Commentary

Area residents concerned with land use issues involving commercial wind energy and livestock expansion, among other things, should be tuning into a process that will soon give all a chance to speak up and be heard.
Efforts to gather information and input to be used in updating Hamilton County’s comprehensive plan started almost two years ago, tabling a discussion which at that time had sparked an emotional debate. A proposal to build four large wind turbines south of Aurora raised the question of if and where such projects should be allowed, which is what the comprehensive plan and related subdivision and zoning regulations are all about.
Hamilton County commissioners noted that the local plan was decades old and thus did not address some of the more timely issues of the day, including commercial wind energy development. They hit the pause button, in essence, so that new regulations could be written, reviewed and put in place.

Nearly all of us at some time have questioned ourselves if we pursued the right career. Although I loved my many years of newspapering, the question would occasionally cross my mind, “What if I would have, etc.?” I would then chuckle to myself and decide I could have a second career in my retirement years after the kids were raised, many financial and business obligations subsided and the lifestyle slowed down.
A few weeks after my retirement I entered our home’s kitchen and announced to the Betterhalf, who had spent the afternoon playing cards, that I had rearranged her pantry and would like to learn how to cook some specialty dishes. My new pursuit at hobby cooking did not start well. I was told if I was messing with HER PANTRY I could begin doing ALL the cooking. Thus, my dream ended becoming a specialty chef who would create fabulous exotic dishes to the delight of my family.

Former Huskies, friends and family members returning to Aurora for the annual A’ROR’N Days celebration may notice a lot of changes in the old hometown.
To Husky graduates back for their reunion and other guests visiting Aurora this week, we invite you to take some time and look around. There is an awful lot of visible progress in Aurora and Hamilton County, and in several cases you’ll see vacant lots that will look a lot different next time you come this way.
Here’s a quick recap and a good start for a weekend tour:
On the business front, it’s been a busier year of change. The Hamilton Manor is gone now, with an auction scheduled next week to determine what that prime piece of property might be used for, whether it be residential housing, commercial development or a combination of both. Across Highway 34 the Modern Motel is also gone, soon to be replaced with a new Heartland Bank facility.

The Betterhalf has always been a student of exercise and rarely misses at least one daily walk despite Nebraska weather. Generally our dogs accompany her jaunts, but sometimes she does let me tag along.
In addition to her own daily walks, she also regularly assists me with my own dog-walking chores at the animal shelter. Thus, I could say because of all her walking she is my mentor when it comes to walking for one’s health.
We have had several debates on walking. One of the major subjects of our discussion is, “How fast to walk for health” and just how fast is “brisk.”
Her walking style is faster than mine. Of course her faster walking style doesn’t surprise me because she was a pretty fast gal when I was dating her and was pretty lucky to even catch her.

Our community turned the page this week with a significant transition regarding countywide emergency medical services.
After numerous studies and more than a year of often contentious debate, keys to ambulance operations were passed from the county to Aurora City Hall, where a new fire-based entity made its debut Saturday.
Now is the time to support what all agree has for years been regarded as a top-notch service. Quality, timely emergency care was never, ever questioned throughout this debate and the sense of trust in knowing that citizens will be taken care of if and when they need to call 911 remains paramount regardless of who is paying the bill.

There have been plenty of challenges the past few weeks. Stormy wet weather has put some of our schedules and plans awash. Farmers and city folk have found it difficult to do field work and spring garden/lawn chores. Finally it appears most of us have overcome the challenges and have been moving along.
That was quite evident this past week when we spotted a man mowing his lawn during a rain storm. He was walking behind his mower while trying to keep dry by holding an umbrella over his head. Later we were happy to report his mowing challenge was completed successfully.
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The warmer weather and a little sunshine have brought the urge to go fishing. I thought I enjoyed fishing and my enthusiasm for the sport never wavered until recently when I read a newspaper article written by C.B. Bylander of Baxter, Minn. Bylander claimed half the fun is catching the fish and half the fun is complaining about it.

by Dist. 34 Sen. Curt Friesen

“Welcome to Hamilton County.”
That’s the front page greeting on one of the county’s most comprehensive marketing pieces, which is hot off the press this week in the form of an 80-page full-color magazine.
The Hamilton County Guide offers guests and prospective newcomers a Reader’s Digest version of a place that’s very special to those who call it home. It is also available online as well (auroranewsregister.com) to any and all who want to enjoy a colorful snapshot of our community.
There is indeed a lot to offer here in Hamilton County -- great schools, quality health care, top-notch recreational facilities, a diversified economy and a proud, ag-based heritage rooted in some of the best soil and water resources in America. That’s not a sales pitch, but rather a heart-felt sentiment shared by many.

Communities could not survive efficiently without volunteers. For years that has been evident throughout the Midwest and particularly in Hamilton County. Our hometowns have, and still do have, quite a number of volunteers providing their time at no charge assisting in bringing many services and good deeds to all of us.
However, in the past few years volunteers seem to be getting fewer. We are finding it’s more frequent to hear reports from various services having difficulty filling their staffing needs. The problem seems to be rooted in a word which we are all too familiar. That word is “time.”
Today’s families simply have less time. Both parents are working. Children are involved in more activities. Retirees are busier than ever and finding that retirement is not the slow lifestyle they had expected. Adding to this volunteer challenge is the fact that there are more requests than ever before for volunteers. These issues don’t mean volunteerism is dead.

These girls are good.
That was the unanimous sentiment in the press building Saturday, as well as throughout Burke Stadium, as the Giltner Lady Hornets did what no other Class D girls track team has ever done.
For the fifth consecutive year, the two-day state track meet ended with the familiar orange and black-clad Lady Hornets standing atop the podium hoisting a state championship trophy and grinning from ear to ear.
Last year was a more dominating win, though the 2019 margin of victory was still a convincing 15 points. In the ultra competitive state track field, points are hard to come by, yet the Giltner girls seem to find a way every year, reloading after each graduation and carrying on what has become a prized tradition.