Much of the discussion centered on a recent report from State Auditor Mike Foley, which was critical of the city’s management of the project.

Hartington resident Rich Pedersen addressed the council, saying his goal was to “settle the dust” surrounding the issue. He asked whether the city would consider hosting a town hall meeting to further discuss concerns raised in the auditor’s report.

Mayor Mark Becker said the council had already provided that opportunity.

“This has been a posted meeting,” Becker said. “I think the people who are interested in this issue are here tonight.”

Becker noted Pedersen had been placed on the agenda in advance, and the topic had been publicly advertised.

Councilman Colin Kathol agreed. “It was on our agenda,” Kathol said. “I would expect whoever had questions about the Skylon project would have been here tonight.”

Pedersen said he was speaking on behalf of residents who believe the city moved forward with relocating and renovating the Skylon Ballroom into a community center despite voters rejecting a $1.6 million bond issue for the project.

Kathol noted he also voted against that bond proposal.

“That didn’t mean I didn’t want a community center,” Kathol said. “I just didn’t want to see my taxes go up any more.”

Becker said the council interpreted the bond vote differently — as opposition to the proposed financing method, not the project itself.

He said the facility is largely being paid for with sales tax revenue and is already generating economic activity.

“Hartington needs a community center,” Becker said. “It’s a real economic benefit to have this facility here. It helps a lot of local businesses.”

Becker said the facility has already booked 18 or 19 weddings, along with several other events, over the next 16 months.

“That brings a lot of people to our town,” he said. 'It gives people another reason to want to move here.

Pedersen said he supports the concept of a community center, but questioned whether the current facility meets that goal.

“The state auditor’s report had a lot of things that seemed pre tty questionable,” he said. “I was not for moving the Skylon, but I was for a community center.”

He said he would have supported a larger, more versatile facility. “I would have been in favor of a $3 to $4 million community cen ter — one that served the community in many ways,” Pedersen said. “Instead of a dance hall — and that’s really what we got here. ”

Former City Clerk Natalie Schaecher also questioned the council, asking about how the facility was budgeted and if they were making any policy changes in light of the auditor’s report.

Several other people also addressed the Council during the onehour and 45 minute meeting. Most of them asking the same q uestions — why did the council push ahead with a project without fi rst getting community consensus.

Becker said the council had three choices — no community center at all; moving the Skylon and expanding it into a community center; or trying to pass a more expensive bond to build a new communit y center.

Becker said since the electorate turned down a $1.6 million bond it was the council’s feeling there was no appetite for an even more expensive project.

Pedersen said local residents are upset that the council pushed this down their throats without giving the public a chance to make their opinions known.

Kathol said the general public really has no idea how much time and effort went into this project.

“This isn’t something we just decided to do on a whim,” he said . “We all put a lot of thought — a lot of time into this. ”

Kathol said if people are dissastisfied with how the council has made the decisions, they should should make an effort and get in volved.

“We’re up here because we care for this community. We want to see it grow and improve,” he said. “I’m not up here to benefit Colin. I’m up here for the community.”

“If so many people are so against the decisions we make, how co me no one filed against me? There are three of us up for election this year, yet no one filed against any of us.”

The filing deadline for this year’s primary election was in March. Kathol, Cody Christensen and Mayor Mark Becker are all running unopposed for re-election this year.

HARTINGTON — Cedar County residents got the chance Thursday to learn more about the three men vying to become the next District 3 Cedar County commissioner.

About four dozen residents attended a candidate forum at the Hartington Public Library organized by the Farm Bureau.

The format allowed each candidate to answer the same questions, along with time for introductory remarks and closing statements. After the forum, candidates spoke one-on-one with voters.

Tim Burbach emphasized from the start that he is running to keep a lid on taxes.

“I’d like to find new ways to hold off this great big snowball of increased taxes, most of it through valuations where the state comes in and says, ‘this is the way it is,’” he said. “I’ve come up with some different ideas on how to offset that. I believe they will work. That is my main goal — to do everything in my power to at least hold the line on where we’re at today for as long as possible.”

Burbach, a former Hartington city councilman, said he reviewed county budgets and expenditures closely.

“My goal was to find at least 10 percent savings, but because my predecessors have done a fairly decent job of holding the line, I found about one percent that I thought was iffy,” he said. “For the most part, the commissioners have done a pretty good job with what they’ve had to work with.”

Kelly Hammer, a Wayne native now living in Coleridge, has worked for both the Wayne County and Cedar County road departments.

He said he wants to ensure everything is done by the letter of the law. Hammer said he initiated a fraud investigation into a Wayne County commissioner that resulted in that official leaving office. He also reported concerns about former District 2 Commissioner Craig Bartels to State Auditor Mike Foley. The audit identified concerns but no unlawful activity. Hammer said he believes that process contributed to Bartels’ decision not to seek re-election.

“I’m all for any fraud that needs to be taken care of — it needs to be completely gone,” he said. “I’m out for the taxpayers 100 percent.”

Hammer added that his road department experience gives him a strong understanding of the commissioner’s role.

“I love working with the Cedar County crew,” he said. “Those guys are capable of getting a lot of work done, and I intend to utilize them to get a lot of roads built and projects completed.” Fellow candidate Heikes, a first-generation farmer who also serves as county weed superintendent, said he believes the current board is doing a strong job managing the budget.

“I don’t see much that could be trimmed,” he said. “The only thing I could see is utilizing things a little more efficiently to try to do more with what we have — just subtle changes like that. I’m not going to say those subtle changes are going to create massive amounts of money, but maybe we could get by with less.”

Hammer suggested one cost-saving measure would be reducing how often county crews mow ditches, noting state statute places that responsibility on landowners.

Burbach said he sees opportunities to generate new revenue, including the possibility of a county-owned gravel pit.

“Right now, we are on the demand side instead of the supply side,” he said. “We’re at the mercy of other suppliers. The prices go up and we say ‘how much? and OK.’ We have no control over that.”

He said owning a gravel source could provide long-term savings and additional revenue through sales to other counties.

“I do not see any reason not to have our own gravel pit,” he said. “The amount of savings over the course of 40 or 50 years cannot be discarded. You need another source of revenue to offset your expenditures.”

Hammer disagreed, saying the available material may not meet longterm needs.

“It might work short term, but not long term,” he said. “We do have issues with gravel prices and trucking costs, but I don’t think using lower-quality material is the solution.” Heikes also expressed concerns about the investment.

“Gravel is expensive. There is no doubt about that. We spend $1.67 million a year on gravel. That is trucking, that is everything all said and done from seven to eight different suppliers. That rock we’re bringing in, that’s washed rock. That’s high quality. If any of those providers we’re working with, start producing a rock that we’re not satisfied with, we have the ability and the right to turn around and drive away.”

Heikes said the county loses that ability if it operates a gravel pit that can’t produce high enough quality rock.

“If a county owns a gravel pit, there is no real way to say how long that lasts. We’re talking infrastructure that we’d have to invest in — conveyors, wash plant, most likely bulldozers and a payloader and most likely more manpower and other insurance. The cost would be pretty extreme to where $1.67 million sounds fairly cheap. With what we have now, we get to pick what we want and how we get it.”

Heikes said Hayes County and Thayer County have their own gravel pits. Hayes County hasn’t mined their gravel pit since 1950, Heikes said. Thayer County just closed theirs down eight months ago and are actively trying to lease it out.”

The candidates were also asked about rural economic development.

Burbach said agriculture remains the backbone of the county and emphasized helping young farmers get started.

“They need all the help they can get,” he said. “I want to make sure the county does everything it can to help them succeed.”

Heikes said while the idea is appealing, the county has limited ability to assist.

“Speaking as a first-generation farmer, it’s very difficult to start farming,” he said. “I don’t see much the county can realistically do, but I’m open to ideas.”

He added that hard work remains the key.

“The only thing you can really do is just work your butt off,” he said.

Heikes said he approaches decisions carefully.

“I’m a slow, methodical thinker,” he said. “I rely on weighing pros and cons.”

Burbach said he seeks input before making decisions, while Heikes noted he would lean on experienced officials for guidance.

When asked about challenges they expect to face as a Commissioner, Burbach pointed to state-level decisions.

“It seems like there’s a trickle-down effect, and rural communities often get the short end of the stick,” he said.

Hammer cited maintaining roads and equipment, along with adapting to state and federal changes.

“Mainly, what keeps things going is having a great crew,” he said.

Heikes said his biggest challenge would be learning the position.

“Quite frankly, none of us has any experience being a commissioner. That’s going to be a big challenge, just learning the job. I’d rely on Dave (McGregor) a lot for advice. All the other commissioners I’ve talked to in all the other counties said it takes one or two terms to really get a grasp on the job,” he said.

HARTINGTON - Between $16,000 and $17,000 a month is coming to Cedar county in benefits paid returned war veterans under the provisions of the GI Bill of rights.

April 25, 1946

HARTINGTON - Alva Olson of Hartington, president of the Cedar County Farmers Union was elected president of the Seventh District organization.

April 25, 1946

HARTINGTON - Donald Forinash, son of Mr. and Mrs. Alva Forinash and Joe Schulte, son of Mr. and Mrs. Alex Schulte, will represent Hartington at the Cornhusker Boys State in Lincoln.

April 25, 1946

HARTINGTON - George Kast of Fordyce and E. H. Benson of Randolph were elected to the board of supervisors of the Cedar County Soil Conservation district.

April 26, 1951

HARTINGTON - The Holy Trinity seniors presented their annual class play, “Here Come The Brides,” at the auditorium here Tuesday afternoon and evening. The large crowd present thoroughly enjoyed the farce comedy in three acts.

The situation around which the humor was built came when Jimmy Took, played by Charles Wieseler, had to find a bride in a hurry when he found that his uncle, Dan Took, played by Roland Eickhoff, was to pay a surprise visit to see Jimmy’s bride. He had believed Jimmy had recently married and had sent an increased allowance accordingly.

First Jimmy and his friend, Bill Thompson, played by John Schmidt, tried to get a bill collector, played by Clarence Kast, to impersonate a woman as Jimmy’s bride. Later Bill was forced to accept the role when the bill collector refused. Later he decided to help the boys out and for a time the situation was complicated by the presence of two brides.

The crowd really enjoyed seeing these two boys playing the parts of women. More fun was added to the story by the presence of an escaped crazy woman from a nearby sanitarium, who kept going through the place. Charleen Wieseler played this part while Dorothy Hesse played the part of the nurse.

Others in the cast were Jo Ann Hirschman, Darlene Goeken, Charleen Feilmeier, Jolene Becker and Vera Kathol. Rev. Clement Bracht directed the play.

Between the first and second act the Trinity mixed chorus sang two numbers.

April 26, 1951

HARTINGTON - Cpl. Eugene Hesse, son of Mr. and Mrs. E. W. Hesse, received a commendation from his commanding officer for the rapid progress he has made in acquiring surgical skill under war time conditions. He urged Cpl. Hesse to continue his medical career in college after he leaves the army.

