This week's top stories

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  • Members of this year’s A’ROR’N Days planning committee include, front from left: Dillan Olson, liaison member Justise Rhoden, Merna Yoder, Jenny Wyatt. Back row: Jody Griffith, Roger Scott, Amber Parker, BJ Merrihew, Jayne Smith. Not pictured: Shana Merrihew.
    Members of this year’s A’ROR’N Days planning committee include, front from left: Dillan Olson, liaison member Justise Rhoden, Merna Yoder, Jenny Wyatt. Back row: Jody Griffith, Roger Scott, Amber Parker, BJ Merrihew, Jayne Smith. Not pictured: Shana Merrihew.
  • Damage was sustained at the Lincoln Creek Storage Units just south on Highway 14. Many units had doors that were either bowed or missing due to the landspouts.
    Damage was sustained at the Lincoln Creek Storage Units just south on Highway 14. Many units had doors that were either bowed or missing due to the landspouts.
  • Giltner valedictorian Sydni Watson hugs her parents, Mykelin and Kirt, during graduation ceremonies Sunday afternoon.
    Giltner valedictorian Sydni Watson hugs her parents, Mykelin and Kirt, during graduation ceremonies Sunday afternoon.
  • Aurora’s Lauryn Thomas takes the ball away from a Kearney Catholic player during Aurora’s 1-0 shootout loss to the Stars Monday in the B-7 subdistrict tournament.
    Aurora’s Lauryn Thomas takes the ball away from a Kearney Catholic player during Aurora’s 1-0 shootout loss to the Stars Monday in the B-7 subdistrict tournament.
  • Jeremy Oswald recently performed at a Kansas City Royals game, pictured here at Kauffman Stadium.
    Jeremy Oswald recently performed at a Kansas City Royals game, pictured here at Kauffman Stadium.

    A’ROR’N Days - ‘Let’s celebrate’
    After a one-year pause prompted by a global pandemic, A’ROR’N Days is back on the calendar for 2021 with plenty to celebrate.
    Organizers announced this week that details are coming together for an action-packed four-day event, highlighted this year by several anniversary milestones. Hence the theme, “A’ORN’N Days 2021 — Let’s celebrate.”
    “We talked about a theme and realized there are a lot of anniversaries this year,” noted committee spokesman Roger Scott. “You’ve got the courthouse’s 125th anniversary and its Aurora’s 150th. We didn’t want to do any particular ones so we’re just saying let’s celebrate them all.”

    Landspouts cause damage
    Aurora was struck by a sudden shift in weather Sunday night when the sirens blew to take cover. Emergency Management Director Kirt Smith reported that two confirmed landspouts were spotted within Aurora.
    “Landspouts are not typical tornados, which are with supercell thunderstorms,” he explained. “These are not associated with the thunderstorm itself. They don’t show up on radar and we don’t know about them until somebody sees them.”
    That was how the evening played out as he noted that officials were informed of the possibility of dust-nados or landspout tornados south of town.

    A milestone day in Giltner
    Sunday was one of celebration, remembrance and looking ahead inside the Giltner High School gymnasium walls. 
    Fifteen graduates crossed the stage to receive diplomas as Giltner’s Class of 2021 gathered for one last time in front of friends and family. 
    Giltner salutatorian Lydia Towns welcomed those in attendance to what everyone believed to be a special day, considering what the last year has been like with the pandemic. 
    “I want to start off by saying thank you to all the parents, staff members and community members for coming to watch us take the next step in our lives,” Towns said. “You all have been the best supporters we could ever dreamed of having.”

    Aurora’s season cut short in shootout loss
    Aurora and Kearney Catholic played more than 200 minutes of soccer between two games this season. Neither team scored one goal in that timeframe.
    After the Lady Huskies won in a shootout back on April 6, Kearney Catholic returned the favor with higher stakes on the line. 
    The Stars were victorious Monday in a 1-0 shootout win over Aurora in the B-7 subdistrict tournament, ending the Lady Huskies’ season with a 10-7 record. 
    Aurora coach Micayla Dunn was disappointed after the game, but by no means upset with how the the Lady Huskies played or represented themselves.

    Oswald’s passion for singing reaches an all new level
    Donning a blue button-down instead of his more usual red, Jeremy Oswald took on yet another of his musical bucket-list items last month as he sang the national anthem at a Kansas City Royals baseball game.
    All his recent vocal adventures aside, Oswald explained that his love for singing started long ago.
    “I started singing when I was really little,” he voiced. “I always sang in church, like when we were in Sunday school we’d do our singing class with all the kids. And I mean, at that point, I wasn’t great at singing. It was more just to be louder than everybody else was my goal, really.” 
    It’s developed a little farther than that now, he added with a laugh. But that’s where his love really began. 

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