Retired Aurora High School teacher Rod Havens recently joined the staff of the Aurora Library as the coordinator for the library’s new makerspace.
Mark Dunn
A group of children prepares to cut the ribbon signaling the opening of the Hamilton County Inclusive Playground.
The Nebraska State Fair runs through Labor Day in Grand Island.
Tuesday, September 1, 2026
The 2026 Nebraska State Fair is off and running just 20 miles west of Aurora, marking the 17th year the annual event has been staged in Grand Island. The grounds have been brimming with livestock, people and activities for people of all ages since opening day Aug.
Mike Bergen
Private well owners will need collect well water samples from hydrants or faucets that are connected to the waterline closest to their well before sending the samples to the Big Upper Blue NRD for testing.
Above is a screenshot of a video on the Hamilton County Corn Growers Association Facebook page featuring an interview between corn growers past president Mike Bergen and Beck’s Hybrids seed advisor Luke Samuelson. This year, instead of a live plot tour, the association will feature interviews recorded at the test plot south of Aurora with representatives of each of the companies represented.
Hamilton County Board of Commissioners news
The new Hamilton County Extension building at the fairgrounds is done and ready for move-in.The 5,000 square foot office, meeting and storage space is expected to be fully open for business by mid-September.
The first stop on Tom and Patti Kell’s trip in the fall of 2025 to visit towns named Aurora was Aurora, S.D., where they had this picture taken of them at the city park. South Dakota’s Aurora is near Brookings and close to the Minnesota border.
Richard Rhoden
The H&H Bearcat defense pitched a shutout in its first-ever 11-man football game, downing Schuyler 43-0.
Kaitlyn Staehr netted 10 kills in a close loss to Norris to open the 2026 season Thursday.
