The new Bancroft-Rosalie Panther
October 11, 2013 Leave a comment
New Panther! Photo Credit/Denise Gilliland, Editor and Chief, Kat Country Hub.
Bancroft-Rosalie Homecoming Pep Rally
October 11, 2013 Leave a comment
Games and fun were the highlight of the community pep rally for B-R homecoming! Photo Credit/Denise Gilliland, Editor and Chief, Kat Country Hub.
B-R Homecoming Community Pep Rally! Photo Credit/Denise Gilliland, Editor and Chief, Kat Country Hub.
Homecoming fun! Photo Credit/Denise Gilliland, Editor and Chief, Kat Country Hub.
What a great time! Community Pep Rally big success for B-R! Photo Credit/Denise Gilliland, Editor and Chief, Kat Country Hub.
Go team! Photo Credit/Denise Gilliland, Editor and Chief, Kat Country Hub.
Fire Prevention Week: Lyons Fire Department
October 11, 2013 Leave a comment
Back Row L-R
Brad Brink
Raymond Hayes
Larry McElroy
David Whitley
Al Hoover
Tim Graham
David Hartley
Gregg Simonsen
Scott Burgettt
Jamie Kroger
Beau Freese
Andrew Tuttle
Kyle Olson
Dillon Freese
Eric Simonsen
Jesse Raabe
Justin Webster
Jim Watson
Middle L-R
Maxine Kroger
Marlene Graham
Hillary Tuttle
Abby Simonsen
Mary Sue Haag
Shannon Burgett
Front L-R
Karolyn McElroy
Kyle Brink
Kyle Simonsen
Angela Whitley
Jeff Going
Pete Johnson
Ron Brovont
Kim Preston
Wendy Phillips
Kneeling-
Robert Sparks, Jr.
MISSING-
David McCullock
Bess McCullock
Jim Ferguson
Sam Barada
Jens Anderson
Photo courtesy/Abby Simonsen.
Fire Prevention Week: Decatur Fire Department
October 11, 2013 Leave a comment
Front Row
Jason Troutman, Jimmy Warren, Marco Hardeman, Neicko Deemer, Matt Archer, Jeff Tracy, Josh Richards, Brian McFarland.
Back Row
Theresa Sparks, Taylor Sparks, Joyce McCullock, Renee Stammer, Stephanie McFarland, Therese Magill
Not Pictured
Ivy Anderson, Jackie Anderson, Jack Burgett, Ariel Freemont, Ron Freemont, Jr., Harold Hayes, Mike Madsen, Dan Magill, Jaden Peeden, Jeremy Stammer. Photo Credit/Therese Magill.
Center for Rural Affairs: More wind energy
October 11, 2013 Leave a comment
Rural Leaders urge NPPD wind investment
Lyons, Nebraska – Today, the Center for Rural Affairs released a letter signed by 28 rural and small town community leaders in medicine, education, agriculture, business, economic development and the faith community, urging the Nebraska Public Power District (NPPD) to make investments in rural and small town Nebraska’s energy future by purchasing locally produced wind power at today’s historically low rates.
“An investment in Nebraska wind power is an investment in the future of our communities, and that’s crucial to all of us,” June Simpson, Silver Hills Winery, Burt County, Nebraska
“The affordability of wind energy and the local economic development these technologies create, along with growing health concerns, all require that we take advantage of the present opportunity,” said Simpson.
According to Lu Nelsen of the Center for Rural Affairs, the NPPD board of directors will vote on Friday, October 11th, on increasing the district’s wind energy purchases.
“This is a crucial vote, because the NPPD board has a chance to have a much greater positive impact on our state and communities by increasing their investment in wind energy,” said Nelsen. “Wind energy has never been cheaper, increasing our investment now will help us move away from dirtier energy sources, and it brings economic opportunities to our rural communities. The same tired arguments, focusing on cost and intermittency, lose credibility each day as utilities in bordering states continue to invest in their local economies.”
The joint letter also focuses on the economic potential of wind energy development, and points out that, unfortunately, Nebraska ranks only 25th in installed wind capacity, far behind neighboring states like Iowa, South Dakota, Kansas, and Colorado but also behind such states as Indiana, Minnesota, New Mexico, and Oklahoma.
“The economic development potential these investments create can be astounding,” added Patty Plugge, Burt County Economic Development Director. “Wind power installations result in total county-level personal income of approximately $11,000 per megawatt and create an additional 0.5 jobs per megawatt.”
“All of us depend on reliable, affordable electricity,” concluded Nelsen. “However, the $2.7 billion dollars Nebraskans spend annually to meet our electricity needs can be managed more productively. More of it should be invested in purchasing Nebraska wind energy.”
