News

The South Central Nebraska Unified School District #5, which consists of Sandy Creek and Lawrence- Nelson public schools, has passed its $15 million budget for this final year of unification.

The unification expires August 2024, after which SC and LN will operate on separate budgets as separate districts.

The Unified Board of Education held public hearings on its proposed budget and property tax request immediately prior to its regular meeting Sept. 13, at LN High School in Nelson. Unified district superintendent Stephen Grizzle opened the hearings with a detailed explanation of the budget.

“We tried to think through as much unforeseen costs as we can,” he said.

Several members of the public spoke during the hearings, sharing concerns that the unified district has consistently underspent its budget for at least the past six years and suggesting that the 2023-24 budget asks too much of property owners in the district.

Spending time with grandparents, fun in the color run

During the Sept. 11 meeting of the Sutton City Council, three ordinances were passed related to rate hikes for some of the city’s utility offerings.

Ordinance 418, which passed unanimously, will increase water rates from what was $24 per month for single, multiple family, trailer courts, and most commercial establishments will go up to $28 per month.

Ordinance 419, which also passed unanimously, will see sanitary sewer rates increase from $26 per month to $28 per month, while under the passage of Ordinance 420, council members approved the trash pick up rate to increase to $26 per month as well.

With all three ordinances that passed, there are some variances of rates for some larger consumers, but council members are still discussing some possible additional rate changes to larger consumers of water and sanitary sewer use.

OTHER FEE CHANGES

The History Nebraska Board of Trustees is proud to announce Joyce Schlick and Lucille Schliep as recipients of the 2023 Heritage Hero Award, presented to volunteers who promote history across Nebraska.

This award is given to individuals and organizations dedicated to preserving and sharing the history of their region.

History Nebraska Board member Marilyn Moore presented Schlick and Schliep with the 2023 Heritage Hero Award commemorative pin and certificate on Sept. 9, at the Old Trusty Antique and Collectors Show at the Clay County Fairgrounds, in recognition of their decades of service to the Clay County Historical Society.

Schlick is a charter member of the board of the Clay County Historical Society and presently serves as vice president. Schliep is the current secretary of the society. Both contribute significant hours of time and their organizational skills in planning the annual Old Trusty Show.

The future of the Allegro Wolf Arts Center (AWAC) in Sutton is up in the air, and current board members and leaders are looking for new life to keep the center open and continuing to give various arts back to the community and surrounding areas.

“The community has been supportive in helping pay off the extreme debt the board was faced with when we took over, and we’re very grateful for their support,” Pat Majors, an interim board member, said.

Over the years, the board worked hard to make sure all bills were paid and the building stayed as up-todate as possible.

However, everything has a cost and the center is no exception.

The 41st annual Old Trusty Sept. 9-10 had the Clay County Fairgrounds bustling with activity, as vendors showed off their collections of antiques, tractors, and engines, among other items. Above, Harvard Legion members post the colors during the National Anthem at the start of the parade Saturday. Below, riders of the annual tractor drive Friday, Sept. 8, head out of Clay Center. 

While much of the northern half of Suttons downtown business district remains either closed, or under repair, the downtown location of Cornerstone Bank, located at the corner of 101 West Elm, and North Saunders Ave., has hopeful plans of reopening the location following extensive damage from the Saturday, July 29 EF-1 tornado, that occurred just prior to 7 a.m., in late July.

According to Brett Freese, the vice president, and branch manager of the downtown location, he anticipates that the location should begin conducting business in the location either Tuesday, or Wednesday.

“We anticipate that our downtown location will reopen to the public early next week,” shared Freese, late last week.

“The Nebraska State Fire Marshal’s office cleared us to open up, after our structural engineering report was okayed by the office of the fire marshall.”

Plans have been set for the 2023 annual meeting of the Sutton Community Home, at 6 p.m., Wednesday, Sept. 13.

This will be the 25th annual meeting of the board and shareholders, which will be at the Sutton Community Center, located at 200 South Saunders Ave.

Dinner is set to begin at 6 p.m., with the business meeting planned for a 7 p.m. start.

Featured during the meeting will be Sutton native Kyle Overturf, a certified public accountant with AMGL out of Grand Island. Overturf will present the 2022-23 financial report to those attending.

Additional reports and presentations will be provided by Amy Schelkopf, administrator at SCH, Sheila Griess, president of the SCH Board of Directors, Elizabeth Carlson, president of the SCH Auxiliary, and Tory Duncan, president of the SCH Foundation.

Dryland soybean harvest began this week just across the county line to the southwest, though yields are expected to be well below typical.

In southern Clay County, dryland corn harvest continues but for livestock forage instead of grain.

All of Clay County, per the U.S. Drought Monitor, remains in at least D3-Extreme Drought. About 22 percent of the county sits in the D4-Exceptional Drought. Drought ratings range from D0-Abnormally Dry to D4.

The most severe drought conditions are now in northern portions of Clay County, although the U.S. Drought Outlook forecasts that the drought will deepen across Nebraska through the end of November.

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service, 54 percent of Nebraska’s topsoil and 62 percent of subsoil are short on soil moisture.

Central Nebraska Wood Preservers, located in northeast Sutton, might very well be one of the biggest hidden treasurers that the Sutton community has. It’s not located in a high traffic area of the community, nor is it visible from Sutton’s main thoroughfare, Highway 6.

But the 38-year0old business, started in 1985 by founder, Vic Sowl, then owner of the Sutton Lumber yard, has quietly left a “bigfoot size footprint” on the Sutton community with its growth and evolution over the course of its time in business.

“Vic started with two people when he opened the treatment plant, more in an effort to supply his lumber yard with treated lumber, and now, today, we employ 42 people here at our Sutton facility alone,” general manager Kurt Andres shared.

MINNESOTA ADDITION