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* Brewer provides update as Legislature convenes

(Posted 11 a.m. Dec. 28)

Nebraska 43rd District State Sen. Tom Brewer provided a detailed update on the upcoming session of the Nebraska Unicameral. Brewer discussed the implementation of the constitutional carry bill approved by the Legislature during the 2023 session and talked about bills he was working on for 2024. The conversation with KBRB’s Graig Kinzie is located below.

Brewer also discussed several items the Legislature may address during the session as well as the situation in Ukraine after the retired colonel made his fifth trip to the war-torn country. That portion of the conversation is located below.

* City asks for vehicles to be removed from Main Street

(Posted 11:15 a.m. Dec. 28)

The city of Ainsworth plans to clean snow out from curbs and gutters beginning at 6 a.m. Friday. The city asks that all vehicles be removed from Main Street no later than 6 a.m. Friday to allow crew unimpeded access.

The city also encourages businesses to make sure there is a clear path to their dumpster. For the city truck to be able to empty the dumpster, it must be able to reach it. Businesses with snow impeding the path to the dumpster will not have their dumpster emptied.

* Nebraska jobless rate again among best in nation

(Posted 12:30 p.m. Dec. 27)

Nebraska’s unemployment rate for November is 2.3 percent. The rate is up 0.1 percentage points from the October rate of 2.2 percent and is down 0.4 percentage points from the November 2022 rate of 2.7 percent.

Nebraska is tied with New Hampshire for the fifth-lowest unemployment rate in the nation at 2.3 percent. Maryland has the best jobless rate in the country at 1.8 percent, slightly ahead of North Dakota’s rate of 1.9 percent.

South Dakota is third in the country at 2 percent, followed by Vermont at 2.1 percent.

Nevada has the highest unemployment rate in the country at 5.4 percent. California at 4.9 percent, Illinois and New Jersey at 4.7 percent, and Alaska at 4.4 percent round out the bottom five.

The national unemployment rate for November is 3.7 percent, down 0.2 percent from the October rate. The rate is up 0.1 percentage points from the November 2022 rate of 3.6 percent.

Brown County’s unemployment rate of 2.4 percent in November is slightly higher than the state average. Blaine County at 2.5 percent and Loup County at 2.6 percent had the highest rates in the area. Banner County in western Nebraska had the highest unemployment rate in Nebraska in November at 3.1 percent.

Keya Paha County and Boyd County matched the statewide average in November at 2.3 percent.

Rock County enjoyed the lowest unemployment rate in the area at 1.5 percent. That rate trailed just Grant County in the Sandhills at 1.4 percent for the lowest in the state.

Both Cherry County at 1.6 percent and Holt County at 1.7 percent were well ahead of the state average and were among the top counties in the state for unemployment rates.

In addition to the unemployment rate and nonfarm employment, the Bureau of Labor Statistics Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages program has released average monthly employment counts for employers covered by unemployment insurance. 

“Average monthly covered employment surpassed 1 million for the first time at 1,013,004,” said Commissioner of Labor John H. Albin. “Nonfarm employment also continues to trend upward.”

Nonfarm employment was 1,054,827 in November, up 1,595 over the month and up 11,134 over the year.  Private industries with the most growth month to month were trade, transportation, and utilities (up 2,518 jobs); private education and health services (up 2,271 jobs); and financial services (up 73 jobs).  Private industries with the most over the year growth were private education and health services (up 6,451 jobs), manufacturing (up 1,792 jobs), and leisure and hospitality (up 1,551 jobs).

* Property owners reminded to clear sidewalks

(Posted 7 a.m. Dec. 27)

The city of Ainsworth reminds residents and property owners they are required to remove snow or ice accumulations from public sidewalks and ramps to crosswalks within 24 hours after the snowfall has ended.

Business owners are allowed 5 hours or by 6 a.m. Vehicle owners are asked to keep vehicles off side streets to allow for easier snow removal. This is a friendly reminder from the city of Ainsworth – please be a good neighbor and keep your sidewalks free of snow and ice so they are safe for pedestrian travel.

* Brown County Sheriff’s Department weekly summary

(Posted 7 a.m. Dec. 26)

December 17

• Brown County Ambulance responded to a call at a local establishment in Ainsworth. An Individual was transported to the Brown County Hospital.
• Officer issued a Citation for speeding 78mph in a 65 mph speed zone.
• Brown County Sheriffs Office received a report of possible extortion/blackmail from a local resident.
• Officer conducted a security check on an installation west of Johnstown.

December 18

• Officer issued a Citation for no valid registration and improper/defective lighting.

December 19

• Brown County Sheriff’s Office received a report of a possible physical disturbance in Long Pine.
• Brown County Sheriff’s Office received a report of Vandalism near Johnstown.

December 20

• Brown County Ambulance responded to a request for a lift Assist on Elm St in Ainsworth

December 21

• Brown County Ambulance transported a patient from the Brown County Hospital to the Good Samaritan Hospital in Kearney
• Officers responded to a report of theft and vandalism at a residence on Meadville Road in Ainsworth.
• Officer responded to a report of a suspicious vehicle on Raven Rd

December 22

• Officer issued a citation for speeding 76 mph in a 65 mph zone.
• Officer issued a citation for improper/defective lighting and no valid registration.

WEEKLY SUMMARY TOTALS

INCIDENT REPORTS: 10

PHONE CALLS: 103

911 CALLS:  2

VIN INSPECTIONS:  4

HANDGUN PURCHASE PERMITS:  4

PAPERS SERVED: 2

* Major winter storm to hit area

(Posted 7:30 a.m. Dec. 24)

A major winter storm is now expected to hit the area beginning early Sunday morning and lasting into Wednesday morning.

Travel will be difficult, as accumulating snow and gusting winds will create visibility issues and make roads ice and snowpacked.

A winter weather advisory is in effect for Sunday, Dec. 24. That will upgrade to a blizzard warning for Christmas Day, Tuesday and into early Wednesday morning.

Accumulation of 1 to 3 inches of snow is expected Sunday, with the bulk of the snow anticipated for Monday, when 8 to 13 inches of snow could fall. An additional 2 to 4 inches of snow is possible Tuesday, with total snow accumulation of 9 to 16 inches expected.

Winds could gust as high as 55 mph Monday and Tuesday. Travel should be restricted to emergencies only during the blizzard warning. Anyone who must travel is urged to have a winter survival kit in the vehicle and stay with the vehicle if becoming stranded.

* Area students named to UNK fall dean’s list

(Posted 1:45 p.m. Dec. 21)

The University of Nebraska at Kearney announced students who earned a place on the dean’s list for the fall 2023 semester.

Students who are on the dean’s list must have completed 12 credit hours or more of classes with a 3.5 grade-point average or better on a 4.0 scale.

Area students named to the dean’s list for the fall semester at UNK are:

Ainsworth – Raven Stewart
Johnstown – CeeAnna Beel
Purdum – Elizabeth Smith
Stuart – Jordyn Laible and Trenadi Dodds
Atkinson – Alexis Monasterio and Kelcie Osborne
Dunning – Mikayla Clang and Amanda Payne
Valentine – Logan Muirhead, Rhiannon Painter, Elli Springer, Rhea Benson and Tessa Krolikowski
Naper – Zander Kluckman
Butte – Heather Atkinson

* Turpin discusses mower purchase for road ditches

(Posted 3 p.m. Dec. 19)

Brown County Highway Superintendent Kenny Turpin discussed with the commissioners Tuesday potentially purchasing a mower and leasing a tractor to mow road ditches when property owners do not comply with the county’s requirement to mow ditches adjacent to their property.

Turpin said most property owners in the county were very good about mowing the ditches twice each year as required, but there were a few who didn’t mow despite being contacted.

In the past, the county has hired subcontractors to mow the ditches and bill the cost of doing so to the property owners who did not mow.

Turpin discussed the possibility of the roads department buying a mower and leasing a tractor as needed to handle the mowing, then billing the cost of the county’s time to the property owner.

Commissioner Buddy Small asked Turpin how many road miles were not mowed this year as required. Turpin said there were probably 10 miles that were not mowed and would catch snow.

Commissioners Denny Bauer and Jeremiah Dailey indicated they were both in favor of the county continuing to sub-contract for the mowing and then billing the property owner for the cost.

Small encouraged Turpin to see if there was anyone interested in serving as a sub-contractor to mow the ditches that weren’t handled by the property owners.

Bauer said the ditches needed mowed, and it was not fair to most of the people who take care of the mowing as required if the county didn’t enforce the mowing requirement on those who don’t.

The item was placed on an upcoming agenda for potential action by the board.

During his report, Turpin said he had heard back from Lance Harter, who indicated the county would not have to conduct a full speed study on Meadville Avenue since it was only proposing an increase to the speed limit from 50 to 55 mph, which is within county road guidelines.

Turpin reported the roads department planned to work on Road 877, widening the road in spots and making some adjustments before the road is used as a detour route for Highway 7 traffic in 2024.

“If the weather stays nice, we are also going to try and do some work on 426^th Avenue near Brian Vogelsang’s,” Turpin said.

Turpin said he had also talked to Grant Kobes regarding the isolated lands designation approved by the commissioners. Turpin said Kobes indicated he would get a proposal to the county to look at sometime soon for a route for the road to be constructed.

In other business Tuesday, Small said he had submitted 19 requests for funding assistance to the Nebraska Intergovernmental Risk Management Association. Small said 11 requests were approved for funding for a total of $5,475 from the NIRMA assistance program. Among the projects approved were the purchase of security cameras, cyber security equipment, steel-toed boots, bullet-proof vests, flashlights, an evidence locker and a generator.

The commissioners, with Dailey abstaining, approved a request from Blaire Speck with the BKR Extension office to appoint Dustin Dailey to the BKR Extension Board to represent Brown County.

Speck said Dailey would replace Brad Arens on the Extension Board after Arens completed his second term.

The board also reappointed Charlie Kyser to another three-year term representing Brown County on the Northeast Area Agency on Aging. Small said Kyser was nominated by the Ainsworth Senior Center and has served as a county representative since 2015.

The commissioners recognized Melissa Freudenburg as the new deputy treasurer and approved adding her as a signatory on the county treasurer’s checking account with Homestead Bank.

The board also approved ACH direct deposit forms with Homestead Bank as presented by Deputy Clerk Becky Hardy. Hardy said the forms had to be completed on an annual basis.

The board acknowledged the annual report submitted by the Central Nebraska Economic Development District and acknowledged quarterly groundwater test results for the Sandhills Elite Genetics site from the Middle Niobrara Natural Resources District.

Bauer said the quarterly test results showed nitrate levels at 3.8 parts per million, well below the 10 parts per million threshold for human consumption set by the Nebraska Department of Environment and Energy.

Bauer said the quarterly result of 3.8 ppm was up slightly from the 3.0 ppm test the previous quarter. He said the test results since 2019 have typically been in the 2 to 3 ppm range, with a low of 1.6 ppm and a high of 6.4 ppm.

In a final action item Tuesday, the board approved sign permits with the Nebraska Department of Transportation for the Discover the Sandhills sign located near milepost 251 on Highway 20 and the KBR Solid Waste sign located near milepost 243 on Highway 20.

Small reported John Kolb with CP Bat Mitigation of Omaha would make a trip to Ainsworth Jan. 9 to view the courthouse roof and the bat issue the county has experienced. Small said the company installs cones so the bats can get out of the attic but not back in to the building.

The next meeting of the Brown County Commissioners is scheduled for 1:15 p.m. Jan. 2.

* CWD found for first time in Rock, Blaine counties

(Posted 9:30 a.m. Dec. 19)

Chronic wasting disease surveillance conducted in central and north-central Nebraska during the November firearm deer season detected 31 positive cases in deer.

A total of 603 samples were collected from harvested deer at check stations in the Sandhills, Keya Paha, Calamus East, Calamus West and Loup West Deer Management Units. CWD was detected for the first time in Rock, Blaine and Thomas counties.

CWD surveillance in Nebraska takes place in five to seven units each year, rotating to a different part of the state each year. To view the 2023 CWD results, identified by the deer seal number, visit OutdoorNebraska.gov; search for “CWD.”

Currently, there is no strong evidence CWD poses a risk for humans; however, public health officials recommend that human exposure to the CWD infectious agent be avoided as they continue to evaluate any potential health risk. People should remain cautious in how they handle, process and consume deer. Hunters and commercial processors should avoid butchering or processing deer that spreads spinal cord or brain tissue to meat or to the environment.

CWD is a prion disease that attacks the brain of infected deer, elk and moose. Animals in the late stages of CWD often are emaciated, show erratic behavior and exhibit neurological irregularities. However, due to the slow advancement of the disease, infected deer may not show symptoms. CWD always is fatal to the infected animal.

Hunters can help prevent the spread of CWD by using proper carcass disposal methods. CWD prions, the infectious proteins that transmit the disease, can remain viable for months or even years in the soil. Hunters should field dress animals at the place of kill, avoid spreading spinal cord or brain tissue to meat, and to dispose of the head (brain), spinal column and other bones at a licensed landfill.

CWD was first discovered in Colorado in 1967 and in Nebraska in 2000 in Kimball County. Since 1997, the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission has tested more than 57,000 deer and more than 400 elk, with 1,269 deer and 19 elk testing positive for CWD to date. At this time, CWD has been detected in free-ranging deer and elk in 57 counties. No population declines have been attributed to the disease.

More in-depth information on CWD can be found at cwd-info.org or cdc.gov.

* Scammers spoofing Rock County Hospital number

(Posted 7 a.m. Dec. 19)

Similar to warnings from the Brown County Hospital last week, the Rock County Hospital has received reports a scammer has spoofed the hospital’s phone number and is making calls in the area trying to obtain personal information. 

The scammer has also been referencing Medicare enrollment when placing these calls. Spoofing is a tactic that involves a scammer fooling caller ID by making an incoming call appear like it is coming from a different number. In this case, caller ID may show the call is coming from the Rock County Hospital’s 402-684-3366 number.

Do not provide any personal information if you receive such an unexpected call appearing to be from the Rock County Hospital. The hospital will never contact you asking for that information.

Anyone receiving an unexpected call appearing to be from the Rock County Hospital is asked to hang up and call the hospital at 402-684-3366.

* Saturday chimney fire damages home in Ainsworth

(Posted 1:45 p.m. Dec. 18)

The Ainsworth Volunteer Fire Department responded to a report of a chimney fire Saturday evening in Ainsworth.

According to Ainsworth Fire Chief Brad Fiala, at 5:50 p.m. Saturday, a chimney fire was reported at 631 E. First St. in a house owned by Justin Ludemann.

Fiala said boards near where the chimney met the stove pipe got hot and caught fire inside the wall. He said firefighters removed the sheet rock in the area around the chimney, extinguished the fire and removed the hot embers from the stove pipe.

Fiala said the chimney had been recently cleaned, but the pipe was not insulated when the fireplace was constructed years ago by a previous owner, which caused the boards near the pipe to get hot and ignite.

Firefighters remained on site until approximately 7 p.m. Fiala said the home sustained smoke damage along with damage around the stove and chimney area.

Fiala encouraged those with wood-burning stoves to make sure they are cleaned regularly.

* Brown County Commissioners Tuesday agenda

(Posted 1:30 p.m. Dec. 18)

Brown County Commissioners
Meeting 1:15 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 19
Brown County Courthouse
Agenda

Roll Call.

Approve minutes of the 12-5-2023 Commissioner meeting.

Kenneth Turpin – Road Department Update

Bat removal from the courthouse update – Small

Central Ne Economic Development District – Annual Report

Recognize Melissa Freudenburg and approve her to be added to the Treasurer’s Homestead Bank checking account as a signer

Review/Approve ACH Direct Deposit forms with Homestead Bank

Nomination to the Northeast Nebraska Area Agency of Aging Advisory Board – Small

Sign Permit #802002517NB renewal, “Discover the Sandhills” sign located near mile marker 251 and #802002437NB “KBR Solid Waste” near mile marker 243.

Correspondence Letters – Middle Niobrara Natural Resource

District – groundwater testing results

Approve Claims

1:30 p.m.  BKR Extension – Approval/Appointment of new Board member

* Area students receive degrees from UN-L

(Posted 7 a.m. Dec. 18)

The University of Nebraska–Lincoln conferred 1,172 degrees during commencement exercises Friday and Saturday in Pinnacle Bank Arena.

The 1,159 graduates are from 48 countries, 39 U.S. states and more than 150 Nebraska communities.

Chancellor Rodney D. Bennett presided over the ceremonies.

Area students receiving degrees from UN-L include:

Ainsworth
Samuel Duane Wilkins, College of Engineering, Bachelor of Science in Agricultural Engineering with highest distinction.

Springview
Alexis Nicole Rutar, College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources, Bachelor of Science in Veterinary Science.

Wood Lake
Kaylee Wheeler, Graduate Studies, Master of Science.

Stuart
Alex Edward Jarecke, College of Journalism and Mass Communications, Bachelor of Journalism.

Morgan Nicole Wallinger, College of Business, Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with high distinction.

Atkinson
Lindsey Jelinek, College of Education and Human Sciences, Bachelor of Science in Education and Human Sciences with distinction.

Valentine
Trevor Ormesher, College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources, Bachelor of Science in Animal Science.

* Traffic Accident

(Posted 7:45 p.m. Dec. 17)

The Brown County Sheriff’s Department investigated a vehicle-deer accident that occurred Dec. 8.

According to the sheriff’s department report, at 7:52 a.m. Dec. 8 on a private driveway near the Elsmere Road, a 2018 Chevy Traverse, driven by Ashley Smith, 33, of Ainsworth, was traveling north headed toward the Elsmere Road when the vehicle struck a deer.

No persons were injured during the accident. The Chevy sustained approximately $1,500 damage.

* Brown County Sheriff’s Department weekly summary

(Posted 7:45 p.m. Dec. 17)

December 10

• Brown County Ambulance responded to a call on 429^th Ave in Ainsworth. An Individual was transported to the Brown County Hospital.
• Brown County Ambulance responded to a Call on Highway 7 South of Ainsworth. An Individual was transported to the Brown County Hospital.
• Officers Arrested an individual for Criminal Mischief and Disturbing the peace. The individual was later released on Bond.
• Brown County Ambulance transferred an air crew from the Airport to the Brown County Hospital and back to the Airport.

December 11

• Officer issued a Citation for speeding 59 mph in a 35 mph Zone. A Citation was also issued for not having proof of Insurance.
• Brown County Sheriff’s Office received a Report that Stolen Property from Long Pine had been located in Norfolk. This is being investigated by the Nebraska State Patrol

December 12

• Brown County Ambulance transferred a Patient from the Brown County Hospital to Kearney.
• Officer responded to a request for traffic control for cattle crossing west of Ainsworth.
• Brown County Sheriff’s Department and Brown County Ambulance responded to a 911 call to a Business on Highway 20.
• Brown County Ambulance transported 2 Individuals to the Brown County Hospital from a business on Highway 20 in Ainsworth.
• An individual was booked into the Brown County Jail on Domestic Assault charges.

December 13

• An individual was booked into the Brown County Jail on Domestic Assault charges.
• Officer responded to a report of an Accident at a local business.
• An Individual was released on Bond from the Brown County Jail.
• Brown County Ambulance responded to a call for service in Johnstown. An Individual was transported to the Brown County Hospital

December 14

• Officers responded to a call for an escort for moving the Coleman House to its new location.
• Brown County Ambulance responded to a call on N Main St in Ainsworth. An individual was transported from the residence to the Brown County Hospital.
• Brown County Sheriff’s Office received a report of a Church sign in Ainsworth being vandalized.
• Brown County Sheriff’s office responded to a request for a Welfare check on an individual in Long Pine. The individual was found to be ok

December 15

• Officer issued a citation for speeding 36 mph in a 25 mph zone.
• Officer issued a citation for speeding 79 mph in a 65 mph zone.

December 16

• Officer arrested an Individual on numerous drug charges on a Traffic stop.
• An individual was booked into the Brown County Jail on numerous drug charges.
• Ainsworth Fire Department responded to
• Brown County Ambulance was on Standby at a structure fire on First St in Ainsworth.
• Ainsworth Fire Dept responded to a report of a chimney fire on First St in Ainsworth.

WEEKLY SUMMARY TOTALS

INCIDENT REPORTS: 22

PHONE CALLS: 143

911 CALLS:  10

VIN INSPECTIONS:  0

HANDGUN PURCHASE PERMITS:  3

PAPERS SERVED: 3

* NSAA names Academic All-State participants

(Posted 9:15 a.m. Dec. 14)

Each year since 2006, the Nebraska School Activities Association and the Nebraska Chiropractic Physicians Association recognize students who have been nominated by their schools, based on their individual academic excellence, leadership, and significant contributions made to their NSAA activity.

Since its inception, the program has grown at a steady pace with 2,838 students earning the award in 2006-2007 to 7,541 students honored during the 2022-2023 season. During the 2023 fall season, 2,790 students received Academic All-State recognition.

In total, approximately 104,882 students have received the award during the past 18 years.

Area students named Academic All-State for the fall season include:

Ainsworth
Emma Kennedy and Katherine Kerrigan in Girls Cross Country, Trey Appelt and Sam Titus in Football, Jordan Beatty and Jaden Lee Appleman in Girls Golf, Taylor Allen and Cole Bodeman in Play Production, and Jocelyn Good and Kendyl Delimont in Volleyball.

Keya Paha County
Angela Frick in Girls Cross-Country, and Brenna Caulfield in Play Production.

