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KURTZHALS TO RETIRE AS CSM

Wed, 15 Apr 2026 06:00:00 -0500

UNITED STATES ARMY

Loup City grad retires after twenty-five years

This month, one of Loup City’s native sons will be retiring from a distinguished career in active duty with the United States Army. Having joined the Army while still a senior at Loup City High School in 2001, Gary Kurtzhals will retire on Monday, April 20th as command sergeant major (CSM) of the Operations Group at the Fort Irwin National Training Center (NTC), where the Army plans, runs, and evaluates its large-scale combat training.

“In this job, I run the world’s biggest war game, which we do almost monthly,” explained CSM Kurtzhals last week. “We use the term ‘Officer-led, NCO run.’ My boss, a full-bird colonel, will put out his strategy and his vision, and then the command sergeant major executes that within guidelines.”

Kurtzhals has been a CSM since 2021. In his current role at Fort Irwin, which he will have held for two years come his retirement, he serves halfway between brigade and division leadership, overseeing fourteen subordinate sergeant majors and helping guide the training and readiness of roughly 10,000 soldiers rotating through the Army’s exercises.

Less than one percent of enlisted soldiers ever attain the rank of CSM; even fewer rise to serve in senior leadership roles within the National Training Center’s Operations Group. At forty-two years old, Kurtzhals is firmly “below the zone,” as they say in the Army, uncharacteristically young for his rank and position.

Kurtzhals was born on July 18, 1983, one of six children of Terry Kurtzhals and Catherine (Achen) Dorsey—a “good, solid Catholic family.” The couple had managed and then owned and operated the local funeral home from 1981 until Mark and Deb Higgins took over ownership in 1997.

“I loved growing up in Loup City as a small kid,” Kurtzhals noted. “I

“ The opportunities I got in the military were second to none.”

— Gary Kurtzhals always appreciated the small town feeling of family. As one of six kids—with, for most of my childhood, my parents operating the local funeral home—times were good.”

Times changed in the late 1990s, however.

“The business failed,” the CSM recalled, “my parents ended up divorcing, and the lifestyle that I was accustomed to radically changed.”

The hardship, he said, caused him and his siblings to “band together;” it made them “closer,” “tougher.” Seeing the resolve of his mother as she worked “twelve-to-fourteen-hour days” between two jobs, instilled in him an ethos that would support him throughout his Army career.

“That great Midwestern work ethic—grounded in faith—[was really influential],” he said.

In high school, Kurtzhals worked jobs in construction and at Joe’s Market.

He now looks upon that time as one fundamental to his development as a leader. However, as he approached the end of his high school career, he had been eager to be somewhere else.

“I love Loup City… Every time I make that drive from Farwell— where my sister [Christina Martin] lives—to Loup City or Sherman Lake, I still always get a giant sense of being home,” he stressed. “But when I was growing up there, I couldn’t wait to get out. I couldn’t wait to go out and see the world and experience different things.

“That kind of led to looking at the Army.”

Initially, Kurtzhals had seen the Army as a means to an end, offering opportunities that would otherwise be closed to him.

“I graduated bottom third of my class,” he said. “I’m pretty sure I was thirty out of thirty- two. I didn’t have the grades to really get any scholarships, and probably not the credit to get a student loan back that was payable in the first twenty years. Could I have gone to college? Probably, but I would have been high credit, high risk.

“Through the Army, I saw a way to make something of myself.”

He enlisted through the Delayed Entry Program in August 2000, attending basic combat training as a 19K, M1 armor crewman at Fort Knox, Kentucky a year later.

“It was two years, a small cash bonus of $2,000, and $29,000 for college,” he recalled. “And that’s really what I was after. I was just going to do the two years and then probably look at a technical school.”

His goal, and his view of the Army, he said, quickly changed; he found in it a sense of purpose, meaning, and pride.

“After I got in the Army, I really enjoyed it. I enjoyed the people, the comradery, the sense of purpose,” noted Kurtzhals. “It also really provides structure and mentorship as you branch into adult life.

“The number-one thing the Army made me do is grow up really, really quick.”

Kurtzhals stayed with the Army. Over twenty- five years “and some change,” he rose steadily through the ranks, earning innumerable decorations and badges along the way. In 2003, he attained the rank of sergeant. He rose to staff sergeant in 2006, then to sergeant first class, master sergeant (MSG), sergeant major (SGM), and CSM in June 2021. Throughout his career, he has held nearly every type of leadership position available to an enlisted soldier, including tank gunner, tank commander, drill sergeant, tank platoon sergeant, and CSM for a battalion, a tank brigade, and now the Operations Group at the Fort Irwin NTC.

“The move that I think matured me the most was becoming a drill sergeant,” Kurtzhals noted. “To be at an age where a civilian might just be graduating college, and to take sixty civilians from all walks of life… with different values and beliefs, and put them through the soldierization process was super tough. But it was also really rewarding.”

Kurtzhals was assigned as a drill sergeant at twenty-five years old, an age—as is typical of his whole career—markedly below the zone.

“It really taught me how important taking care of someone’s basic needs was…and the importance of just being a good person: balancing being that authoritative figure as a drill sergeant with also having compassion and humility as a leader,” he said. “If somebody’s a positive person, they’ll get a lot of buy-in.”

A point of significant pride for Kurtzhals is the fact that, throughout his whole career, no one under his command has ended their own life.

“The prevention of suicide under me is probably the number-one thing [I am proud of],” he said. “In the Army, we kind of have a suicide problem…There are enough challenges in life, and then you add on the pressures of military service. It can be hard for people.”

Kurtzhals is also proud of being named the CSM of the 3rd Armored Brigade Combat Team “GREYWOLF,” 1st Cavalry Division in Fort Hood, Texas, one of only eleven tank brigades in the whole United States Army. In that position, he was the senior enlisted leader for approximately 6,000 soldiers.

“It was such a blast,” he said.

Over the course of his career, the retiring CSM completed four overseas rotations to Europe and one to Korea, helping train and operate alongside allied forces. He saw five deployments, four to Iraq and one to Afghanistan.

“My first deployment was part of [phase one of Operation Iraqi Freedom] in 2003,” Kurtzhals recalled.

As a tank gunner, he had executed combat operations between Fallujah and Ramadi, Iraq, a “hotspot” in what is known as the Sunni Triangle.

The CSM estimated that he spent about 190 of the 360 days of that deployment “shooting guns.” He turned twenty- one in Iraq.

About a year after his first deployment, he deployed again, this time as a tank commander running out of the Baghdad area around Camp Liberty, operating around Sadr City, also a pretty big hotspot at the time.

He would deploy again to the Baghdad area circa 2008 and to Nasiriyah circa 2012.

In 2013, about five months following his return from his final Iraq deployment in December 2012, he deployed to Afghanistan, where he served as a combat advisor at Regional Command East (RCEast), a major command responsible for Afghan security, training, and reconstruction.

Through all his time in combat operations, Kurtzhals never lost a firefight.

Kurtzhals is a member of a Gold Star family. The loss of his younger brother, Trevor, during physical readiness training with the Army National Guard was, he said, “a defining moment in my life.” Trevor had served his country for over eleven years at the time of his passing, having been deployed to Afghanistan in 2010.

“I had talked to [Trevor] a few months before he passed,” Kurtzhals recalled. “I was just so proud of him for serving with me. For that to happen to him—for it to turn his wife into a widow, leave his sons and daughters without a father—was hard to bear.

“But watching how the military took care of that situation…it made me feel even better about being part of this organization. We really do what we say we are going to do when we say ‘You’re a soldier for life.’” In addition to advancing his career and attending various professional schools in the military, Kurtzhals also attained numerous academic degrees after reaching the rank of MSG.

“From year zero to seventeen…my focus was more inside the career I was in,” he noted. “But as a mid-grade master sergeant, you either become a sergeant major, or you don’t. And the cut is really small. It’s the hardest cut as an enlisted person…So, I decided, ‘Okay, I have to do something to make sure I am postured to get a good job in retirement.’” The CSM received an Associate in Science degree from Purdue Global University and then a Bachelor of Arts degree in leadership and workforce development from the Commanding Generals Staff College. From Excelsior College, he received a Bachelor of Science degree in management studies with a 3.8 grade-point average, then went on to receive the Master of Science in management with a 4.0 while forward deployed in Poland. He often woke up at around 3:00 in the morning to attend seminars.

“That was a really, really good moment,” noted Kurtzhals of the master’s degree. “As I saw my friends going to college, I would ask myself, ‘Am I smart enough for that?’ It turns out I am.”

As a civilian, the CSM intends to take an internship with Northwestern Mutual in Lincoln before taking a full-time position with them as a financial planner.

The job’s main appeal, he said, was the ability it would give him to continue “helping and mentoring people” while spending time with his wife and family.

“Instead of combat-related training and preparation, this opportunity will allow me to help people to build their best lives through financial avenues and strategies,” he explained. “I’m going to intern there, and then take about three months off.

“My mom and sister have cabins up on Sherman Lake that are right next to each other, and I plan to spend some time there.”

Kurtzhals also hopes to spend some of the upcoming harvest season farming.

“One of my best friends, a guy named Tim Obermiller, has been a pretty successful farmer,” he noted. “I’m excited to do the harvest with him, which is something I’ve never gotten to do. It’s something we’ve talked about basically since I left [Loup City].”

Kurtzhals and his wife, Shawna, currently own a house in Lincoln, where they hope to remain for the next few years. (Shawna has children in the Lincoln school system.) However, moving back west is part of the couple’s long-term goals.

“I think we have about a seven-or-eight-year plan left in Lincoln,” noted Kurtzhals, “and then we will eventually move back to central Nebraska, the Loup City area. I would like to find a little acreage, build a house, and live out my days as a good citizen for the local community and our country.”

Looking back on his career, Kurtzhals said he was proud of what he had accomplished and “excited” for what was to come.

“To start as someone in the bottom third of his class in Loup City High School, crawl through the Army, and culminate as one of the executive level Command Sergeant Majors,” he noted, “is pretty neat.

“The opportunities I got in the military were second to none.”

The CSM is set to retire from the National Training Center at Fort Irwin on April 20th. He will officially give up his station on April 21st.

LOUP CITY HIGH SCHOOL graduate Gary Kurtzhals has been a command sergeant major in the United States Army since 2021. He serves halfway between brigade and division leadership, overseeing fourteen subordinate sergeant majors and helping guide the training and readiness of roughly 10,000 soldiers rotating through the Army’s exercises. Courtesy Photo

Bose explores largest library in the United States

Wed, 15 Apr 2026 06:00:00 -0500

April 19th through the 25th is National Library Week, an annual observance organized by the American Library Association that celebrates the contributions of libraries and promotes their value in supporting education, access to information, and community engagement.

For Michelle Bose, those values were reflected during a recent trip to the Library of Congress, the world’s largest library.

Bose, an Elba High School graduate and Arcadia resident who works at Dvoracek Title in St. Paul, enjoys reading and holds library cards both for the St. Paul Public Library and the Arcadia Township Library.

“I try to read quite a bit,” she said.

When her husband, Tyler, made a trip to Washington D.C. during National Agriculture Week to represent the National Sorghum Producers board in late March, Bose accompanied him. “They were there lobbying… on behalf of the sorghum industry,” said Bose. “And I just went with him as his plus-one, I guess.”

The couple were in Washington, D.C. from March 25th through the 28th. On March 27th, while Tyler was attending a Great American Agriculture Celebration at the White House, Bose used the opportunity to visit the Library of Congress, the official research arm of the U.S. Congress and the de facto national library of the United States.

“I figured why not go to another library,” she laughed. “This was my fourth time in D.C. and that was one of the places I had never been to. So, I looked into it and found out what I needed to do.”

While anyone can enter its main building as a visitor with a timed entry card, a special reader identification library card is needed to enter the Main Reading Room in the Thomas Jefferson Building, an expansive, domed space where people can access materials from the library’s vast collections.

“They have like their main room that is open to the public, and they have an overlook over the reading room that you can go into, but it is glassed off,” noted Bose. “I got my timed entry ticket, and then in the process of doing that, I found out that, if you sign up online, you can fill out the questionnaire and stuff, and then you’ll get approved so that when you get there…you [can] go get your library card.”

The Library of Congress houses millions of books, recordings, photographs, maps, and manuscripts, many of which are held in restricted collections and only made available for use in the Main Reading Room upon request.

