STOP is a class that is offered to individuals who have been ticketed for committing a minor traffic violation.
The benefits of participating in the course may result in the violator not having a fine, a court appearance or having any points assessed against their record. The  course also helps improve their driving habits.
Violators will pay a fee for STOP and still pay the court costs.
The class will not be available in Hartington and will have to be taken at another location.
In other action, Commissioners were told Cedar County has received a grant of $11,430 which will be used for recycling scrap tires June 7-8, according to County Clerk Dave Dowling.
“Anyone, but dealers, can bring tires in to the scrap tire collection,” Dowling said.
Board members also discussed problems on the road two miles east of Bruno’s in northern Cedar County.
The road continues to need repairs due to heavy truck traffic, according to Commissioner Terry Pinkelman.
Board members have the option of passing a resolution that would apply seasonal weight limits for trucks on a county road.
Signs would be posted on the road if a resolution is passed.
Pinkelman is concerned with an alternate route needed if the weight limits were put in place for the road.
No action was taken.
Tom Moser, General Manager, Lewis and Clark Natural Resource District met with the board members.
A Risk Management Study will be done on the Lewis and Clark Watershed which  includes part of Knox, Antelope, Cedar, Dixon and Dakota counties.
The Study will help identify, assess and reduce the flood risks for communities according to Moser.
FEMA will partner with the Neb. Dept of Natural Resources, Emergency Managers and community and tribal officials for the study.

HARTINGTON — Cedar Catholic High School held its graduation ceremonies Friday for the Class of 2012. Father Jeff Loseke presents Brittany Duhachek with her diploma during the ceremonies. Megan Kaiser gets congratulations from friends and family in the reception line following the event. More photos can be found inside this week’s Cedar County News.

The first Auto Hospital here was opened by Howard Mathers. Jack Samel-son purchased the body shop when it was located in the John Rauhn building, which sat on the northern edge of the downtown area on Broadway Avenue.
The building burned down and Jack put up a new building at the current location some time around 1950.
Jack’s son Steve worked with his father in the Auto Hospital. Ownership of the business was transferred to Steve in the late 1980s.
Steve died May 25, 2011, after a short struggle with cancer and the ownership transferred to his wife, Diane.
Diane has now sold the Auto Hospital to long-time employee, Alan Wortmann.
The new business venture will be business as usual for Wortmann.
The body shop will retain the name and Wortmann will continue to offer the same services.
Wortmann had planned on doing some general cleaning and fixing-up on the building, which is located at 203 N. Madison, but he hasn’t been able to find the time just yet.
“It has been so busy – I haven’t had time yet,” Wortmann said.
Wortmann’s youngest son, Adam, has been helping  out at the Auto Hospital but he just graduated from Hartington High and will be leaving to attend Northeast Community College at Norfolk.
Wortmann and his wife, Becky, have three children, Ross, Brooke and Adam.

In 1993, Norvell was not terribly excited to go to her mammogram.
“Joann Hartman forced me to go,” said Norvell, “Now, I call her my guardian angel.”
Because of the extra push from her friend, Norvell went to the doctor for her mammogram. During that exam, the doctor found a spot in the back of her breast.
A sub-sequent biopsy confirmed that she indeed did have breast cancer.
“When I had that mammogram done,” said Norvell, “it allowed the doctor to find the cancer early.”
The doctor recommended that she get a complete mastectomy to remove the cancer. After the procedure, Norvell had her lymph nodes checked. Luckily, no other cancer was found, nor did she require any further treatment.

“I was so blessed,” said Norvell, “I did not need chemotherapy or radiation treatment in the wake of my mastectomy.”
For over a decade, Norvell was able to enjoy her life without cancer. She continued to have her regularly scheduled mammograms just to be sure.
In 2005, the doctors found another spot in the back of her other breast during one of her routine mammograms.
“The doctors found my cancer through mammograms both times,” said Norvell, “and both times they found it very early on.”
Again, the doctors suggested a complete mastectomy and Norvell abided.
Similar to her first bout, she did not have cancer elsewhere and therefore did not require chemo or radiation.
“I am a firm believer in mammograms,” said Norvell, “Since the cancer developed in the back of my breasts, I never would have known I had cancer either time if I hadn’t gone to get a mammogram done.”
Norvell had a history of cancer in her family, too. Colon cancer took her father, Gus Paulsen, at age 60. Her mother, Matilda, discovered she had ovarian cancer in 1982 and died the next year.
“My mom had trouble eating and they found the cancer was strangling her intestines,” said Norvell, “She had surgery done and went through chemo and it all made her very sick.”
Now, Norvell is 84 years old and has been cancer free for seven years.
“I feel I’m in really good health for my age,” she said, “and I get my strength from my savior, Jesus, my family and friends, and the caring people in the Laurel community. I am truly blessed to live in a community like Laurel.”