Rock County
Mason Hagan and Andrew Rowan in Boys Cross Country, Keira Taylor in Girls Cross Country, Kol Otten and Zak Swanson in Football, Sydney Sybrant and Kade Wiiest in Play Production, and Adisyn Anderson and Bridget Lewis in Volleyball.

Stuart
Luke Ludwig in Boys Cross-Country, Benjamin Paxton and Hunter Tubbs in Football, Lacey Paxton and William Paxton in Play Production, and Brynn Almgren and Lacey Paxton in Volleyball.

West Holt
Carter Gotschall in Boys Cross Country, Madison Davis in Girls Cross Country, Mason Crumrine and Drake Nemetz in Football, Brooklynn Butterfield and Miya Carey in Girls Golf, Sidney Burkinshaw and Mary Hamilton in Play Production, and Makinley Cadwallader and Addison Karo in Volleyball.

Sandhills
Rhett McFadden in Football, Rhett McFadden and Charlsie Teahon in Play Production, and Charlsie Teahon in Volleyball.

Valentine
Will Sprenger and Grant Springer in Boys Cross Country, Alexis Long and Samantha Sprenger in Girls Cross Country, John Lloyd Fulton and Mitchell Kluender in Football, Kaetryn Bancroft and Kaylee Hanson in Girls Golf, Kaylee Hanson and Isabella Ringhoff in Play Production, and Jessa Klabenes and Finley Mosner in Volleyball.

* Council discusses parking ban on Pine Street

(Posted 7 a.m. Dec. 14)

The Ainsworth City Council heard from the pastor of the Ainsworth Assembly of God Church Wednesday requesting that parking on Pine Street be allowed during funeral services and Sunday services held in the church.

Pastor Gary Graesser said those attending the church have parked on Pine Street for numerous years because parking at the church is limited.

“I know the no parking signs have been up since before I came here,” Graesser said.

Graesser said someone else was cited recently for parking on Pine Street. He said the sheriff advised the church people should not park on Pine Street anymore.

“We never had any issues with previous sheriff’s department administrations,” Graesser said. “He was nice about it but he asked us not to park there. It is somewhat of a hardship not to be able to park there on Sundays or during funeral services.”

Graesser said those attending the church can park along Second Street, but it does create a substantial walk for some.

Council member Brad Fiala said no one would be able to park on Pine Street next year when it is being used as a detour for Highway 7 traffic during construction on Main Street.

“Once that is over, maybe we could look at changing the ordinance to allow parking on Sundays from 11 to 1 in that block,” Fiala said. “I understand parishioners need a place to park.”

Graesser said he understood there was an accident on Pine Street where a driver hit a vehicle that was parked on the street.

Fiala said that accident likely was a factor in the sheriff’s department enforcing the parking ban on the street.

Graesser said just a slight change to the ordinance to allow a two-hour window on Sundays to park would be a big help to the church.

City Administrator Lisa Schroedl said the prohibition on parking on Pine Street was actually created by a resolution from a previous council and was not a city ordinance.

“That just makes it different procedurally,” Schroedl said. “It is probably easier to change than an ordinance.”

Councilman Dustin Barthel said, while the council could not consider any changes until after the Highway 7 detour is over, maybe the council could allow parking on one side of Pine Street.

“It is a fairly wide street,” Barthel said. “Parking on both sides would make it tight.”

Mayor Joel Klammer said the city would have to be careful on any changes since Pine Street was one of the city’s emergency routes.

“We will see if we can get something figured out that is workable,” Klammer said.

No action was taken, but the council indicated it would consider some changes to the parking restrictions after Pine Street is done being used as a detour for Main Street traffic.

In other business Wednesday, the council discussed purchasing an automatic locking system for the north door of the Conference Center.

Klammer said he and Schroedl met with Sheriff Brent Deibler, Commissioner Denny Bauer and County Attorney Andy Taylor to discuss the law enforcement contract between the city and county and the city’s belief that locking and unlocking the conference center was a part of the sheriff’s department’s duties through the contract.

The sheriff’s department previously notified the city that it would no longer lock and unlock the conference center and cemetery gates daily.

“We believed that was part of our agreement,” Klammer said. “The sheriff felt that should not be part of their duties.”

Klammer asked the county, as a compromise, that the city be able to deduct the cost of installing an automatic locking system from one of its upcoming monthly payments since the sheriff’s department would no longer secure the building.

“Denny indicated he felt that was reasonable but said he was just one commissioner,” Klammer said.

Schroedl presented the council with a quote from Safe-N-Secure Security Equipment of Sioux Falls, S.D., for an automatic locking system for the north door of the Conference Center.

The system would include a keypad and reader, so key fobs could be issued to those wanting to use the Conference Center at a cost of $5.50 each. The quote for the system is $3,960.

“People could be assigned a fob or card and go in and out through the north door,” Schroedl said. “We can set times for the door to automatically lock. It is not going to help with securing the building each night.”

She said the system might deter the issues the city encountered with transients trying to gain access to the building late to shelter for the night.

Fiala said, if the sheriff’s department was not going to secure the Conference Center, then the city had to go with an option like this.

Barthel said the city could also place the lights on a timer so they shut off at a certain time. He said the hall and stairway lights could be left on so people could see to exit.

“It is disappointing we are having to even talk about this,” Barthel said. “We haven’t had to deal with this in years.”

Councilman Kent Taylor said, if the city planned to have the doors locked at all times, that would lead to a large number of fobs being issued.

“I like the idea of the door locking automatically at 10 p.m.,” Taylor said. “Then you wouldn’t need the fobs.”

Barthel said he liked the idea of leaving the door locked permanently.

“I still want people to use it, but the school doesn’t leave their doors unlocked,” Barthel said. “That would keep people out who shouldn’t be in there.”

Klammer said the council didn’t need to decide immediately the procedures for when to lock and unlock the door. He suggested the council allow the administrator to proceed with ordering the equipment and the council can discuss the policy it wanted to adopt at a future meeting.

Schroedl said she was waiting on one more quote for a locking system. She suggested allowing the office staff to select a system if the cost stayed under $5,000.

The council approved up to $5,000 for the purchase of an automatic locking system, with the mayor and administrator selecting what they felt was the best option.

The council approved a $1,313 ABC grant to the E&L Baseball Program for a scoreboard upgrade at the south baseball field.

The Ainsworth Betterment Committee recommended the city approve the grant. Brandon Evans, representing the E&L program, said the new scoreboard was nothing fancy but it would allow for wireless operation.

“We have been raising some money to replace that outdated scoreboard on the south field,” Evans said. “The Elks and Legion came up with some money, and we got some money from the KBR Operation Roundup.”

Evans said electricity was already available at the site for the new scoreboard. He said there may be some value in the old scoreboard to be used for parts if the city wanted to try to sell it online.

In final actions item Wednesday, the council approved a retainer with attorney Heather Sikyta to continue serving as the city’s LB 840 attorney. Sikyta is utilized on an as-needed basis at an hourly rate of $175.

Schroedl said Sikyta’s services have not been needed a lot, but the city did have her help out on an LB 840 loan application in the past year.

“We only use her when we need her,” Schroedl said.

Klammer said Sikyta was an expert on the LB 840 program and assists other communities in that capacity as well.

The council approved Klammer’s recommended appointments for the remainder of his term, which included Dr. Mel Campbell as the municipal physician, Michael Sholes as the city attorney, Andy Taylor as the prosecuting attorney, Schroedl as the city administrator, Brad Miller as the water and sewer superintendent, Kevin Shaul as the street foreman, Lloyd Smith as the streets superintendent, Bruce Papstein as the city’s representative on the KBR Solid Waste Board, the Ainsworth Star-Journal and KBRB Radio for city publications, and the West Plains Bank, Homestead Bank, Union Bank & Trust, the Nebraska Public Agency Investment Trust and NFIT as the city’s bank depositories.

The council discussed the fact that Campbell was retiring from his medical practice. Klammer said the only duty he could find for the municipal physician was serving on the city’s Board of Health. Klammer said he had spoken with Campbell, who was agreeable to continue serving on the Board of Health.

During her report, Schroedl told the council the city’s application for a $433,000 downtown revitalization grant for the Main Street project was not selected for funding.

“We were told ahead of time we would likely not be awarded,” Schroedl said.

She said the Department of Economic Development was looking more to award water, sewer and public safety projects with those funds this year.

Schroedl reported the lawsuit the city filed against Brahmer Contracting on the city street shop addition has now been settled. Terms of the settlement were not disclosed.

She said LARM, the city’s liability insurance provider, and ALICAP, the Ainsworth Community Schools’ liability insurance provider, made an offer on a joint lawsuit filed against the city and the school by someone who fell on a sidewalk in front of the school in 2021. She said that lawsuit was ongoing, as she had not received word that the offer had been accepted.

The next meeting of the Ainsworth City Council is scheduled for 5 p.m. Jan. 10.

* Hospital reports scammers spoofing phone number

(Posted 10:15 a.m. Dec. 13)

The Brown County Hospital has received reports that a scammer has spoofed the hospital’s phone number and is making calls in the area trying to obtain personal information.

Spoofing is a tactic that involves a scammer fooling caller ID by making an incoming call appear like it is coming from a different number. In this case, caller ID will potentially show the call indicate that it is coming from the hospital’s 402-387-2800 number.

Do not provide any personal information if you receive such an unexpected call appearing to be from the hospital. The scammer has been referencing Medicare enrollment when placing the calls. The Brown County Hospital would never make that type of call.

If you have any suspicion, simply hang up the phone and call the hospital at 402-387-2800 or the clinic at 402-387-1900.

* Nolles named to Farm Bureau Leadership Academy

(Posted 10:15 a.m. Dec. 13)

Ten farmers, ranchers, and agribusiness professionals from across Nebraska have been selected for Nebraska Farm Bureau’s 2024 Leadership Academy. They will begin a year-long program starting Feb. 15-16 at Kearney.

“The goal of leadership academy is to equip the future leaders of Farm Bureau with the tools they need to successfully advocate for agriculture, connect with members and embody the grassroots mission. The opportunities to serve in leadership roles in Farm Bureau and our state are vast and Leadership Academy provides participants the opportunity to develop the skills needed to step into those roles and positively impact their local communities,” said Audrey Schipporeit, NEFB’s director of generational engagement and facilitator of the 2024 Leadership Academy.

Academy members will participate in sessions focused on leadership development, understanding the county, state, and national structure of Farm Bureau and its grassroots network, policy work on agricultural issues, and the importance of agricultural literacy. The group will also travel to the Capitols in Lincoln and Washington, D.C. to visit with elected officials and agency representatives.

“We congratulate this group of diverse individuals and are excited to support their passion, ambition, and dedication to agriculture. We can’t wait to see the positive impact they will have on their communities, state, and world,” Schipporeit said.

The 2024 Nebraska Farm Bureau Leadership Academy members include Katie Nolles, a member of Boyd County Farm Bureau. Nolles is a sixth-generation rancher and an agricultural education teacher. She graduated from Rock County High School and the University of Nebraska – Lincoln with a degree in agricultural education and will graduate with a master’s degree in school counseling from Chadron State College in May of 2024. Nolles also raises cattle alongside her family on the ranch.

* Roof repairs lead to steep November loss for care center 

(Posted 2:45 p.m. Dec. 12)

With the payment of more than $71,000 in roof repairs falling during November, the Sandhills Care Center experienced a steep loss during the month but weathered the expense without have to reissue funds from a line of credit.

During November, the care center generated $237,598 in revenue with expenses of $347,729 for an operating loss of $110,130 for the month. Included in the expenses was a $71,384 claim to repair the facility’s roof from hail damage in May. The care center’s previous property insurance policy carried a $100,000 deductible for building damage. The board of directors has since lowered that deductible to $50,000 and voted Monday to contribute $5,000 to a new line item it created for capital improvements and repairs.

The $5,000 will be kept in a separate account, with the board indicating it planned to make a contribution to the line item as part of its annual budget process. Instead of purchasing a deductible buy-down policy, the board instead opted to establish the new line item to have funds available should a future building expense arise.

Administrator Penny Jacobs told the board Monday there are currently 23 residents in the Sandhills Care Center, with 14 hailing from Ainsworth, five from Cherry County, two from rural Brown County, and one each from Long Pine and Rock County.

Since the previous board meeting, Jacobs said the facility hired two full-time CNAs and two additional prospective CNAs had received applications after completing their training. She said the facility also had a part-time RN and part-time PRN in the works. Jacobs said the care center could still use a full-time charge nurse and additional CNAs. She said two CNAs left the facility without notice and another CNA’s employment was terminated during the past month.

Discussion turned to federal funds the care center received from the American Rescue Plan Act that can only be used for employee recruitment and retention. The care center received two installments totaling $86,935 in federal funding. Of that, $38,852 has been spent to recruit new employees or provide bonuses to current employees.

The remaining $48,082 must be spent before March 2024 or it has to be returned. Business Manager Makenzie Crane told the board the facility averages about $1,800 in advertising for additional employees and continues to offer sign-on bonuses for new employees and referral bonuses for staff members who refer an employee who is then hired.

Board member Bruce Papstein asked if the ARPA money could be used to provide additional bonuses to those who continue to work in the care center. Crane said that is part of the purpose of the funding, to reward employees who stay with the facility.

An additional ARPA recruitment and retention payment is anticipated in 2024.

Board member Shawn Fernau proposed providing bonuses for good attendance. Board member Dr. Mel Campbell said providing a bonus to employees based on a percentage of the number of hours they have worked might be the fairest way to provide retention incentives. He said that would provide a larger bonus to staff members who have put in more hours covering shifts.

Director of Nursing Sara Mayhew said she had an urgent need for additional registered nursing staff. Mayhew, who commutes from Valentine daily, told the board she has had five days off total in the six weeks she has served as the director of nursing.

“I knew what the hours were going to be for the first three months when I signed on,” Mayhew said. “I hope to keep building the team.”

Mayhew said all the departments in the nursing home stepped up when another round of COVID hit the facility. She said, while the wages the care center provides its staff are excellent and extremely competitive, there is simply a shortage of people in the healthcare workforce. She said registered nurses are currently being offered $10,000 to $15,000 sign-on bonuses on the low end industry wide.

With a deadline to spend the ARPA recruitment and retention funds by March, the board unanimously approved putting $40,000 toward a bonus pool for current employees according to the ARPA guidelines based on the number of hours worked during the previous two months.

The board tasked Jacobs and Crane with structuring the bonuses for the staff members and having Board Chair Tom Jones sign off on the structure before the bonuses are released.

The board approved an amended quote for its previously approved Wanderguard System. The quote was amended to include a new keypad for the front door of the facility that locks the door when a resident wearing a bracelet approaches. Despite the increase for the keypad, Jacobs said the Wanderguard System bid from Securitas Healthcare of $24,932 was still the most competitive of those the care center received.

The board tabled action on approving a policy for the new security camera system that was recently installed. Crane reported the system is fully installed and is up and running. She presented the board with a draft policy related to the camera system, including how it would be used and who would have access.

Board member Denny Bauer said he believed the policy needed to spell out directly that the board would have access to the system as part of its oversight function, which Crane said would be included.

The board tabled approving the policy to check on what is legal regarding the recording of audio in addition to video recording in common areas. No resident rooms or private areas are monitored.

The next meeting of the Sandhills Care Center Board of Directors is scheduled for 5 p.m. Jan. 8.

* School Board approves participation in pilot project

(Posted 7 a.m. Dec. 12)

The Ainsworth Community Schools Board of Education approved a memorandum of understanding with Educational Service Unit 17 Monday, allowing the school to serve as a pilot for a data collection and distribution project.

Jeff McQuistan with ESU 17 told the board he was approached by ESU 6 to participate in the early stage of the project, which aims to provide school districts with a real-time dashboard of their district’s educational data.

“The Department of Education years ago worked to put together a school data dashboard for districts, but it never got off the ground,” McQuistan said. “I felt Ainsworth was in the best position to pursue this for ESU 17 as a pilot school. The data generates growth and professional development. The hope is when we get all these pieces together you can see the improvement you want to see.”

Superintendent Dale Hafer said he was excited to have the district serve as one of the two pilot schools for the project along with Waverly Public Schools out of ESU 6.

“The board has worked hard with student data, as has the administrative team,” Hafer said. “This is the next step to grow our data literacy and use it to make instructional decisions and be impactful. This is a unique opportunity for us. We will learn some good stuff.”

Board President Brad Wilkins asked what assessments would be used for the pilot project.

McQuistan said the state assessment data and ACT data would be the primary student data utilized, with additional data layered in.

Board member Mark Johnson said the district currently receives assessment data from the Nebraska Department of Education. He asked how this project would differ from what the district already receives from the state.

McQuistan said the information the district receives from the Department of Education comes just once per year. He said this data is more involved and can be accessed in real time.

Board member Frank Beel asked if participating as a pilot school for the project would lead to additional work for staff.

Hafer said it would not be an additional burden for the district’s staff.

“It is a little extra work on our part, but it will be worth it,” Hafer said.

Board member Jessica Pozehl asked when the pilot project would begin.

McQuistan said no data has been uploaded at this point.

“I don’t have a specific answer for that yet,” he said. “It may be as early as next year, it may be a year or two.”

Hafer said, by this time next year, the district may be able to start utilizing the results.

“There are no specific names shared, just demographic data,” the superintendent said.

Wilkins said it was a brilliant concept and would allow staff to be trained to address gaps based on what the data shows.

Following the discussion, the board unanimously approved the memorandum of understanding with ESU 17 to provide the student data to the service unit for the pilot project.

In other business Monday, the board approved the review of the district’s policies as presented.

Following an executive session and evaluation, the board approved a contract with Hafer to continue serving as the district’s superintendent for the 2025-26 school year. Hafer’s current contract ran through the 2024-25 school year, the board approved adding another year to the existing contract as is standard practice for superintendents.

During his report, Hafer told the board the part to finish the new boiler installation has now arrived and the new boiler should be operational Thursday. He reported Guarantee Roofing is making progress on the two sections of the school’s roof damaged during the May hail storm. Hafer said the roof work should be completed by Tuesday, as the district was fortunate good weather held to allow the work to be completed.

Activities Director Luke Wroblewski reported one team had pulled out of the Summerland Holiday Tournament, so the tournament would now be a three-day triangular. West Holt will play Summerland Dec. 28, followed by Ainsworth taking on West Holt Dec. 29 and Ainsworth facing Summerland Dec. 30.

Prior to the regular meeting agenda, the board held a work session on several items that required no board action.

In addition to discussing some building and grounds items, including repairs to a door on the bus barn and the replacement of an irrigation reel or installing underground sprinklers for the football practice field, a main topic for the work session was discussion of the district’s third application to join the Niobrara Valley Conference for sports and activities.

Hafer said the Niobrara Valley Conference Administrators met Nov. 20 to entertain Ainsworth’s third attempt to join the league.

“We gained a couple more votes, with 10 in favor and six against,” Hafer said. “We needed 12 votes.”

To be accepted as a new member to the NVC, Ainsworth needed 75 percent of the conference’s member schools to approve the application. While some members of the conference participate in activities as a cooperative, each school district receives a vote.

“Rock County, Keya Paha County, West Holt, Boyd County, Summerland and Neligh were super supportive of trying to get us in,” Hafer said.

The six districts voting against Ainsworth’s entry into the NVC were Elgin Public, Niobrara, Santee, Chambers, Wheeler Central and Stuart.

Hafer said it is an uncertain time, as some districts may be willing to form something new that includes Ainsworth. At the same time, some eastern schools have invited several current members of the NVC to join a new conference.

“Plainview, Hartington-Newcastle and Laurel-Concord-Coleridge extended an invitation to Neligh-Oakdale, Summerland, Elkhorn Valley and West Holt to form a new league,” Hafer said.

He said there were eight schools discussing the potential formation of a new conference that would take some members away from the NVC. A decision would likely be made in January, with the new league not forming until the 2025-26 school year.

“The crux is, where do we go from here?” Hafer said. “Do we wait and see what happens with this new conference? If it doesn’t happen, other schools may want to start something new.”

Hafer said participation numbers in some sports are trending downward and it would be challenging in some activities to remain in the Southwest Conference.

Wroblewski said the volleyball contracts are signed for next year. Basketball for next year is where a decision would be need to be made soon.

Hafer said the district could opt to become independent and try to find some games to replace some of the Southwest Conference schools on the basketball schedule.

“There is some concern about staying in the Southwest Conference due to our size,” Hafer said. “Others think it is worth it to stay and give individuals a chance to excel in a conference.”

Pozehl asked what the chances were of Ainsworth being able to extend an invitation to other schools and forming something new.

Hafer said the eastern schools currently considering a new conference would not be interested in including Ainsworth.

He said West Holt was almost a deal-breaker for them as being too far west but then Creighton opted to stay in its current conference so they extended an invitation to West Holt.

Hafer said the MNAC, which includes Sandhills-Thedford and Mullen among numerous other schools, was not interested in adding anyone to its conference.

Board member Bryan Doke said, “When we look at our participation numbers, we tell kids they have to go to Minden on a Tuesday and then back to Ogallala on a Saturday and play schools three times our size. I am not sure we are doing our kids a service by staying in the Southwest Conference. Parents have to take a day off work to watch their kids.”

Johnson said, for stability, it might be best to stay in the Southwest Conference for another year.

“Then we will know what happens with the new league to the east,” Johnson said.

Doke said he would like to see what going independent looks like for both sports and fine arts.

“When do we need to make a decision?” Doke asked.