“There were just books everywhere,” Bose noted. “I just kind of walked around, took in things, and checked it out.”

While there were “a lot of tourists” in the main public area of the building, the area where one signed up for one’s library card, and the Main Reading Room itself, were very quiet.

“There was hardly anybody in there,” she said of her visit to the reading room. “I think there were a lot of people who didn’t even know you could do it.”

Bose’s card is good for two years, but its primary value, she said, is as a keepsake.

“It’s kind of a souvenir, I guess,” she laughed.

One of the most interesting aspects of the visit, Bose said, was seeing many of the historical books detailing myriad “random countries around the world,” many largely serving as historical artifacts.

Bose, who had visited Poland, Hungary, and Romania as part of the Nebraska Agricultural Leadership Council’s Nebraska Leadership Education Action/ Development (LEAD) program in early 2025, found the books relating to that part of the world particularly interesting.

“I found a section about Eastern Europe, and I found a book about Romania…from the seventies, before they came out of communism,” she noted. “There were books about Yugoslavia, which doesn’t exist anymore.”

Also interesting to Bose were the Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States, compiled records of each president’s formal, public-facing communications.

“There were just volumes and volumes of all the public papers,” she said. “For Obama, I think there were probably like fourteen volumes.”

Bose said she had been surprised by how opulent the Library of Congress in general and the Main Reading Room in particular had been.

“It’s just very ornate,” she noted.

The Library of Congress cardholder said that she would recommend a visit to the Library of Congress to any visitor of D.C. who likes “reading or history or research.

“I think it is a really cool opportunity that not a lot of people know about,” she said.

Find your joy

Wed, 15 Apr 2026 06:00:00 -0500

HAPP-ENINGS | MICHAEL HAPP - PUBLISHER

There may be no better window into your past way of thinking than what you discover while moving.

In my three decades and change on this earth, I have learned that you can tell a lot about a person, including yourself, while sifting through the items that they have either collected over the course of a lifetime or have elected to keep throughout the years.

This past year, while cleaning out a building I had sold in January, I was confronted with my own small collections, items that I had left behind when I had moved years earlier, but which I had felt were important enough to keep on hand.

Among the items that I had to lug home from that property were several boxes of books.

Throughout my life, I have encountered multiple chapters where I have fallen into and out of love with reading. However, that love has always been an itch that I have wanted to scratch, meaning that my own personal library has continued to grow.

Today, in a storage room at my office, I have boxes of books. Some of the titles reflect unique periods in my life when a specific genre grabbed my attention, and other titles hint at times when I was open to just picking something up at a bookstore, finding an interesting title online, or was given a great book as a gift.

As I lugged the boxes home from that building I had recently sold, I couldn’t help but crack a bit of a smile. A wise person would likely go through the books, decide what they wanted to keep, and sell or donate the rest.

However, I couldn’t part with any titles in my library.

After all, my entire collection brings me joy.

While this entire column features a very first-world flair—I have long been lucky enough to be able to purchase many of the books I have on my shelves—not everyone has the time, resources, or space to house their own personal collections. That is why there are libraries.

Libraries are an ancient idea that have played a key role throughout history—and still do today. Despite the advances in technology—don’t worry, I am no Luddite; my audio library is about as big as my physical one—libraries continue to be cornerstones in our local communities and the world.

The role these facilities play in our lives will be celebrated next week during National Library Week.

The annual observance, which celebrates all things literature, and the people and places where we can access it, has selected a theme for this year’s celebration that I find fitting, especially considering my own experience this winter.

Find Your Joy! As a child, I found loads of joy while participating in the Palmer Library’s annual summer reading program. Then, during my teenage and college years, I took advantage of the library as a never- ending source of reading material and a hub for other important information.

I will never forget, after moving to Omaha for college, I was enamored by the size of both the building and collection at the city’s main downtown library. While that building has since been razed and a new, central library is nearing completion elsewhere in the city, I doubt that the bevy of titles—or the resources offered by the facility— have changed.

Today, I often rely on other sources to gain access to books. However, from time to time, while covering a story or looking for a good book to read, I still find myself visiting my local library.

Even with information now at the click of your fingertips, there is no better way, in my opinion, to experience pure joy than finding the right title in the stacks located right in your own neighborhood.

Of course, that joy is on display in other ways.

No matter the community or time of year, my staff and I cover a variety of unique events that would never be possible in such small towns if it weren’t for the library and its extensive programming.

Sure, I may not have a look of joy on my face as I sit in the back of the room and snap pictures—I am working, after all—but those who seek out the entertainment and unique education are always brimming with smiles and having the type of fun that can rarely be found anywhere else.

While most people probably aren’t like me and find joy in other places, I have to note that, no matter what, usually the local library has something special that will put a smile on your face.

Whether it’s the perfect book, the chance to see a good friend, or access to a unique item you can’t find anywhere else, your local library—my personal collection is still stacked away in boxes—likely will have what you are looking for.

Political craziness now includes supposed ‘plants’ running for senate

Wed, 15 Apr 2026 06:00:00 -0500

ALL THINGS NEBRASKA | PAUL HAMMEL

Spring is planting time in Nebraska.

But the looming primary election on May 12th for United States Senate is also, allegedly, quite a planting session, generating competing claims that candidates are “plants” to help or hurt the two leading candidates.

We’re referring to the race between United States Senator Pete Ricketts and Dan Osborn.

Osborn, an independent, is a labor leader and mechanic who ran a surprisingly close race with United States Senator Deb Fischer, a Republican, in 2024.

Ricketts, a Republican, served two terms as governor before being appointed to the United States Senate by Governor Jim Pillen shortly after Ricketts left the governor’s residence.

Several people have asked if Osborn has a chance of unseating Ricketts, a wealthy businessman who has a well-financed political machine. His family, which owns the Chicago Cubs, is among the top contributors nationally to Republican political campaigns.

In today’s topsy- turvy political world, I’d say that any incumbent is vulnerable. Voters seem to dislike those in office. And Ricketts hasn’t stood for election for eight years, which seems like a long time since he’s asked Nebraskans for their votes.

Then, as now, Osborn is facing accusations of being a closet Democrat, who, if elected, would caucus with the Democrats.

Osborn rejects that, saying he’s a regular guy and registered nonpartisan who will fight for regular folks, claiming that Ricketts hasn’t done that.

Ricketts, meanwhile, is running as a tax cutter and one who has supported President Trump’s immigration policies. The senator also says he’s defended “Nebraska values,” a phrase that’s sometimes hard to define. (Is it that we want the football team to win again, or that we like brown gravy with our roast beef sandwiches?)

What about those “plants”?

There’s two Democrats, William Forbes, a preacher from Paxton, and Cindy Burbank, as well as a candidate for the Legal Marijuana NOW Party, Mike Marvin.

All three of those candidates have been accused of being unserious, illegitimate and/or “plants.”

Follow closely because this gets complicated.

Democrats say that Forbes is a “plant” to help Ricketts (by pulling votes away from Osborn) because it appears that he likes Ricketts, is opposed to abortion rights and has voted for President Trump. And CNN reported that Forbes, despite being a registered Democrat, attended a campaign training camp for conservatives, a camp recommended by the GOP.

Republicans, meanwhile, accused Burbank of not being a “good faith” candidate. Her main goal, they say, is to eventually drop out and throw her support for the third-party candidate, Osborn. Burbank’s website touts that she’s “not a plant” and that her main goal is to defeat Ricketts.

For a time, she was tossed off the primary ballot by Secretary of State Bob Evnen, but that decision was reversed by the Nebraska Supreme Court.

Then we get to Marvin, a union leader (like Osborn) who once headed the state employees union.

Suspiciously, Burbank, a Democrat, paid the $1,740 filing fee for Marvin to run. It happened just minutes before the filing deadline. Burbank told the Nebraska Examiner that she paid the fee because a filing fee check sent by Marvin had been rejected and it ticked her off. Republicans, meanwhile, accused Marvin of being a “plant” to help Osborn.

Get all of that? To be sure, if there’s a strong Democrat in the Senate race, it would pull votes away from Osborn in the general election.

And, if the Democrats don’t have a candidate in November— for instance, if Burbank won the primary and dropped out—that would create a two-way race with Ricketts.

That’s a lot of craziness to digest but that seems par for the course in politics these days.

After all, who could have envisioned a pro rassler becoming governor in Minnesota, or a weightlifter/ actor being elected in California or a reality TV star occupying the White House.

The sad part is that all of the negative campaign ads and supposedly “planted” political candidates only serves to turn more and more people off from voting or discourages good people from running for office.

Paul Hammel has covered the Nebraska state government and the state for decades. Prior to his retirement, he was senior contributor with the Nebraska Examiner. He was previously with the Omaha World-Herald, Lincoln Journal Star and Omaha Sun. A native of Ralston, Nebraska, he loves traveling and writing about the state.

LITCHFIELD HIGH SCHOOL

Wed, 15 Apr 2026 06:00:00 -0500

LITCHFIELD HIGH SCHOOL had their promenade: A Night in Full Bloom on Saturday, April 11, 2026. During the event, the school’s prom royalty was announced. This year’s royalty included Queen Ava Paitz and King James Fletcher.

Spring shotgun turkey season opens April 18th

Wed, 15 Apr 2026 06:00:00 -0500

Turkey hunters will take to the woods for Nebraska’s spring shotgun season April 18. They can expect a season consistent with the past five years, according to Carlie Gizel, wild turkey program manager for the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission.

Statewide spring population indices indicated an 18% increase from 2024 to 2025. Regionally, the average number of turkeys observed increased from 2024 in all regions except the Sandhills and Northeast.

Gizel said that while overall turkey numbers are slightly higher, hunters might see fewer younger birds, which is reflected in the summer turkey brood surveys.

These surveys estimate annual hens’ production and poult survival through the summer brood rearing period.

Heavy spring rains in May and June last year may have contributed to reduced production, as young turkey poults are more susceptible to wet and cold conditions during these months.

Gizel said that statewide production in 2025 was relatively good.

For local estimates, read the 2025 Nebraska Turkey Brood Survey Report at OutdoorNebraska. gov. Search “Wildlife Surveys.”

Spring turkey hunting season with shotguns opened for youths April 11th. The season has been open to all archers since March 25th, with all spring seasons closing May 31st.

Discover beauty

Wed, 15 Apr 2026 06:00:00 -0500

A MESSAGE OF FAITH

Discovery often feels like something reserved for explorers, scientists, or adventurers charting unknown lands. Yet, in truth, discovery is woven into the quiet, ordinary rhythm of our everyday lives.

Each day holds the potential to uncover something new—not only about the world around us, but about ourselves and the presence of God within it.

There is beauty in realizing that we are never finished being shaped. Even in familiar routines, fresh understanding can emerge. A verse read a hundred times may suddenly speak in a new way.

A conversation may open our eyes to a perspective we had never considered.

A difficult season may reveal strength, patience, or faith we didn’t know we possessed.

Discovery invites us to slow down and pay attention. It reminds us that life is not meant to be rushed through, but experienced with wonder. When we approach each day with open hearts, we begin to notice the small details— the kindness of a stranger, the quiet peace in a moment of prayer, the gentle ways we are guided even when we feel uncertain.

There is also humility in discovery. It teaches us that we do not have all the answers, and that is not a weakness. Instead, it is an invitation to trust, to learn, and to grow. God often reveals truth step by step, not all at once, so that we remain dependent on Him and attentive to His voice.

Even in hardship, discovery can unfold. We may uncover resilience in suffering, hope in despair, or a deeper faith that anchors us when everything else feels unsteady.

These discoveries are not always easy, but they are meaningful and transformative.

The beauty of discovery lies in its promise: that no matter where we are in life, there is always more to learn, more to see, and more to experience.

And in every discovery, we are gently drawn closer to the One who created us with hearts designed to seek, to grow, and to wonder.

Turning Back the Clock

Wed, 15 Apr 2026 06:00:00 -0500

Compiled by Jerome Lobner

April 20, 2016

Adam Wagoner and Sydney Harrington were crowned Loup City High School prom royalty Saturday night. The theme of the prom was ancient Greece.

The Loup City American Legion Auxiliary announced McKenzie Hostetler and Montana Markus are the 2016 Girls State representatives.

The family of Delores Roy requested a card shower to honor her eightieth birthday.

The commissioners’ proceedings reported a contract for the removal and replacement of courthouse sidewalk was signed with Allan Oseka and Randy Heil.