Cedar County Commissioner Dave McGregor said he wants to have the scene adopted as the official seal for Cedar County.
“This is something we’ve been thinking about for quite awhile. We’ve been working on it quite a bit the past year. It’s really an attractive piece. Angie (Peitz) really does great work.”
The hands of Hartington artist Angie Peitz are behind the artistic touch on the doors at the main entrance to the Cedar County Courthouse.
The Cedar County of Nebraska design shows the date of Feb. 12, 1857, while the Great Seal of the State of Nebraska has the date of March 1, 1967.

County Commissioner Dave McGregor did quite a bit of historical research to get these dates correct.
Nebraska became a territory of the United States in 1854 and Cedar County was organized by an act of the Territorial Legislature on February 12, 1857, a little more then 10 years before Nebraska became a state.
This is not the first time Peitz has used her talent for etching in a government building.
Five years ago Peitz added the etching of the State Seal to the office doors at the Nebraska Governor’s mansion in Lincoln.
One of the most impressive etchings Peitz remembers doing was of the Delta Queen Steam Boat.
The etching was done on a half-circle glass for a window in a house in Indiana overlooking the Ohio River.
“It took over six hours – almost all day,” Peitz said. “It was a full scene of the Delta Queen with clouds, birds and the river. It was all hand etched.”
Peitz has left her etchings on metal, ceramics and glass. She has added her art work to items that include windows, mirrors, wine bottles, glasses, paper weights, cookie jars, sun-catchers and plaques. Most of the items are uniquely designed for a specific person and used as a gift for special occasions that include weddings, anniversaries, birth announcements, graduations, birthdays, Mother’s Day or Father’s Day.
Many times Peitz does the art work that is used in the etchings. If the person does not have a picture that he wants duplicated Peitz draws it herself.
Art has been a part of Peitz’s life since she was a young girl. Peitz took several art classes during her high school years in St. Louis, Mo.
Etching is Peitz’s favorite form of art to work with.
“Every single thing I do holds special meaning for someone,” Peitz said. “The designs I do are about things that people truly love.”

Tom Moser, General Manager for the Lewis and Clark Natural Resource District, said work on the project, which involves several phases, was started in 2006.

The 10-foot wide trail is a base of recycled crushed concrete with an asphalt armor coat and fog seal to give a hardened surface.
The cost of the crushed concrete was about half the cost of paved concrete on the project, according to Moser.
“It is a nice firm trail – it will be good for walking and biking,” Moser said. “Signs have been put up – motor vehicles are prohibited from being on the trail.”
The Phase One portion of the trail winds through a wooded area along the bank of the Missouri River and provides an opportunity for bird watching as well as other wildlife.
Funding for Phase One came primarily from the Nebraska Dept. of Roads. The Lewis and Clark NRD along with Cedar County and the City of Yankton contributed a share of the cost which totaled just over $284,510 for construction alone on the 6,200 foot section of the trail and does not include the engineer cost.
Cedar County and Lewis and Clark NRD signed an inter-local agreement for maintenance before construction began on the bike trail.
“I don’t anticipate a lot of problems. We have a 4-wheeler that can be used to spray the weeds. No mowing will be done,” Moser said.
The Lewis and Clark NRD agreed to move forward with Phase Two, which will extend east from Murdo’s, on the condition the trail would be in the highway right of way and be paid 100 percent by the NDOR.
Future phases of the trail remain in doubt because NDOR has changed their policy and will not allow the trail construction in the highway right of way according to Moser.