Regarding fine arts, Hafer said being independent would not affect speech much, but it would be a challenge for play production.

“In music, we would need to be creative to find opportunities,” Hafer said. “In basketball, it would boil down to not playing teams that are Class B even though we might not be saving many miles.”

Wroblewski said, by going independent, the district would need to potentially pick up eight games. He said Broken Bow and Cozad would likely be willing to keep Ainsworth on their schedules even if Ainsworth was no longer in the conference.

“We just need to be transparent with the Southwest Conference,” Wroblewski said. “They will be flexible with us. It is only one game for them to fill in their schedules. The Southwest Conference understands where we are coming from.”

Hafer said the Southwest Conference schools have been very good to work with, as Ainsworth and Valentine joining the conference years ago most likely kept the Southwest Conference from folding.

“It sounds like what I am hearing is we may have run our course in the Southwest Conference.” Hafer said.

Beel affirmed, saying he would like to see other options for the board to consider.

Wilkins asked Hafer if he would put feelers out to other schools that Ainsworth was interested in forming a new conference.

Hafer said he had already had discussions with some schools, but he would reach out to some other schools as well.

“Ten to 15 years from now, things are probably going to look a lot different with more cooperatives,” Hafer said.

The item will potentially be included during January’s board meeting as an action item. That meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m. Jan. 8.

* Boil water notice lifted for Bassett customers

(Posted 9:45 a.m. Dec. 11)

The boil water notice that has been in effect for residential and commercial customers in Bassett has now been lifted.

During routine testing, the Bassett water system tested positive for the presence of E. coli bacteria in November, which prompted a boil water notice to be issued. That notice has been in effect for several weeks, but has now been lifted.

The city chlorinated its water system, and subsequent testing has resulted in the boil water notice being lifted.

* Wilkins named Chancellor’s Scholar at UN-L

(Posted 7 a.m. Dec. 11)

Twenty University of Nebraska–Lincoln students will be recognized as Chancellor’s Scholars during the undergraduate commencement ceremony Saturday, Dec. 16, in Pinnacle Bank Arena.

Chancellor’s Scholars are students who have maintained a 4.0 grade-point average on all collegiate work at the University of Nebraska and elsewhere.

Among the 20 students receiving the recognition is Samuel Wilkins of Ainsworth, who will graduate with a Bachelor of Science degree in agricultural engineering.

* Area students to graduate Friday from UNK

(Posted 6:45 a.m. Dec. 11)

Graduate and undergraduate degrees will be conferred for 446 winter graduates at University of Nebraska at Kearney commencement exercises 10 a.m. Friday (Dec. 15) at UNK’s Health and Sports Center.

Area students scheduled to graduate from UNK Friday are:

Atkinson – Kelsi Jo Williams, graduating Magna Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Arts degree in education specializing in early childhood inclusive.

Wood Lake – Lauren Ferguson, graduating Magna Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Arts degree in education specializing in elementary education.

Valentine – Tracy Leigh Grooms, graduating Magna Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Science degree in business administration.

* Brown County Sheriff’s Department weekly summary

(Posted 9:15 a.m. Dec. 10)

December 3

• Brown County Ambulance responded to a request for lift assistance in Long Pine
• Brown County Ambulance responded to a call to Carpenter St in Johnstown. An individual was transported to the Brown County Hospital.
•  

December 4

• Brown County Sheriff’s Office responded to a request for traffic control for a cattle Crossing West of Ainsworth.
• Brown County Ambulance responded to a call at a Main Street Business. An individual was transported to the Brown County Hospital.

December 5

• Brown County Sheriff’s Office received a call concerning Drugs at a local establishment, The complaint is currently under investigation.
• A Burn Permit was issued for an individual to burn tree piles North of Ainsworth.
• A burn Permit was issued for an individual South of Long Pine.

December 6

• An Individual was booked into the Brown County Jail to serve a Court Ordered sentence.

December 7

• Brown County Sheriff’s Office received a report of vandalism at a local complex. This is currently under investigation.
• Brown County Dispatch received a 911 call to the Ainsworth Community Schools. Officers and Ambulance personnel were advised.
• Brown County Ambulance responded to a 911 call from the Ainsworth Community Schools. An Individual was transported to the Brown County Hospital.
• Brown County Sheriff’s Office responded to a Request for traffic control for a cattle crossing East of Ainsworth

December 8

• Brown County Ambulance responded to a call for a transfer of air crew from the airport to Brown County Hospital and then back to the airport.
• Brown County Sheriff’s Department was advised of a Car/Deer Accident on Elsmere Road. The vehicle was drivable, so owner was going to meet Officer in Ainsworth to file report.

December 9

• An Individual was released from the Brown County Jail after Completing their sentence.

WEEKLY SUMMARY TOTALS

INCIDENT REPORTS:  12

PHONE CALLS: 117

911 CALLS:  6

VIN INSPECTIONS:  5

HANDGUN PURCHASE PERMITS:  1

PAPERS SERVED: 2

* Area schools fare well in state standards assessment

(Posted 7:15 a.m. Dec. 8)

The Nebraska Department of Education released the Nebraska Student-Centered Assessment System results and the Accountability for a Quality Education System Today and Tomorrow, or AQuESTT classifications today. Both reports provide insight into how students are performing academically on Nebraska’s state standards.

NSCAS English language arts, mathematics and science are rigorous assessments with high expectations for postsecondary readiness. NSCAS ELA and mathematics are given in grades three through eight. NSCAS science assessments are given in fifth and eighth grades and Nebraska juniors take the ACT assessment.

This year the NDE had the opportunity to set new cut scores, the scores that determine levels of proficiency. This happens anytime there is a new assessment or a significant change in an existing assessment. The English language arts assessment was new for 2022.

The new cut scores better reflect student achievement in Nebraska when compared to students nationally. For years Nebraska has been near the top of the National Assessment of Educational Progress assessments and rank high when compared to other states that test the majority of their students on the ACT.

The following are among the key findings from this year’s NSCAS:

58% of Nebraska students across in grades 3-8 were considered proficient in English Language Arts (performing at the On Track or Advanced level), and 61% were proficient in math.

More than 70% of Nebraska students in grades 3-8 were proficient on the NSCAS science assessment.

At the high school level, Nebraska’s juniors were 46% proficient in ELA, 42% in math, and 49% in science.

Moving forward, there will still be a need to focus on specific student groups that show large achievement gaps.

27% of students with disabilities were proficient in English Language Arts, and 29% were proficient in math.

43% of students who qualified for free or reduced lunch were proficient in ELA and 45% for math.

30% of English learners were proficient in ELA, and 33% were proficient in math.

“While Nebraska’s statewide assessments showed student and school growth and improvement, it also showcased the need for focused efforts in several areas,” said Education Commissioner Brian Maher. “We need to continue to work together as a state to provide the best possible opportunities for every student to succeed and be prepared for life after school.”

In addition to assessment results, Nebraska released accountability ratings. State and federal law require the NDE to annually classify and designate schools to provide signals for specific supports. Nebraska’s system, AQuESTT – helps ensure all students across all backgrounds and circumstances have access to opportunities and access. AQuESTT annually classifies schools and districts as Excellent, Great, Good, and Needs Support to Improve.

A breakdown of classifications indicated that 303 (27 percent) of schools were classified as Excellent, 437 (40 percent) were Great, 288 (26 percent) were Good, and 76 (7 percent) were designated as Needs Support to Improve.

Ainsworth Community Schools was classified as Great. A total of 62 percent of Ainsworth students were proficient in English, above the state average of 58 percent. A total of 71 percent of Ainsworth students were proficient at math, well above the state average of 61 percent. Only 43 percent of Ainsworth students tested as proficient in the state science standards, below the state average of 70 percent.

Ainsworth juniors taking the ACT tested above the state average in English, math and science, with 56 percent of juniors reaching the benchmark in English compared to the 46 percent state average, 62 percent of juniors hit the mark in math compared to 42 percent in the state, and 71 percent of juniors reached the science standard, well above the state average of 49 percent.

A total of 97 percent of Ainsworth students graduated, well above the state average of 87. A total of 54 percent of students then attended college, below the statewide average of 73 percent.

Keya Paha County Public Schools was also classified in the Great category.

For Keya Paha County students, 44 percent tested proficient in English, below the 58-percent state average. A total of 66 percent of students were proficient in math, above the state average of 61 percent, and 67 percent were proficient in science standards, just below the state average of 70 percent.

Keya Paha County’s junior class ACT results were withheld due to the number of students taking the test. The school’s graduation and college-going rates were also withheld due to the size of the classes.

Rock County Public Schools received the top classification of Excellent from the state, placing the top 27 percent of the state.

A total of 62 percent of Rock County students tested proficient in English, above the 58 percent state average. In math, 64 percent of students were proficient, also above the state average of 61 percent. A total of 57 percent of Rock County students were proficient in science, below the state average of 70 percent.

Rock County juniors taking the ACT were above the state averages in all three areas, with 67 percent hitting the benchmark in English, above the 46 percent state average; 62 percent made the math standard, above the 42 percent state average; and 70 percent hit the science benchmark, above the state average of 49 percent.

A total of 90 percent of Rock County students graduated, above the state average of 87 percent, with 89 percent of students going to college, also above the state average of 73 percent.

* North Central RC&D awarded tire amnesty grant

(Posted 1:30 p.m. Dec. 6)

The Upper Elkhorn Natural Resources District and the North Central Nebraska RC&D Council were awarded a $115,720 tire amnesty grant from the Nebraska Department of Environment and Energy. 

After receiving notice the grant funds were awarded, the NRD and RC&D will move forward with a spring tire amnesty event at Newport. The grant allows for the collection of 600 tons of tires from the region, including residents of all counties in north central Nebraska. 

“Just submitting the application would not have been possible without the partnership of the Upper Elkhorn NRD, the Rock County Commissioners, the Newport Village Board, Rock County Agronomy and Stuart Fertilizer,” RC&D Executive Director Kim Burge said.

Burge said the RC&D Council meets Dec 13 and will set a date for the spring tire amnesty.

* Commissioners approve regulations for fishing pond

(Posted 3:30 p.m. Dec. 5)

After discussions spanning several meetings, the Brown County Commissioners Tuesday adopted a set of rules and regulations for the community fishing pond constructed on county property east of the Brown County Hospital.

Sheriff Brent Deibler presented the board with what he termed some common-sense regulations for those utilizing the pond to follow.

Deibler’s proposed regulations included having the pond open to the public from sunrise to sunset daily, with no alcohol, no fires, no motorized watercraft and no vehicles permitted beyond the parking lot.

The parking area will be located on the east side of the pond near the handicap-accessible pier that has been installed.

“I tried to keep it to bare bones, common-sense stuff,” Deibler said.

The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission will be in charge of regulating the fishery, as it will handle the ongoing fish stocking. The Game and Parks Commission has indicated the pond will be initially stocked in the spring of 2024 with bluegill, largemouth bass and channel catfish.

Commissioner Jeremiah Dailey said the rules the sheriff proposed looked fine to him. He said he would like to see added that the county is not responsible for any accidents.

“The simpler we make it, the easier it is to understand,” Dailey said.

Commissioner Buddy Small said he didn’t believe any kind of watercraft should be allowed. Dailey said he was fine with Deibler’s suggestion of no motorized watercraft, which would allow the use of kayaks, canoes and other non-motorized watercraft.

Commissioner Denny Bauer said he wanted the people using the pond to have fun.

“Having kids out there having fun is better than them sitting in a house watching a screen,” Bauer said.

Small said he contacted an attorney with the Nebraska Intergovernmental Risk Management Association, which handles the county’s liability insurance. Small said included in the email was the county being protected from liability through state statute by not charging the public to utilize the community pond.

Following the discussion, the commissioners unanimously approved the regulations proposed by the sheriff, adding the county is not responsible for accidents.

In other business Tuesday, Highway Superintendent Kenny Turpin reviewed the roads department’s snow removal policy.

“When I took over as highway superintendent, I came up with a snow removal plan at the direction of the commissioners,” Turpin said. “We hadn’t had a bad snow year until last year. We should probably review and discuss it each year.”

Turpin said the policy is the roads department does not open up private driveways during snow events.

“Last year we opened up a few driveways, and the policy says we shouldn’t be doing that,” Turpin said. “If it is an emergency, that is a different situation. We will always help in an emergency.”

Commissioner Jeremiah Dailey said opening driveways is a nice courtesy for the roads department to perform, if time allows.

Audience member Roland Paddock, a former commissioner, said previous boards had the roads department open driveways as a courtesy to taxpayers.

“If the plow went by, they removed the snowbank at the road,” Paddock said.

Small said he didn’t believe it was a good idea to have the county opening private driveways.

“Emergency situations are one thing, but that adds a lot of time and expense,” Small said.

Turpin said the roads crew tries not to push snow onto people’s driveways, but the V plows the department operates only push snow a couple ways.

Bauer said he liked the idea of the county helping out residents who don’t have tractors, but he was concerned about the county’s equipment damaging mailboxes.

Emergency Manager Traci Booth said some counties charge people if county equipment is used to pull vehicles out that get stranded in the snow.

“It is really no different than having to call a tow truck,” Booth said.

Bauer said he didn’t have a problem with the county charging in non-emergency situations.

Following the discussion, the commissioners opted not to make any major changes to the roads department’s snow removal policy.

Turpin said the department tries to stick with the policy, but he can alter it depending on the conditions.

During his report, Turpin said the roads department repaired the Ponderosa Road bridge. He said the roads crew replaced the sheet piling around the abutments.

“That should buy us some time,” the highway superintendent said. “That bridge was built in 1935 along with the bridge at the state park. It should last another 10 years or so.”

Turpin said he planned to have the roads crew get snow fences up before the ground freezes.

He also reported one of the county’s motor graders had some engine problems, and it would cost approximately $35,000 to repair the engine.

In final action items, the commissioners approved a resolution transferring $185,064 from the county’s bridge buyback fund and $88,941 from the inheritance tax fund to make the Dec. 15 Meadville Avenue asphalt bond payment of $274,006.

The board also approved making a $217,566 payment on the Brown County Hospital addition bond from the hospital fund.

The board approved renewing a sign permit through the Nebraska Department of Transportation for the “Discover the Sandhills” sign located along Highway 20 near milepost 226. The sign was purchased and is maintained by the Brown County Visitors Committee.

County Attorney Andy Taylor told the commissioners complaints have been received from courthouse employees regarding bats in the building.

“It is becoming a serious hazard and it needs to be addressed as soon as possible,” Taylor said. “They may be endangered or protected so they might have to be relocated, not exterminated.”

Small said he visited with four companies on solutions to removing the bats and the county would indeed have to relocate the bats instead of exterminating them.

 Small said he would have more information for the board to consider during its next meeting after the courthouse roof repair work was complete.

The next meeting of the Brown County Commissioners is scheduled for 1:15 p.m. Dec. 19.

* Six advance to District Hoop Shoot from local contest

(Posted 7 a.m. Dec. 4)

The Ainsworth Elks Hoop Shoot was held Sunday, with six youth ages 8 to 13 advancing to the upcoming District Hoop Shoot.

Zaine Evans won the boys 12-13 year-old age division, with Payton Sears winning the girls 12-13 division.

Kimberlyn Doke won the girls 10-11 age division, with Blake Hansmeyer advancing to the district shoot from the boys 10-11 division.

Jett Hansmeyer will join his brother at the district shoot after winning the boys 8-9 division, and Sutton Brodbeck took first in the girls 8-9 division to advance.

* Brown County Sheriff’s Department weekly summary

(Posted 7:30 p.m. Dec. 3)

November 26

• No activity recorded.

November 27

• Officer responded to a request for traffic control for a cattle Crossing East of Ainsworth.
• Brown County Ambulance responded to a call on 2^nd St in Ainsworth. Individual was transported to the Brown County Hospital

November 28

• Officer responded to a request for traffic control for cattle crossing East of Ainsworth.
• Officer responded to a report of Suspicious activity at a local business.
• Officer responded to a report of a vehicle blocking an intersection West of Ainsworth. The owner was contacted, and the vehicle moved.

November 29

• Officers on scene at the Ainsworth Community Schools for Lockdown Drill.
• Officers responded to a call for a welfare check on a Long Pine Resident. The individual was found to be ok.
• Officer responded to a report of a Car/Deer accident west of Johnstown.

November 30

• Officers issued a Citation for speeding 75 mph in a 65 mph zone, no proof of Insurance, No Valid registration, and Expired operator’s license.

December 1

• Brown County Ambulance responded to a call on Osborne St in Ainsworth, Individual was taken to the Brown County Hospital.

December 2

• Officers issued a Citation for speeding 81 mph in a 65 mph zone.
• Officers responded to a call for Funeral Escort in Ainsworth.
• Officer issued a Citation for speeding, 51 mph in a 35 mph zone.
• Officer received a report of Stolen property at a residence in Long Pine. This incident is under investigation.

WEEKLY SUMMARY TOTALS

INCIDENT REPORTS:  10

PHONE CALLS: 93

911 CALLS:  8

VIN INSPECTIONS:  5

HANDGUN PURCHASE PERMITS:  3

PAPERS SERVED: 1

Monthly Summary Totals for November

INCIDENT REPORTS: 53

PHONE CALLS:  475

911 CALLS:  33

VIN INSPECTIONS: 13

HANDGUN PURCHASE PERMIT: 19

PAPERS SERVED: 10

* Long Pine bridge replacement contract awarded

(Posted 2:45 p.m. Dec. 1)

The Long Pine Bridge repair project has been awarded to Iowa Civil Contracting, Inc., of Victor, Iowa. Work will include reconstruction of the bridge abutments, new guardrail, bridge deck overlay, along with other minor repairs needed to preserve the structure.

Work is projected to start on April 22, 2024. Initial work will consist of installing temporary supports to jack up the ends of the bridge to correct settlement and accommodate reconstruction of the bridge abutments.

This initial work can be performed with traffic and may require temporary lane closures. Once the bridge ends are temporarily supported the bridge will be closed to traffic.

The contractor cannot completely close the bridge to traffic prior to May 28, 2024, and Highway 20 must be reopened to traffic by Aug. 30, 2024. During the closure period traffic will be detoured utilizing Highway 183 and Highway 7, the detour will begin three miles west of Long Pine using Highway 183 north towards Springview then Highway 7 to Bassett. Once bridge abutment reconstruction is complete a bridge deck overlay will be applied, this work is anticipated to occur in the fall under traffic with temporary lane closures.

Specific information regarding this project will be provided as the construction start date approaches.

* Recent cases from Brown County Court

(Posted 1 p.m. Nov. 30)

In addition to fines, each case carries $50 in court costs

Matthew K. Zimmerman, age 23, of Long Pine, charged with no operator’s license, fined $100.

Norman W. Holden, 56, of Conifer, Colo., speeding 16-20 mph over the limit, $125.

Mark Y. Peterson, 58, of Highlands Ranch, Colo., speeding 11-15 mph over the limit, $75.

John W. Bunch, 19, of Clarkson, speeding 11-15 mph over the limit, $75; also charged with failure to use a seat belt, $25.

Valene L. Cole, 22, of Ainsworth, following too close, $50; no license on person, $25; failure to use a seat belt, $25; failure to stay in lane, $25.

Scott D. Cino, 63, of Spring Valley, Calif., speeding 11-15 mph over the limit, $75.

Michalla L. Barnes, 21, of Broken Bow, violate hunting or fishing regulations, $100.

Wayne A. Paulson, 45, of Long Pine, commercial vehicle marking violation, $50; improper or defective vehicle light, $25.

Daniel D. Dailey, 67, of Long Pine, commercial vehicle brake violation, $50.

Ashley N. Kolessa, 35, of Valentine, speeding 11-15 mph over the limit, $75.

Juan C. Machacuay Zavala, 37, of Greeley, Colo., speeding 6-10 mph over the limit, $25.

Justin J. Aguirre, 31, of Hendrum, Minn., attempting a Class 4 felony, $1,000; possession of marijuana more than 1 ounce but less than 1 pound, $500.

Phillip A. Martinez, 20, of Ainsworth, speeding 11-15 mph over the limit, $75; licensing a vehicle without liability insurance, $100; reciprocity, $25.

Katelyn B. Richards, 25, of Elk Point, S.D., failure to use a child passenger restraint, $25; driving on the shoulder of the highway, $25.

Dustin S. Privett, 26, of Ainsworth, speeding 11-15 mph over the limit, $75.

Justen W. Nokes, 44, of Juniata, speeding 11-15 mph over the limit, $75.

Dreidy M. Macias Vega, 38, of Atkinson, speeding 11-15 mph over the limit, $75.

Yahiy H. Pizano, 21, of Wood River, speeding 11-15 mph over the limit, $75; no operator’s license, $75.

Michael J. Boettner, 44, of Omaha, speeding 11-15 mph over the limit, $75.

Connor P. Healey, 29, of Libertyville, Ill., speeding 16-20 mph over the limit, $75.

* Traffic Accident

(Posted 6:45 a.m. Nov. 30)

The Brown County Sheriff’s Department investigated a vehicle-deer accident that occurred Wednesday, Nov. 29.

According to the sheriff’s department report, at 7:27 p.m. Wednesday on Highway 20 near milepost 230, a 2011 Honda Odyssey, driven by Anna Marie Maas, 40, of Valentine, was traveling east when the vehicle struck a deer in the roadway.

No persons were injured during the accident. The Honda was considered a total loss.