Spartan senior Landon Rohde won both the shot put (51-06) and discus (169-06) at the Burwell Invitational. Sophomore Sarah Lewis won the 400 (1:02.1), the 100 hurdles (16.7) and the 300 hurdles (50.8).

Arcadia High School FFA seniors McKway Scott, Tanner Chelewski, and Clay Bauer received the coveted Nebraska State Farmer Degree at the state convention.

Rebel shot put throwers Addi Henry was first (41-04.5), Montana Markus second (35-05) and Madison Dodson fourth (32-06.5) at the Riverside Invitational meet. Henry was named the NTV Athlete of the Week. Zach Stieb won the discus with a toss of 129-10 and Nolan Baker was first in the long jump (19-06) and triple jump (40-08.50).

The Loup City School Board approved the purchase of the Wonders Reading Program, including a preschool component, for $40,228.67. In other business, contracts for Hallie Jonson, elementary teacher, and Cale Harrington, ag teacher/FFA advisor, were approved.

First Holy Communion was held Sunday at St. Francis Catholic Church for Aiden Curlo and Athena Jackson.

April 19, 2006

Sara Jaeschke and Matt Day are the Loup City Girls and Boys State representatives. Joanie Kaslon and Trevor Ritz will represent Ashton at Girls and Boys State.

Nicholas Eurek was selected as one of the 2006 Nebraska Young Artists Award winners in the area of theater.

Ethan Goc was pictured with his prize for finding the most eggs at the Ashton Easter egg hunt.

The family of Jim and Jennie Curlo requested a card shower to honor their fortieth wedding anniversary.

Easter basket winners at the Loup City Easter egg hunt were Hope Patterson, Luke Krolikowski, Chad Curlo, Josie Ference, Jackie Rogers, Joe Hervert, Jentri Hurlburt, and Hunter Gatewood.

Tiffany Bochart, Megan Obermiller, Jordan Smith, and Jennifer Glinsmann were confirmed during Palm Sunday services at the Immanuel Lutheran Church.

Litchfield High School track star David Panowicz earned a gold medal in the 110 high hurdles (15.61) and a bronze medal in the 300 intermediate hurdles (44.35).

Barbara Shepherdson was chairman for the annual Mason City “Ladies Night Out” event. The tables were covered with pastel table coverings and napkins, potted plants, bird houses, garden gloves, and sacks of bulbs finished the décor.

Loup City Schools Superintendent Dr. Caroline Winchester wrote in her column about all the advantages the new Reading First program had and about the growth she thought it would bring to Loup City Public School students.

April 19, 1996

Cory Spotanski and Julie Baltz were crowned the 1996 Loup City High School prom king and queen at the Saturday night dance held at the Parish Hall. The theme of the dance was “Wish Upon A Star” with black and silver colors. The post-prom party was held at Loup City Lanes. Melissa Obermiller was the big post-prom party winner taking home a thirteen- inch color television set.

A heavy wet snow Monday afternoon that quickly melted provided .35 inches of needed moisture to area pastures.

Steven Fowler, son of Bruce and Mary Fowler, was awarded an academic and an art scholarship to attend Hastings College.

Dave Young won the gold medal at the Adams Central Invitational Golf Meet with a score of eighty. Chris Lewandowski also medaled with a score of eighty-eight after having to play in a five way tie sudden death playoff.

Cedar Valley Conference basketball first team honors were earned by Missy Rasmussen, Mandy Axmann, and Meg Wilson. Leah Kucera was named to the second team. Honorable mention awards went to Eric Unick and Kevin Schafer.

The birthdays of Abby Hird and Todd Wardyn were celebrated at the Todd Wardyn home with a pot luck supper followed by cake and ice cream.

Loup City police officer Bruce Bond presented his letter of resignation to the council.

The Arcadia Village Board passed a motion to buy a truck from Solid Waste Management and then the board gave a directive to the village attorney to write a letter to J. J. Sanitation that their services to the town were no longer needed.

April 17, 1986

Dan Day suffered back injuries in a one vehicle accident Tuesday. He was north bound on Highway 10 north of Hazard when he swerved to miss a cow in the road. The truck hit the cow and then went down a forty foot embankment. Day crawled out of the cab of the truck and up the embankment to flag down a passing motorist for help.

The mini-park is well on the way with plating started and discussions being made about the need for a band stand or a gazebo.

Head Start will graduate twenty students on Sunday. The graduates are Jeff Rademacher, Andrea McCarville, Sarah Ingold, Misty Lewandowski, Rebecca Panowicz, Joseph Hostetler, Brad Alexander, John Dietz, Amy Mills, Tracy Kuszak, Michelle Wilson, Paul Badura, Phillip Kowalski, Dusty Sekutera, Carrie Setlik, Jason Jerabek, Jarvis Culler, Mathew Kaminski, Erin McCarville, and Lucas Treffer.

Chamber of commerce manager Kathy Kurtzhals reports no one has found the hidden Easter egg so the contest will be extended until it is found.

Ray Trompke Jr., Connie Kuszak, Barbara Wahl, and Bob Aufrect are the new officers of the Sherman County division of the American Heart Association.

The annual Mason City Father-Son Banquet sponsored by the Baptist and the Catholic churches in Mason City was Saturday evening at the community building. Bert Philpot was the oldest father present, Rich Hawkins the youngest father, Norman Anderson had the most sons present, Chad Hemstead had the oldest son present, and Harry Ray Boyles had the most grandsons present, Shane and Scott Kuehl and Stephen and Ross Boyles.

Gate prices for Litchfield High School events was set at two dollars for adults, one dollar for visiting students, and fifty cents for Litchfield students.

Shanon Scorniak was first and Jason Hurt second in the Americanism Essay contest conducted by the Ashton Legion Auxiliary.

April 15, 1976

Loup City Community Center spokesman Cloyd Boydston, filling in for Reverend Earl Reed, reported to the Loup City City Council that the community center is in financial trouble and needs council assistance. A deficit of $2,190 is expected this year. The council indicated the amount of help they could provide would “depend on budget needs of the city.” In other financial news, the Loup City Development Corporation reported a $10,661 deficit on the taking over of the clinic voted on by the public. Stock holders were urged to not redeem their stocks as the money was needed now to meet the clinic’s needs.

Pam Jonak and Connie Urbanski were announced as the Loup City Girls State representatives.

Loup City High School FFA member Ken Smedra was elected to the Nebraska State FFA Secretary post for the 1976-1977 school year at the recent state convention.

Loup City High School junior Debbie Quandt was selected to attend the annual Farm Bureau Youth Leadership Conference.

Lost 1975-76 school days to the stormy weather will be made up by having school the Friday and Monday set aside by the Loup City schools for the Easter break.

John Runyan earned a third place Nebraska State Speech medal with his informative speech “Cloning”.

Marvin Slocum advertised a 1972 Chevrolet El Camino pickup and a 1970 Ford LTD for sale, both in “good condition”.

Rose Lane Home advertised for nurses’ aides for the starting wage of $2.25 an hour.

Elmer Haesler is still advertising he is looking for a “strayed Hereford heifer.”

Mr. and Mrs. Ed Hurt and Mrs. and Mrs. Ray Rewolinski and boys entertained Carol Hurt on her fifteenth birthday with a Friday night supper at the Colony Club.

April 21, 1966

The Loup City Knights of Columbus bowling team won ninety-five dollars and an third place finish at the Nebraska Knights of Columbus Bowling Tournament at Hastings. Team members were Al Krolikowski, Gene Lewandowski, Capt. LaVern Mroczek, Bob Jablonski, and Al Augustyn.

The Ashton fire department was able to save Jim Jakubowski’s tractor after it caught fire from spilled fuel.

Jack Rademacher and Paul Kusek were feted to a farewell party at the Leonard Rademacher home the evening before their return to Conception, Missouri where they are attending school.

Temperatures fell to a six below on Tuesday night west of Loup City. Saturday the high was seventy-three. The sharp change began Monday night with a cold freezing rain turning to snow by morning. Ashton and Litchfield lost power because of the ice coating the power lines.

The new Federal Income Tax Withholding system becomes effective May 1st.

The American Legion Monday night stag is featuring “all the ham you can eat!”

Litchfield High School track coach Eldon Kieborz drove his team to the Callaway meet Friday. First place medals were won by David Tuning in the 880 run and Bob Lutz in the mile.

Mrs. Don Badura is the Ashton Legion Auxiliary Poppy Day chairperson.

Mr. and Mrs. Isadore Schachta and family were Wednesday evening dinner guests at the Alozy Spotanski home to help little Michael Spotanski celebrate his first birthday.

Eugene Badna advertised, “Wanted. Elderly couple on the farm. Light farm and house work. Room and board furnished”.

The classic film “King Rat” starring George Segal is playing the Liberty this weekend.

REBELS BREAK RECORDS ON TRACK

Wed, 15 Apr 2026 06:00:00 -0500

ARCADIA/LOUP CITY TRACK AND FIELD

Program records tumbled last Tuesday, as members of the Arcadia/Loup City track team put up new best marks.

On the oval at Wood River Rural High School, two Rebel athletes—Tyce Calleroz and Dutch Miller—both broke program records on the track, with Calleroz’s efforts helping the senior to a gold medal at the Eagles’ meet.

Calleroz secured the top spot on the medals stand in the boys’ 100-meter dash last Tuesday. The senior hit the line in 11.07 for the gold, besting Amherst’s Isaac Chavez who finished the race in second at 11.08. The Rebels’ Ryan Kaslon ended up just outside the medals in that event, placing seventh at 11.70.

Later in the meet, Miller set new program bests in both the mile and two-mile races.

Miller’s time of 4:56.79 in the mile secured the sophomore the Rebel record in that event. However, Miller finished the race in second behind Jacob Swanson of Nebraska Christian. The Eagle won the mile event in 4:44.92.

In the two-mile, Miller clocked in at 10:24.56 for another record-setting performance. The Rebel, however, was again bested by Swanson. The Eagle racer completed eight laps around the oval in 10:14.63 for the gold, leaving the Rebel with the silver.

Elsewhere on the track last week, Eli Jaixen placed fifth in the 400 with a time of 55.97 and Brogan Setlik secured the silver in the 800 after he clocked in at 2:12.53. Setlik was bested in that race by Cole Haahr of Kenesaw. The Blue Devil earned the gold in 2:11.41.

Setlik, Miller, Isaac Fitzgerald, and Carter Schmidt teamed up to place fourth in the 3200-meter relay. Those four finished the event in 9:24.66.

Late in the day, Calleroz, Kaslon, Jaizen, and Setlik capped the meet with a runner-up finish in the 1600-meter relay. The four Rebels completed the event in 3:43.71, finishing only behind the boys from Nebraska Christian. The Eagles won the relay in 3:42.26.

In his second outing of the season, recent Chadron State commit Wyatt Stieb won the boys’ shot put.

Stieb hit 49- 06.25 for the gold medal, beating Gavin Whitefoot of Centura. The Centurion earned the silver with a mark of 46-06.50. Stieb later placed fourth in the discus. The senior’s best mark was 127-04.

Arcadia/Loup City’s Kolton Friesen also medaled in the shot put. Friesen hit 42-11 for fourth.

Arcadia/Loup City placed third in the team race at the Eagles’ meet.

The Rebels scored 74.5 points, finishing just behind Nebraska Christian who earned 77.5. Wood River won the team title at their home invite. The Eagles paced the nine-team field with ninety- two points.

A two-team race quickly emerged on the girls’ side of the competition at Wood River—Nebraska Christian and Elm Creek combined to score 289 points at the meet. However, that didn’t mean that the Rebels weren’t able to rack up some points of their own.

Leading the Rebels on Tuesday was Tayler Obermiller.

The junior won the 400-meter dash with a time of 1:03.53, besting Adelaine Mankin of Nebraska Christian. The Eagle finished the race in 1:03.70.

Later in the meet, both Tenley Panowicz and Charlize Meyer also secured medals on the oval. The duo clocked in at 2:44.79 and 2:44.82 to place fifth and sixth, respectively in the 800. Emma Rathjen of Nebraska Christian won that race in 2:31.43.

Hitting her stride in the hurdles was freshman Hadley Rademacher. The Rebel placed second in the 100-meter race in 17.46 and took sixth in the 300-meter competition with a time of 55.30. Sheridan Falk of Nebraska Christian won both those events, clocking in at 15.55 and 49.92.

The Rebels also medaled in the 1600- and 3200-meter relays.