April 26, 1951

HARTINGTON - Sgt. Harold F. Leise writes from Ft. Leonard Wood, Mo., there are seven Cedar County boys assigned to C Battery of the 231st Armored Field Artillery Battalion.

“They were sure a surprised bunch of boys when they saw who they had to put up with,” he wrote.

Among the new trainees in this battery is Preston Ward, former first baseman of the Chicago Cubs.

“He caused quite a stir around here in sports circles and is assured of a job of playing with the Ft. Wood baseball team,” Leise said. “But like all the rest of the men, he has to take his basic training and he dislikes it as much as any of the rest of them.”

April 26, 1951

HARTINGTON - Frederick Sherer of Coleridge hit the “jackpot” in an unusual manner in Sioux City last Sunday evening.

Accompanied by Mrs. Sherer and a party of friends, he attended a dance at which Sammy Kaye and his “Swing and Sway” band were playing. One of the features of the attraction was “So you want to lead a band,” for which two men and two women are chosen from the audience to lead Kaye’s band.

Sherer was one of those chosen. He led the band and, by the acclaim of the audience, won over the other three contestants. He received prizes valued at about $100.

HARTINGTON - First communicants at Holy Trinity Catholic church will receive on Sunday May 9.

There will be 43 boys and girls in the class which will have its final instructions this week.

In the class are Julius Arens, Evelyn Arens, Rita Bange, Genevieve Becker, Marcella Bruening, Theresa Burbach, Pete Burbach, Marion and Nell Dendinger, Irene Dresden, Lucille Duman, Dorothy Gubbels, Marcille Haberer, Evelyn Hahn, Marietta Hertert, Victoria Hertert, Irene Huss, Helen Kirschmeier, Bernice Miller, Marie Meyers, Leona Peitz, Irene Stevens, Leon Hegge, Germain Koenig, Albert Hahn, Clarence Huss, Bernard Kirschmeier, Martin Kirschmeier, Owen Koenig, Art Menke, Robert O’Gara, Gerald Patrick, Fred Peitz, Joseph Riibe, Thomas Roskopf, Henry Schindler, Richard Spork, Jerome Schulte, Frederick and Walter Stevens, and Francis Thies.

April 29, 1926

HARTINGTON - Hartington’s Boy Scout Troop will conduct their own summer camp this year, according to Scoutmaster Nelson.

April 29, 1926

HARTINGTON - Edgar Yanacheak, 21, who was one of the trio arrested Tuesday by Sioux City authorities on a charge of stealing hogs, was a former Hartington resident, having driven a stock truck here. According to the story told of the arrest, Yanacheak in company with Milo and Leslie Krueger have brought to light a new method in “rustling” stock.

They were charged with driving from farm to farm, picking up a few hogs at each place and then selling them on the market at Sioux City. Their operations have taken them to all parts of Woodbury county.

They were sentenced to five years each in district court at Sioux City, on Wednesday. The arrest of this trio is expected also to lead to the arrest of the thieves who stole 42 head of pedigreed Jersey cattle from a farm near Leeds. This job was supposed to have been done by motor truck bandits.

April 29, 1926

HARTINGTON - Hartington’s two entries in the District Declamatory contest placed first and second in the Dramatic and Oratorical divisions.

Natelle Millard in the dramatics took first place while Joseph O’Furey in the oratorical placed second.

April 30, 1931

HARTINGTON- The mothers of the Holy Trinity basketball squad are sponsoring an entertainment and supper May 6 at the K. of C. basement to which everyone is cordially invited.

Bridge will be played and the serving of supper will begin at 5 o’clock, at 25c a plate. The proceeds will defray expenses of the basketball team.

April 30, 1931

HARTINGTON- Attorney H. E. Burkett will go to St. Paul, Minn. this week to argue a case before the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

The case is W. H. Allen, as Receiver of the Hartington National Bank of Hartington, appellant, vs. C. Sophia Collins and Edwin E. Collins, appellees, and is an appeal from the United States district court.

Edwin Collins borrowed $15,000 from his sister-in-law, Sophia Collins, and gave a second mortgage on his equity in a 240 acre farm at Rose Hill. He used the money, it is alleged, to take up bad loans in the bank and the receiver brought an action in district court to have the mortgage set aside.

The case was tried in the district court at Omaha Jan. 3 before Judge Woodrough and the defendant won.

April 30, 1931

WYNOT — Finis was written over the doorway of the First National Bank of Wynot last Thursday when all the books and records of that defunct institution were hauled out to the city dumping ground and burned. These books and records had been stored in the Hartington National Bank building for some time and included the daily cash journal, ledger, letter files, draft register, etc.

Earl Pickett hauled these records of a once flourishing banking house to their cremation, there being two truck loads, and Mayor Anthony Hirschman and M. K. Pollock officiated at the last sad rites.

The stuff made a tremendous fire and some say as the smoke and sparks ascended to the sky, the spirits of departed officers and depositors of the bank hovered near the scene.

The First National of Wynot was closed in 1927 and W. H. Allen was appointed receiver. the closed bank paid several dividends, the assets were sold two years ago.

HARTINGTON — Twins carried off the highest honors in the Cedar County eighth grade examination held in the various towns of the county on Thursday and Friday, April 9 and 10.

Irma Reimers, a 13 year old girl in school district No. 107, was the highest ranking pupil in the examination with a grade of 93.1 and Dean and Dale Westadt, 13 year old twin brothers in district No. 49 near Belden, ranked second and third with respective grades of 93 and 92.1.

Velma, the twin sister of Irma Reimers, also an eighth grade pupil, was prevented from taking the examination by an attack of appendicitis. She was in the hospital while the other boys and girls were writing.

The three pupils who stood highest in the eighth grade test were very close. The highest grade was 93.1, the second highest 93 and the third 92.1, only a narrow margin of a tenth separating the highest from her nearest competitor.

A girl carried off first honors, but two boys were close at her heels in the race. There were several other pupils who also scored high, their grades being 90 or above.

The 10 highest ranking pupils and their grades are as follows: Irma Reimers, district No. 107, 93.1; Dean Westadt, district No. 49, 93; Dale Westadt, district No. 49, 92.1; Dorothy Collier, district No. 94, 92; Richard Wintz, district No. 45 (parochial), 91; Clarabelle Mackey, district No. 114, 90.6; Edna Hansen, district No. 22, 90.5; Irene Miller, district No. 7, 90; Bernadette Wintz, district No. 45 (parochial), 89.9 and Katherine Anderson, district No. 7, 89.3.

This was the second of the three eighth grade examinations to be held in 1931. The first was held in January and the third or fi nal one will be held on May 8.

The event runs from noon to 4 p.m. at the Museum of American Speed, 599 Oak Creek Drive, Lincoln.

Attendees will enjoy Passportthemed activities, partner booths and special programming. Discounted admission will be available during the event.

The Nebraska Passport encourages residents and visitors to explore unique attractions, small businesses and hidden gems across the state. This year’s program features 70 stops organized into themed tours. The Passport runs May 1 through Sept. 30. Participants can collect stamps by visiting stops across the state.

Observed on the last Friday in April, Arbor Day has deep ties to Nebraska, and Hartington continues to mark the occasion in a hands-on way. Fourth-grade students from both local schools joined members of the Hartington Tree Board last Friday to learn about the value of trees — and then put that knowledge to work by planting one of their own.

Tree Board members Dan Kathol, Ben Beckman and Esther Larsen hosted the annual event, working with a total of 46 students between the two schools. The day combined history, discussion and practical experience, giving students a chance to see — and feel — how trees take root in a community.

Beckman opened the program with a look back at Arbor Day’s origins, tracing it to Julius Sterling Morton, a Nebraska newspaperman who championed tree planting in the largely treeless plains of the 1870s. Morton proposed the idea in 1872, and the first celebration led to the planting of an estimated one million trees across the state. From those beginnings, Arbor Day spread nationwide and eventually around the world.

Students then turned their attention to why trees matter today. With a little prompting from Larsen, they quickly rattled off benefits — producing oxygen, providing shade, supplying building materials and food and improving the look and feel of a town.

The highlight came when talk turned into action. Guided by Kathol, students helped plant 10-foot Fall Fiesta Sugar Maple trees at each location. Hartington-Newcastle students placed their tree on school grounds, while Holy Trinity students planted theirs on the church property. Both plantings replaced trees that had previously been removed. With holes already prepared, each student took a turn filling in soil, packing it down, adding mulch and watering the young trees. The trees were later staked to help them stand straight until their root systems take hold. “This is an event I look forward to each year,” Kathol said. “The kids get true hands-on exposure, and hopefully it sparks an interest in trees that lasts a lifetime.” Before heading back inside, each student received a Black Hills Spruce seedling to plant at home, courtesy of the Lewis & Clark Natural Resources District. NRD representative Reed Trenhaile distributed the seedlings and reviewed proper planting and care. The annual event is part of a broader commitment to trees in the community. Hartington is marking its 35th year as a Tree City USA, a designation from the Arbor Day Foundation that recognizes communities dedicated to planting and maintaining trees. For one spring morning, though, that larger mission came down to something simple — a group of students, a patch of ground and a reminder that even the smallest trees can grow into something much bigger.

March 1947 did not come in like a lion. Instead, it was more like a mud hen.

“We have had snow, wind, rain, sunshine, fog, sleet, ice, cold, warm and almost hot weather,” said Laurel Advocate Editor Hill. “The warm weather brings mud and makes the side roads almost impassable and our streets sloppy. But don’t worry, spring is just around the corner.“ Due to muddy fields, farm work was behind schedule. Another problem farmers faced was the condition of the country roads. Some farmers reported they had not been able to get their cars home since January. In some cases rural mail carriers had to leave mail with neighbors who lived on passable roads.

A record attendance of 69 persons attended the March meeting of the Laurel Commercial Club. One of the questions discussed was how to improve the farm-to-market roads leading into Laurel.

“Farmers are up in arms over the terrible condition of the roads,“ said the Advocate. Gravel was the answer. Money to pay for it was the problem.

Although the war had been over for more than a year, not all government controls had been lifted. Anyone wishing to build had to submit an application to the Civilian Production Administration office in Omaha.

The housing shortage in this country was far worse in Germany where many small towns and villages had been leveled by U.S. and British bombers during the war. With the lifting of restrictions on mail from enemy countries, Mrs. Edward W. Hesse of Hartington received several letters from relatives in Germany.

One letter read in part: “Words cannot tell the extent of misery into which Germany was plunged by the war. We escaped with our lives, but our ancestral home in Alst, which is also your home, was totally destroyed in December 1944.

“The problem of food is catastrophic. The pangs of hunger we take to bed with us every night are indescribable. To the pangs of hunger is added the suffering from the unprecedented cold which has been with us since Christmas. We lack fuel to combat the cold.

“Were it possible for you to come to Germany, you would not recognize your old home. All the neighboring villages, such as Bergsteinfurt, Rhein, Munster, Cofelt, Dulham, etc., are nothing but scorched earth. “In view of the extreme want we are experiencing, I would humbly ask if it would be possible for you to send us a food package. Should it be impossible for you to help, I humbly beg you to forgive this plea.“ Another letter from a cousin named Lucia Hesse told how her father had died of wounds received in the First World War and her brother had been killed during WW II. “With his death, the family name will die out for he was the last male descendant.

