News

As of 3 p.m. Monday, the Central District Health Department reports a total of 1,410 COVID-19 positive cases and a total of 43 deaths in the Central District, broken down by county as follows: Hall 1,338 cases and 35 deaths; Hamilton 53 cases and eight deaths; and Merrick 19 cases and zero deaths.

In light of new data about how COVID-19 spreads, along with evidence of widespread COVID-19 illness in area communities, CDHD officails strongly recommend that people wear a cloth face covering to cover their nose and mouth in the community setting. This is an additional public health measure people should take to reduce the spread of COVID-19 in addition to (not instead of) social distancing, frequent hand cleaning and other everyday preventive actions.

Hampton seniors spent years together and finished their time as Hawks 6 feet apart during a brief outdoor graduation ceremony Saturday afternoon. School officials hope to have a traditional pomp and circumstance ceremony later this summer, if possible. See this week's ANR for coverage. Paige Sackschewsky, pictured here, was one of nine honored seniors ringing the bell and receiving her diploma Saturday.

At 8:20 p.m. Wednesday, the Husky Stadium lights came on and the Aurora Class of 2020 took center stage, even if it was just for 20 minutes for the final Be the Light campaign. 

It was the final week of Aurora’s highly attended Be the Light campaign, a four-week program where the school turned on the lights of the football field for 20 minutes at 8:20 p.m. to honor a different group of people. 

This was just another way for schools to show support for the Class of 2020 across the state and country. 
 

Tuesday’s primary election in Hamilton County will be different in a lot of ways, with a huge increase in mail-in ballots and only one polling place available countywide, where extra precautions will be taken to keep voters and poll workers safe from the coronavirus.

Now that the weather has warmed and more and more people seem to be taking to the outdoors for a sense of relief from being trapped in their homes during the global pandemic that is COVID-19, the topic of Tooley Park resurfaced on the agenda at Monday’s Hamilton County board of Commissioners meeting.
Commissioner Bobby Parks had previously been tasked with taking a few photos of the signs at Bader Park and like places to help commissioners gain insight and possible inspiration as to what to include on updated signage desired for Tooley. Details in this week's ANR.

Sunday was graduation day for Giltner’s Class of 2020 and while it wasn’t your typical cap and gown ceremony, memories were definitely created. Giltner’s 17 seniors paraded through town in a single file line as community members showed their support for the newest Hornet graduates. Full report in this week's print or e-editions.

Aurora’s housing market has been on fire as of late, boosting total sales figures to the point that the Nebraska Tax Equalization and Review Commission ordered an 8 percent increase on valuations for all dwellings and structures within the city, effective this year. Details in this week's print or e-editions.

The Aurora kindergarten class has been studying nature and trees throughout the school year and thanks to a CF Industries classroom minigrant, they were able to plant their very own tree at the Hamilton County Fairgrounds.
The event, previously an in-person event for the students, was streamed on Facebook Live for them to watch from the safety of their homes. The plating was attended and filmed by teachers Stacy Groetzinger, Laurie Anderson, Carissa Phillips and Holly Hudson. Unable to attend was Ashli Huenefeld.

Dig deeper with complete story in this week's print or e-editions.

Several area businesses and entrepreneurs have been working remotely for years, though the high-tech trend has for some become a COVID-driven necessity.
During this national Economic Development Week, the News-Register reached out to several local sources who work from home each day, logging in with clients and colleagues via the World Wide Web. Get the full story in this week's ANR.

Susan Williams of Susan’s Books and Gifts set out last week to help residents of Westfield Quality Care, East Park Villa and Memorial Long-Term Care combat boredom during the current quarantine.
Calling out to the community, she worked to double all gift certificate donations, while offering discounts for items purchased for residents.