News

What many may not be aware of is the Nebraska Rural Electric Association hosts a camp each year, to inform kids on electricity and the role of power public districts in their area. And it’s anything but boring, according to Clay Center’s Aspen Binder.

She, along with Neika Buschkoetter, of Lawrence and a student at Sandy Creek, attended the Youth Energy Leadership Camp near Halsey in June 2018.

Over the course of a week, students discover how power works, create projects where an alarm is trigged if the box is opened, as well as go canoing, dancing, and partake in picnics and other group activities.

The activities also include touring local power plants, such as the Kingsley Hydro-Electric Generating Station near Lake McConaughy and the Gerald Gentleman Station, where kids witnessed labs and learned about the many jobs it takes to run the buildings.

Binder noted her favorite parts of the camp were canoing and visiting the Gerald Station.

The severe weather season is just beginning, as a large thunderstorm hit the area Sunday, May 5, bringing with it thunder, lightning, heavy rain, and between dime and ping pong sized hail.

A recorded 1.12 inches of rain fell on Clay County Sunday, prompting flash flooding in the streets of Fairfield.

Another 2.5 inches and 2.94 inches were recorded Monday and Tuesday, according to the NeRain reports.

The county was fortunate with wind speeds, as they only reached 22 mph Sunday, with wind gusts hitting 28 mph, according to the National Weather Service in Hastings.

To read more please log in or subscribe to the digital edition. http://etypeservices.com/Clay%20County%20NewsID530/

The Clay County Veterans Services Office is seeking better ways of connecting with younger veterans.

Mike Irons, Clay County’s Veterans Services officer, requested financial backing for future outreach activities from the Clay County Board of Supervisors during its regular meeting on April 16 at the courthouse.

Irons is scheduled on parttime hours at the Clay County office, splitting his time with Hamilton County’s Veterans Services. He explained that older veterans, generally those who served in the Vietnam War or earlier, are comfortable with coming in-person to the office to apply for veterans benefits. However, Irons sees very few veterans who served after the Vietnam War.

To read more please log in or subscribe to the digital edition. http://etypeservices.com/Clay%20County%20NewsID530/

Clay Center and Sutton and Volunteer Fire Departments responded to a tractor fire and vehicle accident Tuesday, April 16, just south of Highway 6 Highway 14 North.

Sutton Fire Chief John Schurman said while they are not 100 percent sure of the cause of the fire, they believe it was caused by something electrical under the hood.

The tractor, owned by Johnson Farms, was completely engulfed by the time both fire departments arrived on scene.

To read more please log in or subscribe to the digital edition. http://etypeservices.com/Clay%20County%20NewsID530/

In light of a recent drug find in Glenvil, which took place Wednesday, April 17, Clay County Sheriff Jeff Franklin, like his law enforcement counterparts throughout the county and area, notes that Clay County has seen an upswing in drug-related cases and issues.

“It’s become as bad as I’ve ever seen in all my years as a law enforcement officer,” Franklin shared. “Drug cases and incidents are affecting every town and area of our county and it’s really consuming officers time all over our county and for that matter, all over the state and country.”

Franklin shared that meth and marijuana are the most prevalent, but adds that his office has seen an abundance of other drugs, including opioids and even liquid forms and gummy bear forms of illegal substances that have shown up.

To read more please log in or subscribe to the digital edition. http://etypeservices.com/Clay%20County%20NewsID530/

Now Petr Jezek can say he’s been to Nebraska.

An attaché of the Embassy of the Czech Republic in Washington, D.C., Jezek toured Blue Valley Aquaculture near Sutton and the U.S. Meat Animal Research Center near Clay Center on April 15 during his three-day visit to the region.

“I call it a fact-finding mission,” he said. “I’ve not been here. I came here to see what kind of opportunities there are.”

To read more please log in or subscribe to the digital edition. http://etypeservices.com/Clay%20County%20NewsID530/

If you ask Sutton Police Chief Tracey Landenberger and officer Mitch Meyer about drug related crimes not happening in Sutton, or small-town Nebraska for that matter, they will both open your eyes to that thorough process.

An arrest on April 8 of two Thayer County individuals sparked Landenberger and Meyer to reach out to the community and ask for help, as in the eyes of Meyer, “This is an epidemic problem that has gone from bad to much worse.”

“It’s a double edge sword for me,” Meyer said. “I really like working drug cases, because I want drugs and illegal substances off of our streets. But in hindsight, I wish we didn’t have to work drug cases.”

Currently, according to Landenberger, the Sutton Police department alone is working 12 to 14 active drug related cases, including the latest case, which took place in the filling station area at CPI in Sutton.