“Misery stalks the land,” she wrote. You cannot imagine the colossal waste and destruction. Westphalia is overpopulated with refugees. Lack of housing is everywhere. But I will not whine before you. I am of the firm belief that our dear Germany will not perish for the core of the German people is still sound.”

Stories of the Holocaust are repeated constantly but stories about the suffering of the German people who had no part in it are rarely mentioned.

Until World War II and again for a number of years afterward, the bombing of civilians was considered a war crime. Guess it all depends on who is doing the bombing.

Some earth shaking news from north of Laurel. The Advocate of March 5, 1947, reported that farm houses north of town were shaken and windows were rattled by some kind of explosion or earth tremor. The incident occurred about 10 p.m. on Tuesday, March 4. The cause of the tremor was never determined.

The Advocate of March 19 featured a new column entitled “As I Remember Laurel.“ It was written by Carl Jeffrey who had lived in Laurel almost from the beginning of the town.

Jeffrey (1885-1969) was the son of Mr. and Mrs. A.N. Jeffrey, a blacksmith and one of Laurel‘s earliest residents. Jeffrey claimed his parents came to Laurel from Concord in 1890 but it probably was 1892.

Jeffery’s column contains a lot of good information about the early history of Laurel. This writer wishes he had known about it when he began writing this column back in 1991.

Almost every time I head over to the local work-out joint, there’s some petition circulators waiting.

They scurry up and ask for my signature on a proposed ballot initiative that would make it harder for state legislators to change laws voters have passed at the ballot box.

Nebraska is one of only 26 states that allow voters – if they collect enough signatures to put something on the ballot – to directly pass laws and constitutional amendments, or to repeal such measures via a referendum. Two of our neighboring states, Iowa and Kansas, do not allow for citizen-initiated ballot measures. But we in Nebraska permit the so-called “second house” – citizens – to enact laws and constitutional clauses as a check to either override something passed by the “first house,” our onehouse Unicameral Legislature, or enact something elected officials would not.

The power of the initiative has always been controversial. There’s regularly questions about whether it’s “too easy or too hard to get something on the ballot?” and whether the number of signatures required is too low or too high.

Plus, there are worries about well-heeled, outside interests and whether it’s too easy for them in our small state to get a significant law adopted or changed (I’d argue that is why we have legislative term limits in Nebraska, a truly dumb idea pushed by the wealthy and conservative Koch Brothers).

Anyway, anger has risen in recent months over alterations made by the State Legislature in citizen initiatives that legalized medical marijuana, provided paid sick leave and increased the minimum wage.

Allowing prescriptions of medical cannabis was approved by a whopping 71% of Nebraska voters in 2024, and came after years of unsuccessful efforts by parents of kids suffering from frequent seizures and those who maintain marijuana can help relieve pain or symptoms of post-traumatic stress.

But state officials (including Gov. Jim Pillen, who opposed such legalization) have slow-walked the process of adopting regulations to start distributing cannabis to qualifying persons.

Lawmakers passed a bill earlier this month to allow regulation of prescribing cannabis, but it might be another year before any marijuana actually gets to patients.

And then there’s questions about where doctors will prescribe or recommend medical pot. A bill to give them immunity from lawsuits or disciplinary complaints – say, from someone who still thinks voters were wrong to approve medical marijuana – was blocked by opponents of medical cannabis. So docs will be fair game.

The jury’s still out on whether medical marijuana is effective medicine. People who have tried it for pain relief and to reduce seizures swear by it. But scientific studies are lacking.

Still, I think regulators can keep the stuff – which seems clearly harmful for kids – out of the wrong hands. And the vote at the ballot box was crystal clear – people want the option of marijuana as medicine.

I think we’re in sad shape when state lawmakers can alter something passed by citizens after deciding that “those silly voters” really didn’t mean that.

The State Constitution is pretty clear – the Legislature cannot “amend, repeal, modify, or impair” laws adopted by citizen initiatives, unless they can get 33 votes out of the 49-senator Unicameral.

The petition drive now underway is organized by a group called “Respect Nebraska Voters,” that had spent more than $1 million through the end of March for a swarm of paid petition gatherers and a flurry of mailers reading “When we vote, it’s not a suggestion.”

Their main donor to the campaign – $500,000 — was the Nebraska Donor Alliance, a nonprofit group committed to “democracy building” run by former State Sen. Adam Morfeld of Lincoln. Other major donors are also Nebraska- based groups.

I agree with the Respect Nebraska Voters folks that it ought to be hard for state lawmakers to alter something passed by voters.

But whether the number of votes required by the State Legislature to change citizen-passed laws should be raised from the current two-thirds (33) of the 49-member Unicameral to four-fifths (40) is another question.

Forty out of 49 is a mighty high bar, requiring almost all senators to agree on changes. At least it’s a change the “second house” would have to approve.

Paul Hammel has covered government and the state for decades. He is a retired senior reporter for Nebraska Examiner and the former Capitol Bureau Chief for Omaha World-Herald. A native of Ralston, he loves traveling and writing about the state.

According to the Nebraska Department of Education, schools across our state entered the 2025-2026 academic year with approximately 490 unfilled positions, down from 669 the year before. This tells us something important: The strategies we’ve been investing in are working.

The path forward does not require drastic reinvention. Nebraska doesn’t need to start from scratch. We need to strengthen and scale the programs already making a measurable difference.

At the University of Nebraska at Omaha’s College of Education, Health and Human Sciences (CEHHS), we get to see at the classroom level what works. From my experiences as a lifelong Nebraskan, a former classroom math teacher and now dean of a college that prepares educators across the state, I truly believe our most effective solutions are practical, data-informed and rooted in local community partnerships.

Nebraska has many talented individuals who feel called to the classroom but can’t pause their careers or uproot their families to pursue traditional preparation routes. Programs for people who already have undergraduate degrees, alternative certification pathways and flexible scheduling options open doors for career changers and community members who already have deep ties to their local schools.

In fact, enrollment in the elementary accelerated pathway has doubled, and the secondary accelerated pathway and special education accelerated program have both tripled in recent years. When we reduce barriers and meet people where they are, we expand the educator pipeline while maintaining high-quality standards and educational experiences for our students.

At UNO, for example, we collaborate closely with school districts and community colleges to align preparation programs with workforce needs. One partnership I am deeply proud of is our Teacher Scholars Academy with Omaha Public Schools. It gives students hands-on experience and a direct pathway to a career.

These partnerships allow aspiring teachers to gain classroom experience early, sometimes as paid paraprofessionals — or as trained classroom support staff who work with teachers — in OPS classrooms. It’s a win-win: Schools gain support, and candidates build confidence and competence in real-world settings.

It’s also important for the taxpaying public to know we can achieve our desired results with targeted investments. Scholarships, loan forgiveness programs and stipends tied to high-need endorsement areas like special education, mathematics and science have demonstrated impact. When we invest strategically, we can address geographic and subject-area shortages. Federal and state funding streams have helped support these efforts, but sustained commitment is essential to maintaining our shared momentum.

I have the privilege of seeing firsthand how university faculty and staff are deeply engaged in preparing educators who are classroom-ready from day one. We integrate evidence-based practices, innovative technology and strong mentoring into our programs. Our work is grounded in research-based practices and strengthened by community engagement, including longstanding partnerships through initiatives like the UNO STEM TRAIL Center.

As someone who has spent decades teaching, researching, and collaborating with schools across Nebraska, I have seen the transformative power of thoughtful preparation and sustained support.

It cannot be stressed enough that teacher shortages are not solely about recruitment to university degree programs or job placement after graduation. Early-career mentoring, professional development and strong school leadership significantly influence whether teachers remain in the profession. Nebraska’s recent improvement in unfilled positions suggests that collaborative retention efforts are beginning to make a difference. Closing the gap on unfilled positions reflects collective effort from policymakers, preparation programs and, most importantly, educators themselves. We should take pride in this progress, but we can’t become complacent.

Nebraska’s students deserve stable, well-prepared teachers in every classroom in rural districts and urban centers alike. Our economy, our communities, and our future depend on it, so let’s double down on what’s working.

Expand flexible pathways. Strengthen partnerships. Sustain targeted financial incentives. Invest in mentoring and retention. Nebraska has never shied away from practical solutions grounded in collaboration and common sense. Addressing our teacher shortage should be no different.

Neal Grandgenett is Lois G. Roskens Dean of the College of Education, Health and Human Sciences at the University of Nebraska at Omaha.

This tick was first detected in the United States in 2017 and has since spread into a number of states, including Kansas, Iowa, and Missouri. While it has not been confirmed in Nebraska as of March 2026, its presence in neighboring states means producers here should stay alert, especially as cattle move onto pasture and spend more time in habitats where ticks are more likely to survive.

What makes the Asian longhorned tick especially concerning is how quickly it can build numbers. In the United States, these ticks appear to reproduce mainly without mating, meaning females can produce offspring on their own. A single female can lay hundreds to thousands of eggs, and under favorable conditions development from egg to adult can happen in about three months. That means once introduced, populations can increase rapidly.

The other major concern is disease transmission. The Asian longhorned tick can carry Theileria orientalis Ikeda, a parasite that infects cattle and causes bovine theileriosis. Infected cattle may show anemia, weakness, poor appetite, lethargy, fever, abortions and in severe cases increased sickness or death. Some animals may show only mild signs, but infected cattle can remain carriers for life. There is currently no direct treatment for theileriosis, so prevention and early detection are especially important.

For Nebraska producers, one of the best things to do right now is simply make tick inspection part of normal cattle handling. When cattle are brought in for vaccinations, pregnancy checking, sorting or other routine work, take a close look around the eyes, ears, neck, brisket, tailhead, udder and inside the legs. Producers should also have a general idea of what to look for. Asian longhorned ticks are very small, about 2 millimeters before feeding, roughly the size of a sesame or mustard seed. They are typically light brown to burnt orange in color, so they can be easy to miss during a quick check. If you find unusually high numbers of very small ticks on one animal, that is worth paying attention to. Because proper identification can be difficult, suspicious ticks should be removed carefully, placed in alcohol, and submitted through a veterinarian or Extension office for confirmation.

Pasture conditions also matter. Ticks tend to do better in taller grass, brushy areas, wooded edges, and moist low-lying sites. Keeping an eye on cattle grazing those environments may improve your chances of catching a problem early. If producers bring in cattle from regions where this tick is already present, those animals should be inspected carefully, isolated when possible, and considered for treatment with an approved tick control product before mixing with the resident herd. Good Beef Quality Assurance practices also matter, since blood transfer through shared needles can spread Theileria between cattle.

If unusual ticks are found, collect several specimens in alcohol and work through your veterinarian or Extension office for identification. The Nebraska Veterinary Diagnostic Center can assist with preliminary tick identification, and suspected Asian longhorned tick detections in Nebraska should also be reported to the Nebraska Department of Agriculture.

