Chambers Community Service Award Presented To Darrel and Sharon Dexter  chambers community service award winners were Darrel and Sharon Dexter. This year’s Chambers community service award was presented to Sharon and Darrel Dexter at the annual Chambers 4th of July Celebration. Sharon and Darrel have spent many hours helping others in our community, always willing to volunteer when needed and a big supporter of events in Chambers. Their church is an important part of their life, and they actively volunteer and support events there. They have been active in helping their children and many other kids in 4-H. This years recipients are lovers of children. Grandparenting is important to them. They follow their grandchildren’s sports as well as the local school activities. While growing up, Darrel spent a lot of time at his Grandparent's ranch in the summer. They both grew up in the O’Neill and Atkinson area. Darrel served in the Navy and now is active in the Chambers American Legion and Sharon is in the Auxiliary. They moved to this community after getting married in 1968. They milked cows, and after moving into Chambers, they had a grooming and trimming business while Sharon worked at the Coop. Together they now run a business that sells feed and supplies. They are parents of five boys and many grandchildren.
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Independent Undergoes New Printing TansformationReaders of the Holt County Independent will start to notice a change in their paper this week. Due to aging printing equipment the publishers have decided to outsource the printing of the paper to a facility in western Iowa. This facility is a state-of-the-art printing plant and will increase the capabilities of the paper and its advertisers to better serve its readers. Because of the travel time needed to ship the papers back to O'Neill, the deadlines of the paper will have to be moved up a day to facilitate the change. Classifieds will need to be in by Monday at noon, Obituaries by 5:00 p.m. on Monday and Advertising by 5:00 p.m. on Monday. Holt County Independent correspondents will need to have their information to the paper by Monday morning at 8:00 a.m. The paper is e-mailed to the printers on Tuesday evening and should be back in O'Neill by early afternoon on Wednesday. The Independent has been printed in O'Neill for the last 131 years, and this change will benefit the owners and more importantly, the subscribers of the paper. | |
Irish Dance Recital This Sunday | |
Dale Waterman Named New O'Neill Fire Chief The O'Neill Fire Department has elected a new chief and officers at last weeks yearly elections. Dale Waterman will become the new chief taking over from Terry Miles effective June1. Other officers elected were, Assistant Chief Matt Schmitz, City Captain Scott Menish, Rural Captain Don Baker, Aerial Captain Jerod Waterman, Training Captain Terry Miles, Ambulance Captain Bob McKenny and President Roger Miller. Effective June 1 all burn permits must be attained by Chief Waterman and he can be reached at 402-336-4325. The O'Neill department also received their new spreading tool for the jaws of life which will be used in the extrication of victims of car accidents. The department also upgraded one of their thermal imaging cameras. The upgrade will help fire fighters see in smoke filled environments that they encounter on the job. All these purchases were made possible by the donations the department collects through its fund raising letter. | |
Stuart Celebrates 4th With Stuart On Broadway Theme  TAMMERA KUNZ RIDES ON THE VIAERO FLOAT at the Stuart 4th of July Parade held on Monday. The theme of the parade was "Stuart on Broadway."  the stuart HIgh school dance team performed during the parade on Monday afternoon in Stuart.  Alice in wonderland - Grace Alder was dressed as the rabbit on the Bushel Basket Float In Stuart's 4th of July Parade. Grace's twin sister Emma is dressed up in the mad hatter outfit. | |
Summerfest This Weekend  O'Neill will be the center of attention this weekend for the 27th annual O'Neill Summerfest celebration Thursday, July 7 through Sunday, July 10. On Friday activities start at 7 p.m., with the Mid-States and Nebraska Rodeo at Carney Park. Saturday will start off with Summerfest Sidewalk sales. There will be a Summerfest four man scramble at the O'Neill Country Club at 8 a.m. At 8:30 a.m. the K-9 Fun Run will start. At 10:00 a.m. there will be a street performance of "Dance Shock" at Fourth and Douglas Street sponsored by NECC. The mud drags will begin at 12:00 p.m. 1/2 mile east on Hwy. 108. The Midstates and There will be free swimming in the park from 1:30 p.m. till 6:00 p.m. At 1:30 p.m. the Holt County Talent Contest will be held at Ford Park with the O'Neill Lion's Club sponsoring the event. The presentation of the O'Neill Hall of Fame Awards will be at 4:00 p.m. in Ford Park. For more information check out the Summerfest ad in this weeks paper. | |