Frank Herbolsheimer won the District pole vault title to earn a trip to state, as well. His brother, Steve Herbolsheimer, is also advancing to State with his silver medal performance in the 300-meter hurdles.
“Our boys really peaked at the right time of the year. Many of our kids had their season best efforts at the district meet,” Head Coach Chad Cattau said. “We really strive to be our best at this time of the year, so it was very exciting to watch their improvements during the season. They did an excellent job of preparing themselves in practice each and every day during the year to get ready for the district meet.”
Cattau said the athlete’s hard work is really showing off right now.
“We had a lot of very young men on this year’s team and we never used that as an excuse. They did a great job of performing at their best at each meet.”
These seniors have had a great attitude and work ethic and they will be missed, Cattau said.
“I want to thank Logan Weinandt, Tyler Loberg, and Andrew Lorenz for all their efforts. They have all had great attitudes and work ethic each day of practice,” he said. “Their leadership has really helped improve each of our team members during the season. It’s been a joy to work with them all on a daily basis, and I’m very proud of what they each accomplished.”
BOYS Team scoring
Crofton, 133, Wakefield, 120, Hartington Cedar Catholic, 83, Ponca, 59, Laurel-Concord-Coleridge, 53, Homer, 40, Pender, 21, Winnebago, 18.
Shot put: 1. T. Peitz, CFT, 54-11; 2. Connor. Wieseler, Cedar, 47-91/2; 6. Tyler Loberg, HCC, 44-7.0; 7. Andrew Lorenz, Cedar, 43-4
Discus: 1. T. Peitz, CFT, 161-9; 3. Logan Weinandt, Cedar, 143-0; 4. Andrew Lorenz, Cedar, 142-6
Pole vault: 1. Frank Herbolsheimer, Cedar, 11-0; 2. E. Woockman, CFT, 11-0; 6. Noah Miller, Cedar, 9-0; 7. Luke Burbach, Cedar, 8-6.0
High jump: 1. A. Gustafson, WAKE, 6-3; 2. T. Blackhawk, WIN, 6-2; 4. Alex Fischer, Cedar, 5-4.0; 5. B.Steffen, LCC, 5-2.0

Long jump: 1. Logan Weinandt, Cedar, 20-101/2; 2. J. Walsh, PON, 20-9; 4. T. Schinder, LCC, 19-4.0; K. Kardell, LCC, 18-6.0
Triple jump: 1. T. Schindler, LCC, 40-111/2; 2. J. Bodlak, WAKE, 40-61/2; 4. Shane Guy, Cedar, 39-9.0, 6. Grant Dickes, Cedar, 39-0
100-Hurdles: 1. J. Bodlak, WAKE, 15.90; 2. D. Miller, CFT, 16.10; 4. Steve Herbolsheimer, Cedar, 17.6; 5. Jared Wiebelhaus, Cedar, 18.0
300 Hurdles: 1. E. Woockman, CFT, 43.90; 2. Steve Herbolsheimer, Cedar, 44.60; 6. Jared Wiebelhaus, Cedar, 46.6; 7. B. Haisch, LCC, 47.0
100: 1. C. Kramper, HOM, 11.0; 2. J. Calderson, WAKE, 11.1; 3. M. Heikes, LCC, 11.2
200: 1. C. Kramper, HOM, 23.0; 2. F.  Villarreal, WAKE. 23.1; 3. M. Heikes, LCC, 23.3; 6. J. Saunders, LCC, 23.9
400: 1. F. Villarreal, WAKE, 52.88; 2. J. Saunders, LCC, 52.99; 4. Grant Dickes, HCC, 54.66; 7. G. York, LCC, 59.24
800: 1. J. Dolph, WAKE, 2:07.7; 2. B. Hamar, PON, 2:10.4; 5. Ty Becker, Cedar, 2:14.6
1600: 1. J. Dolph, WAKE, 4:59.9; 2. A. Janssen, CFT, 5:0.2.0; 6. Luke Burbach, Cedar, 5:20.7
3200: 2. A. Janssen, CFT, 11:17.1; 2. D. Eskins, CFT, 11:44.3
4×100 relay: 1. Laurel-Concord-Colerdige, 45.30
4×400 relay: 1.Wakefield, 3:36.60; 2. Cedar, 3:38.6; 3. Laurel-Concord-Coleridge, 3:40.8
4×800 relay: 1. Crofton, 8:41.90; Cedar, 9:51.2