* State’s jobless rate remains among best in nation

(Posted 1:15 p.m. Nov. 29)

Nebraska’s unemployment rate for October is 2.2 percent. The rate is up 0.1 percentage points from the September rate of 2.1 percent and is down 0.5 percentage points from the October 2022 rate of 2.7 percent.

Brown County’s unemployment rate of 2.7 percent in October is pacing above the state average. Rock County tied with Grant County for the second lowest unemployment rate in the state at 1.5 percent in October, behind only the 1.3 percent rate of Wheeler County.

Blaine County, on the flip side, experienced the highest unemployment rate in the state in October at 3.7 percent, just ahead of the 3.6 percent rate for neighboring Thomas County.

Cherry County and Holt County each registered 1.8 percent unemployment rates in October to stay better than the state average. Boyd County at 2.4 percent and Keya Paha County at 2.5 percent were both slightly above the state rate.

“Employment in private education and health services reached a new all-time high of over 163,000 in October,” said Commissioner of Labor John H. Albin.  “Total statewide nonfarm employment increased by nearly 7,000 over the month.”

Nonfarm employment, a count of filled jobs, was 1,053,548 in October, up 6,949 over the month and up 13,041 over the year.  Private industries with the most growth month to month were trade, transportation, and utilities (up 2,077 jobs); private education and health services (up 987 jobs); and professional and business services (up 903 jobs).  Private industries with the most over the year growth were private education and health services (up 4,188 jobs), leisure and hospitality (up 3,195 jobs), and manufacturing (up 1,864 jobs).

The counts of employed and unemployed in the labor force are based on a survey conducted by the Census Bureau regarding employment status.

The national unemployment rate for October is 3.9 percent, up 0.1 percent from the September rate. The rate is up 0.2 percentage points from the October 2022 rate of 3.7 percent.

Nebraska has the sixth lowest unemployment rate in the country. Maryland’s 1.7 percent rate was the lowest in the country in October, followed by North Dakota at 1.9 percent. South Dakota and Vermont tied for the third-best rate in the country at 2 percent, followed by New Hampshire at 2.1 percent and Nebraska.

Nevada experienced the highest unemployment rate in the country in October at 5.4 percent. California’s rate at 4.8 percent was the second worst, followed by New Jersey and Illinois at 4.6 percent, and Alaska at 4.3 percent.

* Brown County Sheriff’s Department weekly summary

(Posted 10:30 a.m. Nov. 26)

November 19

• Officer issued Citation for speeding, 88mph in 65 mph zone.
• Officers Investigated a Hit and Run Accident on Oak St. This incident is under investigation.
• Officers Investigated an Accident on 1^st St in Ainsworth where Vehicle came in contact with a power pole
• Brown County Ambulance transferred an Individual from the Brown County Hospital to Kearney Good Samaritan Hospital in Kearney.
• Brown County Ambulance responded to a request for a lift assist on 4^th St in Ainsworth. One individual was transported to the Brown County Hospital.
• Officers responded to a report of Child Abuse and neglect in Ainsworth, One Individual was arrested and Booked into the Brown County Jail.
• Officers issued a Citation for speeding. 79 mph in a 65 mph zone.
• Officer responded to a report of a stray dog on Oak St in Ainsworth, dog was taken to the Ainsworth Vet Clinic.

November 20

November 21

• Brown County Ambulance responded to a request for a lift Assist on 4^th St in Ainsworth.
•  
• Officer issued a Citation for Defective Lighting on Vehicle.
• Officer responded to a request for Traffic Control for a Cattle Crossing West of Ainsworth
• Officer responded to a report of Suspicious Activity on Wilson St.

November 22

• Officer issued a Citation for speeding, 77 mph in a 65 mph zone.
• Officer issued a Citation for no Valid Registration.
• Brown County Ambulance responded to a call on 4^th St in Ainsworth, Individual was transported to the Rock County Hospital.

November 23rd

November 24

• Received a report of a Life One Pendant being activated. Contacted the Individuals family and everything was found to be ok.
• Received a call to a local feedlot where an individual had fallen and was unresponsive. Officers and Brown County Ambulance were Dispatched.
• Brown County Ambulance responded to a Call to a local feedlot. Individual refused transport to BCH.
• Received a call requesting Ministerial Assistance for a room/Advised Individual of Contact # for Ministerial Assistance.
• Received a call reporting an Individual had gone off the Road on Richardson Road. Advised no injuries and they were home and would pick up the car in the morning.
• Officer Issued a Citation for speeding, 44 mph in a 35 mph zone.

November 25

WEEKLY SUMMARY TOTALS

INCIDENT REPORTS:  7

PHONE CALLS: 85

911 CALLS:  5

VIN INSPECTIONS:  3

HANDGUN PURCHASE PERMITS: 7

PAPERS SERVED: 2

* Traffic Accident

(Posted 10:30 a.m. Nov. 26)

The Brown County Sheriff’s Department investigated a one-vehicle accident that occurred Nov. 19 in Ainsworth. According to the sheriff’s department report, at 6:39 p.m. Nov. 19 at the intersection of First and Maple streets, a 2005 Kia Sorento, driven by Taylor Allen, 17, of Ainsworth, was traveling east on First Street when the vehicle left the roadway and struck a power pole.

Allen suffered minor injuries during the accident, but medical transportation was not required. The Kia was considered a total loss. The accident disrupted power service to approximately 60 Nebraska Public Power District customers for about 30 minutes.

* Commissioners again discuss fishing pond rules

(Posted 6:45 a.m. Nov. 22)

During a light agenda Tuesday, the Brown County Commissioners again discussed the topic of potential rules and regulations for the community fishing pond that has been established on county property just south of East City Park east of the Brown County Hospital.

Brown County Emergency Manager Traci Booth said she was asked to research regulations in place at other community ponds across the state. Booth said any regulations in place are basically different for each pond. She said most were established by park boards in the communities.

“Most ponds have Game and Parks fishing regulations,” Booth said. “In some places, minors under 13 must be accompanied by an adult. A majority of them do not allow swimming.”

Booth suggested the county follow any regulations the city has in place for use of East City Park.

“We could just have continuity with the city park,” Booth said.

Commissioner Buddy Small said he felt the pond should be low key with a minimum of noise that could disturb neighbors.

“There should be no alcohol, that’s common sense,” Small said.

Small also advocated for the pond to be open from dawn until dusk only, with no motorized vehicles other than the parking area and no boats.

The board, with Commissioner Jeremiah Dailey absent Tuesday, discussed people using the pond to ice fish or ice skate. Commissioner Denny Bauer said he had been approached by several residents wanting to ice skate. Small asked who would determine when it was safe for people to ice fish or ice skate.

Bauer said people would have to use their own judgment.

Brown County Sheriff Brent Deibler said trying to enforce restrictions on how old children have to be before they can fish without adult supervision would be difficult. In addition to not allowing alcohol, Deibler said he would recommend not allowing campfires since there will be no camping at the site.

Brown County Attorney Andy Taylor suggested the commissioners contact the county’s liability insurance carrier, NIRMA.

“They have probably done this before and may have some recommendations for you,” Taylor said.

No regulations were adopted. The board placed the item back on its Dec. 5 meeting agenda.

In other business Tuesday, Scott Goodloe with the Brown County Ambulance Association approached the board about establishing a commercial account with Black Hills Energy for heating of the new ambulance barn under construction.

“The furnaces are installed, and a separate gas meter will be connected for the building,” Goodloe said.

Goodloe asked who he needed to work with in the courthouse to set up an account for the building and have the statements paid through the ambulance association line item.

Small suggested Goodloe visit with Deputy Clerk Becky Hardy on getting the account established.

In a final action item, Treasurer Bruce Mitchell asked the commissioners which line item in the county budget they wanted to use to make the $273,986 payment that is due for the Meadville Avenue bond.

Bauer suggested the payment be taken from the county’s inheritance tax fund. Mitchell said he would need to have the county attorney draw up a resolution giving the treasurer the authority to make the payment from that fund.

Taylor said he would draft the resolution and have it ready for the board to consider during its Dec. 5 meeting.

* Fischer receives State Award of Merit from NSIAAA

(Posted 7 a.m. Nov. 21)

Rock County Public Schools Activities Director Kayla Fischer recently received the State Award of Merit from the Nebraska State Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association during the group’s fall conference at Kearney.

The State Award of Merit is presented to an NIAAA member who demonstrates outstanding leadership and meritorious service and achievement in the vocation of interscholastic administration.

Nate Larsen, NSIAAA President, said, “Kayla is in her fifth year as our NSIAAA District III representative and has done a tremendous job in that role. Kayla has taken several leadership training courses, earned her CAA certification, and serves on our NSIAAA DEIB committee. In addition to her role with the NSIAAA, Kayla serves as the District III Representative on the Nebraska Coaches Association Board. As no surprise to those of us who know Kayla, the NCA says she is always willing to roll up her sleeves and help with any situation and has been crucial in the continuing growth of the NCA.”

In addition to serving as the activities director at Rock County, Fischer is also the dean of students.

* Brown County Commissioners Tuesday agenda

(Posted 1:45 p.m. Nov. 20)

Brown County Commissioners
Meeting 1:15 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 21
Brown County Courthouse
Agenda

Roll Call.

Acknowledge posting of Open Meetings Law.

Pledge of Allegiance.

Approve minutes of the 11-7-2023 Commissioner meeting.

Approve minutes of the 11-16-2023 Special Commissioner   meeting.

Approve Claims

Kenneth Turpin – Road Department Update

Ambulance Association: Utilities for new Ambulance Building

Rules and Regulations for Community Fishpond

Approval to pay Highway Bond & which account to pay it from

Public Comment

* Kilmer sentenced to life in prison

(Posted 7 a.m. Nov. 20)

Kevin Kilmer, 27, was sentenced by Judge Mark Kozisek in Cherry County District Court at Valentine Friday for the 2021 murder of Ruth Wittmuss, 52, which occurred at Kilgore.  The trial took place in August of this year. 

Kilmer was sentenced to life in prison for the first-degree murder conviction and an additional 10-14 years for the use of a weapon to commit a felony conviction. 

The case was investigated by the Cherry County Sheriff’s Department, the Nebraska State Patrol, with the assistance of the Valentine Police Department and other local agencies. The Cherry County Attorney’s Office and the Nebraska Attorney General’s Office prosecuted the case. 

* Brown County Sheriff’s Department weekly summary

(Posted 6:45 a.m. Nov. 20)

November 12

• Brown County Sheriff’s Department responded to a request for traffic control for cattle crossing west of Johnstown.
• Brown County Ambulance transferred an air crew from the Ainsworth Airport to the Brown County Hospital and back to the Airport.
• Officer issued a Citation for speeding. 67 mph in a 50-mph zone.
• Officer issued a Citation for speeding. 77 mph in a 65-mph zone.
• Officer issued a Citation for speeding. 53 mph in a 35-mph zone and improper use of School Permit
• Officer issued a Citation for no proof of Insurance.

November 13

• Officer responded to a report of trespassing on East 4^th
• Officer responded to a report of trespassing on North Main Street.
• Brown County Dispatch, dispatched Officers and Ambulance to a 911 call on 3^rd St in Ainsworth.
• Brown County Ambulance responded to a 911 page on 3^rd Street in Ainsworth.
• Brown County Ambulance responded to a call to Park St in Ainsworth, Individual was transported to the Brown County Hospital.

November 14th

• No activity.

November 15

• Brown County Ambulance responded to a residence on 4^th Street in Ainsworth. The individual was transported to the Brown County Hospital.
• Brown County Dispatch dispatched Officers and Brown County Ambulance to a residence in Long Pine in reference to a 911 Call.
• Brown County Ambulance responded to a 911 call in Long Pine.
• Received a report of a possibly stolen Firearm in Ainsworth.
• Received a report of possibly missing Hay. This is still under investigation.
• Received a report of a dog bite. The dog involved was owned by the victim.

November 16

• Responded to a report of a barking dog on East 5^th street, The owner was given a verbal warning.
• Responded to a request for a welfare Check on an individual. The Individual was found to be OK.

November 17

• Officer issued a Citation for speeding. 80 mph in a 65-mph zone.
• Officer Issued a Citation for Defective Lighting

November 18

• Officers provided Traffic Control for a Cattle Drive through the Long Pine Hills to County Line.
• Officers responded to a request for a welfare check on Oak St in Ainsworth
• Brown County Ambulance transported an individual from residence on Oak St in Ainsworth to the Brown County Hospital.

WEEKLY SUMMARY TOTALS

INCIDENT REPORTS:  17

PHONE CALLS: 133

911 CALLS: 8

VIN INSPECTIONS:  2

HANDGUN PURCHASE PERMITS:  5

PAPERS SERVED: 5

* City of Bassett under boil water order under further notice

(Posted 2:50 p.m. Nov 16)

During the month of November 2023, the City of Bassett found E. coli bacteria indicating the need to look for potential problems in water treatment or distribution. When this occurs, they are required to conduct an assessment to identify problems and to correct any problems that were found during these assessments.

Do not drink the water without boiling it first. Bring water to a boil for one minute, and let cool before using, or use bottled water.  Boiled or bottle water should be used for drinking, making ice, brushing teeth, washing dishes and food preparation until further notice.

The City of Bassett will inform you when test results show no further contamination and you no longer need to boil your water.  For additional information regarding this notice, interested persons may contact Matt Franklin at 402-382-0089.

* Care Center continues to see solid financial numbers

(Posted 10:30 a.m. Nov. 14)

Despite having to pay more than $71,000 to replace its roof, the Sandhills Care Center generated a profit during October, finishing the month with revenue of $308,068 and total expenses of $271,321 for an operating margin of $36,747 for the month.

October’s revenue included a $37,184 American Rescue Plan Act grant, which Administrator Penny Jacobs said was the second of three ARPA installments from the federal government. Jacobs said those grant dollars must be used toward employee recruitment and retention efforts. Jacobs said the care center offers a sign-on bonus for new employees and a referral bonus for current employees who refer someone, and the facility will continue that program using the ARPA dollars.

Business Manager Makenzie Crane said the care center provided $11,000 in incentive payments through those programs in 2022 and has provided $9,000 in sign-on and referral bonuses thus far in 2023.

“I will put some numbers together and we can talk about what you want to do next month,” Crane said.

Jacobs said offering some kind of retention bonus to employees who have stayed with the facility through the pandemic would also be an option the board could consider.

Jacobs introduced new Director of Nursing Sara Mayhew, who complimented Jacobs and the board for the amount of care she has seen for the residents of the Sandhills Care Center.

“You have so much heart in that old building with your caregivers,” Mayhew said. “It is huge. I know how devastating it is to be in a community that loses its long-term care facility. Staying open here through all of this is so important.”

Mayhew said she has been in healthcare since 1995 and worked at Pineview in Valentine for 22 years before that facility closed.

Mayhew said she was in the process of trying to recruit additional nurses to the care center that she knows personally and would work with the schedule to try and cut down on overtime hours.

“I would like to be able to hire one RN and one night LPN and completely remove all agency staffing again,” Mayhew said.

Jacobs said, during the past month, the care center hired two full-time CNAs and a part-time CNA in addition to bringing Mayhew on staff as the full-time director of nursing. She said an agency LPN’s employment was recently terminated.

Jacobs reported there are currently 25 residents in the Sandhills Care Center, with 13 paying privately, 10 receiving Medicaid assistance, one receiving Medicare assistance and one resident was Medicaid-pending. She said the care center admitted two new residents during October, discharged two residents and experienced three resident deaths during the past month.

The Board of Directors Monday approved offering a 401-K retirement plan to employees as an additional benefit. While there will initially be no employer match to the retirement program, the board left the door open to potentially including an employer match in the future if finances allow.

Employees have the option to place 3 percent of their paychecks automatically into a 401-K retirement account through Slavic 401 of Florida. Jacobs said five employees immediately indicated an interest in contributing to a retirement plan when approached. She said employees could opt out of the plan if they chose and could also increase or decrease the amount of their contribution.

Jacobs said offering the plan would be a potential help in recruiting new staff members.

The board approved the 2022-23 audit as prepared by Lutz and Co. PC of Grand Island. Board Chair Tom Jones said the facility’s audit showed no deficiencies other than the standard lack of segregation of duties over financial controls that all small governmental entities receive.

The board discussed its insurance plan, as the facility’s deductible for roof damage was lowered from $100,000 to $50,000 for future claims. The board discussed whether to add $40,000 in deductible buy-down coverage at an additional cost of $4,800 annually but opted instead to establish a capital improvement line item in its budget and try to contribute to that line item each year through its budgeting process to account for any building maintenance or repair projects.

The board again discussed methods for evaluating the performance of the administrator. Jacobs said other staff members do have performance reviews conducted, and there are performance reviews for nursing staff.

The board looked at potential forms it could use for help in evaluating the administrator’s performance.

Board member Dr. Mel Campbell said he liked the idea of having department heads also provide the board with a review of the administrator. Board members will review potential forms to use to help guide the evaluation.

Campbell said his wife has been involved with helping care for a resident in the facility recently. Campbell said she was very complimentary of the care that resident was receiving.

Jacobs discussed the recent purchase of four sets of virtual reality goggles to help calm some residents who experience behavioral issues. Jacobs said the VR equipment through Mynd VR was initially expected to be a monthly charge, but the facility was billed $5,392 for a full year’s subscription to the service.

“There are a lot of applications,” Jacobs said. “The goggles can take a resident wherever they want to go.”
She said the facility had run out of ways to try and calm a couple residents. She said the goggles worked to calm those residents down and helped to minimize the risk to staff and resident safety during those instances.

Board member Shawn Fernau said he liked the idea, that it gives residents a change of scenery. Jacobs said all residents of the facility would have the opportunity to utilize the virtual reality equipment.

The board discussed the amount the administrator was able to spend before having to come to the board for approval. Jacobs said there was enough money in donated funding to pay for the purchase. She said the purchase was essentially made to assist staff in managing residents with behavioral issues.

The next meeting of the Sandhills Care Center Board of Directors is scheduled for 5 p.m. Dec. 11.

* School Board approves track resurfacing work

(Posted 6:45 a.m. Nov. 14)

The Ainsworth Community Schools Board of Education on Monday approved improvements to the track at East City Park that will last seven to eight years.

Superintendent Dale Hafer told the board Joey Finley had brought to his attention that a few cracks were starting to develop in the track. Hafer said the track surface had not undergone structural spraying since 2015.

“The applications last about seven or eight years,” Hafer said. “It is time to do something again. This application will take care of the cracks and be good for another seven or eight years.”

Hafer said Fisher Tracks reported the foundation of the track was still in good shape, and the district could make an additional surface application seven or eight years from now before the board would need to consider redoing the entire track.

The $83,917 bid from Fisher Tracks includes cleaning the track, filling all cracks, making any minor repairs to the surface that are needed, priming the track with a polyurethane primer and applying two coats of polyurethane structural spray to the surface. The coating work carries a five-year warranty.

Hafer recommended the board use depreciation funding to handle the cost of the spraying instead of taking the money from the district’s general fund. The board unanimously approved the quote from Fisher Tracks.

With the track surfacing being the only action item on Monday’s agenda, the only other discussions with the board were held with the principals, activities director and superintendent.

Activities Director Luke Wroblewski said the school would host Southwest Conference one-act play performances Nov. 21.

“There will be some high-quality performances,” Wroblewski said.

He said Monday was the first day for winter sports practices. He reported there were no girls from North Central who came to participate in high school girls wrestling after the board had approved co-oping with North Central for that sport. Junior high girls wrestling does not begin until January.

High School Principal Steve Dike reported the social studies program did an excellent job putting together the Veterans Day program Friday and involving veterans in the community into the program.

During his report, Hafer said the old boiler is still being used as the company is waiting on one single part to arrive before being able to switch over to the new boiler that has otherwise been installed.

He said the district made the switch from air-conditioning to heating when the weather turned colder in late October. He said, with the warmer temperatures now being experienced in the area, the building is getting a little warm in the afternoons even though the boiler is not heating the building.

Hafer reported Guarantee Roofing will be on site this week to repair the high school roof as well as the western half of the gym roof. He said the cost of those weather-related repairs are being covered by insurance.

The superintendent reported the district’s audit has been completed by Dana F. Cole, which found no issues. Hafer thanked Dedra Stoner and Lacey Marbry in the office for providing the auditors with any additional information they requested.

The next meeting of the Ainsworth Community Schools Board of Education is scheduled for 7 p.m. Dec. 11.

* Sheriff’s department to participate in Click it or Ticket

(Posted 6:30 a.m. Nov. 13)

The Brown County Sheriff’s Department, through funding by the Nebraska Office of Highway Safety, will participate in the National “Click-It or Ticket” Mobilization.  The Enforcement dates for the campaign are November 22-26. The campaign is a national program to increase public awareness and make our roadways safer. 

The Brown County Sheriff’s Department is joining with other state and local law enforcement officers and highway safety advocates across the nation to help save more lives by strongly enforcing seat belt laws around the clock, especially at night.  

While this year’s Click It or Ticket enforcement mobilization runs from November 22-26, motorists should know that deputies are out enforcing seat belts laws year-round.

The national Click It or Ticket mobilization has increased seat belt use and saved lives over the years, but there is still much more that can be done. High-visibility enforcement and encouraging loved ones to buckle up can turn thousands of lives lost into many more lives saved.

The sheriff’s department thanks everyone for doing their part to make our roads safer by always wearing your safety belts and making sure everyone under the age of 18 is buckled up. 

