News

Roxie Obermier has been working with special education students at Aurora for 22 years and has spent the last 17 years as Aurora Middle School’s special education teacher.

Roxie Obermier has been working with special education students at Aurora for 22 years and has spent the last 17 years as Aurora Middle School’s special education teacher.

Obermier finds joy in seeing students succeed in class, life

Roxie Obermier has amassed thousands of photos over her 22 years of working with special education students at Aurora Public Schools. She has spent the past 17 years as the middle school special education teacher and also ran the PEAK Success Center and 18-plus/young adults program.
Members of the Youth Engaged in Philanthropy program’s senior class cohort include, front from left: Kennedy Kleinschmidt, Piper Oswald, Morgan Calkins, Jasmine Hansen, Macy Miller, Emma Ellis-Sack. Back from left: Jake Cattau, Parker Smith, Bryce Joseph, Kash Majerus, Keelan Phillips.

Members of the Youth Engaged in Philanthropy program’s senior class cohort include, front from left: Kennedy Kleinschmidt, Piper Oswald, Morgan Calkins, Jasmine Hansen, Macy Miller, Emma Ellis-Sack. Back from left: Jake Cattau, Parker Smith, Bryce Joseph, Kash Majerus, Keelan Phillips.

YEP program inspiring youth leaders in county

Youth Engaged in Philanthropy celebrated its second year of preparing the next generation of local philanthropic leaders with a capstone ceremony Sunday afternoon.
The Dane and Sara Sutherland family poses for a picture at the annual White House Easter Egg Roll held on the South Lawn at 1300 Pennsylvania Ave. in Washington, D.C. The Sutherland children are, from left, Elle, 10; Gavin, 8; Ty, 6 and Ava, 3-1/2.

The Dane and Sara Sutherland family poses for a picture at the annual White House Easter Egg Roll held on the South Lawn at 1300 Pennsylvania Ave. in Washington, D.C. The Sutherland children are, from left, Elle, 10; Gavin, 8; Ty, 6 and Ava, 3-1/2.

Local family experiences White House Easter Egg Roll

It was the Easter egg hunt of a lifetime for the Dane and Sara Sutherland family of Aurora over the long Easter weekend. The Sutherlands, along with their four children and her parents, traveled to Washington, D.C.
ANR was cited as the top newspaper in its circulation category in this year's NPA awards

ANR was cited as the top newspaper in its circulation category in this year's NPA awards

News-Register earns statewide recognition with NPA awards

The Aurora News-Register was among the top winners in the Nebraska Press Association’s Better Newspaper Contest, earning first place honors in the competition among the state’s largest weekly publications.
See who's making the grade at area high schools this year

See who's making the grade at area high schools this year

These seniors are Making the Grade

They're all here! The top senior scholars from around the area are featured in ANR's annual Making the Grade special section. Photos and profiles of the top scholars from Aurora, Giltner, Hampton and HPC are featured in Section C of this week's ANR. 
Hampton Booster Club plant sale co-chair Melissa Weedin and her daughter, 5th grader Makenna fill an order for plants on Saturday

Hampton Booster Club plant sale co-chair Melissa Weedin and her daughter, 5th grader Makenna fill an order for plants on Saturday

This week's top stories

Hampton’s Community Auditorium was a busy place Saturday morning, April 26 for the conclusion of the Hampton Booster Club’s annual spring plant sale. Hundreds of people showed up to pick up the plants they had ordered and cash-and-carry plants were available for sale as well.
“Road closed” signs went up Thursday at the Highway 34 intersection when demolition of 1st Street in Aurora began.

“Road closed” signs went up Thursday at the Highway 34 intersection when demolition of 1st Street in Aurora began.

1st Street now closed for major renovation

Construction has begun in earnest now on the city’s planned 1st Street renovation project, prompting a change of travel routes throughout what is scheduled to be a summer-long venture.“Road closed” signs went up Thursday when demolition initially began at the Highway 34 intersection.
This historic photo looking south on Hampton’s 3rd Street in 1915 shows the IOOF Opera House at right towering over the other buildings. It that time it was a bee hive of activity, hosting theatrical performances, concerts, lectures, dances and many other community events.

This historic photo looking south on Hampton’s 3rd Street in 1915 shows the IOOF Opera House at right towering over the other buildings. It that time it was a bee hive of activity, hosting theatrical performances, concerts, lectures, dances and many other community events.

A possible reprieve for Hampton’s opera house

Just as the Hampton Village Board was preparing to take action to demolish the brick 1893 opera house several doors north of city hall, the building has received a sort of stay of execution.
After performing at the speech districts competition in Hampton on Saturday, March 22, Sophie Faltys was announced district champion in persuasive receiving two perfect scores, a silver medal in POI and a bronze medal in informative.

After performing at the speech districts competition in Hampton on Saturday, March 22, Sophie Faltys was announced district champion in persuasive receiving two perfect scores, a silver medal in POI and a bronze medal in informative.

Sophie Faltys is all in for senior year at Giltner

When Giltner senior Sophie Faltys went on stage Friday, March 28 for the 2025 Nebraska State Speech Championships, she never expected to return home as a Class D2 state champion.“The girl who got second (Lauren Winkelbauer of St. Mary’s Catholic School), her speech was so good,” Faltys said.
This photo of the upper floor of the Hampton Opera House looks east toward the stage of the building’s hall where many events took place. The picture was included in the documentation for the building’s inclusion in the National Register of Historic Places in 1988.

This photo of the upper floor of the Hampton Opera House looks east toward the stage of the building’s hall where many events took place. The picture was included in the documentation for the building’s inclusion in the National Register of Historic Places in 1988.

IOOF Opera House was once Hampton’s cultural center

If a proposed plan to save and restore the Hampton IOOF Opera House is successful it will mean the preservation of a structure that has been a part of Hampton’s history and culture for more than 130 years.