New Traveler’s Information Cameras Installed

February 4, 2015 Leave a comment


Recently, four additional cameras have been installed in northeast Nebraska to allow the public to see real time road conditions to assist in seasonal travel decisions.

Cameras were added at the Highway N-15/N-12 Junction west of Obert, the Highway N-9/N-35 Junction north of Emerson, the Highway US-275 /N-15 Junction east of Pilger and Highway US-30 near Rogers.

Simply access the webpage at http://www.511.nebraska.gov.

Filed under News Tagged with , , ,

Violet I. (Sebade) Johnson, 96, of Pender NE

February 4, 2015 Leave a comment


Violet I. (Sebade) Johnson, 96, of Pender, Nebraska died on Tuesday, February 3, 2015 at Legacy Garden Nursing Home in Pender, Nebraska. Funeral services will be held on Friday, February 6, 2015 at 11:00 a.m. at St. Luke Lutheran Church in Emerson; with Pastor Gretchen Ritola officiating. The visitation will be held on Thursday from 4:00 until 8:00 p.m. with a prayer service at 7:00 p.m. at the church. Burial will be in the Rose Hill Cemetery in Emerson. Memorials are suggested to the family for future designation. Arrangements are under the direction of Munderloh-Smith Funeral Home in Pender, NE.

Violet was born December 13, 1918 to Henry and Anna (Frey) Sebade on the family farm near Thurston, NE. She was baptized June 5, 1919 at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Emerson and was confirmed March 25, 1934. Violet graduated from Emerson High School in 1936. On February 19, 1941, she was united in marriage to Earl Johnson at St. Luke Lutheran Church in Emerson. The couple farmed for many years near Thurston before retiring to Pender in 1981. She was a devoted farm wife. Violet was also a meat cutter at the Thurston Locker.

Violet was a member of St. Luke Lutheran Church in Emerson. She was a Sunday school teacher and a member of the Alter Guild. She was also a member of the Happy Hour Extension Club and Pioneer Senior Center where she served on the board. Violet loved playing cards and enjoyed the Ladies Bridge Club. In her free time, Violet liked crocheting and embroidering. During Christmas time, she loved baking and sharing 100’s of batches of cookies. She loved caring for and being around her grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

Violet is survived by her sons, George (Marilyn) Johnson of Thurston, NE, Leon (Mary) Johnson of Lincoln, NE; sister; Esther Thomsen; brother, Densil (La Donna) Sebade; sister-in-law, Marlice Sebade; grandchildren, Daniel (Sheri) Johnson, Gale (Tabitha) Johnson, Matthew Johnson, Rebecca (Carl) Cederberg, Sara (Eric) Hunter and nine great-grandchildren.

She is preceded in death by her parents; husband, Earl; still born daughter, Karlo; brothers, Eugene (Maribelle) Sebade, Thomas Sebade; sister, Geraldine Zeisler; brothers-in-law, Donald Thomsen and Darrel Zeisler.

Filed under Obituaries Tagged with , , ,

Cougars Drop Two in East Husker Conference Competition

February 4, 2015 Leave a comment


By Clare Wiltse, Sports Contributor

The Northeast  boys took on two EHC neighboring schools this week with the results having the Cougars on the short end in both games.  Oakland -Craig pulled away in the middle periods for a 56-39 win.  West Point-Beemer  gained  a 60-40 win the first round of the EHC tournament.

 

The Cougars will take a 6-11 record into a consolation game against Logan View on Friday.

 

The Cougars had a strong start at O-C.  The had a 9-4 lead after Alec Anderson hit three straight shots and Chevy Henneman buried a three-pointer.  The Knights scored nine unanswered points, but LDNE got another three from Henneman and baskets by Christoffersen and Hardeman for a 16-13 lead.

 

Eight turnovers in the second period stalled the offensive drive by LDNE.  Northeast  led by 21-20 with five minutes left, but O-C defensive pressure limited them to just three points while the Knights ran up a 33-24 half time lead.

 

The Cougars got more of the half court trap in the third period.  They only made three of ten shots and fell further behind, 50-30.

 

Dylan Hardeman was the top scorer for Northeast.  He had twelve points on 3 deuces and 2 treys.  He also had 7 rebound to top the squad.  Garret Seagren topped O-C with 16.

