnow, and sister, Shirley Pribnow.

Sally is survived by her son, Joel (Linda) Williamsen, of Huntsville, AL; daughter Judy (Layne) Gebers, of Clarksville, TN; son Jon Williamsen, of Lyons, NE; and daughter Jenna (Shanon) Morris, of Cedar Bluffs, NE; brother, Otto (Emily) Pribnow, Jr., of Scribner, NE; eight grandchildren and one great grandchild.

Honorary bearers will be her eight grandchildren: Nikkole Gebers, Dustin Gebers, Christopher Williamsen, Jenessa Gebers, David Williamsen, Taylor Williamsen, Daphney Williamsen, and Leo Morris.

There will be no graveside service, instead, a memorial marker will be placed at a later date at Alder Grove Methodist Church where her ashes will be interred.

The memorial service will be held on Saturday, January 31, 2015, 10:00 AM at United Lutheran Church in Scribner with Rev. Dr. Nicki McIntyre officiating.

Memorial visitation with the family members will be held on Friday, January 30 at the Ludvigsen Mortuary, East 23rd Street, Fremont, Nebraska from 4:00 to 6:00 PM.

Online guestbook at http://www.Ludvigsenmortuary.com

Marcella "Sally" Williamsen

Marcella “Sally” Williamsen

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East Husker Conference Announces Basketball Tournament Brackets

January 27, 2015 Leave a comment


The East Husker Conference announced their brackets on Monday for the annual basketball tournament.  The top four seed get home games the first night.  The girls start on Friday with Stanton, Howells-Dodge, West Point-Beemer, and Twin Rivers hosting games.  On Saturday, the boys will be competing at Bancroft-Rosalie, Clarkson/Leigh, Stanton, and TwinRiver.

 

The (11-5) Lady Cougars are the fifth seed.  They will play at Dodge in the 7:45 p.m. game. Their opponent should be familiar. Northeast drew the twelfth seed (6-10) Oakland-Craig Knights.  The two will face off on Thursday in a regular season game at Oakland  and will come back for a rematch twenty four hours later at Dodge.

 

The (6-9) boys travel to Twin River (Genoa) for their contest against the sixth seeded  (9-8) West Point-Beemer Cadets.  They square off at 7:45 p.m.

 

Winning teams play their second round games at the remaining highest seeded team in their block on Monday for girls and Tuesday for boys.  Barring upsets in  other brackets, Northeast should play at Stanton with a first round win by either the boys or girls..

Consolation games are on Thursday and Friday for first round losers.

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Flag Pole Repaired, New Flag Flying at Oakland City Auditorium

January 26, 2015 Leave a comment


The flag pole in front of the Oakland City Auditorium has been repaired and a new flag is now flying, thanks to the assistance of the Oakland city employees. Photo Credit/Denise Gilliland, Editor and Chief, Kat Country Hub.

The flag pole in front of the Oakland City Auditorium has been repaired and a new flag is now flying, thanks to the assistance of the Oakland city employees. Photo Credit/Denise Gilliland, Editor and Chief, Kat Country Hub.

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