The bottom line is this: the Asian longhorned tick is not a confirmed Nebraska problem today, but it is close enough that awareness matters. Routine cattle inspection, sound biosecurity and early reporting can go a long way in helping protect Nebraska herds.

— Ben Beckman is a beef Extension Educator based out of the Cedar County Extension office in Hartington. You can reach him by phone: (402) 254-6821 or email: ben.beckman@unl.edu mailto:ben.beckman@unl.edu

LAUREL —The three new village board members were sworn in last night at a special meeting of the board at the municipal building.

D. W. Curtiss, village attorney, installed the new officers: Willard Tangeman, H. H. Fleer and John Urwiler.

The board members elected C. W. Shurtleff as chairman of the board. They also elected Bernard Pehrson as village clerk. D. W.

Curtiss was elected village attorney.

In a telephone conversation with Mr. Pehrson this morning he stated that he will accept the position as clerk.

The board will hold their regular monthly meeting in the municipal building next Tuesday night, May 1. This meeting will be primarily to reorganize the board members as heads of departments.

April 25, 1951

LAUREL —Miss Arlys Thompson, 16, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Albert Thompson of the Logan Center community north of Laurel, has been selected and approved to represent the Laurel American Legion Auxiliary at Cornhusker Girl’s State at Lincoln in June.

Arlys is a Junior in the Laurel high school and is majoring in English and Social Science. She also takes an active part in Band, girls glee club and mixed chorus.

The Laurel American Legion Auxiliary and the Laurel Girl Scouts are sponsoring her trip to Lincoln.

April 25, 1951

LAUREL — F. J. Hopkins, who now lives at South Sioux City, but formerly of Dixon, announced he has sold his insurance business and building in Dixon to J. C. McCaw.

Mr. Hopkins has been in business in Dixon for the past 50 years. He started when a lad of 20 by working in a creamery. He worked there for about a year and then took a job on the Dixon dray line for a short time. Following the dray business he worked for the Dixon Lumber and Grain Co. for 17 years.

He then bought the grain business and later sold it to Sioux City’s Albert Meyers Grain Co. in 1943. It was then he entered into the real estate and insurance business in Dixon.

He remained in this line of work until he sold the insurance and office building to J. C. McCaw, a local Dixon man.

Mr. Hopkins stated he would help Mr. McCaw until he became familiar with this line of work.

April 25, 1951

LAUREL - Terry Wright, 16, son of Rev. and Mrs. A. L. Wright of Laurel has been selected to represent the Laurel American Legion Post 54 at Cornhusker Boy’s State at Lincoln in June.

Terry is a Junior in the Laurel high school and is majoring in Mathematics and English. He is also very active in athletics—football and track and music—boys quartette and mixed chorus at the Laurel school.

The Laurel American Legion Post No. 54 and the Laurel Commercial Club are sponsoring his trip to Boy’s State.

April 25, 1951

LAUREL - The destroyer USS Cunningham has added her might to the growing armada of warships in Korea and aboard her is Claude E. Lukes sonarman, second class USN, son of Mrs. Wm. H. Lukes of Laurel, and husband of Mrs. Frances L.

Lukes of 7642 Genty ave., North Hollywood, Calif.

The Cunningham arrived in the Far East in January after being recommissioned from the Pacific Reserve Fleet at San Diego, Calif.

The ship is providing plane guard and screening protection for a fast carrier force which is striking at the enemy daily.

April 26, 1956

LAUREL - Mr. and Mrs. Dwaine Petersen and Mrs. Jim Withee of Tilden were on their way home from a concert at Wayne State Teachers College Thursday, when their car struck a Black Angus bull on Highway 15, 13 miles south of Wayne. Harold Carlson and Bill Fahnestock arrived on the scene and took the injured persons to a hospital.

Mrs. Petersen the former Carole Tuttle of Laurel, suffered a broken collar bone and knee injuries.

Dwaine Petersen and Mrs. Withee received cuts and bruises. They were treated at the Wayne hospital.

The Angus bull, weighing approximately 1,400 pounds, had to be killed. It was owned by Hugo Micholson of Wisner.

The Petersen car was damaged extensively. It plunged into a 12foot ditch, but did not overturn.

Patrolman Carl Schell of Norfolk investigated the accident.

April 26, 1951

COLERIDGE — Television has reached Coleridge. I.W. Cady installed a television set at the Cady residence last week.

RANDOLPH - More Randolph men returning home from overseas service and receiving discharges include S2c Kenneth Dowling, William H. Collier, Jr., MM2c, Sgt. Verlin Adams and T/4 Wallace Johnson, and Coxswain Edward Carroll.

Coxswain Edward W. Carroll, son of Mr. and Mrs. Dan Carroll, Randolph, has returned home Friday after receiving his discharge at San Pedro, Calif.

He spent 20 months in a naval base in the Admiralties, arriving in the states last January. He has an Asiatic Pacific ribbon.

S2c Kenneth A. Dowling A recent discharge from the naval reserve was that of Seaman 2c Kenneth A. Dowling, who was separated from service at the St. Louis, Mo., separation center. He was in service 14 months.

Most of the time he was stationed on the USS Storm King, a troop transport, which plied the Pacific. He has the Asiatic-Pacific, Good Conduct and Victory medals.

He is now in Randolph with Mrs. Dowling, the former Dorothy Whalen, and their baby son, Francis. His parents are Mr. and Mrs. Lester Dowling.

William H. Collier, Jr., MM2c William H. Collier, Jr., machinist’s mate second class, was discharged from the U. S. N. R. at San Pedro, Calif., April 7, 1946, and is at home with his parents, Mr. and Mrs. W. H. Collier, Pasadena, Calif., formerly of Randolph.

He enlisted in the navy May 7, 1943, and completed 35 months of service, twenty-six months of which was spent on sea duty in the Pacific and Alaska.

Sgt. Verlin G. Adams Sgt. Verlin G. Adams was discharged April 11 at Camp Beale, Calif., after nearly three and onehalf years service in the army. He and Mrs. Adams, the former Jean Wichelman, have arrived here to visit his mother, Mrs. Mary Adams and other relatives. Sgt. Adams has been an x-ray technician at Dibble General hospital in Menlo Park, Calif., for over two years, and he will return to be employed there for an indefinite period.

T/4 Wallace L. Johnson T/4 Wallace L. Johnson, son of Mr. and Mrs. Fred Johnson, 414 S. Madison, El Dorado, Arkansas, and husband of the former Miss Phyllis Larson, Randolph, Nebr., was discharged from the army on April 18 at the Fort Douglas separation center.

April 25, 1946

RANDOLPH - E. H. Benson was elected to the board of supervisors of the Cedar County Soil Conservation District at the special election April 12.

He will serve a four-year term, and succeeds Vincent Anderson of Coleridge.

George Kast, Fordyce, was reelected to the board of supervisors of the Cedar County Soil Conservation District at the special election held April 12.

These two men are elected to serve four-year terms. The other supervisors are Roy Johnsen, Laurel; John Fleming, Hartington; and Marcus Becker, St. Helena.

The local soil conservation district has been in operation for the past two years. During this time complete conservation plans have been drawn on about 100 farms.

Leonard Miller, district conservationist, states that he has application from an additional ninety farmers. Some work has been done on most of these farms and complete conservation plans will be worked out for each farm.

Many farmers are plowing in gullies and seeding them to grass to prevent further erosion. Some terracing has been done on a few farms.

The most popular conservation practices in the county are grass seeding either for retirement, or rotation, and contour farming.

April 25, 1946

RANDOLPH - Pierce scored 47 points, 20 more than the second place team, to annex the Northeast Nebraska athletic conference track and field meet held at Hartington on Tuesday afternoon. The Randolph Cardinals with 27 points were second place winners.

Koehn of Pierce with 19¼ points was the meet’s individual high scorer, edging Adams of Randolph, who had 18 points, by one and one-quarter point. Adams made 18 of his team’s total points of 27, and only two other Randolph men on the Cards eight-man team tallied, Schutt making seven points and Gibson two.

With Pierce out in front and constantly building a bigger lead the battle of the meet was between Plainview, Randolph and Hartington for second place.

Randolph edged Plainview by one point as the latter team scored 26, while Hartington was in the fourth place with 24 points.

Koehn took first in the broad jump, high jump and 220, third in the discus, fourth in the 100, and ran a leg in the winning relay team, which gave him the 19¼ points needed to pass Adams, who won firsts in the discus and shot, third in the high and low hurdles, second in the pole vault, fourth in the high jump and fifth in the 100-yard dash.

April 26, 1951

RANDOLPH — The Methodist Church, the first church founded in Randolph and the only church organization here for a number of years, will mark the 65th anniversary of its founding.

All day services April 29 will observe the occasion. The church was organized in the fall of 1886 following the building of the Omaha railroad through this locality and the founding of the village of Randolph.

April 26, 1951

RANDOLPH — Leroy D. Beltz of Randolph was one of 70 University of Nebraska honors convocation Tuesday in the coliseum. Mr. Beltz, son of Mrs. Caroline Beltz, is a pharmacy student, studying for his master’s degree.

April 26, 1951

RANDOLPH — Seven delegates from St. Frances Academy attended the Vocational Guidance program April 22 at Holy Name Gymnasium in Omaha. The students accompanied by Sisters Dolorita and Hermine were Ruth Aschoff, Celine Neuhalfen, Bernice Spader, Lucille Aschoff and Alice Tramp.

March 1947 did not come in like a lion. Instead, it was more like a mud hen.

“We have had snow, wind, rain, sunshine, fog, sleet, ice, cold, warm and almost hot weather,” said Editor Hill. “The warm weather brings mud and makes the side roads almost impassable and our streets sloppy.

But don’t worry, spring is just around the corner.“ Due to muddy fields, farm work was behind schedule. Another problem farmers faced was the condition of the country roads. Some farmers reported they had not been able to get their cars home since January. In some cases rural mail carriers had to leave mail with neighbors who lived on passable roads.

A record attendance of 69 persons attended the March meeting of the Laurel Commercial Club.

One of the questions discussed was how to improve the farm-tomarket roads leading into Laurel.

“Farmers are up in arms over the terrible condition of the roads,“ said the Advocate. Gravel was the answer.

Money to pay for it was the problem.

Although the war had been over for more than a year, not all government controls had been lifted. Anyone wishing to build had to submit an application to the Civilian Production Administration office in Omaha.

In March 1947, permits for two building projects in Laurel were denied. One was an application by Harold Macklem to build a 25’ x 50‘ tile block building on the north side of Main Street. The building would be divided into two parts with one side to be used for a barber shop, the other for a liquor store.

The other application was submitted by the Laurel American Legion.

They requested permission to build a two-story brick and tile building on the south side of Main Street east of where the post office now stands.

The upper floor would be used as a meeting place for the Legion. The ground floor would be used for a new post office. The Legion already had purchased a lot and removed the old wooden building that was on it.

Both applications were rejected on the grounds that the building materials would be needed for the Veterans Emergency Housing program.

Fortunately, the controls soon would be lifted, and Macklem was able to go ahead with his new building later in the year. (It is the brick building just east of the present Security Bank. His former location was on the lot where the post office now stands).