 

LDNE              16        8          6          9          -39

O-C                 13        20        17        6          -56

 

2pt       3pt       Ft         Rb        F          TP

Henneman        1          2          0/1       1          1          8

Riecken            1          0          4/4       1          2          6

O’Connor         0          0          0/0       0          2          0

Whittaker         0          0          0/0       1          0          0

Christiansen      1          0          0/0       1          0          2

Hardeman        3          2          0/2       7          3          12

Anderson         4          0          1/4       9          3          9

Miller               0          0          0/0       0          0          0

Christoffersen   1          0          0/0       1          1          2

Totals               11-27   4-9       5-11     21        13        39

O-C                 17-33   5-12     7-15     27        14        56

 

Northeast got 20 points from Alec Anderson and 11 from Chevy Henneman in their game against West point-Beemer.  The Cadets out scored Northeast 34 to 22 after half time  as they ended up with a twenty point victory.

 

LDNE              9          9          10        12        -40

WP-B              10        16        18        16        -60

 

2pt       3pt       FT        Rb        F          TP

Henneman        1          3          0/0       2          2          11

Riecken            0          0          0/0       0          2          0

O’Connor         0          0          0/0       0          3          0

Christiansen      0          0          0/0       2          1          0

Hardeman        2          0          3/4       6          1          7

Anderson         8          0          4/8       4          2          20

Miller               0          0          0/0       1          0          0

Christoffersen   1          0          0/2       6          2          2

Totals               12-32   3-6       7-14     21        13        40

 

 

After the games Coach Lahm commented, “I have been extremely proud of the way our kids have responded to adversity in each and every game. The kids are still excited to be around each other, and they are working to get better every day. We must continue to learn and play the game the way it is meant to be played and part of that is learning how to maximize every possession on the offensive and defensive ends.”

Filed under Sports Tagged with , ,

Kats’ Korner: Winter in Nebraska, Good and Bad

February 4, 2015 Leave a comment


I am not a winter person. There are days I wonder why I live in Nebraska since I don’t care for winter.

After thinking about it for a while, I came to the conclusion that I live in Nebraska because I love it here. It is home.

Winter has its’ good side. I love to watch a nice snowfall. The snowflakes glisten as they gently fall from the sky. I don’t play in the snow like I did as a child. I used to enjoy sledding, building snowmen and forts and having snow ball fights!

I remember the winter of 1975. People still refer to it as the bad snowstorm of ’75. When you’re a child, you don’t see it as a bad thing.

I didn’t. We didn’t have school, which was a definite plus. When I looked outside, all my eyes could see was white! It wasn’t just a few inches of snow. It was feet of snow! I was nearing my twelfth birthday. I thought I was an expert on snow, thinking I had never seen anything like this in my life! My short eleven winters didn’t make me an expert, but I thought they did!

All I wanted to do was put on my coat, hat, gloves and boots and run outside! I had a Red Rider Sled. I had gotten it for Christmas when I was about eight years old. I adored that sled! We lived on a hill in Tekamah. There were many kids in the neighborhood. We would all gather at the top of the hill, taking turns sledding down the alley. When we reached the bottom of the alley, we would try to jump the street and go down the next alley to the bottom of the hill.

Sometimes we didn’t make it and landed in the street. That didn’t matter, we would still go down the alley to the bottom, run back up the hill and start over! We would sled for hours! Never noticing the cold, or think about a winter storm being dangerous for those travelling to work in such bad conditions.

We just knew there wasn’t school and we were having fun.

It is wonderful to be a child. Adulthood comes too soon, and lasts all the rest of your life.

Now when the snowstorms happen, I want to hibernate. I worry about those driving on the snow packed, icy roads, especially my family. I wish everyone could just stay home and be safe. I honestly don’t believe any job is worth losing your life. Living to see another day is of upmost importance.

As to every season, there is good and bad that comes along with it. We are having some bad now, but we will get through it. We are Nebraskans, use to enduring, which makes us very strong people.

Up next will be spring, which is beautiful, but also can be quite stormy, as we witnessed last year.

When I think of living where there isn’t winter, I realize they endure the threats of hurricanes.

I am used to Nebraska weather. I would rather stay here.

There is no place like home.

Filed under Opinion Tagged with , , ,

Thank a Mail Person Day

February 4, 2015 Leave a comment


Today is thank your mail person day. Please be sure to thank your mail person. Weather like today is a reminder that they work no matter what Mother Nature has in store. They don’t get a snow day.