Whats Going On At 7th And Clay by Angela Schaecher That is the question that seems to be going around since Sunday! Good news; there is an answer! The Christ Lutheran Church Nature Explore (TM) Classroom Committee has a dream. It's a dream they want the whole community and visitors of O'Neill to be a part of. They are in the process of installing an outdoor classroom on an empty lot owned by the church. Their hope is that kids of all ages, from 1 to 99+, will be able to relax, and enjoy nature and learn how amazing God's creation is. Once work is completed at the site, their desire is to have the classroom certified as an official Nature Explore (TM) Classroom by the Arbor Day Foundation®. The Dimensions® Educational Research Foundation has a set of guidlelines to follow to ensure that many basic areas of learning are incorporated into each classroom. The areas that are in the plans for here in O'Neill are an entry feature, an open area for large activities, a climbing area, a messy materials area, a building area, a nature art area, a music and movement area, a garden, a gathering area, a storage area, a sand and water area, a dirt-digging area, and an area(s) for a swing(s). The committee was able to install a fence Sunday with much appreciated, generous help from volunteers, an O'Neill Community Foundation grant, Ag Services and Central Valley Ag. You, the community of O'Neill, are officially invited to watch the progress and enjoy the end result, connecting with nature in the process! Any questions about the project should be directed to Angie Schaecher at (402)336-1622.
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Atheletic Banquet This FridayThe O'Neill High School athletic banquet will be held Friday, April 29, at 6:30 p.m., at the High School gymnasium. There will be a catered meal and guest speaker sponsored by the O'Neill Booster Club. Coaches, spouses and High School athletes attend free of charge by signing up with Nick Hostert. Anyone else wishing to attend must purchase a ticket. Tickets can be purchased at the O'Neill high school office 336-1544, for a cost of $10.00 per person. Deadline for ticket sales will be Wednesday, April 20, after which the price will be $15.00 per ticket. For questions please contact either Quana Laursen at 336-3207 or Nick Hostert at 336-1544. | |
Marine Helicopters Stop In O'Neill  | |
O'Neill Fire Department Trains At Cargill   | |
Reminder of Holt County Independent Deadline ChangesThe Independent would like to remind its customers that because of our new printing schedule we have new deadlines for copy and advertising submitted to the paper. Because of the travel time needed to ship the papers back to O'Neill, the deadlines of the paper have moved up a day to facilitate the change. Classifieds and legals will need to be in by Monday at noon, Obituaries by 5:00 p.m. on Monday and Advertising by 5:00 p.m. on Monday. Holt County Independent correspondents will need to have their information to the paper by Monday morning at 10:00 a.m. The paper is e-mailed to the printers on Tuesday evening and should be back in O'Neill by early afternoon on Wednesday. Due to the Memorial Day holiday, the paper will come out a day later. | |
Leprechaun Youth Sports Club Hopes To Get Contribution To Help Fund Local ProgramFor twenty youth sports organizations demonstrating their commitment to responsibility on and off the field/mat/court, Liberty Mutual will soon make a very memorable contribution in the form of a $2,500 Responsible Sports™ Community Grant. Leprechaun Youth Sports is hoping to be one of them. Community Grants are part of Liberty Mutual's Responsible Sports program, which is an ongoing effort championing and celebrating responsibility in youth sports. This community-based program offers meaningful, easy-to-use educational resources for youth, sports-parents and coaches, including access to on-the-field game and practice preparation tools, as well as self-paced online coursework filled with learning tools, videos and topics addressing youth sports issues. "The Liberty Mutual Responsible Sports program targets many of the issues we see happening at youth sporting events by shining a positive light on what it means to be a responsible coach and a responsible sports-parent. Beyond that, Liberty Mutual is making a significant financial contribution to support the efforts of local organizations like Leprechaun Youth Sports," said Greg Gordon vice president of Consumer Marketing at Liberty Mutual. The Responsible Sports program, including the Community Grants, comes at a crucial time for communities like ours. Like other communities across the U.S., our own youth sports programs are under pressure from increasing numbers of participants, limited volunteer activity and mounting program management and administration costs. The Responsible Sports program provides