* Brown County Sheriff’s Department weekly summary

(Posted 6:30 a.m. Nov. 13)

November 5

• Received a 911 call from an Individual on Main North Main Street requesting an Ambulance. Brown County Ambulance was paged.
• Brown County Ambulance transported an Individual from their residence on North Main Street to the Brown County Hospital.
• Issued a Citation for Speeding, 77 mph in a 65 mph Zone.
• Received a call from a local Institution regarding two individuals who were obviously impaired. A deputy was dispatched.

November 6

• Received a call from a Local Institution requesting an Ambulance to take an Individual to the Brown County Hospital. Brown County Ambulance was Paged.
• Brown County Ambulance transported an Individual from a Local Institution to the Brown County Hospital
• Received a report of a deer needing to be dispatched approximately one-half mile West of Ainsworth. A deputy was dispatched to the location.
• Responded to a request for a welfare check on an Individual in Ainsworth. The individual was found to be ok.
• Responded to a report of Child Abuse in Ainsworth, this incident is still under investigation.

November 7

• Received a call from the Nature Conservancy regarding a Large Controlled Burn 10 Miles south of Highway 20 on Moon Lake Road.
• Issued a Citation for not having the proper number of Plates on the vehicle.
• Released an inmate from the Brown County Jail on Bond

November 8

• Received a 911 Call for an Ambulance to respond to an Individual coming in and Out of Consciousness South of Long Pine. Dispatcher Paged Ambulance
• Brown County Ambulance responded to a call South Of Long Pine to an individual going in and out of consciousness South of Long Pine.
• Received a call regarding a dead deer in the westbound driving lane about a mile west of the 183 Junction. Officer was dispatched to the location.
• Responded to a call regarding an unauthorized vehicle on an Individuals Property in Ainsworth.

November 9

• Received a call regarding a hit and run accident in Ainsworth as well as for a vehicle that still had out of state plates even though the owners had been living here for over 6 months.

November 10

• Brown County Ambulance responded to a call to bring an Air crew in from the Airport to the Brown County Hospital and return them to the Airport.
• Responded to the report of a Dog found in Ainsworth. The owner was found, and Dog returned.

November 11

• Received a Call regarding an Individual who had locked his keys in his car. Dispatcher gave the Individual the Phone Numbers of local Locksmiths.
• Received a call regarding a black cow out on Meadville Ave. Owner was contacted and Cow put back in.
• Officer responded to a request for a security check at a Long Pine residence.
• Officer advised dispatch of an open door at a local business. A keyholder was called and the building was secured.

WEEKLY SUMMARY TOTALS

INCIDENT REPORTS:  8

PHONE CALLS: 130

911 CALLS:  9

VIN INSPECTIONS: 3

HANDGUN PURCHASE PERMITS:  2

PAPERS SERVED: 1

* Game and Parks district manager previews deer season

(Posted 2:15 p.m. Nov. 9)

Nebraska Game and Parks Commission Northeast District Manager Lucas Negus visited with KBRB’s Graig Kinzie to preview the firearm season.

The conversation is located below.

* Council approves housing rehab application

(Posted 7:15 a.m. Nov. 9)

The Ainsworth City Council tackled a fairly light agenda Wednesday, approving an applicant to its housing improvement loan program.

For those who qualify based off their income or their age, the city of Ainsworth has a pool of either zero percent or low interest funds available for housing improvements. The applicant must live in the home that is being improved.

Based on a recommendation from the city’s housing committee, the council approved an applicant to receive a $25,000 loan to make home improvements at zero percent interest for a period of 20 years.

City Administrator Lisa Schroedl said the city has around $150,000 available to loan for housing improvements. She said there are 11 current loans, and money repaid is then used to make additional loans for owner-occupied home improvements.

“We have had very few issues collecting payments on these loans,” Schroedl said.

In other business Wednesday, with councilman Dustin Barthel absent, the council approved a special designated liquor license request for the Ainsworth Elks to serve alcohol Jan. 13 in the Ainsworth Conference Center during the annual Ainsworth Area Chamber of Commerce gala.

The council approved an administrative subdivision of 5.89 acres at a pivot corner located in the northeast quarter of Section 35, Township 30 North, Range 22 West.

Mayor Joel Klammer said the property is outside the city limits but is a part of the city’s jurisdiction.

Schroedl said the city handles zoning issues within a 1-mile radius of city limits. She said the application complies with the city’s zoning regulations, which require a minimum of 3 acres for a subdivision.

The council approved signing its year-end certification of its streets superintendent to submit to the Nebraska Department of Transportation. Schroedl said that by certifying to the state that the city has a streets superintendent, the city receives an additional $3,000 in highway allocation funding. Lloyd Smith with Niobrara Valley Consultants in Valentine serves as the city’s streets superintendent.

In a final action item Wednesday, the council approved allowing Schroedl to place reserve funds held by the city into products that provide a higher interest rate. Schroedl said the council approved moving fire department reserve funds into a higher interest certificate of deposit during its previous meeting. She said the city has $318,341 in additional reserve funds spread across various accounts that could be placed into either CDs or an NFIT money market account at Union Bank & Trust.

Schroedl said interest rates on CDs are currently 5.25 percent, but the council could opt to place the funds in the NFIT account which provides quicker access to the funds if needed and pay interest monthly at a current rate of 5.15 percent. The NFIT interest rate could fluctuate monthly, while the CD locks in the interest for the full term of the CD.

The council gave Schroedl the authority to place the funds into either CDs or an NFIT account as she sees fit.

During her report, Schroedl said the city continues to have issues with the fire suppression system in the Conference Center. She said a fire sprinkler pipe broke in the attic above the mechanical room, damaging the ceiling. She said the ceiling would need to be cut out to repair the line.

Schroedl said the fire pump in the suppression system also failed and water leaked in the mechanical room. She said major damage was avoided, but substantial repairs to the system would be needed. She told the council the city may have to replace the fire panel on the system, and she recommended installing a concrete barrier in the mechanical room to keep water from flowing onto and damaging the gym floor like has happened in the past.

Schroedl said the city’s 2022 audit was finally filed last week by Dana F Cole Co. The company had filed for extensions to complete the audit, but Schroedl said, had it not been filed by Nov. 5, the city would have lost $150,000 in highway allocation funding from the state. She said the 2023 city audit with AMGL of Grand Island would be conducted Dec. 6-7.

The city administrator reported she is still working to try and obtain $526,000 in reimbursement from FEMA relating to flooding in 2019. She said she had to resend all of the city’s documentation to the Nebraska Emergency Management Agency for the sixth time as the case worker assigned to the city keeps changing.

Schroedl said she continues to try and set a time for the law enforcement contract committee to meet. She said it has been difficult to find a time when everyone is available.

Schroedl said she has been locking the community center at night, but it is being locked earlier than it was when the sheriff’s department was securing the building.

“Locking it up at 8 p.m. is probably not going to work this winter with the building being used for basketball and walking later in the evening,” Schroedl said.

She said there have been issues with individuals trying to remain in the building to sleep, and the response time for the sheriff’s department to remove those individuals has been between 45 minutes to an hour at times.

She thanked Brian Delimont and Amy Salzman for agreeing to open the conference center in the mornings so it can be utilized, including the weekends.

Klammer said the city representatives would discuss the issue when the committee meets.

Councilman Brad Fiala requested residents remove trailers and campers parked on side streets prior to the onset of snow in the city. He said, during the winter, city crews having to plow around campers and trailers parked on side streets creates areas where streets have only one driving lane open.

Prior to adjourning, the council entered into executive session to consider potential settlement of litigation through the League Association of Risk Management, which handles liability issues for the city.

The next meeting of the Ainsworth City Council is scheduled for 5 p.m. Dec. 13.

* Meadville Avenue speed limit to potentially increase

(Posted 4:30 p.m. Nov. 7)

By a 2-1 vote Tuesday, the Brown County Commissioners approved having Highway Superintendent Kenny Turpin move forward with a study to potentially raise the speed limit on Meadville Avenue from 50 mph to 55 mph.

Turpin said the quote he received for the engineering study was $3,500, though he said he might be able to reduce the cost of the study if the company allows him to conduct some of the work needed.

Commissioner Jeremiah Dailey said the board needed to make a final decision on both the speed limit and how far to extend the 35 mph reduced speed zone on the south end of the asphalt.

“My thoughts are to make it 55 mph and move the 35 mph zone north farther,” Dailey said.

Commissioner Buddy Small said he believed the board should leave the speed limit at 50 mph.

“There is not much time savings over 7 miles going 55 mph instead of 50 mph,” Small said. “People are going to drive how they are going to drive, until they get caught. My position is we leave it at 50 mph.”

Turpin said, while there is new asphalt and a new bridge on Meadville Avenue, the road was not widened.

Commissioner Dennis Bauer said he did not believe there was any safety difference increasing the speed limit to 55 mph instead of 50 mph. He said it might actually encourage some drivers to slow down to 55 to 59 mph and believe they wouldn’t be at risk of getting cited. He said, at 50 mph, most drivers are just going to speed.

“I have had way more people ask me to increase it,” Bauer said of the speed limit. “I have driven it. It is hard to go 50 mph.”

With Small voting against, the board approved having the engineering study done to increase the speed limit on Meadville Avenue to 55 mph and for Turpin to recommend an extension of the 35 mph zone on the south end of Meadville Avenue just north of Ainsworth.

Turpin said it may take a couple months to complete the study, and reminded motorists the speed limit remains at 50 mph until the study is complete and final action is taken by the commissioners.

In other business Tuesday, John Erikson with the Nebraska Forest Service visited by phone with the board regarding a grant application he was working to submit on behalf of Brown, Rock and Keya Paha counties for tree removal to lessen the risk of wildfire within 3 to 4 miles of the Niobrara River corridor.

Erikson said, while the river corridor would be a focus of the application, the grant would be versatile and would give the commissioners the authority to approve tree removal projects deemed necessary that are located outside the river corridor.

Erikson said the application is ready to submit and should be competitive. He said there would likely be between 450 and 500 proposals submitted, with about 200 receiving funds for tree removal. Each county would receive $1 million in funding.

“If funded and the project moves ahead, I would like to have a forester involved with the contractor to make sure the documentation is solid,” Erikson said. “It would be the same thing we do on any of our wildland projects.”

If awarded, there would be no cost to the landowners approved by the commissioners for the tree removal. The grant would reimburse the property owner or the county for 100 percent of the cost.

Erikson said the Nebraska Forest Service has existing paperwork that could be modified to serve as an application for landowners if the grant funds are awarded.

Erikson said, after the application is submitted, the U.S. Forest Service checks the applications to determine eligibility. The applications are then sent to a scoring committee during the first part of December.

From there, the applications are ranked and recommended for approval by the Secretary of Agriculture in February. The announcement of the applications funded would be made in the spring, with the funds available in July or August of 2024. Work would not begin until the funds are received.

Brown County Deputy Emergency Manager Jessica Pozehl said the commissioners would still decide which projects in Brown County move forward. She said the grant program would be completely voluntary and would not be forced on any landowners.

The board approved allowing the Nebraska Forest Service to apply for the Stop the Burn grant funding on behalf of Brown County.

The commissioners again discussed making repairs to the Brown County Courthouse roof, and ran into more roadblocks on approving a portion of the work yet this fall.

Dailey said he believed a portion of the work needed to be completed this fall. He said there are gaping holes around the vents with missing rubber boots. In addition to replacing the rubber boots and main cap, all the sealing work needed to be done this fall while the weather holds.

Dailey said Shawn Fernau Construction had agreed to perform the work identified as needing to be completed this fall.

Bauer said, if the board deemed some of the work to be emergency repairs, the commissioners would need to specify which repairs were an emergency.

“Stopping the leaking now would be reasonable, but we need to spell out in the motion exactly what needs to be done and provide a timetable,” Bauer said.

County Attorney Andy Taylor said, since the scope of the work was in excess of $10,000, the commissioners would still need to solicit three informal bids, even though the county had previously advertised for bids for the larger roof repair project.

“When you change the scope of the project, you have to go back out for three informal bids,” Taylor said. “I didn’t write the rules, I am just trying to advise you so you don’t get in trouble.”

Small said the county has tried and tried to find someone willing to do the repair work.

“We found one business willing to do it,” Small said. “No one else was interested after we advertised.”

Taylor said the board held an executive session during its previous meeting to discuss the fact that the owner of the construction company was currently facing charges in court and would potentially have access to the building where documents relating to the case were located.

He said having to find three informal bids was nothing against the contractor who had agreed to the work, the county would have had to go through that process no matter the contractor.

Small said it was unfortunate because, without a pending court case, the work would have already been completed by now.

Dailey moved to have Shawn Fernau Construction move forward with the scope of work identified. That motion died for lack of a second.

Bauer said, “I have to take the county attorney’s advice. That is what he is here for. I am not going to vote to move forward when the attorney is telling us not to. That would be counterproductive.”

The board instead called for a special meeting at 1 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 16, and will work in that time to contact additional contractors in an effort to obtain more bids on the modified scope of work. The board would then make a decision during that meeting with the goal of having the work start Nov. 17 to take advantage of the weather.

In other action items Tuesday, the board approved renewing the county’s membership with the Nebraska Intergovernmental Risk Management Association for liability and property insurance coverage. The board acknowledged a letter received from Keating/O’Gara regarding a potential case against the county on behalf of Ruth Micheel. Taylor said NIRMA is aware of the issue and will represent the county in the matter.

The commissioners approved renewing an interlocal agreement with the Lexington Area Solid Waste Agency.

The board also approved a license renewal application for the Brown County Hospital. Hospital Administrator Mirya Hallock said Dr. Kenny Wasmund was now on staff and seeing patients. She said Dr. Campbell would continue to see patients through December and would then stay on after that as the chief of staff to assist where needed.

Hallock said finding adequate staffing is an issue for the hospital as it is for most medical facilities currently. She said the hospital was working with Northeast Community College to have classes held in Ainsworth to assist with training people for needed positions.

The board approved a county burial application for Leslie Bomar. Taylor advised the board to approve the claim. He said Jim Hoch wanted to know ahead of the service if the county approved the application so the bill would get sent to the county instead of the family.

Treasurer Bruce Mitchell presented distress warrants to the commissioners. Mitchell said 48 past-due personal property tax reminders had previously been sent out. After those letters were sent, the number of delinquencies dropped from 48 to six. After going through the sheriff’s department, all but two of the delinquencies had been collected. The two outstanding distress warrants amounted to $226 in personal property tax.

During his report, Turpin said the roads department had extended the culverts on a portion of Meadville Avenue.

Bauer thanked Turpin for widening that area, as it could have led to a potential issue.

“I have had several compliments on the road and the new bridge,” Bauer said.

Turpin said the roads department had been hauling clay on several roads to combat soft spots that had formed. He said the department had also hauled dirt on Rauscher Avenue at Don Fling’s property. Small said he had spoken with Fling, who indicated he was pleased with the way the project was progressing.

Bauer asked Turpin if the county had recouped all of its flood reimbursement money from FEMA and NEMA. Turpin said, off the top of his head, there was about $300,000 that was still outstanding.

“Everything has been turned in, we are just waiting on them to reimburse,” Turpin said.

Bauer asked Turpin to put together an update on the projects that have not yet been reimbursed and present it to the board during an upcoming meeting.

“It would be good to have an update on where we stand,” Bauer said.

In two roads related items, the board approved signing a Standardized System of Annual Reporting, which Turpin said was required for the county to receive its federal highway allocation funding.

The board also approved the year-end certification of Turpin having served as the county’s highway superintendent. Turpin said, by approving the certification, the county receives an additional $9,000 in reimbursement from the state for having a certified highway superintendent on staff.

The commissioners scheduled a special meeting for 1 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 16, to tackle the courthouse roof repair project. The next regular meeting of the Brown County Commissioners is scheduled for 1:15 p.m. Nov. 21.

* Nelson named to All-American Bowl

(Posted 3:15 p.m. Nov. 7)

Ainsworth High School senior Carter Nelson has been selected to compete in the 2024 High School Football All-American Bowl and will be recognized with a virtual jersey presentation as part of the Road to the Dome digital series.

The episode with Nelson airs at 7 p.m. CST Wednesday on the All-American Bowl social media platforms.

The Road to the Dome Tour will recognize all 100 All-Americans with virtual jersey presentations during an eight-week series that will be released weekly through various digital and social platforms across NBC Sports.

Having been selected to play in the 24th edition of the All-American Bowl, Nelson will play in the annual East vs. West matchup inside the Alamodome at San Antonio, Texas. The 2024 All-American Bowl will be played January 6 and will air live on the NBC television network and Peacock streaming service.

* Brown County Sheriff’s Department weekly summary

(Posted 6:30 a.m. Nov. 6)

October 29

• Officer responded to a request for a Civil Standby in Long Pine.

October 30

• Officer issued a Citation for speeding, 79 mph in a 65-mph zone.
• Long Pine Rural Fire Department Assisted with the burning of Logs and Brush at the Long Pine Dump
• Brown County Rural Fire Dept Issued a burn permit for 1.5 miles West of Ainsworth
• Brown County Ambulance responded to a call from a local facility to transport an individual to the Brown County Hospital.
• Brown County Ambulance Transported a Flight Crew from the Ainsworth Airport to the Brown County Hospital and back to the Airport.

October 31

• Brown County Ambulance responded to a call from a local facility to transport an individual to the Brown County Hospital
• Brown County Ambulance Transported a Flight Crew from the Ainsworth Airport to the Brown County Hospital and back to the Airport.
• Officers responded to a report of theft at a local business. This is an Ongoing Investigation.
• Brown County Officers were called on to Assist in locating a Violent Individual. Individual was later Located in Valentine

November 1

• Officer issued a Citation for speeding, 88 mph in a 65-mph zone.
• Officers were requested to assist another agency locate missing Juveniles. Cherry County later confirmed that the Juveniles had been located.
• Officers responded to a report of a Domestic Disturbance at a Local Business. This incident is currently under investigation.

November 2

• Officers Investigated a report of Domestic Disturbance at a local business. This Incident is currently under investigation.
• Officers responded to a request for a welfare check on a local individual. The individual was found to be Ok.
• Officers responded to a 911 call on Meadville Ave. Upon arrival at the location that the call came from, an I-Phone was found on the Roadway, and it was indicating that it was calling 911.  Owner of Phone was located, and Phone was returned.

November 3

• Officers responded to a call regarding suspicious activity behind a Business on Highway 20
• Officers arrested and Individual for Possession of a Controlled Substance, (Methamphetamine) and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia. The individual was then Booked into the Brown County Jail.
• Received an anonymous report of a vehicle with Oversized Load Banner and Illegal Plates being worked on at a local business. This report was turned over to Nebraska State Patrol for further investigation.

November 4

• Sheriff’s Office Personnel attended CPR refresher Class.
• Received reports of an Individual walking Eastbound on Highway 20. Officer had contact with the Individual and advised him what organization to contact to get aid.

WEEKLY SUMMARY TOTALS

INCIDENT REPORTS:  13

PHONE CALLS: 113

911 CALLS:  07

VIN INSPECTIONS:  2

HANDGUN PURCHASE PERMITS:  3

PAPERS SERVED: 3

Monthly Summary Totals for October

INCIDENT REPORTS: 95

PHONE CALLS:  677

911 CALLS:  36

VIN INSPECTIONS: 10

HANDGUN PURCHASE PERMIT: 17

PAPERS SERVED: 10    

* Fire department responds to vehicle accident Oct. 25

(Posted 6:45 a.m. Nov. 3)

A two-vehicle accident Wednesday, Oct. 25, prompted the response of the Ainsworth Volunteer Fire Department and the Brown County Ambulance Association.

According to the Brown County Sheriff’s Department, at 5:13 p.m. Oct. 25 on Highway 7 near milepost 37, a 2023 SUV, driven by an 85-year-old Ainsworth man, was traveling north when the vehicle struck the mower attachment of a Nebraska Department of Transportation tractor located in the east ditch.

The collision with the mower caused the SUV to roll approximately four times, going through a fence and coming to rest approximately 75 feet from the roadway.

The driver, who was wearing a seatbelt, was transported by the Brown County Ambulance Association to the Brown County Hospital.

The SUV was considered a total loss. The NDOT mower sustained minor damage.

The Brown County Sheriff’s Department has not released the name of the driver.

* Recent cases from Brown County Court

(Posted 2 p.m. Nov. 1)

In addition to fines, each case carries $50 in court costs

Ryan W. Tague, age 50, of New Lenox, Ill., charged with speeding 11-15 mph over the limit, fined $75.

Owen R. Pruss, 19, of Fremont, speeding 11-15 mph over the limit, $75.

Efrain Avina-Abarca, 57, of Lexington, speeding 11-15 mph over the limit, $75.

Cooper W. Filipek, 21, of Rapid City, S.D., speeding 11-15 mph over the limit, $75.

Joan T. Bauer, 66, of Spalding, speeding 16-20 mph over the limit, $125.

Martin Carreon Jr., 25, of West Fargo, N.D., attempting a Class 4 felony, $1,000; also charged with possession of marijuana more than 1 ounce but less than 1 pound, $500.

Jensen R. Williams, 19, of Ainsworth, minor in possession, $300.

Eric M. Borer, 64, of Stuart, speeding 16-20 mph over the limit, $125.

Mark R. Osiochain, 41, of Omaha, speeding 11-15 mph over the limit, $75.

George W. Chamberlain, 20, of Ainsworth, speeding 11-15 mph over the limit, $75.

Christian Altamirano Arevalo, 42, of Ainsworth, speeding 11-15 mph over the limit, $75.

Gaylen S. Lewis, 49, of Ainsworth, unlawful or fictitious display of plates, $50; no valid registration, $25.

