This week's top stories

Previews of some of this week's top stories below, including links to their online editions. 

  • Aurora Speech Team members Sam Elge and Ansley Harvey share a range of emotions in a duet titled “Anna at the End,” a story about a young couple falling in love, then facing the emotions of the young girl getting sick, and eventually passing away.
    Aurora Speech Team members Sam Elge and Ansley Harvey share a range of emotions in a duet titled “Anna at the End,” a story about a young couple falling in love, then facing the emotions of the young girl getting sick, and eventually passing away.
  • Cherishing their final performance of the year, the Aurora High School Show Choirs give their all in the show that they’ve performed in competition.
    Cherishing their final performance of the year, the Aurora High School Show Choirs give their all in the show that they’ve performed in competition.
  • The original Phillips Memorial Hall, completed in 1949 as a memorial to WWII veterans, passed into history last week. The wood and steel building, which was replaced by the nearby new Phillips Memorial Hall in 2016, was demolished by a local construction company and the debris hauled away.
    The original Phillips Memorial Hall, completed in 1949 as a memorial to WWII veterans, passed into history last week. The wood and steel building, which was replaced by the nearby new Phillips Memorial Hall in 2016, was demolished by a local construction company and the debris hauled away.
  • Lindsay (Hattan) Gould, seen here with her husband, Matthew and her 2-year-old daughter Josie, currently works at Nebraska Children’s Hospital in Informational Technology.
    Lindsay (Hattan) Gould, seen here with her husband, Matthew and her 2-year-old daughter Josie, currently works at Nebraska Children’s Hospital in Informational Technology.
  • Caleb Arnett
    Caleb Arnett

Aurora Speech Showcase
A good crowd was on hand Sunday evening for the Aurora High School’s 2024 Speech Showcase. Several team members performed for the public, previewing end-of-the-season presentations with the team scheduled to compete Saturday at districts in Gothenburg. Those who qualify will advance to the state speech meet March 20 in Kearney. Seniors Sam Elge and Ansley Harvey shared a range of emotions in a duet titled “Anna at the End,” a story about a young couple falling in love, then facing the emotions of the young girl getting sick, and eventually passing away. See more photos here.

Final vocal performance
The Aurora Middle School Theater echoed with cheers from family and friends Thursday as members of the Aurora Rhapsody and Impact ensembles sang and danced the night away in the final performance of the year.

Old Phillips Memorial Hall demolished 
A Phillips landmark built shortly after the Second World War and which hosted community events and basketball games for more than 70 years came down last week. The original Phillips Memorial Hall, completed in 1949, was demolished and the rubble hauled away last Monday. The metal roofed quonset-style building has not been used for several years following the construction of the new Memorial Hall which was completed in 2016 and was recently turned over to the Phillips Community Foundation. Read the article here.

Gould finds her calling in respiratory therapy, IT
Lindsay (Hattan) Gould credits her faith with leading her to a career as a respiratory therapist and information technology (IT) specialist at Nebraska Children’s Hospital in Omaha. 
While growing up in Aurora, Gould says she and her sister, Jacque (Carden), were motivated by their parents, Joann and Roger Hattan, to pursue ambitious careers as they looked toward working in the medical field. “My parents encouraged me towards a career in healthcare,” Gould said. “Considering options, I became interested in respiratory therapy while in high school.” ANR's story on Page B12 follows Gould on her journey to school and work in Chicago and her return to Nebraska to work at Children's Hospital in Omaha and tells how the two sisters ended up working in the same hospital and living in the same town again. Read the story here.

Arnett declared mentally incompetent to stand trial
The Aurora man accused in the stabbing death of his stepfather has been declared mentally incompetent to stand trial at this time. At a hearing held on Feb. 26 in Hamilton County Court, Judge Lynelle D. Homolka issued an order remanding 29-year-old Caleb Arnett to the custody of the Lincoln Regional Center for treatment as soon as a bed becomes available. The action by the court was in response to a court-ordered mental evaluation conducted by the state Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS). ANR's coverage also includes a statement from the Arnett's mother who was one of those wounded in the alleged attack. The whole story can be found here.

For these stories and more, see this week's print or e-editions of the Aurora News-Register.