access to valuable resources and assets that can ensure our organizations thrive even under challenging circumstances. "The Leprechaun Youth Sports has made a tremendous impact on the young people in our community. The athletic programs provided by this organization offer invaluable opportunities where the participants can improve their skills while providing a positive environment in which they can learn invaluable life lessons," stated Bryan Corkle, O'Neill Public Schools teacher and head wrestling coach. Leprechaun Youth Sports is registered for the Responsible Sports program. They are encouraging individual community members to complete one of the self-paced online courses (Responsible Coaching and Responsible Sport Parenting) and take a 10-question review quiz. Every completed quiz is worth one point. The organizations that earn the most points at the end of the grant period, in this case May 31, in each of the three divisions will earn one of the 20 grants. Youth sports organizations (club programs, park recreation departments, etc.) are competing for one of 14 $2,500 grants in two divisions, large and small, based upon the number of players. And six school athletic programs will earn a $5,000 grant, for a total of 20 Responsible Sports Community Grants to be awarded this spring. The more people each registered organization gets to complete the courses, the greater its chances of winning. Complete details on the grants as well as the qualifying self-paced courses are available through the official program website at ResponsibleSports.com. To show your support, visit ResponsibleSports.com/Grant. The Leprechaun Sports Club currently offers youth football and wrestling programs to our area young people. The organizations goal is to provide a positive experience for youth of all backgrounds, skill levels and means. The organization began as solely a youth wrestling club but in recent years has grown to include youth football.
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O’Neill School Board To Hold Planning Retreat The O’Neill School Board will be meeting at 4:00 p.m. on Monday, July 11 to review progress toward district goals and plan for the district’s future. Superintendent, Amy Shane will be hosting the monthly “Breakfast with the Superintendent” that morning from 7:30 a.m. – 8:30 a.m. and she encourages any parents or patrons with suggestions, praises, or concerns to come and share at that time. These comments are valuable and will be considered as the board plans for the future. The school district’s mission of providing engaging learning experiences in a safe and respectful environment while developing skills and knowledge needed to be independent, collaborative, and productive citizens is at the heart of all decisions that are made. The school district thanks their patrons for their support and encourages them to continue to be active in their child’s education. | |
Page Veterinarian Joins Gothenburg Veterinary Clinic  at work - Dr. Melissa Thompson, joined the veternarians and staff at Eastside Animal Control Center in Gothenberg, checks out a furry Maltese. (Editors Note:) This story was taken from the Gothenburg Times and written by Elizabeth Barrett. A graduate of the Professional Program in Veterinary Medicine has about a month of veterinary work under her belt at Eastside Animal Center. Page native Dr. Melissa Thompson joined Drs. Randy Burge and Ryan O’Hare and their staff on May 24. Her college program was a cooperative one between the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and Iowa State University that began in 2007. Thompson said she spent her first two years of graduate work at UNL before moving to Ames, IA, for her last two years. The vet’s undergraduate degrees, both from UNL, are in veterinary and biomedical sciences and grazing livestock systems which integrates agri-business, agronomy and animal science. “It’s a good addition to veterinary because it’s the relationship of grazing and beef and making more of grasslands,” Thompson said, noting that her specialty is beef and small rudiments such as goats and sheep and small animals. Thompson said she’s always wanted to be a veterinarian and shared a story from her childhood about when a carpet layer came to replace carpet in her home. “He was appalled because I was playing with a rat skeleton and told my mom that I needed new toys,” she said with a laugh. So far, Thompson said she loves work at Eastside and Gothenburg, noting that the town of O’Neill—which is about the same size—is near Page. During leisure time, Thompson likes to cook (she’s planted a vegetable garden) and travel. With a couple of half marathons under her belt, she’s also training to do a short triathlon. ebarrett@gothenburgtimes.com | |