Jay C. Burrows, 68, of Ainsworth, speeding 16-20 mph over the limit, $125.

Tylor D. Larson, 24, of Alexandria, Minn., speeding 16-20 mph over the limit, $125.

Elijah M. Clay, 18, of Bassett, speeding 6-10 mph over the limit, $25.

Miguel A. Nataren Martinez, 37, of Goddard, Kan., speeding 11-15 mph over the limit, $75.

* Ainsworth students compete at Chadron Scholastics

(Posted noon Nov. 1)

Thirty-two Ainsworth High School students competed in Scholastic Day at Chadron State College on October 25. The students took 49 tests and earned third place as a school in Division IV. There were 900 students from about 40 schools competing. Tessa Barthel placed first in the Teaching Presentation competition, earning a medal, a scholarship to Chadron State College, and a sweatshirt. Second place medals were won by Breanna Fernau in Teaching Presentation and Cole Bodeman in American Government.

Placing in the top 25% of their tests were:

Gracie Kinney – 4^th in Veterinary Science,

Cole Bodeman – 5^th in Advanced Mathematics,

Katherine Kerrigan – 5^th in World History and 8^th in Psychology,

Korah Dunbar – 5^th in Nutrition & Family Health,

Megan Jones – 5^th in Animal Science,

Makenzy Cheatum – 5^th in Equine Management and 6^th in Environmental Science,

Mason Titus – 6^th in Business Communication/Vocabulary, and

Emma Kennedy – 8^th in Psychology.

Top ten placings, not in the top 25%, included Chloe DeBusk – 8^th in Music, and Hannah Beel – 9^th in Accounting.

* Drivers identified from Oct. 22 injury accident

(Posted 7 a.m. Oct. 31)

The Brown County Sheriff’s Department has released the names of the drivers involved in the two-vehicle accident that occurred Oct. 22 on Highway 20.

The accident occurred at the intersection of Highway 20 and 429^th Avenue west of Ainsworth between a southbound 1994 Ford Mustang and a westbound 2001 International semi.

The sheriff’s department identified the driver of the Mustang as Harley Holloway, 41, of Ainsworth. Holloway was transported to the Brown County Hospital for treatment of injuries suffered during the collision.

The semi was driven by Fabian Figueroa-Perez, 38, of West Point. He was not injured. The Ford was considered a total loss. The International sustained damage but was able to be driven from the scene after minor roadside repair.

The sheriff’s department had previously not released the names of the drivers involved.

The sheriff’s department has not released any information as of yet from the vehicle accident Thursday, Oct. 26, on Highway 7 that prompted the response of the Ainsworth Volunteer Fire Department and Brown County Ambulance Association.

* Nebraska’s jobless rate remains among lowest in U.S.

(Posted 3 p.m. Oct. 30)

Nebraska’s preliminary unemployment rate for September is 2.1 percent. The rate is up 0.1 percentage points from the August rate of 2.0 percent and is down 0.5 percentage points from the September 2022 rate of 2.6 percent.

Nebraska’s unemployment rate was the sixth lowest in the nation in September. Maryland’s jobless rate dipped all the way to 1.6 percent in September. Vermont, North Dakota and South Dakota tied for the second lowest rate in September at 1.9 percent. New Hampshire was just ahead of Nebraska at 2.0 percent.

Nevada had the highest September rate in the country at 5.4 percent, followed by California at 4.7 percent, New Jersey and Illinois at 4.4 percent, and Alaska, Delaware, Kentucky and Texas at 4.1 percent.

The national unemployment rate for September is 3.8 percent, unchanged from the August rate. The rate is up 0.3 percentage points from the September 2022 rate of 3.5 percent.

“Manufacturing employment remained strong in September in Nebraska, increasing slightly from August,” Commissioner of Labor John Albin said. “The number of filled jobs in manufacturing has exceeded 100,000 since October of 2021.”

Nonfarm employment in Nebraska, a count of filled jobs, was 1,046,908 in September, up 4,738 since August and up 15,249 from September 2022. 

Private industries with the most growth from August to September were private education and health services (up 1,903 jobs); trade, transportation, and utilities (up 450 jobs); and manufacturing (up 378 jobs).  

Private industries with the most since September 2022 were private education and health services (up 4,602 jobs); trade, transportation, and utilities (up 3,620 jobs); and manufacturing (up 2,936 jobs).

Brown County’s September unemployment was 2.3 percent, slightly above the state average. Blaine County had the highest unemployment rate in the state in September at 3.4 percent.

Rock County shared the lowest unemployment rate in the state in September at 1.4 percent with Boone, Perkins and Hayes counties.

Holt County’s September rate of 1.5 percent was also among the best in the state, followed closely by Cherry County at 1.6 percent.

Both Keya Paha County at 2.4 percent and Boyd County at 2.2 percent were slightly above the state average in September.

The counts of employed and unemployed in the labor force are based on a survey conducted by the Census Bureau regarding employment status.

* Brown County Sheriff’s Department weekly summary

(Posted 6:45 a.m. Oct. 30)

October 22

• Brown County Sheriff’s Department as well as the Brown County Ambulance and Brown County Rural Fire Department responded to an Accident 1-½ miles west of Ainsworth. One individual was transported to the Brown County Hospital.
• Officers responded to a report of Child Abuse and neglect in Ainsworth, One Individual was arrested and Booked into the Brown County Jail.
• Officers issued a Citation for speeding. 79 mph in a 65-mph zone.
• Officer responded to a report of a stray dog on Oak St in Ainsworth, dog was taken to the Ainsworth Vet Clinic.

October 23

• Officer responded to a request for traffic control for a cattle Crossing South of Ainsworth.

October 24

• Brown County Ambulance transferred a Patient from the Brown County Hospital to Kearney.
• Released an Individual on Bond from the Brown County Jail

October 25

• Officer responded to a report of an Accident at 5^th and Wilson in Ainsworth. One individual was issued a Citation for failure to Yield Right of Way
• Released an Individual on Bond from the Brown County Jail

October 26

• Brown County Sheriff’s Office, Brown County Ambulance, and Brown County Rural Fire Department responded to a Rollover Accident South of Ainsworth on Highway 7
• Brown County Ambulance transported one Individual from Scene of Accident to the Brown County Hospital.

October 27

• Officers responded to a request for Traffic Control for a Cattle Crossing at highway 20 and Moon Lake Road.
• Officers arrested an Individual for Criminal Mischief and Disturbing the Peace in Ainsworth. The Individual was Booked into the Brown County Jail.
• Brown County Ambulance was on Standby for the Football Game.
• Received a report of Cattle out on Moon Lake Road. The Owner was contacted and indicated that he would go get them in.

October 28

• Released and Individual from the Brown County Jail on Bond.
• Brown County Ambulance Responded to a call to an apartment complex in Ainsworth.
• Received a report of Credit Card Fraud in Ainsworth. This incident is still under investigation.
• Responded to a report of Vandalism on 6^th St in Ainsworth.

WEEKLY SUMMARY TOTALS
INCIDENT REPORTS:  16
PHONE CALLS: 177
911 CALLS:  16
VIN INSPECTIONS:  3
HANDGUN PURCHASE PERMITS: 3
PAPERS SERVED: 7

* Traffic Accidents

(Posted 6:45 a.m. Oct. 27)

The Brown County Sheriff’s Department investigated a one-vehicle accident that occurred Friday, Oct. 20, on Highway 20.

According to the sheriff’s department report, at 6:10 p.m. Oct. 20 on Highway 20 near milepost 250, a 2019 Suzuki 1500 motorcycle, driven by Dustin Privett, 25, of Ainsworth, was traveling east when the motorcycle left the roadway while navigating a curve.

No injuries were reported. The Suzuki was considered a total loss.

The sheriff’s department investigated a two-vehicle accident that occurred Wednesday, Oct. 25, in Ainsworth.

According to the report, at 5:13 p.m., a collision occurred at the intersection of North Wilson Street and Fifth Street between a 1995 Ford F-150, driven by Benjamin Hecht, 24, of Ainsworth, and a 2020 Jeep Wrangler, driven by Lisa Pinney, 58, of Ainsworth.

No injuries were reported. Damage to the Ford was estimated at $500. The Jeep sustained approximately $1,500 damage.

* Jaws of Life required during Sunday collision

(Posted 2:45 p.m. Oct. 24)

A two-vehicle accident Sunday, Oct. 22, west of Ainsworth resulted in a driver being injured and trapped inside a vehicle.

According to the Brown County Sheriff’s Department, at 6:39 p.m. Sunday on Highway 20 at the intersection of 429^th Avenue, a 1994 Ford Mustang, driven by a 41-year-old whose name the sheriff’s department is not yet identifying, was traveling south on 429^th Avenue and was attempting to cross Highway 20 when a collision occurred with a westbound 2001 International semi, driven by a 38-year-old whose name has also not been released.

The collision trapped the 41-year-old motorist inside the Mustang. The Ainsworth Volunteer Fire Department utilized its jaws of life equipment to extricate the driver from the vehicle. Once freed from the wreckage, the motorist was transported by the Brown County Ambulance Association to the Brown County Hospital for treatment of injuries suffered during the collision.

The semi driver was not hurt in the accident. The Ford was considered to be a total loss. The semi underwent some minor repairs at the scene and was then able to be driven from the scene. A damage assessment on the International semi was not yet complete.

* Rock County Board unanimously approves cooperative

(Posted 3 p.m. Oct. 23)

The east side bleachers of the Rock County High School gym were full Monday as the Rock County Public Schools Board of Education held a special meeting, with one of the agenda items being whether to renew the sports cooperative with Keya Paha County for the 2024-25 and 2025-26 school years.

Board President Tim Shaw opened the meeting for comments from visitors, and approximately 25 current and former students, former board members, current and former coaches, parents and members of the public spoke, all of them in support of the cooperative continuing.

Jim Nelson, who has driven the school bus for years to sporting events, said it wasn’t easy for the two boards to iron out the cooperative originally.

“The first year, the Keya Paha and Rock County students sat separately on the bus,” Nelson said. “Within a couple years, you couldn’t tell them apart.”

Nelson said the cooperative has worked well for both schools, and it has enabled a lot of friendships among students, parents and members of the communities.

Nelson said Keya Paha County has always paid for half of the expenses with the cooperative no matter how many students from Keya Paha County were participating.

“I don’t want to see the co-op diminish,” Nelson said.

Former Keya Paha County Public Schools Board member Brian Munger said, years ago, former Rock County Principal Steve Camp referred to the cooperative as a marriage.

“He was a champion of this co-op,” Munger said. “Marriages take work. There is now a new administration. We need a new champion for this co-op.”

Sharina Ammon said the two members of the cooperative need to work together.

“We need each other,” Ammon said. “You have to make it work. Neither school would have had the success we have had without the other. Talk about it, renegotiate it if necessary, but don’t get rid of it.”

Former coach Gary Bussinger highlighted all the success North Central has seen in numerous sports since the cooperative formed, from football to basketball to track and field. He said the co-op has given numerous athletes additional exposure that led to college scholarships. He said the cooperative has given both communities a sense of pride, and alumni from both schools travel long distances to support the teams when they have qualified for state competition.

“I don’t want to see the young kids miss out on these opportunities,” Bussinger said.

Kurt Leonard said he owned land in both Rock County and Keya Paha County, and he was in favor of the cooperative continuing.

“What is the added cost to the taxpayers if it dissolves?” Leonard asked.

Sareese Hollenbeck said the cooperative was formed during her seventh-grade year. She said small communities need each other and need to work together.

“I am disappointed in how this was done,” Hollenbeck said. “This blind-sided a lot of people.”

Les Hall said he was on the school board when the cooperative formed.

“We tried to take something positive out of every meeting,” Hall said. “It wasn’t always easy.”

Hall said there are two committees that are supposed to handle any issues with the cooperative before anything ever reaches the full school board.

“It was not handled that way here,” Hall said. “If there were issues, three board members from each school hashed it out with the administrators. We always said the co-op was 50-50, or as close as it could be. We worked to get this done because we believed in the impact it would have on the kids.”

He urged the board to step back and look at the impact it would have on both communities if the cooperative were to dissolve.

Travis Mundorf said he had a son participating in third and fourth grade youth basketball, and without kids from both schools, there would not have been enough for a team at several tournaments.

“You may have good numbers now, but a few years from now you will be right back in the same boat,” Mundorf said.

Randy Stolcpart said he was one of the first coaches of the North Central Knights.

“The numbers switch,” Stolcpart said. “The kids have worked together so well.”

He urged the board to continue the cooperative.

Cindy Libolt urged the board to do what was best for both communities. She said she just found out about the meeting on social media, and wondered how many people didn’t know anything about Monday’s meeting.

Bruce Ferguson told the board the two communities are as one when it comes to sporting events.

“We cheer for each other,” Ferguson said. “Let’s stay that way.”

Jeep Cozad said there was currently too much division between the schools. He said eventually the cooperative would likely also need to include Ainsworth and Stuart. He said he met people from Springview through the cooperative he likely would otherwise have never known.

“We need better communication,” Cozad said.

Janessa Sawyer told the board she came from a community in Montana that was torn apart by something exactly like this.

“My favorite thing about the Sandhills is we all pull together for each other,” Sawyer said. “Sports bring communities together. We have to stay together. I hope you understand the impact of this.”

Current Keya Paha County Public Schools Activities Director Mike Stephen said he was a coach during the initial discussion of forming the cooperative.

“I was the reason why the first co-op didn’t go,” Stephen said. “I am not proud of it.”

Stephen said, at the time, he felt the Keya Paha County football team had enough players to have success alone.

“I had to take a hard look at myself as AD on what was best for the kids,” Stephen said.

Stephen said, in 16 years of the cooperative, the Knight football team made the state playoffs nine times. Neither Rock County nor Keya Paha County had ever been to state in girls basketball. Stephen said everyone knows what those North Central teams have done.

He urged the board to continue the cooperative.

Freshman Zoey Snyder told the board she just had the chance to go to state cross country as a team because of the cooperative.

“It was an honor to get to go,” Snyder said. “We are the North Central Knights.”

Tamra Blake told the board she remembered thinking how great it would have been to have the cooperative in place when she was in school, because the two teams separately didn’t have a lot of success when she was a student.

“My oldest is a seventh grader,” Blake said. “I don’t want to see this go away.”

Blake said she received a survey because she was the parent of a seventh grade through senior student. She said she thinks everyone should have had the opportunity to take a survey. Blake said she had no idea the survey was really about whether the cooperative should continue.

“I think this has been handled poorly,” Blake said. “When you send out a survey, you should tell people why. November is when this has to go to the NSAA. Why is this conversation happening only now?”

Ann Marie Kepler, a Keya Paha County Public Schools Board member, said this entire episode was unnecessary.

“Our bylaws state things like this are to be discussed in the summer,” Kepler said. “Nothing was discussed in the summer.”

Amy Johnson said she has been bringing kids for sports from Springview to Bassett since before they were in kindergarten, and has volunteered as a youth coach.

“These kids hear,” Johnson said. “They are going to believe what they hear. They should know how much we support them. If culture is an issue, it should start from the top down.”

Erin Moravec said many members of both communities were blind-sided that this was even a discussion.

“I feel terrible for the Springview people here and I apologize to all of you,” Moravec said. “We were blind-sided too.”

Kyle Linse, an assistant coach for the Knight football team, said he was a sophomore when the cooperative started. He said the additional players and competition in practice made the team better.

“However this wedge came about, you can see it now in the kids at practice,” Linse said. “There was a lot of work that went into this, and we have had a lot of good seasons.”

North Central wrestling coach Zac Zeigler said Springview was never a wrestling town before the cooperative. Now, he said about 50 percent of the wrestling team is from Keya Paha County.

“I would hate to see it split up,” Zeigler said.

Following the public discussion, Rock County Public Schools Superintendent Mark Otten thanked everyone for addressing the board.

“It is not easy to come speak,” Otten said.

He said he believed the school board handled the issue exactly how it needed to. He said only four of the six board members were present during the regular meeting in October. He said, had the board taken a vote that night and it would have been a vote to dissolve, he didn’t believe that would have been the right thing to do.

Otten said he set about providing the board with additional enrollment and participation information and sent out a survey to give the board additional information to consider at this meeting.

Board member Leah Hagan said, “Dissolving was never a conversation. We heard some concerns, so we just held a discussion. I would have done this differently in hindsight.”

Hagan said she was 100 percent encouraged by the passion shown by the speakers and those in attendance Monday.

“We can change the narrative and let everyone know North Central is here to stay,” Hagan said. “We need to show the kids we are behind them 100 percent.”

The board unanimously voted to approve the cooperative for the 2024-25 and 2025-26 school years.

In other business during Monday’s special meeting, the board discussed the three proposals submitted for the building improvement project that has been under consideration. The board approved ranking Sampson Construction as its first choice to serve as the contractor for the project, with BD Construction the second choice and Hausman Construction the third choice.

Board member Mark Klemesrud said the committee felt Sampson Construction had the best proposal and could complete the project within the board’s preferred time frame before the next school year started.

The board approved Sampson Construction as its first choice and approved having Otten negotiate a contract between the company and the school for the construction project.

The board also approved declaring a food service warming table as surplus equipment and accept bids for its purchase.

The next meeting of the Rock County Public Schools Board of Education is scheduled for 7 p.m. Nov. 13.

State Cross Country Runner-Up – The Ainsworth girls cross country team finished as the Class D Runner-Up Friday at the Kearney Country Club, and Bulldog senior Katherine Kerrigan was the Class D individual champion. More can be found on the Sports Page. Team members are, left to right: Coach Katie Winters, Preselyn Goochey, Kiley Orton, Tessa Barthel, Katherine Kerrigan, Emma Kennedy and Coach Trey Schlueter.

* Traffic Accidents

(Posted 6:45 a.m. Oct. 23)

The Brown County Sheriff’s Department investigated a one-vehicle accident that occurred Thursday, Oct. 12, in Ainsworth.

According to the sheriff’s department report, at 3 a.m. Oct. 12 on North Volunteer Drive near the Richardson Drive intersection, a 2001 Ford Escape, driven by Atley Titus, 19, of Ainsworth, was traveling south when the vehicle slid off the roadway during a rainstorm and struck a tree.

No injuries were reported. Damage to the Ford was estimated at $7,000.

The Brown County Sheriff’s Department investigated a one-vehicle accident that occurred Friday, Oct. 13, on Highway 20.

According to the sheriff’s department report, at 10 a.m. Oct. 13 on Highway 20 near milepost 227, a 2021 Chevy Silverado, driven by William Meyer, 53, of Norfolk, was traveling west when the vehicle struck a deer in the roadway.

No persons were injured during the accident. Damage to the Chevy was estimated at $1,500.

* Brown County Sheriff’s Department weekly summary

(Posted 6:30 a.m. Oct. 23)

October 15

• Responded to a Report of Barking Dogs in Ainsworth
• Received a report of Harassment in Ainsworth

October 16

• Ainsworth Fire Department responded to a report of a smell of Propane behind a Business on Main St in Ainsworth.

October 17

• Responded to a request for traffic control for a cattle Crossing South of Ainsworth
• Responded to a City Ordinance Violation in reference to a Property on Walnut St being overgrown with weeds.
• Brown County Ambulance responded to an Ainsworth Residence where the resident had fallen down.

October 18

• Responded to a Complaint about a vehicle being driven erratically eastbound on Highway 20
• Issued a Citation for speeding 11-15 mph over the Speed Limit
• Issued a Citation for failing to display License Plate

October 19

• Responded to a call to a Disabled Semi on the Pine Creek Bridge in Long Pine.
• Brown County Ambulance on Standby for the Football Game

October 20

• Responded to a report of a non-resident vehicle that had been parked on Oak St for over 76 hours.
• Received a Call about a silver pickup acting Suspiciously on South St. The caller reported a few minutes later that the vehicle had left.
• Responded to a report of a Motorcycle Accident East of the Long Pine State Park turnoff.
• Responded to a report of a suspected theft on N Oak St.
• Fire Department Advised they would be Escorting the XC Team to town and would be giving a lights and Siren Parade down Main St.
• Issued 2 Citations for speeding 11-15 mph over the Speed limit.
• Issued a Citation for No Motorcycle Operator License.
• Issued Citation for speeding 16-20 MPH over the Speed Limit

October 21

• Citation issued for no Proof of Insurance.
• Responded to a report of theft on Norden Rd near Johnstown.
• Responded to a Welfare Check Request. Officers assured that Individuals were all OK

WEEKLY SUMMARY
INCIDENT REPORTS:  17
PHONE CALLS: 169
911 CALLS:  6
VIN INSPECTIONS: 2
HANDGUN PURCHASE PERMITS:  3
PAPERS SERVED: 2

* Bassett Airport receives NDOT grant

(Posted 4:45 p.m. Oct. 20)

The Nebraska Department of Transportation Division of Aeronautics announced that $1.56 million in state funding was awarded to Nebraska airports at Bassett and Bloomfield. The funding represents the largest allocation in recent history because of the passage of LB 138 and 727.

Projects approved for funding by the Nebraska Aeronautics Commission include:

1. Bassett: Pavement Maintenance, $40,000
2. Bloomfield: Complete Runway Rehabilitation, $1,523,610

“We’re happy to partner with our local airports to help support them in their critical functions,” said Jeremy Borrell, Director of Aeronautics. “We understand the importance of these airports to the communities’ agricultural productivity, economic development, healthcare access, and greater regional needs.”