In the shorter race, Obermiller, Panowicz, LaMor Santos, and Meyer placed third in 4:28.36. In the longer race, Obermiller, Panowicz, Meyer, and Savannah Griess exchanged the baton three times in 11:03.62 for third.

Rylee Kursave added to the Rebels’ point total with third place finishes in both the shot put and the discus. Kursave hit 33-10 for the bronze in the shot put, while the senior landed a toss of 113-11 for the bronze in the discus. Chelsea Kottich won the shot put with a heave of 40- 01.25, while the Buffalo took the gold in the discus with a mark of 143-04.

The Rebels’ girls team scored forty-six points to finish in fourth at Wood River. Nebraska Christian outscored Elm Creek 151-147 for the gold, while Centura put away seventy points to place third.

HADLEY RADEMACHER placed second in the girls’ 100-meter hurdles at last week’s Wood River Invite.

WYATT STIEB won a gold medal in the boys’ shot put last Tuesday at Wood River. Stieb hit 49-06.25 for the gold.

Early building fires drew suspicion in county

Wed, 15 Apr 2026 06:00:00 -0500

SHERMAN COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY

We now have the results of our ACE fund grant request as a result of the city council meeting on April 7th. The council voted to divide the $3,000 they had appropriated equally to the seven applicants, or $428.57 each. The historical museum will be discussing the next step at the museum’s monthly meeting on Monday, April 20th. By the way, all are welcome to come to any of the society’s meetings.

More fire stories from earlier days need to be told. A report in the Loup City Northwestern and Sherman County Times, February 2, 1900, told of a Loup City business building fire that was discovered about 4:30 a.m. by Mrs. Thomas Inks when she was letting her house dog outside. The fire was in the saloon occupied by Peter Slobodny. The fire bell was rung in short order and the “fire company was out with hose cart and hook and ladder truck.” Even so, the building and contents were all destroyed. This was not the only building in jeopardy by the fire—on the west was the barbershop, only two feet from the saloon building, to the east was the H. Dolling shoe shop, east of the Dolling building was Conhiser & Co., a large, frame building. The barbershop was not even scorched; Dolling’s building was badly burned and sustained damage to his stock of shoes and some tools; Conhiser’s general store escaped any fire damage.

The Sherman County Times went on to report that the saloon building was one of the first buildings built in the village and was the first schoolhouse for District 1. The frame building was out of cottonwood trees from the riverbank.

The Loup City Northwestern reported that there was a “stiff breeze from the northwest” that contributed to flames hopping quickly from one roof to another. “The fire boys are deserving of great praise for their work, and they should receive the hearty support and praise of every citizen.

There is no doubt but that without our system of water works and the noble endeavors of the boys, the major part of our city, from Main street south, would be in ruins today.”

In October 1912, hay that was being baled for R. P. Ratslaff caught on fire but was extinguished after about six tons of hay and the baler were destroyed. Parties from Arcadia were doing the baling.

The District 10 rural school, known at that time as the Tracy school, four miles northwest of Loup City, was completely destroyed by a suspicious fire in December 1914. The schoolhouse was rebuilt. A month later, another rural school, Hancock school, southeast of Loup City, was set on fire. With the quick actions of school patrons who lived nearby, the fire was put out, leaving a badly charred floor and some books totally destroyed. Once again, the fire was determined to be “suspicious”..

There are more incidents of fires to be told.

Stay tuned.

The Sherman County Historical Museum is now open by arrangement with one of the volunteers listed below.

Members will resume the Sunday afternoon schedule next Memorial Day weekend. The Research Center (and Hanshew Barbershop) is open Wednesday afternoons from 1:00 p.m. until 4:00 p.m.

To become a member of the Sherman County Historical Society, call Donna Trompke at (308) 750-3325, or contact Kathy Spotanski, Mark Nabity, RoseAnn Kowalski, or Elsie Kieborz for a membership application. The Sherman County Historical Society’s mailing address is P.O. Box 362, Loup City, NE 68853; their Facebook page is Sherman County NE Historical Society. The website is www.shermancountyhistoricalsociety. com.

THE FIRE BELL TOWER, Loup City, on a frosty morning in the early 1900’s. Courtesy Photo

A bit of hand-written history

Wed, 08 Apr 2026 06:00:14 -0500

HAPP-ENINGS | MICHAEL HAPP - PUBLISHER

Apparently, there is more than one way to make a fruit salad.

Frankly, while it seems like a logical conclusion, it is something that I hadn’t really ever thought about. That is, until Sunday.

Like families across the country and around the world, this past weekend I gathered with my parents, siblings, and nieces and nephews to celebrate the Easter holiday. After dinner had been devoured, kites had been flown, and naps had been taken, we enjoyed dessert and a conversation sprang up.

I mentioned last week that my mom’s family had always celebrated Easter with a bit of a Bohemian flair.

Well, a part of those celebrations had been the presence of kolaches for dessert. Reminiscing about those sweet staples of the celebration, my mom mentioned that she still had her mother’s kolache recipe, and she pulled out her recipe box and quickly found the list of ingredients from the file.

I am not a cook, nor a baker. In fact, like most in my generation, if I encounter anything complicated in the kitchen, I turn to the internet and online recipes for solutions and explanations.

However, that is not the case for everyone.

My mother, like many others, still has a box filled with recipes. While the box and the cards have changed over the years—during a series of hospital stays I had to take a decade or so ago, she had used the downtime while keeping me company in the hospital to rewrite her recipes onto laminated cards—the recipes themselves had remained the same.

On Sunday, while flipping through the now laminated cards, I quickly learned that, if I wanted to enjoy the same taco casserole that my mom had made thirty years ago when my siblings and I were still gathered around the table on a random Tuesday night, she had the recipe.

As I flipped through the cards, much to my mother’s chagrin—like many in my family, there is no doubt she knew that my exploring was going to one day be the topic of an edition of Happ-enings—I came to a conclusion.

I often tout the fact that, no matter the state of your local newspaper, there is no denying that, above all else, a community’s newspaper is and will always be that place’s official record. Sure, there are lots of online resources, newsletters, and social media sites that are critical in disseminating information, but the truth is that, in forty years, we have no way of knowing if we will even be able to access that information again.

While we are proud to be that official source—just last week I was asked to look up a stat line from a basketball game that occurred nearly fifty years ago—there are lots of other, more informal records that exist in our communities.

One of those records, I discovered while sitting around my parents’ kitchen table, is the many old recipes that have long been a part of our lives.

There is a good chance that, outside of looking for the cookie dough recipe when I was a teenager, I haven’t gone through a recipe box in my life. My mother’s, it turns out, was well-organized, and very unique.

Unlike fancy cookbooks and online recipes that gave dishes unique and interesting names, the recipes that I found on Sunday had pretty simple titles.

“Mom’s cole slaw”—how many generations had passed that recipe down, and which matriarch ‘Mom’ referred to, was a question I had—“Rita’s cinnamon rolls,” and “Sharon’s cheesy beans” were among the many recipes that I found.

While I gave my mom a hard time about the names and some of the recipes themselves—it has likely been a minute since my mom went to the recipe box looking for the exact instructions to make candied yams—it was interesting to hear the stories about where those recipes originated, who gave them to her, and when she makes them.

Each recipe was diligently organized into a category— who knew there could be so many different ways to make frosting, or even dinner rolls— and in each category, it was clear that my mom had simply put the most recent recipe on top.

In the Salads grouping, Watergate salad—a St. Patrick’s Day staple—was towards the top. Something tells me that on March 16, 2027, that recipe will be near the back. Also, cheesy rice was on top—it had been on our dinner table earlier that day!

While on Sunday, I was still proud of the fact that I oversaw publication of our community’s official record, the history that only we keep, I was humbled to know that there were many other unique tales of our families’ histories and that of our towns and villages that are being recorded in unique and unimagined ways.

Take, for example, the recipes that I found for different fruit salads.

On one card my mom had simply written “Fruit Salad” on the top. The next one in the order had the same title. However, in a glimpse into my mother’s way of thinking, she had made a small annotation next to the title.

“Easy!” she had scrawled. Why one recipe was different from the other, I now know. But I can’t tell.

Like so many items written on those little cards, it is a family secret.

Another year, another round of tax breaks to retain corporations

Wed, 08 Apr 2026 06:00:13 -0500

ALL THINGS NEBRASKA | PAUL HAMMEL

“To the Arch by March.”

That was the scary slogan circulating throughout Omaha back in the 1980s when both Union Pacific and ConAgra were threatening to move their corporate headquarters out of the River City. (U.P. was said to be looking at St. Louis, home of the Gateway Arch.)

That meant that hundreds of good paying jobs would be leaving Nebraska and that Omaha’s status as a home of corporate headquarters would be diminished.

Never fear, the Nebraska Legislature and then-Governor Kay Orr responded with the “Investment and Growth Act,” Legislative Bill 775, which offered millions in tax breaks to companies who invested money and expanded employment in the state.

“Major revisions in Nebraska’s tax structure are necessary to accomplish economic revitalization of Nebraska,” read the official justification of LB 775, which was billed as a way to make the state “competitive” with other states offering similar tax breaks.

Fast forward to today, and the state legislature is again passing tax breaks to retain, attract, and inspire expansion of businesses.

It seems there are never enough tax incentives for businesses.

LB 775 begat the Advantage Act of 2005, which begat the ImagiNE Nebraska Act of 2020, which begat this year’s “Grow the Good Life Act.”

Nebraska State Auditor Mike Foley, a blackbelt finder of waste and abuse in state government, fired a warning shot in February with a letter to state lawmakers. He warned that current state tax incentives lacked sufficient oversight to ensure that state funds weren’t flowing to businesses that hadn’t earned them via job expansion and new investment.

The state’s incentive programs, Foley pointed out, had cost the state $1.2 billion over the past four years. Some of those funds, he said, had continued flowing to businesses that had declared bankruptcy or had abandoned an expansion project.

Local communities, the auditor said, had contributed nearly $181 million in sales tax breaks to businesses— that’s money and you and I have to make up to fund city services, in part through higher property taxes.

I remember the anguish on my state senator’s face back in the 1980s when he described his support for

LB 775.

He said hated to do it—because it meant fewer funds for state services and tax breaks for you and I—but it had to be done. Omaha, and the state, can’t afford to lose businesses like Union Pacific and ConAgra, the lawmaker said.

Boy, have we heard that argument over and over.

But it is a difficult issue, and companies basically have state leaders over a barrel—“ pay up, or we’ll move.”

It’s a disgusting conundrum. (And it doesn’t always work— ConAgra eventually moved its headquarters to Chicago. Though, it must be noted, they kept a lot of jobs in Omaha.)

Nebraska, due to its high property taxes, has historically ranked high on taxes compared to other states.

But the state has made progress in recent years, thanks mostly to a gradual, deep cut in state income taxes.

Nebraska now ranks twenty-second among the states in “tax competitiveness.” That’s a ranking I think we’d take if it was the NU football team (though probably not one we’d accept if it was our basketball team, wrestlers, or volleyball squad).

We always tout the advantages of locating in our state—low cost of living, cheap energy, abundant water, friendly people and a dedicated workforce.

But, when companies come threatening to move away, that’s all forgotten as we open up the state’s pocket book and provide more tax breaks.

Game and Parks lifts temporary campfire ban

Wed, 08 Apr 2026 06:00:12 -0500

The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission has lifted its ban on campfires at all Nebraska state park areas and wildlife management areas.

Game and Parks also lifted its ban on prescribed burns.

This follows the State of Nebraska’s decision to rescind its burn ban after recent rains.

A temporary ban on campfires and prescribed burns was put in place March 13 in response to wildfires arising from dry conditions persisting across much of Nebraska.

State park area and WMA guests are encouraged to take the following precautions to reduce the risk of wildfire:

• Restrict driving to established roads and trails.

• Avoid parking vehicles in tall vegetation.

• Dispose of cigarettes and other flammable objects appropriately.

• Ensure your vehicle, trailers, and other equipment are well-maintained.

• Make sure no chains are dragging from your vehicle.

• In the morning, before driving and while the exhaust/catalytic converter system is cool, inspect it to see no debris is clinging to it.

Fully extinguish any campfire before leaving it unattended.