O'Neill Senior Center Renovation Project The O'Neill Senior Citizen's Center, located at 307 South 4th St., is in the preliminary stages of their fund-raising efforts to make some much needed updates to the center. The O'Neill Senior Citizen's Center opened its doors almost 30 years ago and has made a huge impact on our community seniors and handicapped persons; currently they are serving over 100 meals per day on average which equates to 26,000 meals annually. The O'Neill Senior Citizen's Center offers a safe and welcoming environment where residents can obtain a healthy and nutritional lunch at affordable rates. Residents of the community also receive an array of other supportive services, as the center provides several educational opportunities, health clinics and also caregiver support services. The O'Neill Senior Citizen's Center is in the process of paving the lot to the south of the building along with repairing the sidewalks in front of the establishment and making the doors handicapped accessible. This phase alone is anticipated to cost over $40,000. Other projects the O'Neill Senior Citizen's Center is hoping to accomplish in the coming years are replacing the 30 year old heating and air units and upgrading the lighting to be energy efficient along with upgrading the range and oven which are all almost 30 years old. These upgrades are going to be costly but will have a positive affect on the activities taking place at the center. If these issues are left unattended, hundreds of residents in our areas would be adversely affected. The Center, with the help of Central Nebraska Economic Development District and Holt County Economic Development, will be kicking off several fundraisers this summer. Starting out on June 19 and July 21, they will be serving breakfast and lunch at the rodeo grounds during the Boots and Saddle Club Horseshows. They will have coffee and rolls for breakfast and a BBQ lunch. They have also submitted an application to the Community Development Assistant Act to obtain tax credits to give to donors and are currently in the process of applying for grants to help with the costs of these endeavors. Be looking for future articles on the fund raising efforts. If you have any questions, would like to donate or volunteer in these fundraising efforts or are an organization that would like to partner with us in some fund- raising efforts please contact O'Neill Senior Citizen's Center Manager, Pat Bakerink at 402-336- 4338.
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O'Neill School Board Members Set Wages At Last Meeting The O'Neill School Board held their monthly meeting on June 18 with Ellen Boshart, Gene Chohon, Brad Ducker, Jim Gotschall, Amy Rowse and Marge Ziska present. After approving the minutes, the board moved on to the agenda. The Building & Grounds Committee members met with the construction manager earlier in the afternoon. A civil engineer will be consulted regarding the ongoing water issue at the Elementary. Minor change orders were addressed and approved by the building committee. It was also reported that the progress of the building project is within budget and closely following the original timeline. The next item on the agenda were salary negotiations. Jim Gotschall moved, to approve setting the base salary for the teachers for the 2011-2012 school year at $28,950 and allowing movement as established on the current salary schedule for years of service and additional educational hours. This is a $150.00 increase on the base salary from last year and sets the total package increase at 1.341% over 2010-2011. Gene Chohon seconded the motion. The Board approved the action with a vote of 6-0. The Board approved a 1.341% salary increase for the Superintendant, Elementary School Principal, Special Education Director and Speech Pathologist. They denied a 1.341% increase for the High School Principal, School Psychologist, Activities Director and Speech Pathologist. Gene Chohon moved to increase the High School Principal, Activities Director, and School Psychologist’s salaries by 1.00 % for the 2011-2012 school year with the board of education passing it by a 4-2 vote. Gene Chohon moved to set the rates for the 2011-2012 school year for Substitutes, Developing Eagles Workers, Summer Workers, and Interpreters as follows: Developing Eagles per hour – Student Workers $7.25, Adult Workers $7.50, Assistant Director $12.50, and Director $17.00; Summer Worker Rates per hour – Student Workers $7.25; Certified Staff Off Contract Time $20.00; Adult Foreign Language Interpreter $20.00 per hour; Substitute Rates – Van Driver $9.95 per hour, Non Instructional Para $7.50 per hour, Instructional Para $8.00 per hour, One on One Para $8.50 per hour, Office Secretary $8.75 per hour, Custodian $7.50 per hour, Envisions Route Driver/Para $7.25 per hour, Teacher $85.00 per day, Nurse $100.00 per day, Certified Staff (during planning time) $10.00 per day. The board approved the bills and adjourned for the evening at 8:54 p.m. |
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