News

Clay County has received another membership dividend, this time in the amount of $6,027, from the Nebraska Intergovernmental Risk Management Association II (NIRMA II), the county’s workers’ compensation coverage and risk management services provider.

The dividend was part of a half-million dollar distribution shared with 81 Nebraska counties and eight county-associated agencies during NIRMA’s annual membership conference Oct. 20-21 in Kearney.

With this latest distribution, Clay County has now received a total of $322,063 in dividends since becoming a member of NIRMA II in 1988. NIRMA II is able to issue these dividends, due to the program’s strong financial standing and aided by the members’ ongoing loss prevention efforts.

NIRMA/II is owned and governed by the 83 member counties and 24 county-associated public entities it serves.

Throughout the day Monday, Oct. 31, juniors and seniors from Harvard, Sandy Creek, and Sutton learned about the Clay County Courthouse and its offices, and sat through a presentation about being safe on the internet and knowing the signs of human trafficking.

At the end of the day, Sutton put on a mock trial, where students portrayed attorneys for the state and defense sides, as well as witnesses for the case.

Select students from Harvard and Sandy Creek were chosen as the jurors for the mock case.

Presiding over and guiding students through the case was judge Michael Burns, who explained— before court officially began—that the mock case was a criminal prosecution alleging a violation of a Class IV Felony in district court.

The case itself centered on the State of Nebraska versus Chris Hall (played by Grayson Landauer).

Counsel for the state was played by Tori Peterson, Lily McCroden, Devon Griess, Owen Schelkopf, and Connor Rose.

Groups of families dressed in every costume imaginable gathered at the Sutton Community Home for the annual Trunk or Treat event. Here, kids move from vehicle to vehicle to trick or treat for candy and other goodies Saturday, Oct. 22.

Emergency dispatch centers across the nation have been receiving high numbers of false reports of active shooter threats in their local schools, and unfortunately, this includes Clay County.

Haley Malone, interim county emergency manager, updated the Clay County Board of Supervisors about this hoax during the board’s regular meeting Oct. 25, at the courthouse in Clay Center.

The false reports sound legitimate, she said, but are part of a robocall campaign from an unknown source. Regardless, Clay County’s 911 dispatchers and law enforcement officers have been and will continue responding to each active shooter report as they would for a real threat.

Malone explained that there has been a silver lining in the recent rash of false active shooter reports, in that she has taken the opportunity to reach out to the administration of Clay County’s public and private schools.

Net taxable sales in the City of Sutton have fallen off the pace for the fifth straight month, as comparison reports from the Nebraska Department shows that Sutton last had growth, as compared to 2021, in February 2022, where the City of Sutton showed a 3.2 percent growth of just over $1,800 compared to February 2021.

In the department of revenues’ latest report for July 2022, Sutton’s net taxable sales was down 5.6 percent compared to a year ago, as the City of Sutton brought in $1,078,986 during July 2022, but in July 2021, the City of Sutton brought in $1,224,458, a difference of $1,454.72.

Sutton showed a 6.5 percent hit in June 2022; in May, the City of Sutton was down 14.2 percent compared to May 2021. Sutton fell off the pace in April by four percent and in March, the City of Sutton was off the pace by 16.4 percent, compared to March 2021.

Of the 130 students from Nebraska, three from Clay County were honored with their American FFA Degree.

Jason Brockman, a 2021 Sandy Creek graduate, as well as Sutton’s Adilynn Friesen (2019 graduate) and Elizabeth Winters (2020 graduate), will officially receive their degrees during the 95th National FFA Convention and Expo, Oct. 26-29. To earn this degree, a member must have years of records relating to their SAE, along with a long list of other requirements they must meet.

This degree is the highest degree an FFA member can earn. Less than 1 percent of FFA members meet the requirements to be awarded this degree.

Jennifer Clifford, the former business/office manager of the Sutton Community Home, formally made her first court appearance on Tuesday, Oct. 25, facing county court judge Michael P. Burns in a 10 a.m. arraignment hearing.

In the hearing, Burns read her rights within the courts, and read the seven felony charges that Clifford faces in the case.

It was reported in a story about the case last week that only six charges were filed, but Burns read seven charges, which included:

• Theft by Unlawful Taking of $5,000 or more, a Class IIA felony;

• Forgery in the 2nd Degree, a Class IIA felony;

• Four counts of False Statements, each are a Class IV felony, and;

• Unauthorized use of a Financial Transaction Device, a Class IIA felony.

It was also reported last week that she faced three counts of false statements, when in fact she faces four.

Harvard Foodmart has officially been open for a year, after it reopened in October 2021 following the closure of the store more than a year beforehand. About 15 citizens gathered at the store Friday, Oct. 21, to help the owners/employees celebrate the year anniversary. Here, Jerry Schmidt, far left, and Harvard Mayor Keith Ljunggren present a plant to Davinder and Parm Singh Friday afternoon.

Those who grew up with the popular comic strip, “Peanuts,” and who tuned in for TV specials will enjoy Harvard’s Musical as they prepare to put on “You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown.”

The musical announcement was made Wednesday, Oct. 5, to students in a fashionable way. Staff members donned possible options for the 2023 musical, including dressing up for The Sound of Music, Shrek, Cats, and finally revealing what musical they would actually be working on.

“You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown” is based on the characters from “Peanuts” and follows along as they explore life’s great questions.

This adventure includes baseball games, struggling with homework, singing songs, celebrating their friendships, and unrequited Valentines.

A full room of supporters filling the Sutton Council Chambers on Monday, Oct. 10, during the regular monthly meeting of the city fathers, warranted the setting up of a special meeting held by council members Monday night, Oct. 17.

The special meeting, according to councilman Jeff Schelkopf, was termed as a “situation that has a lot to soak in, with torches burning,” but in the end, council members unanimously approved a $126,000 grant to Michelle Gibson, the owner of the Kids R Us daycare center on a drawdown basis.

In the motion made by Schelkopf, the grant, which will come out of the City of Sutton’s LB840 program, will be structured on a drawdown basis, with a “no sunset” bearing on the grant. In addition, in the short term, at least, the city will also waive any payments required to pay by Gibson on her current $75,000 loan.

This was the result of two meetings that brought forth detailed discussions about a variety of funds that could be used.