The Legion also was able to go ahead with fundraising for their new building although it would not be built on the lot they already had purchased on Main Street.

The housing shortage in this country was far worse in Germany where many small towns and villages had been leveled by U.S. and British bombers during the war. With the lifting of restrictions on mail from enemy countries, Mrs. Edward W.

Hesse of Hartington received several letters from relatives in Germany.

One letter read in part: “Words cannot tell the extent of misery into which Germany was plunged by the war. We escaped with our lives, but our ancestral home in Alst, which is also your home, was totally destroyed in December 1944.

“The problem of food is catastrophic. The pangs of hunger we take to bed with us every night are indescribable. To the pangs of hunger is added the suffering from the unprecedented cold which has been with us since Christmas. We lack fuel to combat the cold.

“Were it possible for you to come to Germany, you would not recognize your old home. All the neighboring villages, such as Bergsteinfurt, Rhein, Munster, Cofelt, Dulham, etc., are nothing but scorched earth.

“In view of the extreme want we are experiencing, I would humbly ask if it would be possible for you to send us a food package. Should it be impossible for you to help, I humbly beg you to forgive this plea.“ Another letter from a cousin named Lucia Hesse told how her father had died of wounds received in the First World War and her brother had been killed during WW II. “With his death, the family name will die out for he was the last male descendent.

“Misery stalks the land,” she wrote. You cannot imagine the colossal waste and destruction. Westphalia is overpopulated with refugees. Lack of housing is everywhere. But I will not whine before you. I am of the firm belief that our dear Germany will not perish for the core of the German people is still sound.”

Stories of the Holocaust are repeated constantly but stories about the suffering of the German people who had no part in it are rarely mentioned.

Until World War II and again for a number of years afterward, the bombing of civilians was considered a war crime. Guess it all depends on who is doing the bombing.

Some earth shaking news from north of Laurel. The Advocate of March 5, 1947, reported that farm houses north of town were shaken and windows were rattled by some kind of explosion or earth tremor.

The incident occurred about 10 p.m. on Tuesday, March 4. The cause of the tremor was never determined.

The Advocate of March 19 featured a new column entitled “As I Remember Laurel.“ It was written by Carl Jeffrey who had lived in Laurel almost from the beginning of the town.

Jeffrey (1885-1969) was the son of Mr. and Mrs. A.N. Jeffrey, a blacksmith and one of Laurel‘s earliest residents. Jeffrey claimed his parents came to Laurel from Concord in 1890 but it probably was 1892.

Jeffery’s column contains a lot of good information about the early history of Laurel. This writer wishes he had known about it when he began writing this column back in 1991.

RANDOLPH — The RHS Junior-Senior boys homemaking class, Neil Lackas, Roger Leiting, Duane Rudebusch and Marvin Stueckrath, seniors, and Robert Dowling and Rodney Jones, juniors, experienced their final food preparation for the year by preparing and serving a banquet honoring the girls volleyball team.

The class served 76 guests at the banquet.

April 20, 1961

RANDOLPH — Dr. and Mrs. L.T. Peebles attended the banquet of the Six-County Dental Society at the Stratton Hotel in Wayne Thursday evening.

April 20, 1961

RANDOLPH — Robert Alderson and Wendell Eddie attended the Foxbilt Feed Sales Training School in Des Moines, Iowa Wednesday through Friday.

They were among a group of 50 men from eight states in attendance at the three day course which is held four times each year for company representatives and Foxbilt dealers.

April 22, 1971

RANDOLPH — Mr. and Mrs. Dorman Kuykendall of Sioux City, Iowa have purchased the Cedar Motel from Mr. and Mrs. Otis Gartner. The new owners operated the Town and Country Motel in Sioux City for 12 years.

April 22, 1971

RANDOLPH —Don Roxxbach took first place in the 100-yard dash at the Columbus Invitational track meet Friday. He zipped to the finish line in : 10.1.

April 22, 1971

RANDOLPH —William Hansen, son of Mr. and Mrs. John Hansen, received his Bachelor of Arts degree in Education on Monday evening at Wayne State College. He was one of 203 graduates.

April 23, 1981

RANDOLPH — Gerald Mannion, son of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Mannion, has been appointed Assistant Superintendent of the Huntington Beach Union High School District in California.

Gerald is currently a foreign language teacher at Ocean View High School, California.

April 23, 1981

RANDOLPH — Lorrie Johnson, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Roger Johnson, was capped at St. Luke’s School of Nursing capping ceremony at the Morningside Lutheran Church in Sioux City, Iowa.

April 23, 1981

RANDOLPH — The Randolph High School Vocational Agricultural welding team comprised of Paul Leiting and Greg Lackas won a red ribbon at the State Vocational Agriculture Judging contest held April 9-11 in Lincoln.

Paul and Greg also brought home red ribbons in individual competition at the State FFA convention held at the same time as the Ag contest, the Randolph Chapter received the Superior Chapter Award.

April 23, 1981

RANDOLPH — State Sen. Elroy Hefner, Coleridge, said he has accepted an invitation from the White House to attend an exclusive daylong briefing in Washington, D.C. for state legislative leaders.

The special Presidential and Cabinet Briefing will include a meeting with President Reagan, Vice President Bush, key White House officials and selected Cabinet Members whose departments have the greatest interaction with the states.

Lane Heimes was the main story for the Wynot boys scoring 14 points himself.

Heimes won the high jump after clearing the bar at 6-feet, 4-inches then circled the track in 55.79 seconds to place fourth in the 400-meter dash.

Wyatt Nelson placed fifth in the 300-meter hurdles with a time of 46.53.

The Wynot 1,600-meter relay quartet of Braylon Hans, Nelson, Kreyton Koch and Heimes used a time of 3:53.62 to finish fifth.

For the Lady Blue Devils, it was the same event as the Blue Devils and the same family scoring the lion’s share of the points.

Maleah Heimes, Lane’s sister and only a freshman, won the high jump for the Lady Blue Devils after sailing over the bar at 5-03.

Addison Sharpe also put points on the board using a 2:40.01 showing to place fifth in the 800-meter run.

Some of the Wynot track team will compete in the Norfolk Track and Field Classic April 30 with everyone heading to Creighton May 2 for the Lewis & Clark Conference Track Championships.

The Bears were led by standout junior Drey Puppe, who delivered a dominant all-around performance with three individual titles. Puppe won the 100-meter dash (11.25), captured the 110-meter hurdles (14.47) and added a first-place finish in the high jump (5-10).

LCC also found success in the distance events, with a win in the 3,200-meter relay. The team of Sebastian Van Drongelen, Owen Johnson, Hunter Benson and Shane Langford clocked a 9:18.80 to take top honors.

Langford added a third-place finish in the 800 (2:14.64) and fifth in the 3,200, while Johnson placed fourth in the 800.

In the field events, Weston Patefield finished second in the pole vault (9-6), and Josiah Tasler led a strong effort in the triple jump with a runner- up finish (35-10), followed closely by Patefield (third) and Nolan Nordby (fourth). Jaylen Carpenter also contributed with a third-place finish in the shot put (43-10).

The Bears followed with another solid outing at their home invitational, where Puppe again led the way with wins in the 100 (11.22), 110 hurdles (14.49) and 300 hurdles (42.09), continuing his strong stretch as the season progresses.

Total participation is expected to exceed 7,500. “We never take that for granted. Yet a lot of our signups each year are based on the excitement and inspiration people have experienced or heard about from past events,” said Reid Jensen, Director of Annual Giving for the Avera Foundation.

The Avera Race Against Cancer supports patients with all cancer types. Funds support numerous projects, one of which is the Avera Cancer Institute Navigation Center, a round-the-clock source of comfort and support to anyone whose life has been touched by cancer. This 24/7 call center is offered across the Avera system.

Proceeds also go toward lodging or transportation assistance for individuals or families, screening and early detection, genetic testing, specialized equipment and comfort items, wigs for cancer patients, complementary therapies like massage therapy and Arts in Healing, special events like Cancer Survivors Day, grief support for families and more. All dollars benefit patients and families locally.

The Avera Race is one of the few large events of its kind that offers “week of” and “same day” registrations. “We’ve been doing that for 37 years and will continue to do that,” said Elijah Bonde, Community Giving Manager for the Avera Foundation.

The Race has so many different facets that keep bringing people back. “Many are running enthusiasts who appreciate the chip-timed 5K and 10K races, with awards to top finishers,” Bonde said. Others enjoy getting out for a healthy 1.5- or 3-mile walk on a spring day.

It’s a powerful community moment when people come together to do good for a cause that matters. And for most, the Race is deeply personal. Foundation statistics reveal that 90% of participants are not cancer survivors themselves—they show up for someone they love who is facing or has faced cancer.

People can participate at several levels—as a runner, walker or sideline supporter. They can take part as individuals or join a team. There’s even an option to take part virtually. “We’ve also gained strong support from individual and corporate sponsors,” Bonde said. Sioux Falls Ford is title sponsor for the 2026 event.

“Cancer touches so many lives— including our patients, workers, friends and family members. As health care workers, it’s especially meaningful for us to stand alongside our patients outside the clinical setting and show our support in a visible, unified way. It’s become a tradition that brings our team together for a cause that truly matters,” said Jayna Boeve, Mammography Quality Control Technologist, who leads a team from Avera primary care clinics in Sioux Falls.

“There’s a lot of fun as teams show their spirit. But there’s also inspiration as we recognize survivors and remember those who are no longer with us,” Jensen said. “We see a lot of smiles and hugs but also a few tears.”

Learn more, register or donate at AveraRace.org

Wayne State College Monday announced the launch of its official specialty license plate, now approved by the Nebraska Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) and available to vehicles registered in the state of Nebraska.

The new Wayne State College specialty plate allows drivers to showcase their school spirit while helping expand Wildcat visibility across the state.

Thanks to the Wayne State College Foundation, the first 250 emailed applications will receive complimentary specialty plates.

After the initial launch, Wayne State College plates will be available for the standard Nebraska specialty plate fee of $40 per year, in addition to regular vehicle registration fees. Additional county fees may apply.

To reserve a Wayne State College license plate, download and complete the official specialty plate application form (PDF) found here: www.wsc.edu/wsc-licenseplates.

Email the completed form to the Wayne State College Foundation at wscfoundation@wsc. edu to reserve one of the first 250 complimentary plates. Once 250 applications have been collected, the Wayne State College Foundation will submit the applications to the State of Nebraska to begin plate production.

After processing, applicants will receive a notice from the Nebraska DMV to pick up their plate at their county treasurer’s office. Plates are typically available within 4–6 weeks.

Both cases have been brought by former State Sen. John Kuehn of Heartwell, a longtime opponent to marijuana, who alleges Nebraska can’t move forward with medical cannabis because of federal laws classifying marijuana as a dangerous drug. Kuehn argues state laws like Nebraska’s voter-enacted legalization of medical cannabis are “preempted” by federal law under the U.S. Constitution’s Supremacy Clause.

Monday’s oral arguments did not address shifting federal guidelines on marijuana. Acting U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche downgraded state-licensed medical cannabis to a Schedule III drug last Thursday, down from a Schedule I drug. Nebraska’s Medical Cannabis Commission is working toward implementing such a program.

