May 2024

Boone County 4-Her Cassidy Maricle is one of 18 4-H members from throughout the state who recently won Nebraska 4-H Foundation Scholarships for the 2024-25 academic year. “These 4-H’ers are commended for their outstanding accomplishments in 4-H, dedication to community service and high scholastic achievement,” said Steve Pritchard, Boone-Nance Extension educator.

Gov. Jim Pillen issued an emergency declaration on Sunday in the aftermath of severe weather that started April 25 and continued through April 27, resulting in damage from thunderstorms, high winds, rain and reported tornadoes. Counties covered in this declaration include Douglas, Washington, and Lancaster.

Boone County Fairgrounds in Albion will be the site of the 2024 Nebraska Junior High State Finals Rodeo on Thursday and Friday, May 16-17. About 100 contestants are expected for the rodeo events, which begin at 9 a.m.

As it turned out, last weekend probably wasn’t the best time to be out of town. Julie and I were in Lincoln for the annual Nebraska Press Association Convention on Friday and Saturday.

(Editor’s Note: National Small Business Week is being observed this week, April 28-May 4, and the Boone County Development Agency provided the following opinion piece in support of the county’s small businesses.)

Mid-Nebraska Lutheran Home of Newman Grove announced Monday that more than $69,000 has been contributed to its fund-raising effort announced last week. The total raised as of 3 p.m.

Students in the junior classes of St. Edward and Newman Grove high schools had some valuable hands-on training in various fire fighting and rescue activities last Thursday, April 25, at the St. Edward Fire Station. Above, Newman Grove firefighter and teacher Brett Miller assists a student in full gear in adjusting the mask for her self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA). Nine Newman Grove students took part in this training for the first time this year.

Many businesses and volunteer organizations are dealing with a shortage of personnel these days. In Nebraska, volunteer firefighters and EMTs are in short supply.

Awards and recognition of many achievements during the past year were presented at the St. Edward FFA Banquet on Monday, April 22.

Pat Miller and David Shipley, a couple from Lincoln, known as “The Benchwarmers”, provided musical entertainment at the annual salad supper hosted by Immanuel Zion Church, rural Albion, on Wednesday, April 24. They created a fictional story, which was a three-year project, about the beginning of the bounteous salads and scrumptious sweets from the first salad supper to the current one 150 years later.