Both projects are critical to preserving existing assets in Nebraska’s robust rural aviation system. The use of state funds will help both airports continue to serve their customers as they have for years to come.

* Council approves CD for unspent fire department funds

(Posted 6:45 a.m. Oct. 19)

The Ainsworth City Council on Tuesday approved placing money not spent by the Ainsworth Volunteer Fire Department into a certificate of deposit to collect interest and allow the department to save toward a major purchase.

The fire department did not spend $15,062 of its budgeted funds during the 2022-23 fiscal year.

City Administrator Lisa Schroedl said additional unspent fire department funds from previous years amounted to $81,354. Those funds were currently in a money market account.

Following discussion, the council approved placing all of the fire department’s unspent funds into a certificate of deposit with West Plains Bank at an interest rate of 5.03 percent, leaving $1,000 in a money market account.

In other business, the council discussed its insurance premiums and deductibles through the League Association of Risk Management. After debating different deductibles and the associated premiums, the council opted for $1,000 deductibles for vehicle and property insurance coverage, added sewer backup coverage and leave in place a $5 million liability insurance policy for law enforcement.

The council approved an amendment to its professional services agreement with Olsson Associates for the North Main Street paving project.

Schroedl said the original agreement with Olsson Associates lacked some of the language required by the Community Development Block Grant program. Since the city received $433,000 in CDBG funding for the paving project, the council just needed to add that language to the contract with Olsson Associates. She said nothing else with the contract was changing.

In a related item, the council approved an ordinance authorizing the issuance of highway allocation bonds not to exceed $350,000 to fund the North Main Street paving project.

The council signed a resolution affirming its program compliance with the Nebraska Board of Public Roads Classifications and Standards. Schroedl said the city typically receives about $275,000 in highway allocation funds from the Department of Transportation, with an additional $3,000 for having a certified streets superintendent. Lloyd Smith with Niobrara Valley Consultants serves as the city’s streets superintendent.

Schroedl said the resolution certifies to the state that the city complies with all the necessary reporting required by the state. She said the city no longer has to send those documents to the state each year, it only has to certify that it has the documents on hand if requested by the state.

The council approved continued membership in the Lexington Area Solid Waste Agency and appointed Bruce Papstein as the city’s representative on the agency’s board of directors. Schroedl will serve as the city’s alternate representative to the board.

The council also approved a special designated liquor license for Sandhills Lounge of Long Pine to serve alcohol during the annual Pheasants Forever banquet scheduled for Nov. 3 in the Ainsworth Conference Center.

During her report, Schroedl said the fire suppression and alarm system in the Conference Center was having issues, and Nebraska Fire and Safety did not have parts to repair the current system due to its age. She said she was able to search online and find replacement parts, as a new fire suppression system would cost between $20,000 and $30,000.

Prior to adjourning, the council went into executive session to discuss ongoing litigation involving the city.

The next meeting of the Ainsworth City Council is scheduled for 5 p.m. Nov. 8.

* Traffic Accident

(Posted 6:30 a.m. Oct. 19)

The Brown County Sheriff’s Department investigated a vehicle-deer accident that occurred Tuesday, Oct. 10.

According to the sheriff’s department report, at 7:43 p.m. Oct. 10 on Highway 183 near milepost 198, a 2021 Ford Escape, driven by Randy Stolcpart, 75, of Springview, was traveling south when the vehicle struck a deer in the roadway.

No persons were injured during the accident. Damage to the Ford was estimated at $5,000.

* Brinks sweep Week 8 KBRB Football Contest

(Posted 2:15 p.m. Oct. 18)

During the final week of the KBRB Football Contest, one contestant missed just one game to take the top spot.

In a week that saw several even matchups, Roger Brink of Atkinson missed only Illinois’ victory on the road against 5-1 Maryland. Brink was the only contestant to miss one game, earning him the $40 first-place certificate.

Three contestants missed just two games, which sent us to the tie-breaker. With Nebraska on a bye week, it was Notre Dame’s 48-20 domination of USC that served to break ties.

Mike Swan of Springview, Charlie Pagel of Lincoln and Maxine Brink of Atkinson each missed two games on the Week 8 card, and each picked USC to win the tie-breaker. That sent us to the closest to the actual score. Pagel picked the Trojans, 27-24, missing the total by 31 points. Maxine Brink picked a 31-28 final, also missing the total by 31 points. Swan picked the Trojans, 38-27, to miss by 39 points.

With two contestants still tied, that sent us to the final tie-break, the card that was submitted the earliest. By that final tie-break Maxine Brink of Atkinson earns the $20 second-place certificate for Week 8.

KBRB thanks everyone who filled out cards this year, there was again great participation from the entire area. Winners may pick up their certificates from the KBRB Studios or make arrangements to have cards delivered by the KBRB sports crew.

Certificates may be redeemed for merchandise from any contest sponsor, which this year included Buckles Automotive in Ainsworth, Speedee Mart locations at Ainsworth and Atkinson, Long Pine Lumber, the West Plains Bank of Springview, Circle B Livestock of Bassett, and the Tri County Bank branch locations at Stuart, Atkinson and Bassett.

* Commissioners hear request to close road

(Posted 7 a.m. Oct. 18)

The Brown County Commissioners on Tuesday heard a request from a property owner in the southern part of the county to close a county road that leads to his home.

Max Fay told the board his is the only residence on the stretch of dedicated county road and he owns the land on both sides.

“I would like the ability to be able to work on the road when we need to,” Fay said.

He thanked the roads department for plowing the road open following snows and for the maintenance the county provided.

“The road comes right to our house and corrals,” Fay said. “Closing the road would save the county a little money and would give me more control. Most people already think it is a private drive. The road doesn’t even have a name.”

Highway Superintendent Kenny Turpin said the road may actually be platted to continue past Fay’s house, but he would have to go back and check some older county maps. Fay said the road would have to go through a wetland area to continue past his house, and there had been no road beyond his place since at least the 1970s.

Commissioner Buddy Small said his only concern with closing the road was the property located beyond Fay’s. Fay said he had rented that ground for the past 12 years and had always had a good relationship with the neighboring property owner.

“They already have to go across our property to get to theirs,” Fay said. “I would never stop them from being able to get to their property.”

County Attorney Andy Taylor said the first step toward making an official request to close a county road would be for Fay to start a petition and get the signatures of any neighboring property owners. He said if access to one parcel was an issue, Fay could grant an easement to that property owner to solve that access issue.

“I can work with you on how the petition process works,” Taylor said.

Turpin said finding enough people who own property near that road would be difficult.

Taylor said, following the submittal of a petition, Turpin would have to conduct a study to determine how much traffic uses the road. Fay said that would be pretty easy, as it was only his family who used the road currently.

The commissioners would then conduct a public hearing to see if there were any objections to closing the road before making a final determination on whether to close the road.

In another roads item Tuesday, Don Fling addressed the board regarding right of way issues on property located near Rauscher Avenue between Road 880 and Road 881. Fling said, after requesting to appear on the agenda, he and Turpin had worked out some of the issues he had. He did ask the commissioners for reimbursement for a survey he paid to have conducted at the site.

“The county needed to know where the right of way was, so I would like reimbursement on that,” Fling said.

He said the cost to have the site surveyed was $1,313. Commissioner Denny Bauer said it was only fair that the county reimburse Fling for that expense, and the board approved paying for the cost of the survey. Taylor asked Fling to present a bill to the county to be reimbursed.

The commissioners continued discussion but took no action on setting regulations for the community fishing pond located east of the Brown County Hospital.

Sheriff Brent Deibler said he didn’t have anything the board needed to put on paper, but he was concerned about the potential of people parking along First Street to use the pond. He said he didn’t want residents on First Street in the area unable to park near their residences.

“I feel it is important to have a parking lot,” Deibler said.

He also suggested no motorized vehicles be allowed around the pond other than the parking area.

Audience member Graig Kinzie said a parking lot would be created on the east side of the pond near the handicap-accessible pier. Kinzie said he did not anticipate people parking on First Street being an issue.

The issue of trash was discussed. Kinzie said he hoped to have a trash receptacle placed at the site that could be emptied a couple times each month. Audience member Tigh Goochey said she did not want to see people dumping trash at the site.

“It is dark back there, it would be easy to dump something,” Goochey said.

The board discussed setting hours when the pond could be utilized by the public, with Commissioner Buddy Small suggesting sunrise to sunset as the hours the pond would be open. Commissioner Jeremiah Dailey agreed there needed to be a shut-off time each day so the sheriff’s department had the ability to provide enforcement if people were out there late at night.

The board also discussed signage prohibiting motorized vehicles and a sign that would indicate people would be allowed to ice fish, ice skate or kayak at their own risk.

Bauer said it would also be a good idea for alcohol to be prohibited at the site. The board took no official action but would again discuss potential regulations during its Nov. 21 meeting.

During his report, Turpin said the roads department had been blading roads following the recent heavy rain, and would probably spend the next week doing the same.

He requested the ability for the roads department to utilize a surplus vehicle from the sheriff’s department. He said the tan Ford the roads department currently had from the sheriff’s department had some issues.

Deibler said the department’s black pickup had a little more than 80,000 miles on it. He said the vehicle had some issues but all the radios and lights had been taken out of it which should take care of the problems it had.

Turpin said he contacted Lance Harter to see if he was interested in working with the county on the recent isolated land request filed by Grant Kobes with the county for the former Long Lake site. Turpin said Harter declined to work on the project and recommended the county utilize someone who had more experience with the isolated land statute. Turpin said he would contact Miller and Associates to serve as the possible engineer for the project.

The highway superintendent said he had visited the site with neighboring property owner Greg Wales, and a direct route was discussed that might be amenable to the neighboring property owners. He said the direct route would require the construction of less than a mile of road.

“The longer the route the more everyone will suffer,” Turpin said.

Taylor said if the landowners in the area were okay with that route he would contact Kobes and his attorney to let them know.

“We just want to find a route that works for everyone,” Taylor said.

Taylor encouraged Turpin to approach the neighboring property owners with the suggested route.

Turpin asked if the county had to use its own forces to construct the road or if the roads department could use a contractor. He said a contractor would be able to get the work done faster.

Taylor said state statute indicated the county was responsible for constructing the road, but Turpin could ask Kobes if he was agreeable to the county using a contractor.

In a final roads item, the board approved a resolution of the county’s annual certification of program compliance with the Nebraska Board of Public Roads Classifications and Standards.

The board held an executive session to discuss pending litigation. No action was taken following the executive session. The next meeting of the Brown County Commissioners is scheduled for 1:15 p.m. Nov. 7.

* Stracke named UN-L homecoming queen finalist

(Posted 3:45 p.m. Oc. 17)

Twenty senior students have been selected as University of Nebraska–Lincoln homecoming royalty finalists.

The royalty winners will be elected by the student body in an online vote Oct. 25 and 26. They will be crowned Oct. 28 at halftime of the Nebraska vs. Purdue football game, which kicks off at 2:30 p.m. in Memorial Stadium.

Among the 10 finalists for University of Nebraska-Lincoln homecoming queen is Madison Stracke of Stuart. Stracke is pursuing a degree in agricultural education.

* Traffic Accident

(Posted 7:30 a.m. Oct. 16)

The Brown County Sheriff’s Department investigated a two-vehicle accident that occurred Sunday, Oct. 8, at the Dollar General parking lot in Ainsworth.

According to the sheriff’s department report, at 12:15 p.m. Oct. 8, a 2019 Dodge Ram, driven by Douglas O’Hare, 68, of Ainsworth, was backing from a parking spot and struck a parked 2019 Chevy Traverse, owned by Heather Walnofer of Ainsworth. No injuries were reported. Damage to the Chevy was estimated at $1,500. The Dodge did not sustain any damage.

* Fernau, McNally crowned AHS homecoming royalty

(Posted 7 a.m. Oct. 16)

Homecoming royalty was crowned Friday following Ainsworth’s 40-0 victory over Boyd County that capped the second straight undefeated regular season for the Bulldogs.

Breanna Fernau was crowned the 2023 Ainsworth High School homecoming queen, and Traegan McNally was voted as the homecoming king. Fernau was nominated by the senior class, and McNally was nominated by the A Club.

Katherine Kerrigan was named the homecoming princess, with Trey Appelt the homecoming prince.

* Brown County Sheriff’s Department weekly summary

(Posted 6:45 a.m. Oct. 16)

October 8

• Responded to a report of a Domestic altercation in Ainsworth Individual was Arrested and Booked into the Brown County Jail.
• Issued a Citation for Speeding 11-15 mph over the speed limit
• Investigated an Accident in the Dollar General parking Lot
• Received a report of Unlicensed and Unflagged 4 wheelers and ATV’s Running around town and not following traffic rules
• Received report of Suspicious Activity at the Community Center
• Brown County Ambulance Responded to a Lift Assist Request at an Ainsworth Residence

October 9

• Participated in a Special Detail In Ainsworth.
• Responded to a Lift Assist request at an Ainsworth Residence
• Received a Trespass complaint/ This is under continuing Investigation.

October 10

• Responded to a report of an Out-of-Control Juvenile in Long Pine. Minor was charged with Domestic Assault.
• Responded to a report of A Suspicious Vehicle parked behind some trees off Hiway 20
• Responded to a call to a Car/Deer Accident on Highway 183.
• Responded to a request for a Welfare Check in Long Pine.
• Released a Subject from the Brown County Jail on Bond.

October 11

• Responded to a report of Theft of Services at a Local Business.
• Brown County Ambulance responded to a call indicating an Individual was in Distress in Ainsworth.

October 12

• Responded to a report of Harassment of and Individual in Ainsworth
• Responded to a report of theft from a local business. Investigation is on-going.
• Individual in office to report a vehicle not stopping for the stop arm on the School Bus
• Investigated a non-injury accident in Ainsworth.
• Brown County Ambulance responded to a Call from the Ainsworth Community Schools.

October 13

• Individual in Office to report vandalism of mailboxes along Hiway 20 West of Town.
• Responded to a Car/Deer Accident West of Johnstown
• Responded to a report and Animal Cruelty and Neglect in Johnstown
• Brown County Ambulance was on Standby for the Football Game
• Officers at Ainsworth High School for the Homecoming Dance
• Responded to a Noise complaint at an Ainsworth Apartment Complex

October 14

• Issued a Citation for Speeding 11-15 mph over the speed limit.
• Received a complaint about a local business, Individual was told it was a civil matter.
• Responded to a complaint about an abandoned vehicle near the Yellowthroat turn off on Highway 7 South of Ainsworth.
• Responded to a complaint about young people riding 4 wheelers without flags and helmets.
• Arrested an Individual on a Warrant and booked into the Brown County Jail.

WEEKLY SUMMARY TOTALS
INCIDENT REPORTS: 28
PHONE CALLS: 151
911 CALLS:  8
VIN INSPECTIONS:  3
HANDGUN PURCHASE PERMITS: 3
BURN PERMITS ISSUED: 3
PAPERS SERVED: 1

* NSAA names Believers & Achievers

(Posted 10:15 a.m. Oct. 13)

Currency and the Nebraska School Activities Association announced the 2023-24 Believers & Achievers. Believers & Achievers is a statewide program designed to give recognition to Nebraska’s future leaders.

Beginning this month and continuing through April, 48 Nebraska high school seniors will be recognized as Believers & Achievers. From those 48 finalists, eight will receive $500 scholarships from Currency to use for the college or university of their choice at a scholarship banquet to be held on April 21, 2024.

Area students named as Believers & Achievers by the NSAA are Brynn Almgren of Stuart, Finley Mosner of Valentine, Elizabeth Kersch of Boyd County, and Keeley Chavez of O’Neill.

* Niobrara recognized as first “Quiet Place” in U.S.

(Posted 6:30 a.m. Oct. 13)

The Niobrara National Scenic River received an official “Quiet Trail” award from Quiet Parks International in recognition of the river corridor’s pristine natural soundscape largely free from man-made noise. Quiet Parks International, a non-profit organization based in California, studies and recognizes quiet places worldwide, encouraging everyone to safeguard these areas for future enjoyment. A ceremony will take place at 11 a.m. Friday, Oct. 20, in the Niobrara National Scenic River visitor center at Valentine.

Cuifeng Lake Circular Trail, Taipingshan National Forest, Taiwan became the world’s first Quiet Trail in 2022. Niobrara National Scenic Trail will become the second Quiet Trail in the world and first in North America.

“The Niobrara Council is proud to receive the award for the Niobrara National Scenic River.  The Council represents members from all four of the counties within the scenic designation.” Kalli Kieborz, Executive Director of the Niobrara Council, said.

This award culminates a two-year process that included paddling the full length of the designated Niobrara Wild and Scenic River to collect qualitative and quantitative acoustic data. 

Gordon Hempton, Co-Founder of Quiet Parks International, said, “Our testing process is very exact.  Beyond collecting standard acoustic data, each team member must agree, unanimously, that natural quiet prevailed throughout the testing period. The Niobrara River’s splendid geologic landscape, unusual atmospheric conditions, and outstanding wildlife all contributed toward a positive outcome.”

Rural states offer an opportunity to showcase quiet, unspoiled areas amidst a noisy world. Today, as people increasingly become inundated with noise, the intentional seeking-out of quiet areas is on the rise and with it, the opportunity to engage new travelers in visiting the beautiful, yet still largely hidden gems of the state of Nebraska.

“Nebraska is filled with unique, even one-of-a-kind opportunities for the curious and adventurous visitor, and adding this Quiet Park award to the list is quite an honor,” said John Ricks, Nebraska Tourism Commission executive director. “From stargazing to serene natural escapes, it highlights experiences that Nebraska is becoming known for that cannot be enjoyed in many other places.”

Cook said, “Quiet is rare globally, as 97% of the U.S. population faces noise pollution from sources like aviation and highways. Finding places to experience the pure sounds of nature is becoming increasingly scarce. You can experience this at Niobrara National Scenic River.”

In 2021, Quiet Parks International conducted testing of the river during a four-day kayak trip through the Nationally Scenic designated 76-mile stretch of the Niobrara River corridor to determine it met the criteria as a quiet place. Using specialized equipment like high-sensitivity microphones and sound-pressure level meters, researchers discovered extended periods of pristine natural sounds, largely unaffected by man.

The Niobrara River is renowned for its beauty, ecological importance, and recreational appeal in the northern Great Plains. Six major ecosystems converge in the Niobrara National Scenic River valley, resulting in a special mix of about 160 plant and animal species.

Hundreds of springs and wetlands covering 12,600 square miles feed the Niobrara River as it flows through the Sandhills—one of the largest grass-stabilized dune regions in the world. The scenic river traverses various rock formations and features more than 230 waterfalls in its western stretch. This combination of stunning natural beauty and scientific importance makes the Niobrara River a compelling destination.

* Two perfect football contest cards submitted

(Posted 11:30 a.m. Oct. 11)

The first two perfect cards of the season were submitted during Week 7 of the KBRB Football Contest, one from Springview and one from Ainsworth.

Both Brett Fernau of Ainsworth and Michelle Adulaju of Springview were correct on all 14 high school and college games on the Week 7 card.

With two perfect cards submitted, that sent us to the tie-break to determine the winner. The tie-breaker game was Nebraska’s 20-7 victory over Illinois. Adulaju picked the Huskers to win, 17-14, while Fernau had the Illini winning, 21-14. That gives Michelle Adulaju the $40 first-place certificate for Week 7, with Brett Fernau receiving the $20 second-place certificate.

Seven contestants missed just one game on the Week 7 card.

Winners may pick up their certificates from the KBRB Studios or make arrangements with the KBRB sports crew to have cards delivered.

Week 8 KBRB Football Contest cards are available now from Buckles Automotive in Ainsworth, Speedee Mart locations at Ainsworth and Atkinson, Long Pine Lumber, the West Plains Bank of Springview, Circle B Livestock of Bassett, and from Tri County Bank branch locations at Stuart, Atkinson and Bassett. Certificates can be redeemed for merchandise from any contest sponsor.

Cards must be submitted by 4 p.m. Thursday or carry a Thursday postmark if mailed. This is the final week of the annual contest.

* Hafer reviews Monday school board meeting

(Posted 7:15 a.m. Oct. 11)

Ainsworth Community Schools Superintendent Dale Hafer appeared on KBRB’s Open Line program Tuesday to review items from Monday’s Board of Education meeting.

The report can be heard using the audio link below.

* Care Center Board approves shingle replacement bid

(Posted 10 a.m. Oct. 10)

The Sandhills Care Center Board of Directors opened seven bids Monday to replace shingles and gutters at the facility following a May hail storm.

With the care center having a $100,000 insurance deductible for storm damage, the care center will have to fully fund the repairs.

The care center opened bids from the following contractors:

* Strong LLC of Fremont – $79,000

* Leach Roofing of Lincoln – $74,600

* May Construction of Wisner – $74,556

* Cannaday Construction of Ainsworth – $71,200

* Built-Right Roofing of Rapid City, S.D. – $119,050

* Pedigree Exteriors of Lincoln – $74,790

* Compass Roofing of Grand Island – $73,200

Board members discussed each of the bids in detail, including the timeframe to complete the project and any warranty offered by the companies.

Board member Shawn Fernau recommended the board approve the Cannaday Construction bid, not only because it was the low bid received but because the company is local and will stand by its work.

“John has done really good work on the jobs he has done for me,” Fernau, who also owns a construction company, said.

Board member Dr. Mel Campbell said he felt, since public dollars were involved, the board should be obligated to accept the low bid unless the board had reasons for opting against it.