‘Courts should be open’ Lancaster County District Judge Susan Strong had dismissed Kuehn’s preemption lawsuit in June. She ruled Kuehn had not proven he had the legal “standing” to sue, a legal term of art requiring someone to show injury. Strong ruled against letting Kuehn use two “narrow” exceptions to the standing rule.

Kuehn’s attorneys, led by Eddie Greim of Missouri, argue Kuehn should be able to sue to try to prevent an “illegal expenditure” of public funds (taxpayer standing) or because the laws constitute a “matter of great public concern (great public concern standing).”

“It is not enough to wait for the United States government to one day come to Nebraska and challenge these acts,” Greim told the justices. “Instead, Nebraska’s courts should be open to Nebraskans who want to hold their Nebraska state government to its constitutional limitations.”

Unlike in other taxpayer standing cases that try to block public spending, Kuehn seeks to go further and declare the Nebraska medical cannabis laws unconstitutional. At least four justices would need to side with Kuehn for the case to return to the district court and allow him to argue his case.

If the case proceeds and later returns to the Supreme Court, it would take five justices to rule a law unconstitutional.

‘Incidental’ vs. ‘direct’ spending Zachary Pohlman, the state deputy solicitor general representing five state officials; Jason Grams, an attorney representing members of the Nebraska Medical Cannabis Commission; and Daniel Gutman, representing the three ballot sponsors for the 2024 petition campaign, have all argued Kuehn’s arguments risk “swallowing” taxpayer standing and making it the norm.

Pohlman argued that taxpayer standing requires a “direct” and “explicit” expenditure of public funds. And despite “verbal gymnastics” from Greim, Pohlman said, Kuehn offered no limitations.

“In their theory, any time you have a state agency doing anything in the real world, as long as the officers who are carrying that out are paid a salary from the state budget, a taxpayer can challenge that action,” Pohlman said.

Pohlman and the Nebraska AG’s Office are defending Gov. Jim Pillen, Secretary of State Bob Evnen, Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services CEO Steve Corsi, former State Treasurer Tom Briese and Tax Commissioner Jim Kamm.

Staffers for the Nebraska Liquor Control Commission have administratively and budgetarily assisted the Medical Cannabis Commission since its creation in December 2024. The Legislature has given the Liquor Control Commission more funding as a result, and lawmakers this spring approved paying medical cannabis commissioners an annual salary of $12,500.

State regulations are in progress and are now sitting in the Nebraska Attorney General’s Office for legal review, an office held by Attorney General Mike Hilgers, who has criticized the constitutionality of the medical cannabis laws.

Pohlman said taxpayers do have an “equitable interest” in how government funds are spent, but the focus must be on spending, not regulation. He said that if a taxpayer could merely request spending be withheldand then sue when it’s not, “it’s really not clear what state action would be off limits or challenged by a taxpayer.”

“The groveling here is not taking issue with how the government is spending money,” Pohlman said. “It’s taking issue with how the government is regulated.”

Grams also referenced Strong’s June decision, in which she mentioned the “incidental burdens” of implementing a law, such as staff.

Wrote Strong last June: “Nebraska, like other states, has no shortage of citizen-taxpayers with strong political opinions. That is not necessarily a bad thing. But it would be bad if all those citizens could sue whenever a law requires a government employee to do something.”

Gutman and the ballot sponsors waived oral arguments. They’ve previously pointed to states’ rights to legalize medical cannabis under the 10th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

Reschduling impacts? It’s unclear how rescheduling, including the Trump administration move to downgrade all marijuana from a Schedule I to a Schedule III drug under the federal Controlled Substances Act, might affect Kuehn’s case.

Schedule I drugs, such as heroin, LSD, ecstasy and peyote, are drugs the federal government has classified with a high likelihood of abuse and no currently accepted medical value.

Schedule III drugs are defined as those with moderate to low potential for physical and psychological dependence, such as Tylenol with codeine, ketamine and testosterone.

Pillen said last week that federal reschedulingwouldn’t alter the state regulatory process.

“My goal is to honor Nebraska’s vote, while putting safeguards into place to prevent unregulated or unintended marijuana production,” Pillen said in a Thursday statement. “We will continue to engage with our federal partners as the process evolves.”

Nebraska is the only state with a medical marijuana program not to be congressionally protected from federal interference. Kansas and Idaho are the two other states not protected. Neither has a state medical marijuana law on the books.

Another legal challenge? Strong in November 2024 separately ruledagainst Kuehn and the Nebraska AG’s Office as she upheld the legal validity of the overwhelmingly successful 2024 petition campaign that asked voters to legalize and regulate medical cannabis.

Kuehn and the AG’s Office appealed. Justices considered that appeal in December but have yet to decide the case.

On Monday, Pohlman argued at least five parties are better suited to sue than Kuehn: The federal government, to enforce the Controlled Substances Act.

The state attorney general, “if he concludes that the statutes are unconstitutional” and could thereby test the legal validity.

A property owner whose property values are affected by state regulations.

A prospective medical cannabis user who wants to test and ensure possession is legal.

A criminal defendant charged by state prosecutors with marijuana possession and who asserts the voter-approved legalization as a defense. Pohlman said at that point, the Nebraska AG’s Office could advance a similar preemption argument as Kuehn.

“Those are just five. I assume there are many more, as there are with many statutes that regulate,” Pohlman said.

The AG’s Office had threatened to sue the commission, including if it issued its first licenses shortly after Oct. 1, which commissioners did. No such challenges have materialized.

Pohlman continued: “Even more fundamental than that, this court has said in its taxpayer standing cases that often the best remedy is not in this court. It’s to go down the hall and persuade your state legislator to … amend the statutes that you have an issue with.”

‘Cat-and-mouse game’ Greim disagreed and told justices there must be an increase in spending to qualify and that taxpayers shouldn’t need to wait until “rumor leaks” about government spending. He said if justices deviate, it’s hard to see how taxpayer standing would exist in a “vast majority of cases.”

“It’s not enough that someone breathes a breath while in a state office building and utters a word or signs a paper,” Greim said.

Chief Justice Jeffrey Funke countered that there would still be a cost for employees or paper and questioned the difference between a “direct” and “indirect” expenditure.

In response, Greim said the existence of taxpayer standing can’t depend on the particular way that money is being spent on an allegedly unlawful act.

“Then this becomes a cat-andmouse game,” Greim said. “Then it encourages appropriations just to go to general matters.”

The Nebraska Supreme Court typically releases opinions every Friday and lists “anticipated” opinions by noon the day before the release.

The highlight was the “soda geyser experiment,” a crowd-pleasing demonstration that sent columns of pop shooting into the air and drew wide-eyed reactions from the younger students.

Science Club members showed how dropping Mentos candies into bottles of Coca-Cola triggers the dramatic effect. While it may look like an explosion, students learned it’s actually a fast-moving physical reaction.

As those bubbles rapidly grow and combine, the gas rushes out of the bottle all at once, carrying the liquid with it and creating the geyser effect.

The students also visited the community recycling center to learn how materials are sorted and processed, and to encourage good recycling habits.

Twelve schools brought 572 music students to Laurel to perform for nine judges throughout the day.

The Laurel-Concord-Coleridge band results are: Superior Rating by all three judges and a Plaque for both the Concert Band and the Jazz Band; a Superior Rating for the LCC Percussion Ensemble’s performance of “La Bamba” arranged by Diane Downs and Rick Mattingly; Derek Nelson received a Superior Rating for his snare drum solo “The Glenwood Boy” by Haskell W. Harr.

Derek Nelson, LCC senior, received a perfect score for the fourth year in a row. Christian Staples received an Excellent Rating for his trumpet solo, “The Secret” adapted by Walter Beeler.

Congratulations to all the Laurel-Concord-Coleridge instrumental participants for a very successful day of performing music and representing your school through music.

2026 LCC Site III District Music Contest Laurel Site Large Group results: Concert Bands Excellent Rating: Wynot Superior Ratings: Bloomfield; Cedar Catholic; Wausa Superior Ratings (Straight Superiors from all Judges): Crofton; Elkhorn Valley; Hartington-Newcastle; Laurel-Concord-Coleridge; Neligh-Oakdale; Osmond; Plainview Mixed Chorus Excellent Ratings: Bloomfield; Elkhorn Valley; Hartington-Newcastle; Cedar Catholic; Laurel-Concord-Coleridge; Neligh-Oakdale; Osmond; Randolph; Wynot Superior Ratings (Straight Superiors from all Judges): Crofton; Plainview; Wausa Jazz Bands Excellent Rating: Elkhorn Valley Superior Ratings (Straight Superiors from all Judges): Bloomfield; Cedar Catholic; Hartington-Newcastle; Laurel-Concord-Coleridge; Osmond; Randolph Show Choirs Excellent Ratings: Bloomfield; Laurel-Concord-Coleridge Superior Ratings: Cedar Catholic; Hartington-Newcastle; Superior Ratings (Straight Superiors from all Judges): Elkhorn Valley Jazz Choir Excellent Rating: Bloomfield Percussion Ensembles Superior Ratings: Crofton; Laurel-Concord-Coleridge; Neligh-Oakdale; Osmond Treble Chorus Excellent Rating: Neligh-Oakdale Superior Ratings: Cedar Catholic; Crofton Bass Chorus Excellent Rating: Cedar Catholic

“I’ve got it, Lehn, don’t worry,” says Doug’s aide as he pushes the heavy wheelchair up a steep driveway, into a home built lovingly around Doug, with extra-wide doors, an accessible bathroom and a lift to get Doug in and out of his chair.

There was a time when the accommodations weren’t needed — Lehn could pick up Doug and bring him where he needed to go. But now Doug is 45, and Lehn is 75. Daily living has become harder.

Lehn asks what Doug got up to that day. On an unseasonably warm Thursday in March, Doug’s day program visited a nearby lake to see migrating pelicans.

“Wow, Dougie, what’d you think of that?” Doug didn’t respond. He can’t speak. But on this day, like most, he was smiling.

Doug loves his day program, loves spending a few hours out of the house with his friends. Every Monday, they go bowling. His aide pushes Doug’s wheelchair up to the lane, puts a ball on the ramp, guides his arms to the ball and sends it down the lane. His face lights up every time.

But this week was different. This week, Doug just sat in his chair on the sidelines, watching.

For the past 20 years, Doug was classified at the “high” tier of need and received a waiver that covered one-on-one care at his day program.

But late last year Doug became one of nearly 600 Nebraskans with disabilities whose funding levels were cut under a new assessment tool called interRAI, rolled out by Nebraska’s Department of Health and Human Services in 2025 to replace outdated assessments.

The move came alongside a larger push to eliminate Nebraska’s decades-old backlog of waiver requests, which left thousands of families on the hook to cover services for loved ones with developmental and intellectual disabilities.

Since interRAI was implemented, 717 more people with disabilities have been able to access home and community-based services, DHHS said in a statement. It also has helped cut administrative costs and decreased repetitive assessments.

