News
Aurora firefighters battle a garage fire early Monday morning at 409 14th Street in Aurora.
Early morning fire destroys garage, vehicles
Ron Burtz
An overnight fire destroyed an Aurora detached garage and the two vehicles parked inside on Monday. Aurora Fire Chief Tom Cox says the 911 call came in from the owner of the home at 409 14th Street near Refshauge Park at 1:45 a.m. Monday morning.
Tuesday, December 9, 2025
When Glenn Obermeier (right) bagged this year’s pheasant for the Upland Slam, he was hunting with his son-in-law and grandson, Ross and Graydon Golden from Florida. Many out-of-state hunters have completed the Upland Slam since its inception in 2018.
Hitting the ‘grand slam’ of NE upland game birds
Ron Burtz
In baseball a “grand slam” refers to a home run hit in which all the bases are loaded leading to four runs total. Here in Nebraska an “Upland Slam” is when a hunter bags birds from four upland species in one hunting season.
Tuesday, December 9, 2025
Hamilton County Board of Commissioners news
County delays decision on official pay
Ron Burtz
The Hamilton County Board of Commissioners spent more than half an hour again this week discussing a resolution that would raise elected officials’ salaries over the next four years, but decided in the end to again table the matter until the Dec. 22 meeting.
Tuesday, December 9, 2025
Aurora 4R School Board news
Aurora board extends Phillips’ contract
Kurt Johnson
The Aurora School Board voted Monday to extend the contract of Supt. Jody Phillips through the 2027-28 school year after giving him a unanimously positive performance review.
Tuesday, December 9, 2025
Wagon rides around the downtown square were part of Saturday’s Come Home to Christmas celebration.
Lights, action, Aurora Christmas parade!
Ron Burtz
The second attempt at holding the Come Home to Christmas lighted tractor, 4-wheeler and golf cart parade and lighting ceremony was deemed a success by organizers on Saturday.
Tuesday, December 9, 2025
Rush lives in Charlottesville, Va., with his wife, Rehn, whom he met at the University of Wyoming.
This week's featured stories
News Staff
There were many hurdles Aurora grad Gavin Rush tackled during his football career at Aurora and the University of Wyoming that he has now channeled towards his role as an assistant strength and conditioning coach for the University of Virginia Cavaliers.
Tuesday, December 9, 2025
Monday morning garage fire
Early morning blaze destroys Aurora garage
Ron Burtz
An early morning fire destroyed a garage in the 300 block of 14th Street across from Refshauge Park in Aurora Monday morning. Official details are unavailable at this time, but neighbors were awakened by the sound of fire trucks at about 2 a.m. Watch for details in this week's ANR.
Monday, December 8, 2025
Saturday's light parade
Come Home to Christmas 'Take 2' is picture perfect
News Staff
The weather for Saturday evening's Take 2 of the Come Home to Christmas light parade was the polar opposite of last weekend's wintery blast. Milder temperatures, clear skies and calm winds made the perfect atmosphere for the festive spectacle.
Saturday, December 6, 2025
Corn mash covers the intersection of highways 14 and 34 on Tuesday.
Corn mash spill causes slippery situation
Ron Burtz
A spill of a large amount of distiller’s corn mash caused a sticky and slippery situation at the intersection of Highways 14 and 34 in Aurora Tuesday afternoon. Fortunately, however, there were no accidents associated with the incident even though it took some time to clean it up.
Friday, December 5, 2025
Matt Griess is all smiles after taking this 150-pound black bear while on a memorable hunt with two friends in the Mt. Baker Wilderness area of northern Washington state.
Bear hunting a rugged test of skill, endurance, friendship
Kurt Johnson
There’s something uniquely satisfying about backcountry bear hunting that grabs Matt Griess’s attention like nothing else can.It’s challenging, physically and mentally, canvassing mountainous terrain for days.
Thursday, December 4, 2025