Thanks to our mail delivery people and all of our postal workers for all that you do. You are appreciated!

Filed under Opinion Tagged with ,

Violet Johnson, 96, of Pender NE

February 3, 2015 Leave a comment


Violet Johnson, 96, of Pender, Nebraska died on Tuesday, February 3, 2015 at Legacy Garden Nursing Home in Pender, Nebraska.

A funeral service for Violet will be held on Friday, February 6, 2015 at 11:00 a.m. at St. Luke’s Lutheran Church in Emerson; Pastor Gretchen Ritola will be officiating.

The visitation will be held on Thursday from 4:00 until 8:00 p.m. with a prayer service at 7:00 p.m. at the church. Burial will be in the Rose Hill Cemetery of Emerson. Memorials are suggested to the family for future designation.

 

Filed under Obituaries Tagged with

W. Kurtz Sears, 83, of Decatur NE

February 3, 2015 Leave a comment


W. KURTZ SEARS, was born March 12, 1931, in rural Decatur, Nebraska, to Willis “Bill” and Loretta “Toots” (Akins) Sears. He passed away Sunday, February 1, 2015 at his home in Decatur, after a short illness.

Kurtz attended school at Elm Creek and Lyons. He graduated from Omaha Technical High School in 1949, and later attended the University of Omaha.

He married Barbara Jean Adams. They lived in Omaha, Nebraska until they moved to the family farm in Elm Creek Valley, southwest of Decatur in 1952. They spent the next 12 years farming and raising their five children.

Kurtz was the owner of Hungry’s bar in Decatur for 35 years, farmed with his sons on the family farm, and owned and operated Floor Maintenance and Paper Supply in Norfolk, Nebraska with his daughter until his death.

Kurtz was an Admiral in the Nebraska Navy. He spent 30 years as, and was a current board member of the Nebraska Licensed Beverage Association. He was also a member of both the West Point and Norfolk Chamber of Commerce.

He liked to fly his plane in his younger years, spend time with family and friends, and travel at a moment’s notice, if he could.

He was preceded in death by his wife, Barbara; sister, MaryAnn (Sears) Harral; parents; one granddaughter.

He is survived by three sons, Mike (Debbie) Sears, of Dakota City, NE, Pat (Brenda) Sears, of Decatur, Tim Sears, of Decatur; two daughters, Jackie (Matt) Worley, of Decatur, Cathy (Alan) Hammer, of Wakefield, NE; 13 grandchildren; 19 great grandchildren.

FUNERAL SERVICE: Friday, February 6, 2015, 11:00 a.m. at Holy Family Catholic Church in Decatur, with Rev. Mark Tomasiewicz, Celebrant.

CELEBRATION OF LIFE:  Thursday, 5-8 p.m., with family present at The Green Lantern in Decatur.

BURIAL: Hillcrest Cemetery, Decatur.

MEMORIALS: In lieu of flowers, memorials may be directed to the Decatur Museum..

Please feel free to send your condolences to the family.
Each condolence will be printed and given to the family after the service.

pelan@pelanfuneralservices.com

W. Kurtz Sears

W. Kurtz Sears

Filed under Obituaries Tagged with , ,

News From Bancroft Senior Center

February 3, 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:

Wed. Feb. 4: Melody chimes practice today at 9:00. Need volunteers to help recycle birthday cards at 1:30.

Thurs. Feb. 5: Tai Chi class at 9:30, and walking ex class at 10:30. Stop in for coffee at 10:00. There will be a golf card game tournament at 1:30.

Fri. Feb. 6: Chair exercise at 10:00. Sign up to play in the pinochle tournament at 1:30. St Joseph Retirement Community will provide the lunch at 3:30.

Sat. Feb. 7: Come to the music jam at 7:00 pm, bring a snack for lunch.

Mon. Feb. 9: Sign up to play hand and foot at 1:30.

Tues. Feb. 10: 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.11: Melody chimes practice at 9:00. We will play Valentine bingo at 2:00.

Filed under Community Tagged with , , ,

Lady Cougars Down Lady Knights in First Round of East Husker Conference

February 3, 2015 Leave a comment


By Clare Wiltse, Sports Contributor 

There was a lot of whooping going on in the locker room after the Lady Cougars picked up a first round win in the East Husker Conference Tournament over Oakland-Craig.  It was a different story the previous night  when the Lady Knights claimed a sixteen point win in a regular season game.