But families say they found inaccuracies in the assessments, leading to funding determinations that do not reflect their reality.

Doug moved from the high to intermediate tier, which means about 50% less funding to cover his day program. As a result, Doug no longer has an aide individually focused on him.

That change makes a big difference to Doug’s quality of life, Lehn said, and it could grow worse in the future. Doug has a trach that needs to be suctioned so he can breathe. He’s immobile and depends on caregivers to feed him through a tube in his abdomen and keep him clean and comfortable. When his father and stepmother die, he’ll likely need to move into a shared living program. His funding for that will be based on the tier in which he is placed.

Lehn appealed the state’s determination, along with 237 other families as of the end of January. DHHS is in charge of reviewing and ruling on those appeals. They have granted zero reversals.

“Nobody’s had any success with it at all,” Lehn said. “Using the interRAI seems like, instead of an assessment tool to determine a person’s level of care that they need, it’s more of a tool to help them cut their budget.” InterRAI Issues David Browne flung a spoon off of the counter with a clatter. As his mother bent down to pick it up, he beelined toward a plate, shoved a handful of hot grilled cheese into his mouth and started to choke.

His caregiver immediately turned to coach him through chewing, wiping at his chin to protect his tracheostomy. It’s a common scene in the Browne household; both David and his brother, John Michael, are in constant danger of choking.

David and John Michael, 47 and 45, are profoundly intellectually disabled, their mother, Susan Browne, said. A licensed psychologist recently evaluated them and found they need continuous one-on-one care, 24 hours per day, to stay safe and meet their basic needs.

They have been at the advanced level of need for more than 40 years, Susan said. But Inter-RAI assessments in October determined both sons at the intermediate level of need — two tiers below their previous assessment. David was later reassessed at one tier higher because of his tracheostomy.

More than half of the roughly 3,400 Nebraskans who were receiving waivers saw no change to their funding with the new assessment, and about a quarter moved to an increased funding tier, according to DHHS’s March interRAI report.

Compared to the state’s previous assessment tool, interRAI uses a broader, more dynamic assessment of medical, behavioral and support needs, DHHS said. The state picked it because it has been shown to accurately capture a person’s behavioral and health-related functional needs.

But Susan said she found that more than half of the answers did not reflect reality. Her sons were scored as independently able, with minimal supervision, to do daily tasks like eating and using the bathroom. In reality, both need constant help to do those basic tasks.

DHHS said it could not comment on specific cases. In general, assessors are trained to gather information from multiple sources, including interviews, observations and documentation, DHHS said. Appeal denied As soon as Lehn Straub held the reclassification notice in his hands on Sept. 30, the clock started counting down. He had 10 days to file an appeal with DHHS in order to keep Doug’s previous level of funding during the process.

He requested a copy of Doug’s interRAI assessment and hired an attorney. He collected letters from Doug’s doctors testifying that he needed a high level of assistance with daily living and communication.

Their appeal spanned two two-hour-long sessions, Lehn said, but he quickly got the feeling that getting changes to the interRAI assessment wouldn’t make a difference.

“At one time (the attorney) had asked, ‘Well, are we moving the needle so that his level of care will go back to high?’ and they go ‘No,’” Lehn said.

Doug’s abilities have remained the same for decades, Lehn said, and this reclassification is the first funding-level change they have faced.

The old process did not require the individual to be reassessed each year, DHHS said, meaning many people had not been interviewed for several years. All participants now receive an interRAI assessment annually.

Doug’s appeal was denied. As of the end of January, DHHS had closed 107 appeals, affirming their determination for 61. The other 46 were dismissed or withdrawn. DHHS has not reversed a single determination on appeal.

Withdrawn and dismissed appeals include cases in which the interRAI outputs were reviewed and adjusted prior to the hearing, as well as cases where participant or family questions were addressed and resolved, DHHS said.

DHHS noted it uses established Medicaid procedures, including telephone hearings to reduce barriers to participation, when processing appeals.

Nebraska lawmakers passed a bill on April 10 to set training requirements for employees performing assessments. It also requires immediate supervisory review of any assessment that lowers the person’s service tier.

DHHS said it now requires an internal supervisory review of each interRAI assessment for developmental disabilities before it is completed.

For Straub, it’s hard not to think about the future. They will keep Doug at home as long as possible, where they have all of his medical equipment and the baseball memorabilia he has collected over the years.

But when Lehn and his wife Mary die, Doug will most likely need to move into a shared living community. Doug’s interRAI determination will decide how much care he receives there, too. Lehn’s voice grows softer and shakier as he thinks about Doug’s future.

“What happens if we aren’t here?” Lehn said. “If they don’t have the funds or he’s at the intermediate level and not at the high level that he was before, is there going to be money available to provide for him?”

— The Flatwater Free Press is Nebraska’s first independent, nonprofit newsroom focused on investigations and feature stories that matter.

RANDOLPH — The top finishers for the Monday Lady Keglers were the Fabulous 5, who won both the first and second half of the season. Members of the champion team were Cinda Jones, Janet Groen, Ann Brandl, Sandra Kuhlman, Eve Larsen and Barb Kint.

April 25, 2001

RANDOLPH — Members of the Randolph FCCLA participated in the State Leadership Conference, April 9-10, in Lincoln. Students include Janelle Romohr, Kourtnie Morgan, Jennifer Romohr, Dorothy Jensen, advisor; Tanya Brunssen, Paula Wurdinger and Brenda Arens.

RANDOLPH — Candidates for the Junior-Senior High Prom, Saturday, May 5 have been announced. Queen candidates were Brenda Arens, Janelle Romohr, Ashley Wiese and Kourtnie Morgan. King candidates were JD Iles, Heath Dickes, David Dredge and Zach Meyer.

April 27, 2011

RANDOLPH — The boys’ track team traveled to Madison for the 10-team Madison Invitational.

After a slow start the boys had some better performances in the afternoon session and finished third in the 10-team meet with 54 points.

Placing and scoring in the top three for the Cardinals were as follows: 200 Meter Dash-Jordan Merchant-3rd-23.81, 800 Meter Run-Nick Schmit-3rd-2:09.15, 1600 Meter Run-Justin Korth-2nd-5:06.75, 3200 Meter Run-Justin Korth-3rd-11:07.5, High Jump-Clinton Lackas-1st-6’2”, 3200 Meter Relay-3rd-9:12.8 (Justin Korth, Levi Lackas, Grant Anderson, Nick Schmit) April 27, 2011

RANDOLPH — Randolph Jazz Band placed 2nd at Coyote Jazz Festival- 2010, placed 3rd Coyote Jazz Festival-2011 and earned a Superior Rating at District Music Contest-2011. It has been 18 years with out a trophy and now Randolph has placed at Coyote Jazz Festival 2 years in a row.

April 28, 2021

RANDOLPH — Half a dozen people gathered to hear about the proposed Randolph Veterans Memorial Park Aquatic Center with a price tag of $1.1 million on April 20 in the City Auditorium.

City administrator Ben Benton led the meeting with help from JEO’s Terry Meier, community development funding expert; Viv Novotny, client development manager; and Dave Henkel, senior project manager.

Benton said the project idea began last summer.

The first pool was built in Randolph in 1925 and was 100 ft. x 50 ft. and cost $4,500 to build.

A $39,000 bond issue was approved in 1969 for a park and pool project. The current pool was finished in 1970.

The entire existing pool is not Americans with Disabilities Act accessible.

“Nearly every city around us has updated their pools,’’ Benton said. “Community members leave Randolph to use other pools.’’

The proposed pool would be zero- depth entry with water features such as an aqua climbing wall, a slide, renovated pool house, heated water, a kiddie aqua slide, new pumps and surge tanks, according to Benton.

Henkel said the climbing wall would be a minimum of five feet tall.

“Ponca has a Kersplash pool climbing wall like the one proposed for Randolph,’’ Benton said.

He said the city is proposing to begin on the zero entry funding attempt in April 2021 with years two and three for the waterslide and climbwall.

Benton said the city will fund the pool house cost. The City of Randolph has contributed $8,000 to kick start the fundraising for the project.

Donations can be made to the Randolph Area Foundation. Several matching grants will be pursued for certain phases of the project.

“The price tag on the project will increase with time,’’ Benton said. “The current pool house is dated, but the structure is sound. Public school elementary class sizes are on the rise.’’ 

April 28, 2021

LINCOLN – More than 93,284 COVID-19 vaccine doses were administered last week in Nebraska, and as of Sunday, more than 1,275,955 doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been administered in total in Nebraska, according to the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS).

Additionally, as of Sunday, over 601,946 Nebraskans have completed vaccination, which represents 40.6% of residents aged 16 years of age and older.

These numbers include all vaccinations that took place in Nebraska last week, including through federal entities, such as the Indian Health Service, the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Department of Defense, and the Federal Retail Pharmacy Program.

The Federal Retail Pharmacy Program is coordinated and managed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and participating pharmacies in the state have signed up and been approved by the federal government.

RANDOLPH — L. I. Smoyer of Albion has completed a deal by which he has purchased the Carmony Grocery and he is now in possession of the stock and business. Mr. Smoyer is at present sheriff of Boone county and is a well known citizen of Albion. He will not operate the store himself, at present at least, for that would necessitate a resignation of his office.

The active manager of the store will be Hon. John Porter, at present representative of Boone county in our state legislature. The legislature adjourned this week and Mr. Porter came to Randolph to look us over and get acquainted. Mr. Porter has been prominently a member of the house and Randolph will welcome him in our social and business circles.

We understand he is an experienced business man.

Mr. Smoyer has bought a good store, well located, and we feel sure he will not be disappointed in Randolph as a business place.

Mrs. F. A. Carmony, who owned the business and conducted it for the past several months, will return to her home at Columbus.

April 23, 1936

RANDOLPH - Miss Charlotte Rasmussen has been chosen by the voice department of Wayne State Teacher’s College to take a principal part in the comic opera “Martha” to be given at the Wayne city auditorium April 30.

Miss Faith Adee also takes part in the opera.

April 23, 1936

RANDOLPH - Harrison Huwaldt and Virgil Haldeen left Randolph Sunday morning with a truck load of eggs for the Monday morning market in Chicago. The week before they took a truck load to Fremont.

April 23, 1936

RANDOLPH -Rev. E. R. King and W. M. McLean represented the Randolph church at the Niobrara spring meeting of Presbytery at Madison.

Rev. King is a member of the foreign missions committee.

April 23, 1936

RANDOLPH - The Carhart Lumber Company has purchased the Walrath lumber yards at Plainview, adding it to their yards in northeast Nebraska.

Cedar Catholic came away with the boys’ team title with 136 points,

62 points in front of runner-up Archbishop Bergan out of Fremont while the Lady Bears took advantage of some home cooking taking the girls’ crown by four points, 96-92 over Yutan.

The Cardinals posted 17 points and the Lady Cardinals scored 23 points for the day.

Luke Harder had a good day taking second in the triple jump with a best of 39-4.5 and he placed third in the high jump after clearing the bar at 6-02.

