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Hamilton County Board of Commissioners news

Hamilton County Board of Commissioners news

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County tax asking grows by 4%

Ron Burtz
Tuesday, September 15, 2026
Aurora Mayor Marlin Seeman was the only member of the general public to attend public hearings held Monday morning by the Hamilton County Board of Commissioners to hear testimony regarding the county’s budget summary and final tax request before setting the county’s FY 2026-27 budget.
Aurora High School was on lockdown for about an hour Thursday.

Aurora High School was on lockdown for about an hour Thursday.

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AHS locked down Thursday

News Staff
Tuesday, September 15, 2026
Aurora High School was on lockdown for about an hour Thursday morning due to what school officials termed an anonymous threat. Parents and staff members were notified of the lockdown via an email sent out by school officials at 9:12 a.m. The email stated: “At approximately 8:20 a.m.
Work on Hampton's water pipeline project could begin soon.

Work on Hampton's water pipeline project could begin soon.

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Water project boosts Hampton’s budget 458%

Ron Burtz
Tuesday, September 15, 2026
While only a handful of members of the public turned out for Monday night’s budget hearing for the Village of Hampton, a question was raised about the exponential growth of the village’s 2026-27 budget. Hampton’s operating budget is set to grow from the current $1.39 million to $7.
Dustin McCord

Dustin McCord

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McCord begins new manager role at Timpte

Kurt Johnson
Tuesday, September 8, 2026
A Wood River area native who worked on Timpte trailers in his younger years has been named branch parts and service manager at the Aurora facility. Dustin McCord assumed his new role in July and said he is excited about the opportunity with Timpte.
Hampton native Josh Klute has worked for several decades in turf management. After working at minor league and collegiate stadiums in Wisconsin, Ohio, Oklahoma and Lincoln, in 2020 he started the turf management business K&J Elite Sports Turf. Above he works to prepare the baseball diamond for the Colorado Rockies MLB team in Denver.

Hampton native Josh Klute has worked for several decades in turf management. After working at minor league and collegiate stadiums in Wisconsin, Ohio, Oklahoma and Lincoln, in 2020 he started the turf management business K&J Elite Sports Turf. Above he works to prepare the baseball diamond for the Colorado Rockies MLB team in Denver.

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Hampton native Klute keeping playing fields in the game

Elizabeth Hunter
Tuesday, September 8, 2026
Players, coaches and fans are always rooting for the best field conditions for their teams while they play, and Hampton grad Josh Klute, a co-owner of K&J Elite Sports Turf and an experienced athletic turf manager, is determined to make that happen.
This map shows the nine fire districts scattered across the county. The website also lists contact information for the fire chiefs in those districts for the purpose of obtaining burn permits.

This map shows the nine fire districts scattered across the county. The website also lists contact information for the fire chiefs in those districts for the purpose of obtaining burn permits.

County posts burn permit info on website

Ron Burtz
Tuesday, September 8, 2026
As hot as the weather has been recently, it’s hard to even think about purposely starting a fire. Nobody wants to roast hot dogs over an open flame when nighttime temperatures are hovering around 70 degrees.
Two girls ride their e-scooters in a neighborhood off of 192nd and Harrison Streets in Omaha. Earlier this summer 11-year-old Logan Rahn died after a pickup truck collided with his electric scooter in Bennington.

Two girls ride their e-scooters in a neighborhood off of 192nd and Harrison Streets in Omaha. Earlier this summer 11-year-old Logan Rahn died after a pickup truck collided with his electric scooter in Bennington.

Growing scooter dilemma: ‘These kids are just on the loose’

News Staff
Tuesday, September 8, 2026
by Kaitlyn Kelly, Jeremy TurleyJack Shotbolt was driving through his west Omaha neighborhood in early June when a girl, maybe age 10, shot out in front of him on an electric scooter.He slammed on the brakes. His wife grabbed the dashboard.
A police officer’s body cam captured this image just before the woman in the picture was shot and killed in an Omaha Walmart parking lot after she kidnapped and assaulted a child with a knife. The incident prompted Douglas County Sheriff Aaron Hanson to call for changes in the laws dealing with mentally ill individuals due to the fact that the woman in question had recently been found not responsible by reason of insanity in a previous assault and vandalism.

A police officer’s body cam captured this image just before the woman in the picture was shot and killed in an Omaha Walmart parking lot after she kidnapped and assaulted a child with a knife. The incident prompted Douglas County Sheriff Aaron Hanson to call for changes in the laws dealing with mentally ill individuals due to the fact that the woman in question had recently been found not responsible by reason of insanity in a previous assault and vandalism.

Statutory changes in the works as Nebraska judges free violent defendants

News Staff
Tuesday, September 8, 2026
by Lewis Thune for the Plains SentinelLaw enforcement and state lawmakers are looking into statutory changes to allow judges stricter options in cases of accused criminals claiming mental illness.