• Driving vehicles or parking on dry, tall grass is a primary threat. Grass can ignite within seconds of contacting a hot surface, such as a vehicle’s exhaust/catalytic converter systems. Campers and hunters should carry a shovel, bucket, and a fire extinguisher in their vehicle or camper to put out unintended flames.

| THANK YOU |

Wed, 08 Apr 2026 06:00:10 -0500

The Friends of Paplin wish to extend their deepest gratitude to everyone who generously donated their time and/ or talents, or helped in any way to make their Palm Sunday Breakfast a total success. Your support makes the event memorable and directly contributes to our mission to Repair, Restore, and Preserve the Historic Paplin Church Property. Together, we are keeping this important piece of history alive for generations to come. Thank you!

Every memory

Wed, 08 Apr 2026 06:00:09 -0500

A MESSAGE OF FAITH

Memories are powerful things. They have a way of carrying us back—sometimes to moments of joy and laughter, other times to seasons of struggle and uncertainty. A familiar smell, a song on the radio, or even a quiet evening can open the door to the past in an instant. And while we cannot live in yesterday, God often uses our memories to shape who we are today.

Throughout Scripture, we see a recurring call to remember. In Deuteronomy 6:12, God warns His people, “Be careful that you do not forget the Lord, who brought you out of Egypt.” Memory, in this sense, is not just reflection—it is spiritual discipline. Remembering what God has done strengthens our faith for what lies ahead.

There is comfort in recalling God’s faithfulness. When life feels uncertain, we can look back and see the ways He has provided, guided, and sustained us. Just as the Israelites set up stones of remembrance after crossing the Jordan River, we too can mark the moments where God showed up in undeniable ways.

But memories also remind us of growth. We remember who we were, the mistakes we made, and the grace we received. Through that lens, we see not just our past, but God’s transforming work within us. Even painful memories can serve a purpose, teaching us compassion, resilience, and dependence on Him.

The power of memory is not in dwelling on the past, but in allowing it to point us toward truth. It anchors us when we feel lost and reassures us when we feel alone.

Today, take a moment to remember. Recall a time when God was faithful, when hope broke through, or when peace replaced fear. Let those memories strengthen your heart and renew your trust.

Because the same God who was present then is with you now—and will be with you in every memory yet to come.

Turning Back the Clock

Wed, 08 Apr 2026 06:00:08 -0500

Compiled by Jerome Lobner

April 13, 2016

Joeli Walrath earned a third place medal at the District 11 Voice of Democracy Speech Contest. Her speech was “My Vision for America.”

The Jori Nichole Kuszak and Jadyn Cole Dawe engagement and upcoming wedding story led the social news.

Becky Ryan was hired as the Sunset Cottage property manager.

The Lou City City Council passed a motion to have the cities summer maintenance workers be responsible for cleaning the restrooms for Jenner’s Park and Peterson Park.

A large display ad pictured Loup City EMTs Shirley King and Mark Oseka and “Your dedication has been noticed- special thanks-always going on emergency calls.”

Ansley-Litchfield Spartan Volleyball Coach Pat Holbyn will be inducted in to the Nebraska High School Sports Hall of Fame later this year. She has coached for forty years, accounted for 681 wins, five state championships, one state runner-up finish, and twenty-five Loup Valley Conference titles.

Spartan shot putter Landon Rohde set a new South Loup Invitational shot putt record of 52-05 and won the discus with a toss of 153-06. Rebel Brooke Henry broke the South Loup Invitational shot put and discus records with throws of 42-05 and 153-06.

Larry Reiter advertised his thirty-seven- foot Newmar Mountain air Motor Home with 88,000 miles for sale for $19,900.

Maggie Huryta and Ethan Lobner were the lucky winners of a new bicycle at the 2016 Loup City Kid’s Fair.

April 12, 2006

Sherman County was one of the twenty-four Nebraska counties receiving the new M100 Precinct Scanner Voting Counter.

Katelyn Sweley earned a blue ribbon at the Custer County 4-H Speaking contest.

Family and friend helped Leo Sok celebrate his ninetieth birthday.

Rob and Dallas Lewandowski treated their son Grant to an eighth birthday party at the Loup City Lanes Saturday night. After the cake and ice cream, the guests went to Grant’s home to play basketball and watch videos.

Tami Coffin rolled a 203 high game and a 542 series to lead the Thursday Ladies League.

Jaden Hurt and Katie Kowalski were crowned the 2006 Loup City High School king and queen. The crown bearers were Jayden Kalinowski and Creighton Harrington.

Taylor Carkoski and Katlin Hull were pictured at the Loup City Schools Science Fair demonstrated how animals became trapped at the Le Brea Tar Pits.

The commissioners’ proceedings reported Gary Wicht and Mike Kuszak have passed the “Fracture Critical Bridge Inspection” schooling.

The Rockville news reported Dee Treffer was a Sunday dinner guest of her mother Laura Dethlefs.

An open house was held Saturday to honor Harry Ray Boyles eightieth birthday.

Michelle and Brad Howard held an open house at the new Howard Transportation business in Litchfield.

April 9, 1996

The Loup City School Board voted 7-1 for the most expensive plan for the proposed new high school bond issue. The board felt the voters should decide if they wanted a plan that included a commons area and a special area for drama or a simpler less expensive plan. In other action, George Graham was appointed to the board to fill out the unfinished term of Ken Mashka.

Ron Chelewski, 57, died Sunday morning when his 1995 pickup hi an embankment west of Ashton on old Highway 92.

Lou City High School FCLA members Mona McCarville, Lisa Apperson, Kristin Bochart, Christina Panowicz, Jody Sweeney, and Amy Kaslon won gold medals at the State FCCLA.

Boys and Girls State representatives are: Loup City, Kevin Woznick and Jayme Obermiller; Arcadia, Chris Paider and Michelle Dorsey; and Ashton, Jessica Skibinski.

Immanuel Lutheran Church Pastor Leon Zimmerman confirmed Ann Klimek, Clinton Obermiller, Brian Roberts, and Derek McConnell at Palm Sunday services.

An open house will be held Sunday at the Westside Park to honor the ninety-fifth birthday of Ida Heil.

Jason Cech is chairman for the 1996 Loup City Area Chamber of Commerce Easter egg hunt.

A sale bill for an unidentified estate in Litchfield listed a pre-WWII Graetz Comedia radio and a Shawnee wishing well planter.

April 10, 1986

Linda Jerabek was announced as the Ashton Girls State representative.

Loup City High School FFA seniors Kirk Skibinski and Kevin Kryzcki have earned the coveted Nebraska State Farmers Degree.

The front page pictured the “harem” cast members for the “Merchant of Venice” play in costume: Kim Kuhlen, Sheri Kwapnioski, Becki Adams, Jerinda Lobner, Jeff Wahl, Lori Baker, Sue Maschka, Karla Harris, Dawn Peterson, Audrey Thomsen, Kami Kieborz, and Beth Kowalski.

125 people attended the Litchfield Community Club supper Tuesday evening held to honor the parents, athletes and Litchfield teachers.

A son, Adam Michael, was born to Mr. and Mrs. Ron Wardyn.

Raider medalists at the state speech meet were Mitch McCartney, gold in extemporaneous and silver in original public address and Jeff Friesen fifth in humorous prose. The Loup City team finished in second place.

Norma Nunn rolled a 191 game and 508 series to lead the ladies in the Sunday Night Mixed League.

Barb Wilson, Linda Wilson, John Kucera, and Jordan Jaeschke were named to the Cedar Valley Conference basketball first team.

Immanuel Lutheran confirmands Tina Glinsmann, Lisa Glinsmann, Suzanne Wentworth, and Jeff Wrehe were confirmed at Palm Sunday services.

April 15, 1976

The Loup City Chamber of Commerce annual Easter egg hunt featured a new event, decorated Easter baskets, with the baskets judged the day of the hunt. Tyra Damratowski was pictured showing her decorated basket to Troy and Brian Reiter, Shawn Damratowski and Jackie Gappa.

Julie Zeleski was elected FHA District Song and Recreation Leader at the recent FHA State Convention.

The Sherman County Bank advertised, “ Available now. The $2 bill, not an oddity, again a reality.”

Mark Oseka was named to the Honor Student List for the winter quarter at the University of Nebraska, School of Technical Agriculture at Curtis.

Mr. and Mrs. Andrew Waskowiak will celebrate their fiftieth wedding anniversary Sunday with a 1:00 p.m. Mass at St. Josaphat’s Catholic Church followed by an open house at the parish center.

Mmes. P. J. Kowalski and Wayne Rakosky were hostesses for the Loup City Women’s Club meeting. President Margaret Erdman gave a quiz to the members with questions about the international scene from 1776 to 1976.

The Polka Gems is playing the Easter dance Sunday evening at the Ashton Parish Hall.

Jerry and Judy Cech, owners and operators of the Loup City Drive-In, opened for business April 6th. The Cech’s are now offering homemade sno-cones and will have an “ice cream flavor of the week” special.

Mr. and Mrs. Max Staab entertained a family cookout Sunday evening for their daughter Linda’s birthday. Mr. and Mrs. Brad Sell and Mr. & Mrs. Con Pierson were guests.

Litchfield bicentennial co-chairman Marleen Rasmussen and Shirley Reynolds were pictured with the new bicentennial flag presented to the community at a potluck supper at the school.

April 14, 1966

Retiring Loup City JayCees president Frank Kovarik was pictured shaking hands with the new president Robert Martin. Other officers for the 1966-1967 year are Darrel Dudley and John Werner.

Dar Lee was named Loup City Baseball Club president. Other officers are Bob Petrytus and Carl Krolikowski. Leonard Woitalewicz is the 1966 team manager.

Dr. G. F. McKenzie, Arcadia dentist, is taking the rabies shot series after being bitten by a rabid family cat.

Clarence Siwinski reported the White Way Service Station was broken into early Saturday morning and thirty-five dollars worth of cigarettes and cigars were taken. The change in the cash register was untouched. The window of the front door was broken to gain entry.

Sandra Kay Kovarik, 5, was pictured with a two pound northern pike she caught at Sherman Lake will fishing with her father Frank.

Boy Scout Troop 193 held a Court of Honor Monday night at the grade school. Tenderfoot badges were presented to Michael Knecht, Jeff Lampe, Patrick Kuehl and Charles Button. David Hegarty received his Reading Merit Badge. Scoutmaster Jim Kuehl was given a pen and pencil set in appreciation for the time he spends working with the troop.

The racing film, “Red Line 7000,” starring James Caan, and directed and produced by Howard Hawks is playing the Liberty this weekend.

Mr. and Mrs. Billy Kuhl of Ashton were Friday evening guests of Mr. and Mrs. L. J. Treffer.

A Loup City Chamber of Commerce ad welcomed Placzek Motors to Loup City.

Mrs. Tom Stanczyk was hostess for the Ashton Merry Maids club meeting Tuesday evening. Mrs. Mike Eurek gave the lesson on “Art and Elements in Home Decorating.”

SPARTANS EARN HARDWARE AT AC

Wed, 08 Apr 2026 06:00:07 -0500

ANSLEY-LITCHFIELD TRACK AND FIELD

Three medals for the Ansley- Litchfield girls and two for the boys put both teams into twelfth place at last Tuesday’s Adams Central Invitational in Hastings, with senior Caydence Feldman leading the way individually.

In the longest race of the day, the Black and Gold left their mark. Among a field of eight 3200-meter runners, Feldman posted her fastest time of the season at 14:03.48 to garner a fifth-place finish. Kendra Porteck of Loomis placed sixth in 14:29.41 while Ansley-Litchfield’s Bayler Clay (14:53.35) and Freyja Lawrence (17:03.71) landed seventh and eighth, respectively.

Additionally, Clay had a hand in the Spartans’ other fifth place finish. Joined by teammates Kaycee Nelson, Addilyne Rohde, and Garittee Smith, the Lady Spartans finished fifth in the 4x800-meter relay with a time of 12:07.11. Also in the relays, the 4x400-meter squad of Kiera Bailey, Asia Lyon, Jenna Drahota, and Nelson placed sixth with their time of 4:46.50.

Other top finishers for the Lady Spartans were senior Ava Paitz taking home eighth place finishes in both the 100 and 300-meter hurdles, running respective times of 18.36 and 53.54 seconds; Nelson placing ninth in both the 400 (1:09.81, personal best) and 800-meter (2:55.16, personal best) runs; and Taryn Cole finishing sixteenth in the 100-meter dash with her time of 14.55 seconds.

