This week's featured stories

  • The Hampton High School cheerleaders pose for a victory photo after winning their school's first state cheer championship trophy.
    The Hampton High School cheerleaders pose for a victory photo after winning their school's first state cheer championship trophy.
  • The preliminary design for the interior of the new Extension building to be located at the county fairgrounds.
    The preliminary design for the interior of the new Extension building to be located at the county fairgrounds.
  • Booker Scheierman, one of three seniors on the team, saw his Husky career come to an end Monday night on a double-double effort, including 11 points and 15 rebounds.
    Booker Scheierman, one of three seniors on the team, saw his Husky career come to an end Monday night on a double-double effort, including 11 points and 15 rebounds.
  • Terri Hope announced plans this week to begin a retirement sale, which means that 65 years of having a Hope furniture business in downtown Aurora will soon end as well.
    Terri Hope announced plans this week to begin a retirement sale, which means that 65 years of having a Hope furniture business in downtown Aurora will soon end as well.
  • Sixth graders from Hampton School explain to community members attending Friday’s Community Conversations with Coffee event what they learned recently about the animal known as a bearcat.
    Sixth graders from Hampton School explain to community members attending Friday’s Community Conversations with Coffee event what they learned recently about the animal known as a bearcat.
  • Before taking the position of ESL teacher at Barr Middle School in Grand Island, Kate Klute made several trips to Spain, where she spent three months working as a au pair nanny, teaching English to the children in her care. She took this selfie while visiting Andulcia, Spain.
    Before taking the position of ESL teacher at Barr Middle School in Grand Island, Kate Klute made several trips to Spain, where she spent three months working as a au pair nanny, teaching English to the children in her care. She took this selfie while visiting Andulcia, Spain.

    The Lady Hornets made history at the 2025 Nebraska State Cheer & Dance competition on Friday, Feb. 21 taking home medals and Giltner High School’s first state cheer championship trophy. Competing against fourteen other teams in the Class D Game Day competition, Giltner scored 83 points overall and earned three more points than Loomis High School’s three-time state champion cheer team. Giltner cheer coach Amy Wilson said her cheerleaders’ determination had been the key to their success.

    “So we’re off and running” was the exclamation of Hamilton County Commissioner Francis McDonald following a vote to name an architect to design the planned headquarters for the county Extension office at the fairgrounds on Monday. While McDonald admitted his statement might be a bit of an overstatement, the vote at the regular meeting of the commission did represent another significant move forward for a project that has been in the works for several years now.

    For the third time in four years, the Aurora boys basketball team fell short of its goal, losing a district final game and not qualifying for the state basketball tournament. This time, the Huskies struggled to score in the second half as Gretna East rallied to win the B-8 final Monday night 50-40 in Aurora. Booker Scheierman, one of three seniors on the team, saw his Husky career come to an end Monday night on a double-double effort, including 11 points and 15 rebounds. A complete recap can be found in sports beginning on page B1. 

    Terri Hope announced this week that the end of an era is pending in downtown Aurora as she prepares to sell the family furniture business and retire. The Hope family has been selling furniture and flooring on 13th Street near the southeast corner of the square for 65 years now, dating back to 1960. Terri said she and her staff began planning for this transition more than a year ago, and she is comfortable that the time has finally come. Read the entire story which includes special memories from Terri's role in the business over the past 17 year on this week's Business Page, A7.

    Folks in Hampton learned a few more details about their school’s upcoming sports cooperative with Heartland Community Schools on Friday morning at the latest Community Conversations with Coffee sponsored by Hampton School. In the process they were also educated by a group of sixth graders as to just what a bearcat (the cooperative’s new mascot) actually is. Details of the H&H sports coop and the very real animal known as the bearcat can be found in the story on Page A3.

    As an English as a Second Language (ESL) teacher at Barr Middle School in Grand Island, Aurora native Kate Klute says she wants her students from other countries to not only learn the language but adapt to American culture. “I try to do my best to teach them American culture,” Klute said. “At the same time, I don’t want them to lose their own. I’m not trying to hammer our culture into them, but help them be productive in our society.” Klute's teaching journey is the subject of the latest entry in our series called “Where Are They Now?” It can be found on Page B12.

    These stories plus all the local high school sports action can be found in the print or e-editions of this week's ANR.