Four players, two males and two females, will be honored with the Fred Letheby Most Valuable Player Award.  Coach Letheby amassed 612 victories, the second highest in Neb. high school basketball history. He helped inaugurate Northeast’s All-Star Classic in 1984 and coached in the first All-Star Classic.
Members of the Girls’ Light Team, with Sims and Joe Ortmeier of Osmond High School as coaches, include:
Mandy Nelson and Jade Cunningham, both of Laurel-Concord/Coleridge;  Jamie Kennedy and Jenna Lehmann, both of Boone Central; Alexia Henschke, Pender;  Katie Hoskins, Wayne;  Cami Oelsligle and Halle Dittrich, Elkhorn Valley; Abigael Olson, West Holt;  Kattie Savoy, Wynot.
Members of the Girls’ Dark Team, with Merlyn Tremayne, Homer, and Randy Eisenhauer, Elgin Pope John, as coaches, are:
Cara Olerich and Kayla Brewer, both of Homer High School; Kelsey Dinkel and Liz Gebhardt, both of Lutheran High NE in Norfolk: Claire Phillips, Wisner-Pilger;  Kelsey Appleby, O’Neill;  Kaitlyn Janata, Howells;  Andrea Weeder, Lindsay Holy Family;  Andreana Sharpback,South Sioux City, and Brittany White, Plainview.
Members of the Boys’ Light Team, with Mark Anderson of Randolph High School and Terry Comstock of South Sioux City High School as coaches, include:
R.J. Burtwistle, Wheeler-Central CWC, Bartlett;  Jordyn Johnson,O’Neill;  Ross Freudenburg, Luth High NE; Blake Heppner, Stanton;  Ryan Mitteis, Creighton;  Tait Sibbel,O’Neill St. Mary’s;  Garrett Sellhorse, Dodge;  Cameron Krumwiede, Humphrey;  Blake Krings, Humphrey St. Francis, and Joe Murphy, Homer.

The Boys’ Dark Roster is made up of Jalen Bradley, Alex Starkel, and Tremain Monroe, all of Norfolk High School; Bryce Potter, Elkhorn Valley High School in Tilden; Kyle Klug, Cedar Catholic;  Brian Bayer, Howells; Trenton Peterson, Ponca;  Gage Rethwisch, Wayne;  Jon Alford, Spencer West Boyd, and Derick Hass, Wisner-Pilger.

HARTINGTON — The Hartington Wildcats made a statement Wednesday.
The Cats showed they have become a true track dynasty in every sense of the word by winning both the boys and girls District track titles here. This marks the third straight year the Hartington boys have won the District track title.
Hartington High will send 19 athletes to this week’s State Track Meet in Omaha.
It was a true team effort, Coach Blair Kalin said.

“This team has competed hard all year,” Kalin said. “We have some performers that should have a great shot to place in Omaha.” Coach Kalin said middle distance runners and relay teams really performed well here on Wednesday.
“Our middle to distance runners performed very well. Pat Wortmann ran well on this day and had a great 800 run (season best time). All three relays will go to state so that should be exciting,” he said.
Hartington girls track coach Laura Noecker said the team has a solid mix of veterans and first-time state qualifiers.
Michaela Dendinger will compete in three events for the Wildcats. She won the discus, took second in the shot put and helped the 4×100 relay team earn a gold medal.
“Michaela Dendinger is amongst the state leaders and with the marks that she has been tossing this past month could certainly be in the hunt for a championship,” Noecker said. “She spends many Sunday afternoons with her throw coaches working on fine tuning some things.”
The Hartington mile relay team also turned in a great performance at the District meet.The team, comprised of all freshmen girls, clinched the district title with their best time of the year.
Several girls qualified for the State meet for the first time this year. They are: Shelby Hochstein in the pole vault.  Scoville in the 300-meter hurdles.
Taylor Dybdal, a two-time conference champion in the high jump gets her chance at the big dance and currently is seeded fifth overall.
Senior Kirstina Huss will hand off to her sister, (freshman), Samantha in the 4 x 100 with their first appearances at the state meet.
Coach Noecker said the team was aided greatly by several seniors that will be missed next year.
“I’d like to thank my seniors, Greer Olsen, Kristina Huss and Taylor Dybdal for their years of commitment to our program,” she said. “They are leaders both in the classroom and on the playing field and their work ethic will take them far. I loved the fact that these seniors lead this team to both a conference and a district title.”