On the boys’ side of the meet, the Black and Gold also found success in the relay races. The 4x800-meter relay team of Kaleb Aguilar, Owen Brott, Cooper Fletcher, and Donald Lawrence came away with the best result of the day for Ansley-Litchfield, placing fourth with an eightlap time of 10:49.93.

In the 4x100-meter relay, Parker Wilson, Wyatt Hoblyn Shoemaker, Luke Soukup, and Knox Feldman crossed the finish line in 1:01.64 to earn a sixth-place finish.

Aguilar, Brott, Chance Evans, and Adrian Nienaber combined forces to compete in the 4x400-meter relay and, with their time of 4:17.75, were able to topple Fillmore Central by just under twenty seconds for seventh place.

Individually for the Ansley- Litchfield boys, Brott led the charge while finishing just outside of the medal stand in the 300-meter hurdles. Brott posted an eighthplace time of 50.47 (personal best) to defeat Adams Central’s Christian Diggs by 0.19 seconds. Tyson Freeman of Loomis won the race in 43.04 seconds while Atticus Vance of Grand Island Central Catholic took home the silver in 45.02.

Other top finishes for the Spartans were Brott placing tenth in the 110-meter hurdles (21.15), Evans finishing eleventh in the 400-meter dash (57.56), Michael Corliss placing eleventh in the 200-meter dash (25.28) and thirteenth in the high jump (5- 02), Kolten Clay placing eleventh in the 3200-meter run (12:22.64), Lawrence finishing twelfth in the same race (12:42.80), and Aguilar landing thirteenth in the 1600-meter run with a time of 5:58.34. In the throwing events, Parker Wilson placed twenty-fifth in the shot put and Cooper Fletcher finished twenty-seventh in the discus.

Grand Island Central Catholic took home the overall team title on the boys’ side with a score of ninetysix. Doniphan-Trumbull finished second at eighty-three points and Lincoln Christian was third at sixty-three.

On the girls’ side, the hosting Patriots edged out Elm Creek 118 to 106. Hastings St. Cecilia placed third with a score of fifty-six while Grand Island Central Catholic was four points back in fourth place.

This week, the Ansley-Litchfield Spartans traveled to Ravenna for the Bluejays’ annual invitational on Tuesday, April 7th, at 1:00 p.m.

Afterwards, on Friday, April 10th, the Spartans will make their way to Arnold for the South Loup Invitational. Field events are scheduled to get underway at the Bobcats’ meet at 10:00 a.m.

Multiple fires were reported in county

Wed, 08 Apr 2026 06:00:05 -0500

SHERMAN COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY

Fires have been in the news lately, and rightly so. With the number of acres burned in these historic fires, the information I found about fires in Sherman County in earlier years hardly seems noteworthy. However, any fire is devastating, as those who have been a victim will acknowledge. Some of the fire stories are shared now.

On January 24, 1888, the Omaha Daily Bee reported on a fire in Loup City that was discovered in the “the livery barn of Miller and Graham on the northeast corner of the square…before anything could be done the building was in ashes and also the office of the Loup City Lumber company. Four horses and all the vehicles, harness, etc., were burned…The origin of the fire is unknown but is supposed to have been an attempt to burn the town, by incendiaries.”

Both the livery barn and the lumber company were fully insured for the total loss—$2500 for the livery barn and $500 for the lumber company, or about $86,000 and $17,200 today. At that time, there was no volunteer fire department, no fire-fighting equipment, no fire whistle, no telephone, etc. The population of Loup City was 826 in 1900.

The Omaha Daily Bee article said that this was the first fire in Loup City. However, on November 7, 1887, a fire was set “to the office of J. H. Senff on the west side of the public square and another fire was set or attempted in the store of H. J. Shupp in the Porter building on December 30, 1887” and was reported in the Sherman County Times when the County Board voted in February 1888 to offer a $500 reward (about $17,200 today) for the arrest and conviction of the person or persons who set these fires.

A fire at the residence of J. F. McGwire, five miles from Hazard, was reported in January 1888. Fortunately, most of the items in the building were saved, according to the newspaper.

Sherman County’s neighbors in Arcadia suffered a costly fire in November of 1890. Eight business buildings were destroyed. Two men were attempting to save some of their business goods but were “blown nearly across the street by the explosion of a ten-pound keg of gunpowder, and immediately after cartridges of all kinds, which were kept in stock, commenced to explode, rendering it unsafe to enter the building.” Turning Back the Clock, Sherman County Times, November 30, 1950.

In July 1892 the sun’s reflection from a tin pail set a buggy on fire that was in front of Gasteyer’s Store. It was reported that the fire was discovered before any damage was done.

The Sherman County Historical Museum is now open by arrangement with one of the volunteers listed below.

Members will resume the Sunday afternoon schedule next Memorial Day weekend. The Research Center (and Hanshew Barbershop) is open Wednesday afternoons from 1:00 p.m. until 4:00 p.m.

OHLSEN BRICKYARD FIRE, JANUARY 1913. The Brickyard was not rebuilt after this fire, which had not been the first fire at this plant. Courtesy Photo

Set guidelines for quality studying

Wed, 08 Apr 2026 06:00:04 -0500

EXTENSION NEWS

Every family needs to set their own guidelines for studying at home, according to Renette Wardlow, human development specialist, University of Missouri Extension.

“Differences in guidelines occur because of the different ages of students,” said Wardlow.

For example, younger children have less homework, but it generally requires more parent supervision. As children grow older, developing the skill of independently tackling homework without parent help becomes important.

“Children of all ages need a good place to study and a specific time to study, with minimal distractions,” said Wardlow.

Developing the proper frame of mind for studying will help reduce distractions and bring about positive results.

It is also essential to plan ahead, organize studying around a regular schedule and get materials organized. This is important in order to find what is needed when you need it, to get assignments done on time and to avoid procrastination. There are several ways to get focused and organized ahead of time.

For example, Wardlow advises that children need to plan ahead and get a good night sleep the night before they’ll have to do a lot of studying.

Wardlow also recommends that children focus on their strong points. Instruct your child to “think about the things you do best in school and develop a positive self-image,” said Wardlow.

It is important for each child to study in a comfortable place that has good lighting in order to avoid eye strain and fatigue. Wardlow recommends avoiding distracting music during study times.

“It is true that some people study well with background music, and for different people different kinds of music will suit,” said Wardlow.

It is also a good idea to not watch the clock or count the pages left while trying to study, according to Wardlow. Getting together with friends to study can also be very distracting, especially when everyone is not studying the same topic.

PREPPING TO DELIVER

Wed, 08 Apr 2026 06:00:00 -0500

FARWELL IRRIGATION DISTRICT

Farwell Irrigation District gearing up for irrigation season

As the months move ever closer to irrigation season, members of the Farwell Irrigation District are hard at work.

The irrigation district manages a system of canals and laterals responsible for diverting about 85,000 acre-feet of water from the Sherman Reservoir per year to approximately 68,381 acres of farmland in Sherman and Howard counties.

Last year, spurred by a dry offseason, the district had begun water delivery on May 27th, the better part of a month earlier than average. Due to continued drought conditions, Farwell Irrigation District Manager Matt Lukasiewicz anticipates another early start to the season in 2026.

“We were kind of anticipating another dry year, obviously,” he said last week, “and it’s showed its ugly face.

“We’ve actually already started bringing water to Sherman to fill.”

Water from the Middle Loup River officially hit the inlet at Sherman Reservoir on March 29th, about three weeks prior to normal.

“We’re getting started earlier in anticipation that, if it doesn’t rain, our farmers are going to need some additional water earlier to help their crops emerge and activate herbicides,” said Lukasiewicz. As irrigation season approaches, crews are currently working to clear canals and put the final touches on other projects. While the prolonged drought in the area is certainly a negative, it has had, noted the district manager, a small upside.

“From a maintenance standpoint, we have been able to get more maintenance and dirt work and projects done than ever before,” said Lukasiewicz. “From that perspective, we are sitting in really good shape, really ready for the season.

THE INSTALLATION OF FARM TURNOUTS along the three-miles of buried pipeline is one of the final parts of the project to be completed.

“The other side of that coin is, obviously, the drought.”

Other than the typical work to prepare for irrigation, the district has undertaken two larger projects this offseason: a dam upgrade at Sherman Reservoir, which was completed in mid-March, and the installation of about 3.1 miles of buried laterals, and four pump plants, between Dannebrog and St. Paul.

The former project, undertaken by GC Contracting, had entailed “pour[ing] concrete on the face of the dam all the way up to full pool” to help protect the structure from erosion and vegetation growth. Work began in early February and was completed on March 19th.

“A big thing with earthen dams is that you don’t want trees and vegetation growing on them, and this will eliminate that and prevent erosion,” noted Lukasiewicz of the project. “It will lock all that riprap together to help armor that dam and protect it for years to come.”

Work began on the latter project last fall, undertaken in house by irrigation district crews and funded with support from the Nebraska Environmental Trust (NET).

“We’re turning an open lateral—like a ditch—into a buried pipeline to conserve water, reduce diversions, and create more reliable service for the producers,” said Lukasiewicz of that undertaking. “It’s a huge water savings for us, and with our drought conditions, anything we can do to conserve water is a plus.”

The project is billed at around $1,050,000, with $525,000 being paid out by the NET.

“The trust basically covers the materials, and then the rest is kind of in-kind matching; and we’re already exposed to our expenses anyway,” noted the district manager. “Our portion takes into account the cost of our equipment usage, our labor, all that sort of thing.

“That’s all stuff we’re already doing. We already purchased our equipment; we already pay our employees.”

The project, he noted, carries “multiple benefits for the environment” making it appealing to the NET. Primarily, “it will create additional habitat and stop us from having to use aquatic chemicals to control aquatic vegetation.”

The 3.1-mile undertaking began east of Nebraska Highway 11 north of Dannebrog and finished on Turkey Creek southwest of St. Paul. The lion’s share of the work, noted Lukasiewicz, was completed by late 2025.

“ All the main pipe was completed, as far as being buried in the ground, in mid-December,” he said. “Then, this spring, we’ve been putting on the finishing touches, like the farm turnouts, the air vents.”

The manager expects the project to be fully complete early this month.

“They were out there working [on April 1st], just basically buttoning everything up,” he said last Thursday. “They have a couple more turnouts to install and a couple more air vents to glue on.

“We’ve got probably a couple good days’ worth of work, max, and we’ll have her ready to go.”

This recent offseason pipe burial project is the most recent of several the irrigation district has undertaken in the last fifty-plus years. In that time, a total of 275 miles of previously open irrigation infrastructure has been buried. In recent years, much of this work has been supported by grants from NET.

“We’ve been doing this pipe burial work since the seventies,” noted Lukasiewicz. “We try to do one of these projects about every four years…In the fifteen years I’ve been here, this is the third time I’ve been successful with the Nebraska Environmental Trust for these exact projects.

“It’s been fantastic from a budgetary standpoint,” he added. “We budget for these projects over the course of three years, building up our Project Improvement Reserve to do these, but fortunately I have been able to maintain grants, so we haven’t had to use those reserves to complete them.”

A push from Governor Jim Pillen recently threatened that funding source. The governor’s proposed budget, released early this year, proposed moving roughly forty million dollars in state lottery funds out of the Nebraska Environmental Trust to help close the state’s budget gap.

“Some of the things they were attempting to do were concerning,” Lukasiewicz noted of the proposal. “The governor’s originally proposed budget…would have eventually killed the environmental trust.

“Luckily, the appropriations committee was able to come up with a different solution, so it at least looks more favorable now.”

In late February, legislators tentatively agreed to pull significantly less—about $11.1 million—from the NET as part of budget bills moving through the Unicameral.

As the spring progresses, the irrigation district is continuing to monitor the flows on the Middle Loup River. If flows begin to decline, said Lukasiewicz, the district will need to start looking at “policy changes,” particularly in terms of water purchases, to ensure producers can still receive their full allocation.

“Everybody is guaranteed twelve inches of water, if available, at the Farwell district,” he noted. “We are able to sell some early water right away in the season, and then again at the end of the season, at full cost, if we are able to provide a full supply. But we have to guarantee we will get that twelve inches to [the producers]. If we start losing water in the river and we feel like we are not going to be able to maintain good storage capacity at Sherman, we might have to eliminate some of those extra water purchases.

“As of now, those flows are still steady, but…it’s always a concern of mine,” he added. “They say that, after an extreme drought, it could be three years and then the streams start drying up. Well, we’re in year, what, four?”