The joint letter to the NPPD board includes signatures of farmers, ranchers, small business owners, healthcare providers, and educators as well as community, civic and faith leaders from across Nebraska. The letter will be delivered today during the public session of the NPPD board of directors meeting in Columbus, Nebraska.
To view or download a complete copy of the letter and list of signatories, go to: http://files.cfra.org/pdf/nppd-sign-on-letter.pdf
Center for Rural Affairs: Wind Energy
October 11, 2013 Leave a comment
NPPD rejects investment in wind
Lyons, Nebraska – Today, the Nebraska Public Power District (NPPD) board of directors voted, 6 to 3, to reject proposals to increase the district’s wind energy purchases.
Public power means doing more than lining the pockets of out-of-state companies. The same tired arguments, focusing on cost and intermittency, lose credibility each day as utilities in bordering states continue to invest in their local economy. If wind energy works there, it can work here. Nebraskans deserve better.
Johnathan Hladik, Senior Policy Advocate, Center for Rural Affairs
“In the discussion, board member Ed Schrock made the claim that there are no NPPD customers that want to invest in more wind,” said Hladik. “But that simply isn’t the reality, it runs counter to our experience. Farmers, ranchers, business owners, educators, healthcare providers and many other rural and small town Nebraskans have told us, directly, unequivocally, that they support investing in wind.”
According to Hladik, NPPD directors Mary Harding of Denton, Fred Christensen of Lyons, and Second Vice Chairman Gary Thompson of Beatrice all voted in favor of investing in more wind generated electricity. The remainder of the board voted to reject any additional wind investments.
“The Center for Rural Affairs also wants to acknowledge Mary Harding, Fred Christensen and Gary Thompson for all their efforts on these issues,” said Hladik. “Their hard work and persistence demonstrate the kind of true leadership that rural Nebraskans want and need to help create a better future across Nebraska.”
“The vote today demonstrates that the only way to change the direction of NPPD on this issue is if constituents stand up, hold the boards’ feet to the fire, and urge them to invest more in wind energy. If their constituents speak out, we can hope for more leadership from other board members. The kind of leadership that Gary, Mary and Fred showed today, the kind of leadership that rural and small town Nebraskans elected them to provide,” concluded Hladik.
In advance of the vote, the Center for Rural Affairs shared a letter signed by 28 rural and small town community leaders in medicine, education, agriculture, economic development and the faith community, with the NPPD board urging them to make investments in rural and small town Nebraska’s energy future by purchasing locally produced wind power at today’s historically low rates.
The public release of that letter, along with the full text of the letter and signatories, can be viewed or downloaded at http://files.cfra.org/pdf/nppd-sign-on-letter.pdf
Fire Prevention Week
October 10, 2013 Leave a comment
LDNE students visit the Lyons Volunteer Fire Department on Wed., Oct. 9th. The fire/rescue members taught them how to use a fire extinguisher along with the use of a backboard on rescue calls.
Students learning about fire extinguishers. All of the photo credit/Denise Gilliland, Editor and Chief, Kat Country Hub.
Fire extinguisher education. Photo Credit for all photos/Denise Gilliland, Editor and Chief, Kat Country Hub.
Backboard use. Photo credit/Denise Gilliland, Editor and Chief, Kat Country Hub.
O-C students rallying community members to be safe drivers
October 10, 2013 Leave a comment
HELP Oakland-Craig Public Schools WIN BY COMMITING TO BEING A SAFE DRIVER!
Commit to being a safe driver on behalf of new drivers in Oakland and Craig.
Students at Oakland-Craig are rallying community members to commit to safe driving. Supporting Oakland-Craig shows we are working hard to reverse the startling statistic that car crashes are the number one killer of teens in the US and Canada.
Oakland-Craig is committed to keeping teens safe on the road, and that’s why they are participating in Celebrate My Drive®, a program that’s all about celebrating the fun of getting your driver’s license while teaching all drivers positive habits to help avoid car crashes.
Bryce Uhing, OCHS junior and Student Council member, “This program is one step in a positive and fun direction in making our community a safer place.”
You can help Oakland-Craig win a $100,000 grant and possibly a concert by Grammy Award winner Kelly Clarkson in our own town! Log on to www.celebratemydrive.com to make a safe driving commitment once a day, every day, between Oct. 18 and Oct. 26. The more safe driving commitments our community makes on behalf of Oakland-Craig, the better our chance to win $100,000 and host the Kelly Clarkson concert.