GIRLS’ TEAM SCORES
Hartington 96, Wausa 91, Bloomfield 83, Wynot 63, Allen 58.5, Osmond 55, Winside 48, Emerson-Hubbard 15, Randolph 12, Newcastle 1.5
100: 1. Autumn Luger, Bloomfield 13.2; 2. Laurel Krohn, Osmond 13.3; 3. Lindsey Sullivan, Allen 13.6; 4. Michaela Dendinger, Hartington 13.7;  5. Erica Burbach, Wynot 13.8
200: 1. Gabrielle Swanson, Wausa 27.3; 2. Laurel Krohn, Osmond 27.4; 3. Kristina Huss, Hartington 28.0;  5. Faith Krie, Wynot 28.6;  6. Erica Burbach, Wynot 29.0
400: 1. Ashley Heine, Wynot 1:00.7; 2. Carissa Gutz, Osmond 1:02.5; 3. Samantha Huss, Hartington 1:04.0; 5. Haley Gowery, Wynot 1:05.5
800: 1. Carissa Gutz, Osmond 2:21.3; 2. Ashley Heine, Wynot 2:21.4; 3. Breanna Gallup, Wausa 2:25.3; 5. Haley Gowery, Wynot 2:35.9; 7. Shelby Hochstein, Wynot 2:40.7
1600: 1. Carissa Gutz, Osmond 5:37.5; 2. Breanna Gallup, Wausa 5:40.2;  3. Olivia Schneiders, Allen 6:04.1; 5. Shelby Hochstein, Wynot 6:12.5
3200: 1. Breanna Gallup, Wausa 11:57.7; 2. Olivia Schneiders, Allen 13:09.8; 3. Lily Nagengast, Bloomfield 13:29.8; 5. Greer Olsen, Hartington 14:16.6; 8. Bailey Jones, Hartington 15:52.57
100 HURDLES: 1. Autumn Luger, Bloomfield 16.3;  2. Jayd Roberts, Winside 16.8; 3. MaKayla Johnson, Osmond 17.1; 5. Savannah Scoville, Hartington 17.6
300 HURDLES: 1. Savannah Scoville, Hartington 49.3; 2. Autumn Luger, Bloomfield 49.7; 3. Cortney Reuter, Allen 50
400 RELAY: 1. Hartington 53.4; 2. Winside 53.4; 3. Wausa 54.6; 4. Wynot 55.5; 5. Allen 56.1
1600 RELAY: 1. Wynot 4:17.5; 2. Wausa 4:21.9; 3. Hartington 4:27.0; 4. Allen 4:39.4; 5. Randolph 4:46.2
3200 RELAY: 1. Allen 10:28.0; 2. Randolph 10:45.2; 3. Wausa 11:31.9; 4. Winside 11:39.7; 5. Hartington 12:16.6
DISCUS: 1. Michaela Dendinger, Hartington 124-3; 2. Kylie Abbenhaus, Bloomfield 113-5.5; 6. Kristi Bruening, Wynot 95-5
SHOT PUT: 1. Kylie Abbenhaus, Bloomfield 37-1; 2. Michaela Dendinger, Hartington 36-4; 3. Sara Pinkelman, Hartington 34-8.5; 6. Kristi Bruening, Wynot 30-3.0
HIGH JUMP: 1. Taylor Dybdal, Hartington 4-11; 2. Jenna Heine, Wynot 4-11
LONG JUMP: 1. Autumn Luger, Bloomfield 16-1.25; 2. Ashley Heine, Wynot 15-11; 7. Lyndsay Dunn, Hartington 14-3.0
POLE VAULT: 1. Dominique Swanson, Bloomfield 8-0; 2. Shelby Hochstein, Hartington 7-6; 3. Lyndsay Dunn, Hartington 7-0.0
TRIPLE JUMP: 1. Abigail Hegge, Wausa 34-5.75; 2. Gabrielle Swanson, Wausa 33-10.25; 5. Faith Krie, Wynot 32-5.5
BOYS’ TEAM SCORES
Hartington 147, Bloomfield 113, Randolph 85, Winside 44, Wausa 43, Osmond 38, Wynot 19, Emerson-Hubbard 12, Allen 12, Newcastle 11