“It was a great meet for the Cardinals,” said Randolph coach Brent Gatzemeyer. “The coaches see the improvement of the team each week as we build toward the district meet.” Jaylen Junck placed sixth in the 110-meter high hurdles, covering the distance in 19.62.

The Redbird 400-meter relay team of Ty Sievers, Harder, Brecken Shearer and Junck circled the track in 49.58 which put them in sixth place.

Abbey Backer came home with a little extra cargo placing third in the long jump with a best of 15-03 and fourth in the triple jump after hitting the after a hop, skip and jump of 32-04.

Emily Gilliland placed third in the 800-meter run with a time of 2:35.20 and Mabel Ngebeh brought home third in the discus with a toss of 103-07.

The Lady Cardinal 1,600-meter squad of Aniston Schmidt, Rylee Reimers, Bria Reimers and Gilliland ran the distance in 4:38.70 to bring home sixth.

Both teams’ next two meets are in Creighton.

The Cards and Lady Card were set to head there April 28 for an invitational and will return on May 2 for the Lewis & Clark Conference Track and Field Meet.

LAUREL-CONCORD-COLERIDGE INVITATIONAL 

BoysTeam Results: 1. Cedar Catholic 136;

2. Archbishop Bergan 74; 3. Yutan 68; 4. Ponca 65;5.Laurel-Concord-Coleridge 43;

6. Creighton 41; 7.Tri County Northeast 28;

8.Winside18;8.Wynot18;8.LutheranHigh Northeast 18; 11. Randolph 17.

Boys Individual Results (1st Place and LCC/Randolph performances):

100-Meter Dash: 1. Drey Puppe (LCC)

11.22; 17. Alex Allison (LCC) 12.47; 18. Nathan Boysen (LCC) 12.52; 20. Milo Rayford (RAN) 12.63; 26. Brecken Shearer (RAN) 12.93.

200-Meter Dash: 1. Otto Henkel (YUT)

23.69; 14. Milo Rayford (RAN) 25.73; 17. Alex Allison (LCC) 25.71; 19. Brecken Shearer(RAN)26.88;19.TySievers(RAN)

26.88; 24. Luke Jackson (LCC) 27.24; .

400-MeterDash:1.CooperHochstein(CC)

51.29; 8. Milo Rayford (RAN) 56.27; 12. Hunter Benson (LCC) 58.32; 15. Nathan Boysen (LCC) 59.80; 18 Josiah Tasler (LCC) 1:00.66.

800-Meter Run: 1. Kole Krusemark (PON)

2:06.41; 12. Sebastian Van Drongelen (LCC) 2:31.27.

1,600-Meter Run: 1. Conner Rohrer (CRE)

4:41.53; 11. Sebastian Van Drongelen (LCC) 5:49.39; 14. Luke Jackson (LCC)

6:05.82; 16. Dillion Sanderson (LCC)

6:26.29.

3,200-Meter Run: 1. Gannon Pfister (PON) 10:56.63; 4. Shane Langford (LCC) 11:32.98; 7. Owen Johnson (LCC)

12:00.75.

110-Meter Hurdles: 1. Drey Puppe (LCC)

14.49; 6. Jaylen Junck (RAN) 19.62.

300-Meter Hurdles: 1. Drey Puppe (LCC)

42.09; 9. Jaylen Junck (RAN) 50.73.

400-Meter Relay: 1. Cedar Catholic 44.06;

6. Randolph (Ty Sievers, Luke Harder, Brecken Shearer, Jaylen Junck) 49.58.

1,600-Meter Relay: 1. Cedar Catholic

3:28.60; 7. Laurel-Concord-Coleridge (Hunter Benson,AlexAllison, JosiahTasler, Nolan Nordby) 4:07.97.

3,200-Meter Relay: 1. Ponca 8:29.19; 3. Laurel-Concord-Coleridge (Sebastian Van Drongelen,OwenJohnson,HunterBenson, Shane Langford) 9:19.41.

Shot Put: 1. Owen Doerr (CRE) 52-07; 7. Jaylen Carpenter (LCC) 43-03; 18. Turner Thompson (LCC) 36-10; 19. Kolten Settje (LCC) 35-07; 20. Cade Johnson (LCC)

35-05; 26. Ty Sievers (RAN) 32-11; 31. Paul Allison (LCC) 32-00.

Discus: 1. Peyton Reed (YUT) 162-06; 16. Cade Johnson (LCC) 101-05; 21. Turner Thompson (LCC) 94-04; 24. Stewart Umberger (RAN) 92-03; 36. Devyn Staples (LCC) 71-00; 37. Ty Sievers (RAN) 70-04;

40. Paul Allison (LCC) 63-02.

High Jump: 1. Lane Heimes (WYN) 6-04;

3. Luke Harder (RAN) 6-02; 4. Drey Puppe (LCC) 5-10.

Pole Vault: 1. Otto Henkel (YUT) 12-06; 8. WestonPatefield(LCC)9-06;10.Sebastian Van Drongelen (LCC) 8-00.

Long Jump: 1. Ryan Maguire (YUT) 21-05.50; 17. Weston Patefield (LCC) 17-03.75; 19. Nolan Nordby (LCC) 16-11.25;

20. Josiah Tasler (LCC) 16-10.25; 21. Jaylen Junck (RAN) 16-10.25.

Triple Jump: 1. Easton Hochstein (CC)

41-05; 2. Luke Harder (RAN) 39-04.50;

7. Weston Patefield (LCC) 36-06; 8. Josiah Tasler (LCC) 36-03; 9. Nolan Nordby (LCC) 34-09.

Girls Team Results: 1. Laurel-Concord- Coleridge 96; 2. Yutan 92; 3. Ponca

74; 4. Cedar Catholic 56; 5. Archbishop Bergan 48; 6. Winside 41; 7. Lutheran High Northeast 32; 8. Creighton 27; 9. Tri County Northeast 26; 10. Randolph 23;

11. Wynot 12.

Girls Individual Results (1st Place and LCC/ Randolph performances):

100-MeterDash:1.AnistenWortmann(CC)

12.11; 4. Tae Settje (LCC) 12.76; 8. Abbey Backer (RAN) 13.43; 13. Grace Galvin (LCC) 13.96; 19. Lilly Kuchta (RAN) 14.74;

24. Nora Sprecht (LCC) 15.06; 28. Kamryn Beed(RAN)15.33;30.BriaReimers(RAN)

15.50; 32. Mady Ross (LCC) 16.40; 34. Lisa Jackson (LCC) 18.03.

200-Meter Dash: 1. Molly Besch (YUT)

25.74; 2. Tae Settje (LCC) 26.47; 8. Abbey Backer (RAN) 28.71; 10. Aniston Schmidt (RAN) 29.29; 15. Willa Roberts (LCC)

30.67; 20. Ruby Jonas (LCC) 31.64; 23. Bria Reimers (RAN) 32.39; 24. Kamryn Beed (RAN) 32.77; 25. Alexis Backhaus (RAN) 33.47.

400-Meter Dash: 1. Claire Meyer (CRE)

1:00.81; 4. Jolynn Kinkaid (LCC) 1:06.09;

7. Aniston Schmidt (RAN) 1:07.43; 11.

Willa Roberts (LCC) 1:12.93; 14. Megan Miller (RAN) 1:17.53;

800-Meter Run: 1. Carlie Kvols (LCC)

2:26.74; 3. Emily Gilliland (RAN) 2:35.20;

12. Abbie Brummels (LCC) 3:03.39; 14.

Jenna Guenther (RAN) 3:19.68.

1,600-Meter Run: 1. Faith Galvin (LCC)

5:39.54; 3. Kate Tasler (LCC) 5:52.22;

5. Justice Olson (LCC) 6:03.77; 6. Ava Christiansen (LCC) 6:11.66; 15. Abbie Brummels (LCC) 6:54.05.

3,200-Meter Run: 1. Ava Brennan (PON)

12:20.57; 2. Leah Gould (LCC) 13:10.23;

7. Ava Christiansen (LCC) 14:07.82.

100-Meter Hurdles: 1. Anisten Wortmann (CC) 14.65; 3. Boston Brown (LCC)

15.96; 9. Kloie Ferris (LCC) 18.97; 16.

Ruby Jonas (LCC) 20.83; 17. Grace Galvin (LCC) 20.96; 20. Rylee Reimers (RAN) 22.03; Brooke Meier (RAN) 22.14;

23. Sydney Robinson (RAN) 23.14.

300-Meter Hurdles: 1. Anisten Wortmann (CC) 44.71; 5. Kloie Ferris (LCC)

52.44; 12. Rylee Reimers (RAN) 56.46;

16. Brooke Meier (RAN) 58.82; Sydney Robinson (RAN) 1:07.20.

400-Meter Relay: 1. Yutan 50.65; 9. Randolph ( Lilly Kuchta, Emily Gilliland, Bria Reimers, Kanryn Beed) 56.80.

1,600-Meter Relay: 1. Laurel-Concord- Coleridge (Boston Brown, Kate Tasler, Carlie Kvols, Tae Settje) 4:11.65;

6. Randolph (Aniston Schmidt, Rylee Reimers, Bria Reimers, Emily Gilliland)

4:38.70.

3,200-Meter Relay: 1. Ponca 10:06.64; 3. Laurel-Concord-Coleridge (Leah Gould, Tyler Recob, Addy Hoeppner, Ava Christiansen) 11:14.91.

Shot Put: 1. Hadleigh Schutt (WIN) 38-06; 4. Aubri Kleinschmit (LCC) 28-09;

8. Mabel Ngebeh (RAN) 27-05.50; 16.

Madyson Campbell (LCC) 25-01; 19.

Alaina Schulz (RAN) 24-03; 21. Delayne Thelen (RAN) 23-04.50; 29. Lydia Schultz (RAN) 20-10; 32.Gillian Wortman (RAN)

18-07.50.

Discus: 1. Elsie Keller (PON) 122-08; 3.

Mabel Ngebeh (RAN) 103-07; 6. Madyson Campbell (LCC) 96-02; 17. Justice Olson (LCC) 75-00; 18. Alina Schulz (RAN) 69-09; 27. Delayne Thelen (RAN)

58-05; 28. Lydia Schultz (RAN) 57-05; 30. Aubri Kleinschit (LCC) 55-10; 39. Gillian Wortman (RAN) 26-08.

High Jump: 1. Maleah Heimes (WYN)

5-03; 12. Tyler Recob (LCC) 4-04.

Pole Vault: 1. Michelle Neumann (CRE)

8-06; 7. Willa Roberts (LCC) 7-00.

Long Jump: 1. Lexie Dinkel (LHNE)

17-04; 3. Abbey Backer (RAN) 15-03; 6.

Grace Galvin (LCC) 14-05.50; 18. Lilly Kuchta (RAN) 13-01; 21. Nora Specht (LCC) 12-07.

Triple Jump: 1. Boston Brown (LCC)

35-00.50; 4. Abbey Backer (RAN) 32-04;

7. Laney Folkers (LCC) 30-07; 10. Nora Specht (LCC) 28-04.50; 11. Lilly Kuchta (RAN) 28-01.50; 13. Jenna Guenther (RAN) 27-03.50.