 

The (9-11) Lady Knights won 51-35 on their home court.  On a neutral court at Howells the Lady Cougars raised their record to 12-6 with a 48-43 win.

 

“The girls really wanted this game,” said Coach Haskell.  “After the way we played last night, we were determined to do a better job.  We couldn’t make a shot on Thursday while O-C was hot.  We shot so much better tonight and our defense denied their jump shots tonight.”

 

On Thursday the Knight made seven of ten shots in the first quarter.  Brianne Haskell provided all the Cougar points during the period. Her three pointer gave Northeast their only lead at 5-4.  O-C got the jump on LDNE with a 13-2 run when they made five shots in a row and tacked on two free shots.

 

Mariah Jessen scored early in the second period, but it would be the only basket of the period for Northeast.  Northeast made only one of six shots in the quarter.  They made no trips to the free throw line.  Oakland-Craig took a 27-12 half time lead.

 

Northeast got off to a 8-2 start after half with a trey by Lexie Bacon followed by a deuce and trey from Brianne Haskell.  The Cougars were back to a single digit deficit, 29-20, but their shooting cooled as the managed only a single free shot in the remaining of the period. Seven shots and three tries drew iron as O-C moved to a 39-21 lead at the end of three periods.

 

Northeast managed to outscore O-C by two points in the final stanza.   Two threes by Haskell  and a pair of baskets by Jessen plus an bucket by Abby Peterson  made for 5 for 11 shooting.

 

Brianne Haskell had a game-high 18 points.  Oakland -Craig had three in double figures with Brynn Charling leading with 13 and Shannon Pille adding 11 and Emma Reinert 10.

 

Northeast had one bright spot on defense.  Mariah Jessen had 8  shot blocks.  This places her at number five on the Northeast Top Ten.

 

LDNE              10        2          9          14        -35

O-C                 17        10        12        12        -51

 

2pt       3pt       FT        Rb        F          TP

Wakeley           0          0          0/2       1          0          0

Haskell 3          4          0/0       2          3          18

Collins              0          0          0/0       2          1          0

Bacon              0          1          2/3       2          1          5

Jessen              3          0          1/3       5          3          7

Peterson           0          0          0/1       5          2          3

Totals               7-20     5-18     3-8       17        12        35

O-C                 10-39   2-7       7-11     29        10        51

 

It was a different story the next night.  Darcey Simonsen was back in the lineup after a precautionary decision kept her out the night before.  Darcey cleared concussion tests and her defense and rebounding made a big difference in the final results.

 

Northeast bolted to a 7-0 lead with Peterson, Haskell, and Jessen scoring.  In the mean time, the defense forced the Knight to the parameter where they missed four shots and turned the ball over four times.  It took them five minutes to score on a free throw.

 

A bucket by Jessen followed by a trey by Wakeley got a 12-4 lead for Northeast.  A pair of baskets by Bures  made it 12-8 at the quarter.

 

The defense contested every shot by the Knights in the second period.  They made only two of ten shots.  Free throws kept them in the game with six makes out of ten tries.  Mariah Jessen was the target of their attack as she drew her third foul during the period.

 

Northeast extended the lead to five points at the half.  Simonsen scored twice.  Haskell made four free shots.  Peterson had the last three points of the half as LDNE went the lockers leading 23-18.

 

Northeast moved to a nine point lead after intermission, but O-C was going to make a game of it.  They closed on an 8-2 run to make it a three point game, 33-30.

 

Darcey Simonsen started the scoring in the fourth period, but the Knights came back with a lay-in by Bures and a trey by Pille with 4:46 left which tied the game at 35.

 

Brianne Haskell worked her magic in the lane and  put the Cougars back into the lead, but Oakland got a goal from Charling and free throw from Pille to take 38-37 lead with 3:06 to play. Darcey Simonsen was good for two from the stripe as Northeast regained the lead.

 

With 2:37 left Haskell made one of two free shots.  Twenty seconds later Pille popped in a deuce to tie the game, 40-40.  Haskell answered with dagger of a three pointer with 1:54 to play.  The Cougars would never trail after that.