Summing up his thoughts, Lukasiewicz said, his philosophy has remained the same throughout the drought: “You prepare for the worst, hope for the best.”

THE FARWELL IRRIGATION DISTRICT is in the final stages of completing the installation of about 3.1 miles of buried laterals, and four pump plants, between Dannebrog and St. Paul. Pictured is work from an early stage of the project. Courtesy Photos

WORK IS NEARING COMPLETION on a project by the Farwell Irrigation District to convert 3.1 miles of lateral to pipeline between St. Paul and Dannebrog.

Rebels hit the links at Ravenna

Wed, 08 Apr 2026 06:00:00 -0500

ARCADIA/LOUP CITY GOLF

Mother Nature may not have fully cooperated last week, but the windy weather and cool temperatures weren’t enough to keep the Arcadia/Loup City Rebels off the links last week.

On Tuesday, the Rebels joined three other teams— Ravenna, Central Valley, and Riverside—for a quadrangular at the Ravenna Golf Course. From that field of four teams, the Rebels placed third, with Arcadia/Loup City combining to hit a 200 for the nine-hole event.

The Rebels finished the outing just thirty-three strokes off the leaders, Ravenna.

The Bluejays capitalized on home course advantage to shoot a 167 to win the quadrangular. Central Valley came in second with a 198, besting the Rebels by two strokes. Riverside, the fourth team in the field, fired a 205 to end up sitting in fourth.

Arcadia/Loup City’s links squad was led by Domanik Barnes. The Rebel fired a forty-six in Ravenna to place tenth. Barnes finished a stroke behind Ravenna’s Aaron Coulter.

At the Bluejays’ event, Ravenna had a strong showing in the top ten. Of the ten best scores last week, the Bluejays’ links squad accounted for eight of them.

Cooper Todd won the quadrangular with the low score of thirty-eight. Kash Lutz, in the first outing of his prep career, fired a forty-three. That score was matched by that of Central Valley’s July Gotschall. The Cougar placed third, one of just two non-Bluejays to finish in the top ten.

Others leading the pack included Weston Schirmer, Trent Wedemeyer, Bryce Rasmussen, Robbie Gentrup, and Hayden Bock.

Also competing for the Rebels last week, Kale Dorsey finished just outside the medals with a forty-eight, while Joseph Ducker fired a fiftyone. Other Rebel notables included Baylon Kohler with a fifty-five and Jackson Gries who shot a fifty-seven.

This week, the Rebels had the chance to golf their first complete round of the season on Wednesday. Arcadia/Loup City joined a large field of golfers at the Ord Invite. Following that meet, Arcadia/ Loup City is scheduled to host the Rebel Invite on Thursday before returning to Ravenna on Tuesday for a triangular with the Bluejays and Kearney Catholic.

Egg hunters have fun in Loup City

Wed, 08 Apr 2026 06:00:00 -0500

KIDS OF ALL AGES braved the frigid temperatures on Saturday morning to participate in the Loup City Area Chamber of Commerce’s annual Easter Egg Hunt on the lawn at the Sherman County Courthouse. Above, Charlee Bassich poses for a photo with the Easter Bunny. At bottom, Brooke Day sorts through her collection of eggs. Below, Kodeyeahk Englehart dashes to collect some eggs.

Photos by Michael Happ

ASHTON COMMUNITY CLUB

Wed, 08 Apr 2026 06:00:00 -0500

ASHTON COMMUNITY CLUB

Turning Back the Clock

Wed, 01 Apr 2026 06:00:00 -0500

April 6, 2016

Tanner Chelewski, Sheridan Holcomb, and Shylo Sillivan were announced by the Arcadia American Legion and Auxiliary as the Arcadia Boys and Girls State representatives.

An open house for the new Sunset Cottages will be held Sunday. The new two bedroom units with 1,393 square feet of space, will rent for $580 a month to income qualifying people. The rent includes water, sewer, garbage, snow removal, lawn care.

Madison Dodson earned a second in serious prose and second in entertainment speaking and Hannah Miller was fifth in humorous prose at the state speech meet.

Claude Badura, president of the Ashton State Bank, presented Warren Glinsmann a jar containing 12,302 M & M’s and a $100 gift certificate for being the closest in guessing the number in the jar-his guess was 12,250.

The family of Carol Bandur is hosting an eightieth birthday open house Saturday at the Legion Club.

Marge Kuszak and family presented a professional mixer and tools to the Sherman County Senior Center in memory of Ernie Kuszak. The family of Dale Brophy gifted a china hutch to the Senior Center in her memory.

Elementary School Secretary Cathy Placzek was pictured registering new Kindergarten student Treven Setlik for the 2016-17 school year as his mother Becky Setlik looked on.

A large display ad listed all the Loup City Emergency Signals. A steady two minutes solid blast signified a nuclear attack and fallout warning signal. A solid three to five minute blast of the siren meant there was an actual emergency situation in progress and for the public to check media sources.

April 6, 2006

Loup City High School FFA seniors Lucas Obermiller and Danielle Day earned the coveted FFA State Farmer Degree.

Loup City High School student earning medals at the LouPlatte Conference Art Show were Jenny Hervert, first in colored media; Cally Timm, third in computer art; Marissa Eurek, fourth in computer art; and Julie Kurtzhals, fifth in colored media.

The children of Eugene and Louise Holman are hosting an open house at the Arcadia Community Room Saturday to honor their fiftieth wedding anniversary.

Ed McCarville presented a red rose to John and Sara McCarville for the birth of their son Michael.

A daughter, Libby Lynn, was born to Mr. and Mrs. Bill Ference.

Raider Room Director Renae Neito Nesiba, Joy Hostetler, Cathy Glinsmann, and Donna Moore helped with the art of cake decorating workshop Joyce Kusek, owner of Joyous Kakes, put on for the students.

Ashton St. Francis Catholic Church confirmation candidates are Jenny Hervert, Shayla Badura, Joanie Kaslon, Jaden Hurt, Cassie Spotanski, and Asia Stobbe.

The Rose Lane Home chili cook-off judges were Dr. Caroline Winchester, Shirley King, Joe Mlinar, and Wayne Blazey.

Goldie Paider hosted two tables of pinochle on Tuesday. Marlene Einspahr, Jeane Gartside, Lydia Bruha, and Dolores Henderson won prizes.

Becky Kramer was named the Litchfield village clerk. She is also the assistant postmaster in Litchfield.

Dexter Goodner and Catie Schall were announced as the Litchfield Boys and Girls State representatives.

April 3, 1996

Over sixty citizens attended the public meeting with the school board about the options available for building a new high school. Superintendent Dave Rokusek presented three options with all requiring the abandonment of the high school campus in east Loup City. The public voted for the cheapest plan that would cost $3.7 million.

Immanuel Lutheran Church member Pat Einspahr was pictured presenting a check for $2,376 from the Lutheran Aid Association to Matt and Beth Fowler. The church’s men’s group held a pancake feed benefit that raised $1376 and the Lutheran Aid Association added another $1,000. The Fowlers lost their home and all belongings to a fire.

Loup City eighth grade student Josh Martin won the state championship at the AAU Folkstyle Wrestling Tournament in Kearney.

Cheryl Woitalewicz, daughter of Norman and Alice Woitalewicz, earned the prestigious Certified Medical Assistant Certificate from the AAMA Certifying Board.

An open house will be held Saturday for the new Loup Central Land Fill at Elba.

Rose Lane Home honored housekeeper Henrietta Kuszak as their Employee of the Month.

The Arcadia Busy Homemakers Club members Pam Lutz, Beulah Kingston, Elsie Rickerson, Dorothy Bredthauer, and Joy Lutz took ice cream and cake to Rose Lane Home residents Tuesday afternoon.

A son, Patrick James, was born to Joe and Charlotte Wardyn. He weighed eight pounds and ten-and-half ounces.

Micro R & D is hosting an open house Saturday to demonstrate the internet and what it has to offer.

The Elder Grove Club of Litchfield held a shower for Marie Eberle, the bride to be of Barry Sweley.

April 2, 1986

Lance Kizer, Judene Krolikowski, and Nancy Kulwicki were named to the LouPlatte All Conference Team. Jim Kuhn and Ann Marie Lonowski were named to the honorable mention squad.

Loup City Garden Club President Blanche Pfeifer proposed making a mini-park on the vacant lot north of the City Hall. The Loup City City Council approved letting the club and other volunteers proceed with the project.

Rose Lane Home has now opened an Alzheimer’s wing and is also offering temporary elder day care Monday through Friday.

The Loup City Chamber of Commerce is sponsoring a “Lost Easter Egg” contest for adults this year. Some Loup City merchant has hidden an egg in the store which will be worth twenty-five dollars in chamber cash.

The Loup City High School all school play is “The Merchant of Venice.” Jeff Friesen is Shylock, Kelly Harris, Antonio; Mitch McCartney, Bassario; Brett Apperson and Jon Friesen are Gratiano and Lorenzo; and Raider Acher is Lancelot Gobbs, the clown.

The Sherman County Bank advertisement reported Jeri Woitalewicz has finished the 1986 School of Banking Fundamentals at Manhattan, Kansas.

The Loup City Board of Health approved the hiring of Tom Youngquist as a full time employee to provide mental health, psychological and social services to the community.

David Unick and Carrie Evans were announced as the Litchfield Boys and Girls State representatives.

Carrie Evans won the gold medal at the State Speech meet with her original public address about the controversy in Nicaragua.

Loup City High School FFA gold plaque winners at the district meet were Jeff Kaslon, John Kaslon, Suzanne Lambrecht, Kirk Skibinski, and Kevin Kryzcki.

Ray Curtis of Litchfield advertised he is offering $100 for an undamaged crock pitcher with advertising from any Sherman County town.

April 1, 1976

Thirty-one charges of Minor in Possession were filed in Sherman County Court as a result of a raid by the Sherman County Sheriff’s Department and the Nebraska State Patrol on a party at a farm home southwest of Ashton.

Earl Gogan, John Kaminski, and Carl Lewandowski were pictured with the plans for the new Catholic church in Arcadia. The thirty family congregation has been using the Arcadia United Methodist Church since their church was destroyed by a tornado in 1974.

Minor and Lucille Steele are back from a month-long vacation to the southwest to visit relatives and tour. Minor reported they were in bed in Colorado with the flu the first week of the trip.

The Loup City Police Department published a big ad, “The Loup City Municipal Code…persons under sixteen are not to be permitted entry or leave at all establishments licensed under the Nebraska Liquor Control Act, whether or not accompanied by a parent, guardian or other person.”

Winnie Sharp was pictured with her great, great granddaughter Jennifer Obermiller, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Tom Obermiller. Winnie will be ninety-eight years old on Thursday.

Gary Kuszak advertised, “Pure bred land race boars for sale.”

Diamond Kennels of Litchfield advertised, “If you like dogs, have some spare time and want to earn extra money, raise Pekingese puppies for me.”

Loup City High School seniors out for track are Tim Piontkowski, David Reed, Kent Holm, and Howard Blake.

A daughter, Tonya Dawn, was born March 24th to Mr. and Mrs Duane Mieth.

April 7, 1966 Kenneth Maschka was elected president of the Ashton High School Alumni Association formed at a Monday night meeting. Plans are to hold an alumni banquet in June.

Bob Brown was re-elected mayor of Loup City. Floyd Raymond, Don Wagner, and Edwin Dethlefs were elected to the Loup City School Board. Jerry Randolph was elected Litchfield Police Magistrate and to serve on the Litchfield Board of Education.

Loup City High School senior Earl Norseen is the 1966 Union Pacific Scholarship winner.

Carol Beck has joined the Phi Beta Lambda Honorary at Kearney State College.

Jack & Jill is giving away a live Easter chick Saturday with any five-dollar purchase.

MMes Lee Heil, Dennis Badura, Harry Rademacher, Robert Czaplewski, John Gallaway, Don Burmood, and Harold Johnson attended the Homemakers Recognition Day in Grand Island.

Joe Lukesh and the Royal Bohemians are playing the St. Francis Hall Sunday. Admission is one dollar for adults and twenty-five cents for grade school children.

Mrs. Rennie Moritz was hostess for the Rockville Get Together Club meeting Wednesday evening. Fifteen members answered roll call by fixing another ladies hair. Mrs. Dale Huryta won the contest and Mrs. Dewey Mieth won the Hearts Desire.

Del’s 66 advertised it now offers a self-serve car wash which costs twenty-five cents.