The board unanimously approved the Cannaday Construction bid, which includes a 10-year warranty on the work.

The board also approved a quote from MC Contracting of Long Pine to place security cameras and a monitoring station in the building.

The security cameras would cover every entry and exit point to the building as well as the hallways and main gathering points, which include the dining hall, the activities room and the sun room.

The MC Contracting quote of $14,122 was well below the quote of $23,587 submitted by Applied Connective. The Applied Connective quote also included an ongoing $85 monthly fee. There was no ongoing monthly fee with the MC Contracting quote.

Following an executive session, the board accepted the recommendation from an attorney with Cline Williams that no further action be taken by the board after a complaint was filed by a former employee regarding the way the care center’s policies and procedures were followed.

During her report to the board Monday, Administrator Penny Jacobs said there were currently 28 residents in the Sandhills Care Center, which was the highest number of residents the facility had seen since it reopened in 2016.

Of those, 15 residents were paying privately, 11 receive Medicaid assistance, one receives Medicare assistance, and one resident was Medicaid-pending. She said three new residents had been admitted during the past month, with one resident being discharged home and another being discharged to a VA facility.

Of the current residents, 15 are from Ainsworth, one is from Long Pine, three are from rural Brown County, five are from Cherry County, two are from Keya Paha County and two are from Rock County.

Jacobs said the care center had hired a full-time CNA and a full-time charge nurse in the past month. The acting director of nursing had resigned, with the new full-time director of nursing scheduled to start with the facility Nov. 1. The administrator said the new director of nursing had been groomed for that position with a facility that ended up closing, so she knows what the job will entail.

Jacobs reported the care center’s infection control nurse had also resigned. She said the care center currently did have one agency staff member, a night-time charge nurse, on staff.

“The rates have come down since the last time we brought in an agency nurse,” Jacobs said.

The Sandhills Care Center generated $239,713 in revenue during September, with expenses of $193,802 for a net profit for the month of $45,910.

Among the claims paid was $15,782 to Walton Concrete for new concrete in front of the facility. Campbell said he had heard a lot of compliments regarding the new concrete.

Business Manager Makenzie Crane reported October was one of two months that would have three pay periods, so expenses for the month would be elevated.

Board Chair Tom Jones said the facility’s financials look good, and there were now some reserves in the care center’s account.

The next meeting of the Sandhills Care Center Board of Directors is scheduled for 5 p.m. Nov. 13.

* Buell named to UN-L Jacht Ad Agency

(Posted 7 a.m. Oct. 10)

Fifty-six University of Nebraska–Lincoln students have been named to Jacht Ad Agency’s fall crew.

Jacht is a student-run agency offered through the College of Journalism and Mass Communications that allows participants to gain real-world experience by working with a variety of clients on brand strategy, public relations, multimedia, design and more. Clients this semester include Multiple Intelligences Cubed and the Nebraska Army National Guard.

Among the students named to the fall Jacht Ad Agency is Jillian Buell of Bassett, a junior majoring in advertising and public relations.

Jacht allows students to improve their skills and develop their expertise throughout the semester. Often students return to Jacht to discover more opportunities and take on leadership roles.

Caroline Oberle, a senior advertising and public relations major and returning “Jachter,” will serve as the director of business development this semester. In this role, she will collaborate with clients, develop scopes of work, create memorandums of understanding and seek out potential clients.

“Jacht has already provided me several professional development opportunities,” she said. “As an aspiring business professional, I have gained confidence in myself and as a leader.”

* Ainsworth Board of Education receives NASB award

(Posted 2:30 p.m. Oct. 9)

The Nebraska Association of School Boards recognized 13 districts across the state with the 2023 Board of Excellence Award during nine area meetings throughout August and September.

The Ainsworth Community Schools Board of Education was one of the 13 districts in the state to receive the award. Board members are Frank Beel, Bryan Doke, Scott Erthum, Mark Johnson, Jessica Pozehl and Brad Wilkins, with Superintendent Dale Hafer leading board meetings.

NASB is a nonprofit organization that serves the needs of board members in Nebraska public school districts and Educational Service Units. Nebraska’s 1,700 school board members may participate in board development training throughout the year by attending workshops and conferences to help strengthen their role in governance, legislative advocacy, and stewardship of district resources in support of student achievement.  In recognition of their volunteer time and commitment to education, the Association recognizes continued participation and growth in best practice governance.

* AHS homecoming royalty candidates selected

(Posted 10:15 a.m. Oct. 9)

Candidates for homecoming royalty have been selected by the students of Ainsworth High School.

Queen candidates, and the organizations they represent, are Breanna Fernau, senior class; Katherine Kerrigan, A Club; Kendyl Delimont, fall sports; Taylor Allen, fine arts; and Karli Kral, vocational clubs.

King candidates are Trey Appelt, senior class; Traegan McNally, A Club; Carter Nelson, fall sports; Cole Bodeman, fine arts; and Airyan Goochey, vocational clubs.

Coronation of this year’s Ainsworth High School homecoming queen and king will be held following Friday’s football game at East City Park against Boyd County. The homecoming parade begins at 2:15 p.m. Friday, followed by a pep rally in McAndrew Gymnasium.

This year’s homecoming theme is “Battle for the Bulldogs.”

* Brown County Sheriff’s Department weekly summary

(Posted 6:30 a.m. Oct. 9)

OCTOBER 1

• Issued a Citation for speeding 11-15 mph over the speed limit.

OCTOBER 2

• Issued a Citation for speeding 16-20 mph over the speed Limit.
• Issued a Citation for a City Ordinance Violation on Oak St
• Brown County Ambulance on Standby at Football Field
• Received a call reporting a car/deer accident west of Ainsworth.
• Received a call reporting a semi-bull accident On Elsmere Rd South of Moon Lake Road. The owner of Bull was located, and Bull was removed from the roadway.
• Received reports of threats made to Ainsworth Residents, investigation is ongoing.

OCTOBER 3

• Brown County Ambulance transported a patient from their residence to the Brown County Hospital.
• Brown County Ambulance transported Air Crew from the Ainsworth Airport to the Brown County Hospital then back to the Airport with Patient
• Ainsworth Resident made a statement about being harassed on social media. This incident is under investigation.
• Assisted Ainsworth Resident in getting fingerprint cards for employment.
• Responded to a request for a Welfare Check. The individual was found to be safe.

OCTOBER 4     

• Brown County Ambulance transferred a patient from Mills Ne to the Sandhills Care Center.
• Assisted a Family that brought a stray dog to the Sheriff’s Office, Dog was taken to the Ainsworth Veterinary Clinic. The owner was found.
• Received a Call that the Lights were still on at the Softball field, contacted city officials to have them shut them off.
• Long Pine Fire Department Issued a Burn permit for south of Long Pine
• Assisted Individual that came to office to report Harassment. Investigation is ongoing.
• Assisted Individual that needed VIN Inspection.

OCTOBER 5

• Assisted an Individual with a voluntary Statement Form.
• Assisted an Individual in reference to a Harassment Call.
• Responded to Ainsworth Community School request for Assistance with a Student.
• Assisted an Individual with a welfare check. The individual in questions was found to be safe
• Received Information in reference to Puppies being sold in Brown County that when taken to Vet were found to be mistreated.
• Citation was issued to Individual not licensed to run a Kennel.

OCTOBER 6

• Received a complaint of tall weeds at a residence on Hwy 20.
• Responded to a call to Assist with cattle Crossing Hwy 20 West of Johnstown
• Brown County Ambulance transported an Ainsworth Resident to the Brown County Hospital
• Brown County Ambulance transported a Wood Lake resident to the Brown County Hospital
• Brown County Ambulance was on Standby for the Football game.
• Received a complaint about vehicles passing school bus when arm is extended. Statement form was filled out,
• Responded to a call, in reference to an overturned Silage truck South of John Deere
• Responded to two parking complaints in Ainsworth.
• Received a report of a car-deer accident.
• Received a call from a local business in reference to their fire alarms going off when they started the furnace.
• Received a call-in reference to 2 hunting dogs westbound on Highway 20 from the car wash. The owner was found.
• Received a call-in reference to a black cow with green tag on the road south of Long Pine. The owner was contacted and cow put back in pasture.
• Received a call pertaining to suspicious activity on the cowboy trail.

OCTOBER 7

• Brown County Ambulance transported a patient from Sandhill’s Care Center to the Brown County Hospital.
• Brown County Ambulance responded to a Lift assist call in Long Pine
• Issued a Citation for speeding 11-15 mph over the speed limit and no operator License.

WEEKLY SUMMARY TOTALS
INCIDENT REPORTS:  18
PHONE CALLS:  140
911 CALLS: 5
VIN INSPECTIONS: 1
HANDGUN PURCHASE PERMITS:  5
PAPERS SERVED  2

* Commissioners discuss Highland Grove Cemetery

(Posted 2 p.m. Oct. 4)

The Brown County Commissioners met with several citizens Tuesday regarding a cemetery north of Ainsworth on the east side of Meadville Avenue.

The Highland Grove Cemetery, according to records, has not been used for a burial since 1978. However, several residents told the commissioners they would like to utilize the cemetery for burial plots but did not know how to go about the process.

Commissioner Buddy Small said, in visiting with several residents and asking questions of the county assessor, he found the cemetery is still owned by the Garfield Cemetery Association.

“We have to try and find out who are the members of that association,” Small said. “There are people who would like to bury family members there or be buried there themselves, so we need to find some answers.”

Audience member Shari Jones said the original members of the Garfield Cemetery Association are gone now and have never been replaced.

Audience member Jackie Eggers said she visited with an attorney, who indicated the association would have to get back up and running.

“If there are no records, how do we know where people are buried?” Eggers asked.

Small said he was told any records that may have existed as to how the Highland Grove Cemetery was laid out and where people were buried were destroyed.

“Andy Taylor is willing to help get the association reestablished,” Small said.

Small asked those in attendance who may be willing to serve on the association if it can be reestablished. Several residents were proposed as potentially being willing to serve on the association.

Audience member Les Waits said there may be some families out there who have some old cemetery records but might not know it.

“I know there are some babies buried in the northwest corner that are not marked,” Waits said.

Small suggested a representative from the group in attendance work with the county attorney on reestablishing the association.

No action was taken by the commissioners.

In other items Tuesday, Small said a couple people had asked him about rules and regulations for the community fishing pond that is being established east of the Brown County Hospital on the south side of East City Park.

Small suggested the board may want to consider a restriction on where motorized vehicles are allowed to operate.

“I also think we should have set hours,” Small said. “I don’t want people partying there at 2 a.m.”

Audience member Graig Kinzie provided the board with an update on the project. Kinzie said the dirt work has been completed and a solar well installed at the site. He said the pond would be initially filled this week from a nearby high capacity well, with the solar well then providing any supplemental water needed that is lost through seepage and evaporation.

A workday has been scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 14, to place weed barrier around the pond with gravel then placed for a walking trail and several access points to the water’s edge. Kinzie said any volunteer help that day would be appreciated, which would mainly entail helping place and staple the weed barrier around the pond’s perimeter for the trail prior to skid steers laying down the gravel.

He said he did not have any recommendations on rules or regulations and it would be up to the commissioners to implement any conditions they believed were appropriate. Kinzie agreed the trail that will be created around the pond would last longer if motorized vehicles were not allowed on the trail.

He said Buckley Steel was in the process of building a handicap-accessible pier that will be placed on the southeast side of the pond.

Kinzie said the Nebraska Forest Service had awarded 10 trees for planting around the pond. He said the initial $86,000 in funding for the project would complete the pond, well, trail and pier.

The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission will stock and maintain the fishery, with the initial stocking in the spring.

Phase two of the project would include the construction of a picnic shelter on the north side of the pond and benches at various points around the pond if funds can be raised.

The commissioners placed an item on its next agenda to further discuss establishing any rules and regulations for the community pond.

Highway Superintendent Kenny Turpin told the board the roads department was planning to extend culverts on Meadville Avenue north of Road 879.

Turpin reported some hills had washed during recent rains and repairs were being made. He said the department planned to undertake some shoulder and ditch work on a portion of Norden Avenue. He said some areas of Moon Lake Avenue had some washing occur and the roads crew would try to shape up those areas, add clay and finish with some crushed concrete.

Turpin said the roads department spent $69,432 maintaining the Meadville Avenue detour route while the Sand Draw Creek crossing was out. He said the county can receive reimbursement from FEMA for the costs to maintain the detour.

In the only action item Tuesday, the commissioners approved a $3,810 quote from Fernau Construction to repair walls in the Brown County Court jury room bathrooms. Clerk Travee Hobbs said there was a water puddle in the women’s bathroom of the jury room, and the plumber indicated a wall was crumbling and would not support the toilet. The quote will replace a portion of the walls in both jury room bathrooms.

Small said the county received zero response on its advertisement for several repairs to the courthouse building. Since no bids were received, the commissioners could solicit contractors to undertake the project. Small said he had visited with Shawn Fernau and Matt Pozehl and provided each with a copy of the recommendations made for repairs.

“When we get an estimate, we will get it on the agenda,” Small said.

The next meeting of the Brown County Commissioners is scheduled for 1:15 p.m. Oct. 17.

* Eleven tie atop KBRB Football Contest for Week 6

(Posted 7:45 a.m. Oct. 4)

It was another strong week for the area football experts, with 11 contestants missing just one of the 14 games on the KBRB Football Contest card for Week 6.

The games missed varied, but the most widely missed game of those missing just one game was Ole Miss’s wild shootout victory at home over LSU.

With 11 contestants in the running, that sent us to the tie-breaker, the closest to the actual score of Michigan’s 45-7 domination of Nebraska.

Of the 11 contestants tied, only Martha Hawes of Ainsworth had faith the Huskers would pull it out. Of the 10 who picked the Wolverines, Kallie Mundorf of Springview picked a 46-10 final score to miss the total by just four points. That earns Kallie the $40 first-place certificate for Week 6.

Second place is also headed north, as Derek Swan picked the Wolverines to win, 38-10, missing the total by 10 points to claim the $20 second-place certificate.

Doug Walton of Ainsworth just missed the top two, missing the total by 13 points. Hally Wilkins missed by 17 points and Becky Schelm by 18 points. Ryan Salzman, Larry Berkheimer and Brady Delimont missed the tie-breaker score by 20 after missing one game on the card. Last week’s winner, Lois Kaup, again missed just one game but missed this week’s score by 21 points, and Jenny Beel missed the tie-breaker score by 28 points.

Winners may pick up their certificates from the KBRB Studios or make arrangements with the KBRB sports crew to have cards delivered.

Week 7 KBRB Football Contest cards are available now from Buckles Automotive in Ainsworth, Speedee Mart locations at Ainsworth and Atkinson, Long Pine Lumber, the West Plains Bank of Springview, Circle B Livestock of Bassett, and from Tri County Bank branch locations at Stuart, Atkinson and Bassett. Certificates can be redeemed for merchandise from any contest sponsor.
Cards must be submitted by 4 p.m. Thursday or carry a Thursday postmark if mailed.

* Daniels system in use at university research center

(Posted 3 p.m. Oct 3.)

(Story courtesy of the University of Nebraska)
For generations, improvements in cattle handling equipment were based on guesswork. Livestock producers observed cattle behavior, and equipment manufacturers made adjustments, sometimes only to change them back.
At the Klosterman Feedlot Innovation Center, a state-of-the-art, commercial-scale feedlot research center under construction at the Eastern Nebraska Research, Extension and Education Center, researchers have the opportunity to attach data to those observations.
A Husker-red cattle handling system manufactured and donated by Daniels Manufacturing Co. in Ainsworth, the latest addition to the facility, is a “dream come true for many,” said Ruth Woiwode, assistant professor of animal behavior and well-being at UNL. Woiwode is part of the team that planned the facility and is charged with dreaming up the future of the research to be conducted there.
Those dreams are big.
The processing barn that will house the Daniels Manufacturing Co. cattle handling system will also feature a separate cattle handling system, donated by ArrowQuip, that will allow side-by-side studies of cattle handling facilities and methods. An elevated classroom with one-way glass will let students and industry stakeholders observe cattle handling without interfering with the process, and a wall of screens in the classroom connected to cameras throughout the facility will enhance those observations.
The processing barn reflects the facilities in feedlots where cattle are given vaccines and other health treatments.
In operations that work thousands of cattle every year, small changes in facility design or handling practices can mean big results in stress reduction, safety or efficiency for animals or humans.
The Daniels system includes a double alleyway and a Bud box. The Bud box is named after Bud Williams, a pioneer in low-stress animal handling who developed the system. The Bud box is a rectangular pen that is positioned at a right angle to the entry point of the double alley leading to the squeeze chute where cattle are held for treatment.
“Both handling systems are designed to capitalize on an animal’s natural tendency to return to where they came from,” Woiwode said. “Some of those details come down to the actual layout and understanding, from a handler perspective, where they need to stand and move in relation to the cattle.”
The work UNL is planning at the Klosterman Feedlot Innovation Center will provide data that can be used to further streamline facility design.
“We can test concepts related to the number of animals and alley width, number of handlers, handler skill level, just to mention a few,” Woiwode said.  With two systems side-by-side, Woiwode says UNL can generate an enormous dataset that can be used to inform the design of working facilities, and best practices for cattle handling in the respective facilities.
When Woiwode and her team started planning this project, they thought it made sense to include Daniels Manufacturing Co., a Nebraska company with a 65-year history in the cattle industry. Dude Daniels started Daniels Manufacturing Co. in 1958, building autogates, gates and panels.
“When Dude had an idea he would dive in head first and devote his time to building something the best way possible for the cattle and the user,” said Kade Blake, sales manager and design consultant for Daniels Manufacturing Co. “He started building the double alleyway back in the early ’90s, and the very first one is still in use today down in Oklahoma.”
Dude’s son and daughter-in-law, Danny and Teri, took over the company when Dude died. In 2001 they went to a Bud Williams cattle handling seminar and came home determined to figure out how those ideas could be used to improve their equipment.
“Danny was the first person to manufacture and sell the Bud Box,” Blake said. “He worked with Bud and the Production Animal Consultation team to come up with the right size, and from there it took off.”
Woiwode had worked with Daniels Manufacturing previously and knew they were committed to finding the best solutions for cattle and handlers, and the future of the cattle industry.
“When Ruth approached us about this project and explained how they were going to focus on stockmanship and study the voluntary flow of cattle, Danny was very excited about that,” Blake said. “Our goal here at Daniels has always been building quality, long-lasting equipment that improves the life of cattle and the cattle handler. We focus on noise elimination, reducing sharp corners and edges, keeping our sides open so cattle can see the handler to use body placement to move the cattle, keeping our sides straight so cattle have a natural footing, and using the highest quality of steel to have equipment that gets used for generations.”
Danny Daniels died in April of this year, but before then, he and Blake drove to Lincoln to meet with Woiwode about her plans.
“On our way home, he told me that ‘these kids are going to need our equipment’ and he was so glad to be able to help them out,” Blake said.
Daniels and his contribution to the industry won’t be forgotten. There’s an inscription on the Husker-red alleyway, right below the Husker N and the sticker that says “Daniels Mfg. Co. Ainsworth.” It reads, “Donated in Memory of Danny Daniels 1958-2023.”

* Brown County Sheriff’s Department weekly summary

(Posted 6:45 a.m. Oct. 2)

September 24

• Responded to an attempted Suicide call in Ainsworth. Patient was transported and placed into Emergency Protective Custody
• Responded to a call indicating person was being harassed. Investigation is ongoing.
• Brown County Ambulance transported a patient from an Ainsworth residence to Brown County Hospital
• Brown County Ambulance transported a patient from Brown County Hospital to Great Plains Hospital in North Platte

September 25

• Responded to a Civil Matter in Johnstown
• Responded to a reported Hit and Run at Speedee Mart
• Responded to a reported Dog Bite on Elm St.
• Responded to a reported Disturbance in Ainsworth.
• Brown County Ambulance responded to an Individual that had fallen on Main Street, Individual was transported to Brown County Hospital

September 26

• Issued a citation for DOT Violation.

September 27

• Responded to a request for Traffic Control for Cattle Crossing West of Johnstown near Mile Marker 227
• Brown County Ambulance responded to a Call for a lift assist at an Ainsworth Residence
• Issued a Citation for speeding 11-15 mph over the speed limit.
• Individual came to Brown County Sheriff’s office to file statement reference Credit Card theft.
• Received a call regarding a cow and calf out on Highway 7 between Mile Marker 27 and 28. The owner was contacted, and cattle were put back in pasture.

September 28

• Responded to a dog being loose on Ash St
• Issued a Citation for City Ordinance Violation

September 29

• Conducted a welfare check on an Ainsworth Resident, Individual was found to be ok.
• Responded to a complaint received by the city regarding tall weeds on an Osborn St Address
• Citation Issued for 11-15 mph over the speed limit.

September 30

• 2 Citations issued for 11-15 mph over speed limit.
• Brown County Ambulance responded to a call for a transfer from the Brown County Hospital to the Ainsworth Airport
• Responded to a caller in reference to Community Center being unlocked/caller was advised that only North door is unlocked on weekends.
• Responded to a request of a Civil Standby at an Ainsworth Residence
• Responded to a call regarding Harassment at a local business.
• Responded to a call regarding a found dog. Dog’s owner was found and dog returned.

WEEKLY SUMMARY TOTALS
INCIDENT REPORTS:  17
PHONE CALLS:  128
911 CALLS:  6
VIN INSPECTIONS:  9
HANDGUN PURCHASE PERMITS:  3
PAPERS SERVED:  5