100: 1. Dakota Burgerhoff, Bloomfield 11.6; 2. Evan Koertje, Bloomfield 11.6; 3. Nick Miller, Hartington 12;  5. Kyle Fischer, Hartington 12.2; 6. Brandon Mainquist, Hartington 12.3
200: 1. Evan Koertje, Bloomfield 23.4; 2. Chet Beckmann, Bloomfield 23.4; 3. Adam Swallow, Osmond 23.4; 6. Nick Miller, Hartington 24.4
400: 1. Joe Noecker, Hartington 53.2; 2. Adam Hochstein, Hartington 53.2; 3. Nick Schmit, Randolph 53.4
800: 1. Patrick Wortmann, Hartington 2:03.4; 2. Austin Hamm, Bloomfield 2:03.6; 3. Nick Schmit, Randolph 2:06.3; 4. Eric Derickson, Hartington 2:10.7
1600: 1. Austin Hamm, Bloomfield     4:34.1; 2. Adam Hochstein, Hartington 4:53.7; 3. Patrick Wortmann, Hartington 4:57.3
3200: 1. Austin Hamm, Bloomfield 10:09.7; 2. Patrick Wortmann, Hartington 10:30.0; 3. Cameron Moes, Osmond 10:34.8
110 HURDLES: 1. Dakota Burgerhoff, Bloomfield 16.5; 2. Dylan Loberg, Randolph 17.2; 3. Adam Kleinschmit, Wausa 17.3; 5. Riley Haug, Hartington 18.1; 6. Cody Stolpe, Hartington 18.5
300 HURDLES: 1. Cody Kralicek, Osmond 42.3; 2. Alec Fuelberth, Hartington 42.6; 3. Reece Pedersen, Hartington 43.7; 5. Griffon Kalin, Hartington 44.6
400 RELAY: 1. Hartington 45.8; 2. Bloomfield 46.5; 3. Randolph 48.4; 4. Winside 48.9; 5. Wausa 49.8
1600 RELAY: 1. Randolph 3:37.4; 2. Hartington 3:37.6; 3. Osmond 3:43.8; 4. Wausa 3:53.5; 5. Allen 3:54.3
3200 RELAY: 1. Hartington 8:30.9; 2. Randolph 8:35.6; 3. Allen 8:40.0; 4. Bloomfield 8:41.2; 5. Wausa 9:22.1; 6. Osmond 9:50.5
DISCUS: 1. Jacob Svitak, Randolph 142-3; 2. Marcus Claussen, Wausa 123-4; 6. Josh Nelson, Hartington 115-00
TRIPLE JUMP: 1. Chet Beckmann, Bloomfield 42-2; 2. Austin Hegge, Wausa 41-9; 3. Ross Hegge, Hartington 40-11.75
HIGH JUMP: 1. Andrew Hoesing, Newcastle 5-8; 2. Levi Lackas, Randolph 5-8; 3. Eric Derickson, Hartington 5-8; 4. Travis Burbach, Hartington 5-6
LONG JUMP: 1. Austin Wieseler, Wynot 20-6.25; 2. Jackson Sudbeck, Wynot 19-6.25; 6. Ross Hegge, Hartington 18.-9.5
POLE VAULT: 1. Adam Haigh, Bloomfield 11-6; 2. Reece Pedersen, Hartington 9-6; 3. Nick Miller, Hartington 9-6; 4. Chris Pavlik, Hartington 8
SHOT PUT: 1. Blaine Meyer, Winside 44-7; 2. Dylan Loberg, Randolph 43-5.25.

Jenna Heine also earned District runner-up honors to advance to Omaha. She jumped 4-11 in the high jump, tieing Hartington’s Taylor Dybdal for first-place, but had to settle for second based on her number of attempts.
The Wynot boys swept the long jump competition to send two boys to State. Austin Wieseler won the long jump with a jump of 20-6.25, while Jackson Sudbeck took second with a jump of 19-6.25 to advance to Omaha.