About Celebrate My Drive:
Celebrate My Drive® is a different approach to a leading public health risk. Car crashes are the number one killer of teens, and a teen’s first year on the road is the most dangerous. Using research as a guide, State Farm is approaching teen driver safety, a winnable public health battle, by engaging teens while they learn to drive in a supportive and positive way. It’s a community celebration of safe driving habits emphasizing the benefits of safe choices as teens celebrate the freedom that comes with getting a drivers’ license. Learn more about the initiative at www.celebratemydrive.com.
About State Farm:
State Farm and its affiliates are the largest provider of car insurance in the U.S. and is a leading insurer in
Canada. In addition to providing auto insurance quotes, their 17,800 agents and more than 65,000 employees serve 81 million policies and accounts – more than 79 million auto, home, life and health policies in the United States and Canada, and nearly 2 million bank accounts. Commercial autoinsurance, along with coverage for renters, business owners, boats and motorcycles, is also available.
State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company is the parent of the State Farm family of companies.
State Farm is ranked No. 44 on the Fortune 500 list of largest companies. For more information, please visit http://www.statefarm.com or in Canada http://www.statefarm.ca.
About Kelly Clarkson:
Since bursting onto the music scene 10 years ago, Kelly Clarkson has released 5 studio albums (Thankful, Breakaway, My December, All I Ever Wanted, Stronger), 1 Greatest Hits album, sold over 20 million albums worldwide, 10 million albums in the US and has had 10 singles in the top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 Singles Chart. She is the recipient of 3 Grammy Awards, 4 American Music Awards, 3 MTV Video Music Awards, 2 Academy of Country Music Awards, 1 Country Music Association Award and 12 Billboard Music Awards. Clarkson’s last studio effort Stronger debuted at #2 on both the Billboard Top 200 and Digital Albums Chart. The album produced the smash singles, “Mr. Know It All” and “Stronger (What Doesn’t Kill You)” which marks Kelly’s 9th and 10th Top 10 hit. “Stronger (What Doesn’t Kill You)” was #1 on Billboard’s Hot 100 Chart for two consecutive weeks (3 weeks total) marking her 3rd #1 on the Hot 100 chart. Clarkson’s Stronger was certified Platinum by the R.I.A.A. and won the Grammy for Best Pop Vocal Album. Clarkson released Greatest Hits – Chapter 1 last year which featured 3 brand new tracks as well as a compilation of some of her greatest hits to date. Kelly spent the summer touring with Maroon 5 and recording her very first Christmas album Wrapped In Red, which is set for release on October 29th.
Oakland-Craig food drive
October 10, 2013 Leave a comment
Oakland-Craig food drive wants you!
The Oakland-Craig high school Student Council is once again asking for your help to refill the shelves of the Oakland and Craig food banks. This is a great way to give back to your community and every little bit can help someone in a big way.
The student council has put together a competitive food drive that will involve the preschoolers all the way up to the high school seniors. This will be taking place from October 21 to October 31. The student council will then deliver the all the items to the food banks of Oakland and Craig. Everyone can help out by bringing non-perishable food items to their elementary classroom or Jr/Sr High reading period.
The elementary and junior/senior high classes that bring the most amounts of items will receive a pizza party! This is going to benefit your community! The student council will be making a bar graph to be displayed in the cafeteria for the students to see how their class is doing in the competition. Last year, O-C students donated over 3,400 items to our food banks.
Items needed:
Spaghetti and other pastas
Spaghetti sauce
Paper towels
Toilet Paper
Juices
Macaroni and cheese boxes
Variety of canned fruit
Peanut butter
Flour
Sugar
Salt and Pepper
Oil
Crackers
Jell-O and pudding
Kleenex
Ramen Noodles
Cake and brownie mixes
Soups
Ketchup
Mustard
Barbecue Sauce
Salad dressings
Miracle whip
Velveeta Cheese
Pie filling
Pasta side dishes
Rice side dishes
Tuna
Hamburger helper, Chicken helper, Tuna helper
Reminder
October 10, 2013 Leave a comment
“A New to Medicare Workshop” will be held Thursday, October 10 in Oakland at the Rosen Room beginning at 7:00 p.m.
Mary Loftis, UNL Extension Assistant and Senior Health Insurance Information Program Volunteer will be presenting this informational program.
Call UNL Extension at 402-374-2929 to register for this free workshop for individuals and their families wanting to learn about Medicare benefits.
Mary Loftis,
Extension Assistant
UNL Extension – Burt County
111 North 13th Street, Suite 6
Tekamah, NE 68061
Phone: (402) 374-2929
Fax: (402) 374-2930
Internet: mloftis2@unl.edu
Kat Country Hub 
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