News

Plans to expand the Memorial Hospital Auxiliary thrift shop are officially in the works, according to Memorial Community Health CEO Diane Keller.
“We are planning to expand the thrift shop,” Keller confirmed. “Basically the plans will approximately double the size of the existing building. The addition will go to the south. Where the house was that was burnt down, it will expand into that lot.” Read more in this week's print or e-editions.

An Aurora fire truck parked “upstream” from an accident scene on Interstate 80 was hit by an on-coming car Saturday afternoon, sustaining heavy damage but preventing a possible tragedy at the initial multi-vehicle pileup.
Fire Chief Tom Cox reported that approximately 20 Aurora firefighters were about ready to leave the scene when the accident occurred. The roads were icy, snow was blowing hard and visibility was poor, causing treacherous driving conditions all across Nebraska.
“In my experience during 25 years as a firefighter this is the first time we’ve had a vehicle hit like that, but it’s the reason why we park it about a quarter mile from the scene,”

Cox explained. Read more in this week's print or e-editions.

Nebraska Extension Beef Systems Specialist Mary Drewnoski spent the last moments of Hamilton County Ag Day speaking to a handful on interested onlookers about the benefits and processes of cattle grazing corn residue.
“I also wanted to talk a little bit about suggested stocking rates, how we came up with them and how you might be able to figure out what you should be grazing on your land,” she said. “So we’ll start with stocking rates because it kind of sets up the basis for some of the things that I’ll talk about later.”

Read more in this week's print or e-editions.

Prayer is always on the agenda during the Hampton Lutheran School Hearts for Jesus annual fundraiser, but it was even more so this year.
With Mother Nature bearing down hard Saturday, a day traditionally used to set up for the Sunday event, a decision had to be made as to go or no go.
“We talked about a Plan B, but honestly there are so many homemade food items and other factors involved it’s just a really hard thing to move,” said event co-chairman Theresa Dose. “I prayed about it a lot because I was worried about people being able to get here. I was hoping they could come, and they did.”

Read more in this week's print or e-editions.

The Nebraska Department of Roads confirmed plans this week to resurface a 10.2-mile stretch of Highway 34 from Aurora to the Henderson spur.
Wes Wahlgren, NDOR District 4 engineer in Grand Island, reported that the $4.946 million project will involve milling off the existing asphalt, putting down a new surface as well as constructing new shoulders along the heavily-travelled roadway.
“It’s one of our roads that needs attention and we have been getting complaints on it,” Wahlgren said. “I think people who drive it in trucks really feel how rough it is so it will be nice to get it smoothed up.”

Read more in this week's print or e-editions.

The Hamilton County Board of Commissioners issued a statement Monday regarding the current obstacle regarding the Hamilton Manor demolition work.
Around this time last month, Jan. 28 to be exact, board members discussed additional work that had been done by Mid Nebraska Land Developers of Aurora, on top of work previously included in the bid contract between the two parties.
According to that week’s board report, upon digging up the concrete slab present on site, crews discovered an “immense amount of sand, to the tune of 1,815 yards of sand that had been used as fill in putting in the foundation.”

Read more in this week's print or e-editions.

Eleven vehicles were involved in multiple crashes Thursday on Interstate 80 between Giltner and Aurora, causing officials to close I-80 for several hours and diverting heavy traffic to Highway 34.
At approximately 9:10 a.m., Hamilton County received a 911 call that two semi-tractor/trailers had crashed and jackknifed, blocking eastbound traffic on I-80 near mile marker 328.
Hamilton County Sheriff Kirk Handrup was one of the first to arrive on the scene, where he made an immediate request to close the interstate.

Read more in this week's print or e-editions.

City leaders acknowledged last week the county’s Feb. 4 vote to finalize an interlocal agreement regarding ownership and operation of an ambulance service, but stopped short of approving the deal pending resolution of three outstanding lawsuits.
City Attorney Ross Luzum advised the council not to take action on the proposed interlocal agreement until the county has resolved collective bargaining agreement disputes with the ambulance union filed through the Nebraska Commission of Industrial Relations.

Read more in this week's print or e-editions.

Dist. 34 Sen. Curt Friesen talked about property tax relief, economic development incentives and recall elections Friday during an hour-long town hall meeting in Aurora.
Sharing his thoughts 30 days into this year’s legislative session with a group of about 40 constituents at the Bremer Center, Friesen began with a topic that’s been high on his priority list throughout his time in Lincoln.
“We need to do something now,” he said of his hopes to find a path toward property tax relief this session.

Read more in this week's print or e-editions.

Giltner fans had a little extra reason to cheer Thursday at the subdistrict final girls basketball game in Grand Island, and they had some help in the process.
Terra Hinrichs, a paraeducator at the school, explained that she and her husband Joel are long-time friends with Jason Chagnon of Gretna, whose wife Sarah coaches the Gretna High School cheer team. She said Jason called a few weeks ago asking if it would be possible for the team to practice in the Giltner gym the day before the state cheerleading competition in Grand Island and eventually those plans were approved.
“They got to the school and of course 90 percent of those girls were amazed that there was a school this size and that we didn’t have a grocery store,” Hinrichs said.

Read more in this week's print or e-editions.