 

The Cougars rebounded a missed free shot on  O-C’s next offensive possession and worked the clock down to under a minute before missing a shot.  Snader connected on a long two point shot ‘and the Knights hoped to cash in by  fouling.  Abby Peterson made two free tries for 45-42 score with 44 seconds to play.  Simonsen and Pille traded points before Lexie Bacon sealed the win  with two free shots with 3 seconds left.

 

It was a team win for the Cougars as they got three players in double figures and six players who scored.  Brianne Haskell led the way with 14while assisting 7 times.  Darcey Simonsen had 11 and Abby Peterson put in a career-best 10 points.

 

On the defensive side Brianne Haskell and Darcy Simonsen  combined to keep the Knights’ top scorer, Brynn Charling six point below her average on 3 for 13 shooting.  O-C made 15 of 45 shots while Northeast made 16 of 39.

 

The Cougars move on to face Howells-Dodge in a quarter final game at Stanton.  The Lady Jaguars took a one point win over Northeast in December.

 

O-C                 8          10        12        13        -43

LDNE              12        11        10        15        -48

 

 

2pt       3pt       FT        Rb        F          TP

Simonsen          4          0          3/7       6          3          11

Wakeley           0          1          0/0       3          4          3

Haskell 3          1          5/6       4          4          14

Collins              0          0          0/0       0          0          0

Bacon              1          0          2/3       4          1          4

Jessen              3          0          0/0       4          4          6

Peterson           3          0          4/7       7          1          10

Totals               14-33   2-6       14-23   28        17        48

O-C                 13-39   2-6       11-22   31        19        43

Filed under Sports Tagged with , , ,

A Minute With the Mayor

February 3, 2015 Leave a comment


Happy 2015! Hope the New Year has started off well for you. Hard to believe Valentine’s Day is right around the corner. Although the calendar seems to be going by rather quickly, the winter months are usually the slower part of the year for things going on with the city. That means there hasn’t been a whole lot to update you on lately. But because it has been a while since we last spoke, I thought I could bring you up to speed on a couple of things.

The community center is taking shape. We finally have something that you can see from the outside. What do you think of those big, beautiful windows on the east side of the building! You can also see what the front of the building windows are going to look like with the windows to the west of the main entrance. It really gives the community center a modern feel; from the inside and outside. The rest is moving a little slow but progress is being made. The big steel beam is in place where the interior divider wall once stood. It will support the new retractable partition wall that will be installed. The old concrete floor in the fire hall was removed and with new poured level. The new bathrooms and coat room are framed and ready for drywall. The new heating and cooling systems are installed.   We are at that point in construction where you really want to see the finished product now! I can’t wait for all of you to see it.

As it was reported in the newspaper a couple of weeks ago, the city is looking at some funding opportunities so we can keep moving forward with new city projects. Tax Increment Financing or T.I.F. allows a city to take future tax money it would receive from the increase in property evaluation of new construction and lump several years’ worth to use now on certain types of municipal projects. Say someone in town buildings a new building or adds on to an existing building. The tax revenue the city would receive over the next fifteen years from the increased evaluation on that new construction or addition can be bundled into one lump sum. That money can then be used to improve the area around that construction, say infrastructure within an industrial park, or to make improvements within designated parts of town. It is difficult to explain but it is a mechanism we can use to help fund certain projects. We have been working with Burt County Economic Development to develop a plan. More progress on this should be made at the February council meeting.

Not much else is happening. The school is graciously giving some of the old school playground equipment to the city. The plan as of right now is to install it up at Burlington Park by the water tower to give kids some things to do up there. We are having some issues with the sewer plant grinder right now. We have to decide if we can afford to replace it now or wait to budget the amount. We had to do some repair work to one of the emergency generators. Water got in the oil pan and did something bad. I’m not mechanical enough to explain exactly what but it has or is getting fixed now. We are still working on submitting a grant for new lighting on Main Street. We need to gather more technical information before submitting our proposal. Finally I just wanted to say a big “thank you” to the city guys for getting the city streets cleaned off so quickly. It’s tough with all that snow and with the wind blowing. I really appreciate having a city crew does such a good job! That’s it for now. Take care and stay warm. We’ll talk soon.

Mayor Andy Fuston

Mayor Andy Fuston

Filed under Community Tagged with , ,

← Older posts

Newer posts →