Postcard stamps held secret meanings

Wed, 01 Apr 2026 06:00:00 -0500

Last week I was sharing the history of postcards and some of the early problems that the post office experienced regarding the picture postcard if it was offensive.

In early 1906, newspapers were telling subscribers that the “world’s yearly use of postcards is enormous. Germany uses 1,161,000,000, the United States 770,500,000, Great Britain 613,000,000.” But the United States had over four billion letters posted during 1903, far more than the other countries.

Did you know that in August 1913 the Sherman County Times published “The Postage Stamp Code?” It is a lengthy list delineating what and how the placement of a stamp signifies a message. For example, a stamp placed at the top right-hand corner means business, or it might express a wish for friendship. But the stamp in the same corner, but upside down might be asking the recipient to write no more. A stamp placed in the same corner crosswise meant the sender was sending a kiss, but if the stamp was placed horizontally, it was asking the recipient “do you love me?” And so many more placements were mentioned in this article— bottom left-hand corner, bottom left-hand corner but upside down, bottom left-hand corner horizontally, and then there were meanings if a stamp was placed in the middle at the top, too.

At that time two cents were needed to send a letter and one cent for a postcard. Did it matter if the letter had one stamp or two? Yes, it did. The number of stamps on a letter also carried its own set of meanings. Example: two stamps at the top right-hand corner upside down meant “Your father suspects,” but two stamps at the top right-hand corner crosswise meant “Can I call?” I wonder if senders and recipients had a list for unlocking what all these stamp placements meant.

Postcards were mentioned in Sherman County publications. November 5, 1908, Sherman County Times, “Arthur Elsner went to Arcadia yesterday to take postcard views of the village. He has been taking some fine views of this city and they are now on sale.” As a side note, we have a number of his postcard photographs; come see them at the Research Center.

In 1910 Carl Farnsworth advertised postcards for five cents; Travis’s 5, 10, and 25 Cent Store advertised postcards for one cent each as part of their Thanksgiving sale in 1914. Postcards were often mentioned in ads, telling people they could request free samples of anything from skin ointment to skin soap to “stomach bitters” just by sending a postcard to the address provided.

Several times people were asked to participate in a postcard shower for birthdays and anniversaries. In Litchfield, a postcard shower was requested for the seventy-fifth birthday of Grandma Duncan; a postcard shower was requested for Uncle John McMahan’s seventy-fourth birthday. All postcard showers seemed to be successful.

The Sherman County Historical Museum is now open by arrangement with one of the volunteers listed below. Members will resume the Sunday afternoon schedule next Memorial Day weekend. The Research Center (and Hanshew Barbershop) is open Wednesday afternoons from 1:00 p.m. until 4:00 p.m.

ONE OF ART ELSNER’S POSTCARD PICTURES. Loup City, Railroad Street, now called “O” Street. Courtesy Photo

Spartans open season outdoors at Arcadia/Loup City meet

Wed, 01 Apr 2026 06:00:00 -0500

The Ansley-Litchfield Spartans were well-represented in the distance races during the team’s first outdoor competition of the spring sports season.

On Thursday, the Spartans battled the elements and some tough competition from across the area at the Arcadia/ Loup City Invitational. During the Rebels’ annual meet, Ansley-Litchfield managed to pick up three of its medals across just two races on the girls’ side of the competition.

Early in the afternoon, both Caydence Feldman and Freyja Lawerance competed in the 3200-meter run. The two Spartans finished the race in succession, with Feldman clocking in at 14:45.75 and Lawerance finishing in 17:06.14. Those times helped the Ansley-Litchfield distance runners place third and fourth, respectively.

McKenna Hernandez of Ord won the two-mile race in 13:41.39, while Hallie Uden of Kenesaw placed second in 14:00.86. Kenesaw’s Madison Fras was the only other competitor in the field in that race on Thursday. The Blue Devil placed fifth with a time of 17:31.97.

Later in the day, Feldman picked up her second bronze medal of the meet when she clocked in at 6:38.38 for third in the mile run. The senior completed the four-lap race in 6:38.38, putting her behind Hernandez of Ord and Maleah Rager of Ravenna. The Chanticleer won the race with a time of 6:18.62, while the Bluejay secured the silver in 6:38.22.

On the track last week, Kiera Bailey placed fifth in the 300-meter hurdles, while Jaycee Vogel ended that event sitting in eighteenth. Bailey’s time of 55.25 helped the junior finish the race in the medals. Vogel hit the chalk in 1:01.54. Bailey also competed in the 400-meter dash, placing fifteenth in 1:15.11 and took fifteenth in the 100-meter hurdles. In the shorter hurdle race, Bailey placed fifteenth with a time of 19.53.

Ansley-Litchfield’s Ava Paitz took eighth in the 100-meter race with a time of 18.75, while Vogel tackled the timbers in 20.56.

With a handful of medals, the Spartans placed tenth as a team at the Rebels’ annual meet. Ansley-Litchfield scored twenty- two points, finishing just five points behind Ravenna. The Spartans ended the day ahead of Elba and Newman Grove/St. Edward.

Ord won the team title at Loup City.

The Chanticleers came away with 138 points. St. Paul was the runner-up with 120. Teams from Grand Island Central Catholic, Central Valley, and South Loup rounded out the top five.

On the boys’ side of the meet, Chance Evans paced the Spartans after the sophomore placed eighth in the 400-meter dash. Evans completed one lap around the oval in 59.13. The Spartans’ Adrian Nienaber came in twenty-third in that race at 1:07.54.

Thomas Schneider of Grand Island Central Catholic won the quarter mile event in 52.60.

Michael Corliss battled in the 100-meter dash, placing ninth on Thursday with a time of 12.24. The sophomore also competed in the 200-meter event, taking eleventh at 25.70. Graham Stava of Grand Island Central Catholic won both the sprints, racing in 11.14 and 22.82, respectively.

Corliss also competed in the high jump, where he cleared 5-00 for ninth.

Also last week, Evans represented in both the hurdle races, placing eleventh in the 110-meter race and taking tenth in the 300-meter event. The Spartan recorded times of 21.01 and 49.98, respectively.

As a team, the Spartans scored half a point at Loup City, putting the Black and Gold in twelfth place. Grand Island Central Catholic dominated the competition at the Rebels’ meet. The Crusaders scored 174.5 points to secure the team title. St. Paul finished in second with seventy-five.

Burn ban still in place at parks

Wed, 01 Apr 2026 06:00:00 -0500

With the extension of the governor’s statewide burn ban, guests at Nebraska Game and Parks’ properties are reminded that a temporary ban on campfires remains at all Nebraska state park areas and wildlife management areas.

Governor Jim Pillen on Thursday extended the statewide burn ban that was set to expire on March 27th. The new burn ban now continues through April 10th.

Pillen signed an executive order that continues the timeframe by which fire chiefs or their designated members are prohibited from issuing permits for open burning anywhere in the state to March 28th through April 10th.

Game and Parks also has been temporarily halting prescribed burns.

Those using permitted camp stoves, grills or firepits should never leave them unattended and always use them on a level area clear of flammable materials.

Out of the abundance of caution, campers and hunters should carry a shovel, bucket, and fire extinguisher in their vehicle or camper to put out unintended flames.

For more information on properties affected by wildfires, go to OutdoorNebraska. gov and search “Closures and Safety Advisories.”

Planning underway for annual alumni banquet

Wed, 01 Apr 2026 06:00:00 -0500

All graduates of Loup City High School are invited to the Loup City High School Alumni Banquet on Saturday, May 23, 2026 at the Loup City Community Center beginning with a social hour at 5:00 p.m. followed by the Banquet at 6:00. The classes to be honored this year are the classes of 1975, 1976, 2000 and 2001. The cost is twenty-five dollars per person and reservations can be made by mailing a check to Loup City Alumni Assn, P.O. Box 352, Loup City, Nebraska 68853, contacting Patty Piontkowski, Corresponding Secretary, at (308) 745- 0848 or by e-mail to loupcityalumni@ yahoo.com. Dues are five dollars per alumnus and can be sent to the above address. Also, alumni directories are available for fifteen dollars (if mailed, add five dollars for postage).

LOUP CITY FFA

Wed, 01 Apr 2026 06:00:00 -0500

LOUP CITY HIGH SCHOOL FFA Members Brogan Setlik, Jaymeson Gappa, Aiden Curlo, and Tyce Calleroz were awarded the Nebraska State FFA Degree at the ninety-eighth annual Nebraska State FFA Convention held in Lincoln last week. In addition to earning the four state FFA degrees, Loup City’s Livestock Judging team in the senior division placed sixth, while the meats judging team finished in eighteenth. Three students also participated in welding at the state convention.

REBELS BATTLE AT HOME INVITE

Wed, 01 Apr 2026 06:00:00 -0500

Arcadia/Loup City may have been missing a few of the weapons in its arsenal last Thursday, but that didn’t stop the Rebels from making some hay at the team’s home invitational.

On the track at Loup City High School, the Rebels benefited from a series of strong performances to pick up hardware at the Arcadia/ Loup City Invite. Among those that made strides from the Red and Black was Wyatt Stieb, with the senior securing a pair of silver medals.

Stieb took second in both the shot put and the discus.

The Rebel hit 47-02 in the shot put, while in the discus ring, the Loup City senior logged a toss of 138-08 for the silver. Kolton Friesen also medaled in the shot put. Friesen placed sixth with a mark at 38-10.

In both events, Ravenna’s Mannox Martin secured the gold. Martin won the shot put after he landed a heave of 5910. In the discus, the sophomore hit 138-08.

Dutch Miller made an impact for Arcadia/Loup City, placing second in the 3200-meter run and third in the mile event.

In the longer race, Miller clocked in at 14:48.93 for the silver. Later in the meet, the sophomore hit the line at 5:06.54 to net the bronze in the 1600-meter run. Micah Cuevas of Newman Grove-St. Edward won both races. The Panther completed the two-mile event in 10:46.55, while he won the shorter race in 5:00.61. In the 1600 meters, Elijah Cool of South Loup took second at 5:01.57.

Ryan Kaslon was the Rebels’ other medalist. The senior clocked in at 24.79 to place sixth in the 200-meter dash on Thursday.

On the girls’ side of the meet, Arcadia/Loup City’s 4x400-meter relay team of Hadley Rademacher, LaMor Santos, Savannah Griess, and Charlize Meyer placed third in that event. The team recorded a time of 4:52.71, finishing just behind the champions from St. Paul and the runners-up from Central Valley.

Rademacher and Meyer both medaled as well in the long jump. The freshmen placed third and sixth, respectively, recording jumps of 15-03.50 and 14-10. Grace Mahoney of Riverside won that event after the Charger landed at 16-04.

Other medalists for the Rebels included Santos placing sixth in the 200 at 29.97, Tenley Panowicz taking fifth in the 800 with a time of 2:49.41, and Rademacher earning medals in both hurdle races.

The freshman took sixth in the 100-meter hurdles with a time of 17.69, while she placed sixth in the 300-meter event in 55.62.

On Thursday, both the Rebels’ boys’ team and the girls’ teams finished the meet sitting in eighth place.

On the girls’ side of the competition, Arcadia/Loup City scored thirty-three points to beat teams from Ravenna, Ansley-Litchfield, Elba, and Newman Grove/St. Edward.

Ord won the team title at the Rebels’ meet, with the Chanticleers securing 138 points. St. Paul was the runner- up with 120.

In the boys’ competition, Arcadia/Loup City netted forty points. That helped the Rebels best the boys from Ravenna, Riverside, Elba, and Ansley-Litchfield.

Grand Island Central Catholic dominated the team race in the boys’ competition. The Crusaders scored 174.5 points, nearly 100 more than the runners-up from St. Paul. The Wildcats placed second with seventy-five.

This week, the Rebels were in action at the St. Paul Invite on Tuesday afternoon. Following that outing, Arcadia/ Loup City will head to Wood River on April 7th for the Eagles’ annual meet.

ARCADIA/LOUP CITY’S CHARLIZE MEYER placed sixth in the girls’ long jump at the Arcadia/Loup City Invite last Thursday. Meyer was joined in the medals in that event by Hadley Rademacher, who placed third. Photos by Michael Happ

DUTCH MILLER took off from the starting line of the mile run sandwiched between Newman Grove/St. Edward’s Micah Cuevas and South Loup’s Elijah Cool. Cuevas won the race, Cool took second, and Miller placed third.