This week's top stories

Jay Phelps speaks in 2019 at ReactiveConf in Prague. Phelps has help found two businesses still in operation, and worked throughout the tech world without a college degree.
A familiar face and long-term teacher at Aurora Public Schools, Rod Havens can often be found on the other side of a camera lens teaching young journalists the craft.
Carsen Staehr does a his best Michael Jordan impression through the lane short of a slam dunk during Aurora’s 35-24 loss to Central City in the C1-8 subdistrict final Thursday.
Victor Proctor (right) and Jesse Fleming head back from boring holes in the ice of Lake Hastings on Saturday. The family is helping Adventures With Purpose with searching different locations and performing tasks that allow AWP to use equipment to search for signs of Bob and Loveda Proctor, who have been missing since January.
Giltner’s Taylor Smith looks for an opportunity in the paint from his teammate Kale Bish in a 37-33 win over St. Edward Feb. 21.

Following a different tune: A career from music to technology
Jay (Justin) Phelps attended Aurora High School until his last semester and has since gone on his own learning journey outside of college, working his way through the technology world from Silicon Valley and beyond.
Now a Netflix senior software engineer in Austin, Texas, Phelps started in Aurora, raised by his father David, an experience he looked back on fondly.
“I loved my upbringing, man,” Jay said. “I look back on it so fondly now, especially. The older I get, the more I look back on it fondly because I hear what other people experienced growing up, people not from Aurora and, especially, because I lived in California for 11 years. The stories I heard from people in California were very different.”

4R preparing for teacher shortage storm
According to a survey done by the Nebraska Department of Education, the number of reported unfilled teaching jobs across the state is up nearly 60 percent over the last year.
The ripple effects to this state and nationwide issue are being felt in Hamilton County. It may be a quiet rain at this point, but the storm is coming.
“So far we’ve escaped (the teacher shortage) negatively affecting us,” 4R Supt. Jody Phillips reported. “However, we have a very, very limited pool of applicants for teaching positions.”

Husky rally falls short in Bison Dome
With the Bison Dome rattling loud, Central City answered the bell.
In a defensive slugfest, Central City outscored Aurora 12-3 in the fourth quarter to defeat the Huskies 35-24 in a renewed rivalry during the C1-8 subdistrict final Thursday.
Neither the Central City nor Aurora student section took a seat for the entire 32 minutes of game time, providing an electric environment in a renewed rivalry between two ranked C1 squads just 17 miles apart. Aurora coach Kevin Asher loved it.
“You know it’s going to be a big atmosphere when you’re 15 miles up the road,” Asher said. “Our kids were ready for the moment and played hard. We had great effort and stuck together through foul trouble. We had to use so many different lineups tonight because of foul trouble....

Adventures With Purpose dives for truth on missing Proctors
The search for Bob and Loveda Proctor entered a new phase Saturday, thanks to the volunteer diving team Adventures With Purpose.
Both owner Jared Leisek and volunteer Bill McIntosh started searching across various bodies of water this past weekend, carrying on throughout the week, for any trace of the missing couple. They focused on a five- and 10-mile radius, starting with Lake Hastings, sawing holes in the ice and using advanced equipment for any sign.
“For the most part, we’re covering every possibility that we could possibly do, and we’re still crossing our T’s and dotting our I’s, trying to make sure that in everything we do, there is a purpose to it,” McIntosh said.

Hornets fall one game short of final
With its back against the wall, Giltner’s boys came out swinging.
The Hornets rallied from a second-half deficit to defeat St. Edward 37-33 in the semifinals of the D2-6 subdistrict tournament at Fullerton Feb. 21.
Giltner coach Dane McConnell chalked up the slow start to nerves, but was proud of how his guys responded to adversity late.
“We came out really tight tonight, maybe some nerves,” McConnell said. “We came out in the second half, came together and wanted to finish things the right way. Our guys fought and battled.”

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