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HARTINGTON — Cedar County has a new Transit Director.
Long-time director Nikki Pinkelman resigned earlier this month. At their April 14 meeting, Cedar County Commissioners hired Ashley Gowery after Pinkelman tendered her resignation. Gowery started working for the Transit Service in 2001, but then moved into the scheduling role.
Katie Pinkelman will replace Gowery as the scheduling director. Pinkelman had been working as a full-time driver.
Cedar County Commission Chairman Richard Donner said Pinkelman's resignation was a bit of a surprise.
'We had some questions about a few things,' Donner said. 'We’ve just been concerned about some of the things that were being done, so we wanted to talk to her about it.”
Donner said Pinkelman resigned during an executive session after Commissioners began questioning her about some of the policies and expenditures of the transit system.
Donner said he believes the transit system serves an important purpose, but was concerned about some of the past expenditures in the department.
In past meetings, Donner had questioned some of the travel expenses the Transit Department was racking up, such as travel to conferences in Florida and Atlanta.
In other action at last Tuesday's meeting, Commissioners also discussed some road closures and the possibility of working with the village of Wynot on another road.
A county resident approached the commissioners about the possibility of closing a road north of Hartington. Cedar County Highway Supt. Carla Schmidt said after researching what might have to be done, she discovered if a resident would like to have a road closed, they must first present a petition to the county board signed by at least 10 people in a 10-mile radius of the property concerned.
The petition triggers the process to see if the road can be closed. That includes having the County Highway Superintendent compile a study of the road within 10 days. It is then up to the County Board to decide if they want to hold a hearing to close the road.
• Best Community Promotion ad for an ad designed by Peggy Year which promoted the Hartington Chamber of Commerce’s annual Candlelight Christmas event.
• Best Ag ad for a bull sale ad designed by Year.
• Best Classified ad for a help wanted ad for Laurel-Concord-Coleridge school.
• Best headline writing.
• The News’ annual Memorial Day section was honored as the best special section.
• Cedar County News intern Hannah Ryun earned a first-place award for her Memorial Day video.
The News also earned second-place plaques for:
• Editorial of the Year for an editorial congratulating local residents for fighting back against a big corporation that was trying to force changes here.
• The annual student awards section, which honors area students for their scholastic, extra curricular and athletic accomplishments.
• The Cedar County News website — www.hartington.net
• Online breaking news coverage of the Carrie Jones trial.
• Social media coverage of area Memorial Day celebrations.
• Digital advertising design
• Typography and design of the Memorial Day articles.
