More details have been released in the multi-county theft spree that now includes Rock County.
Amos J. Mosel of O'Neill is being charged with one count of burglary and one count of theft by unlawful taking, both of which are Class III felonies. Mosel was held in Antelope County Jail with a bond of $75,000. He bonded out last Thursday. Drew W. Steskal of O'Neill was also charged with one count of burglary and one count of theft by unlawful taking. He is still being held at the Antelope County Law Enforcement Center on a bond of $75,000. Mosel will appear in Antelope County Court for Arraignment on Sept. 2 at 9:30 a.m. Steskal will have a preliminary hearing on Aug. 19 in Antelope County Court at 1:30 p.m. According to Rock County Sheriff James Anderson, on July 18 at 10:30 a.m. a theft was reported to the Rock County Sheriff’s Department. The 2011 John Deere Utility Vehicle was owned by Tim Wells. Tools and a Miller 250 welder are also among the properties allegedly stolen by the two men. According to court documents, Trooper Daniel Parker connected the two individuals with the crime spree following Steskal's arrest in Neligh on August 1 for possession of methamphetamine and ignition interlock violation. While searching the vehicle, owned by Mosel, the officer discovered a Miller 252 welder. Mosel took possession of the pickup the next day at the Antelope County Sheriff’s Office, along with the items located in the vehicle. Parker was later requested by the Holt County Sheriff's Department to serve a search warrant in O'Neill. He "was reading the information pertaining to the Holt County search warrant" and "saw that they were looking for a stolen Miller welder along with several other items." The welder was later identified by serial number as one that had been stolen from Holt County. Mosel was later questioned at his residence in O’Neill where he told officers where he left the stolen welder after picking up his vehicle. Court documents allege he later made a written voluntary statement at the Holt County Sheriff’s office with a different story. The welder was located at Mosel’s parents' residence in rural Holt County. Steskal allegedly told authorities that the welder, along with other items in the pickup at the time of his arrest, were stolen. According to documents, Steskal told authorities he and Mosel had taken the welder together from Opplinger Farms near Atkinson. The information he gave about the location and time frame of the stolen welder was correct, according to authorities. The total amount of stolen property from the burglaries suspected to have been committed by Mosel and Steskal was at the time estimated to be valued between $30,000 and $40,000. It's time for the annual Back To School BBQ at Neligh-Oakdale!
Hosted by the Neligh-Oakdale Education Foundation, families of preschool through sixth grade students are invited to attend the Back To School BBQ on Monday, Aug. 17, at the high school gym. Education Foundation members will serve hamburgers, hotdogs, chips, beans, cookies and drinks from 5 to 6 p.m. for a freewill donation. Interim Supt. Bill Kuester will address the families at 6 p.m., and students may meet their teachers and put away their school supplies from 6:15 to 6:45 p.m. A Neligh man says he misunderstood the recall petition against Neligh officials and hopes to have his name removed from the documents.
Kevin Miller of Neligh said he signed the recall petitions earlier this week after a circulator stopped at his home and told him the petition was to “recall the annexation, not the officials.” “I didn’t know what what I was signing, which was stupid on my part for signing something I didn’t understand,” he said. “Never once did she even mention the names of the council members - not once. If I had known this was recalling those people, I never would have signed it.” The petitions were to recall all City of Neligh elected officials. Late Friday afternoon, circulators turned in 196 signatures against Ted Hughes, 196 against Dale Wilkinson, 195 against Stephanie Wanek and 191 against Leonard Miller. No signatures were submitted to recall Mayor Joe Hartz. Miller said the circulator never read the statement that explained the petition and specifically told him his signature went toward stopping the annexation. When he asked why he had to sign five different documents, Miller said he was told he had to do that to stop the annexation. “If I would have known this was to recall them, I would never have signed them,” he said. “She never once mentioned the names of the city council members.I would never had signed the recall against them.” Miller said he regrettably signed recall petitions for all five City of Neligh officials. “I feel terrible about this whole deal. It’s not worth losing longtime friendships over. That’s way more important than a recall or annexation,” Miller said. “I want to apologize to them all for this. I will try to reverse this.” Miller said he plans to go to the Antelope County Courthouse this week and see if he can file an affidavit to have his name removed from the petition before County Clerk Lisa Payne verifies the names. Payne has 15 days to verify the signatures.
Petitioners waited until the last moment Friday to turn in signatures in an effort to recall all City of Neligh elected officials, forcing Antelope County Clerk Lisa Payne to call the Secretary of State's office for direction.
Bernadine Hughes and Merlin Mortinson, both of Neligh, picked up the petitions on July 16 and had 30 days to collect the necessary signatures. They were due Friday, Aug. 14, at 4:30 p.m. Most of the petitions were turned in between 4:20 p.m. and 4:50 p.m. Payne said she called Ann Kontor at the Secretary of State's office for direction on how to proceed and was told to continue counting. The recall was against the entire elected governing body of the City of Neligh - Mayor Joe Hartz and City Council members Ted Hughes, Stephanie Wanek, Leonard Miller and Dale Wilkinson. Petitioners turned in 196 signatures for Ted Hughes, 196 for Dale Wilkinson, 195 for Stephanie Wanek and 191 for Leonard Miller. No signatures were submitted to recall Hartz. Payne will now have to verify all of the signatures before a special election can be held. She estimated previously that a special election would cost taxpayers roughly $5,000. If that recall election is successful against a majority of the council members, the City would be left without a governing body, which would force a second special election, again at the taxpayers' expense. According to the original affidavit filed, Hughes and Mortinson began the recall attempt due to “continued support/vote to approve the annexation ordinances has been done with repeated admissions that he/she has no idea what the future costs and revenues will be to the taxpayers of Neligh. This pattern of political conduct is alarming and sets the stage for future harm to the people of Neligh and to the business sector.” The annexation was officially approved in July, two days before the petitions were even picked up by Hughes and Mortinson. Recall petition circulators needed 163 signatures to force a recall special election of the city council members and 191 for the mayor.
Prizes, tatoos, contests and, of course, swimming took place Thursday at the annual end of the year swimming part in Neligh. Check out our photo gallery.
Neligh-Oakdale School gave a warm welcome Friday morning to new and returning staff. The meeting was held in the West Ward Elementary cafeteria.
New staff members are 4th Grade teacher, Joyce Wemhoff, 2nd Grade teacher, Jamie Schrader (not pictured), Elementary Para-Professional, Chelsi Mescher, High School Para-Professional, David Shrader, English Teacher, Becki Koopman, Food Service, Tanya Shabram, and Custodian/Transportation, Margie Mortensen. Also, a welcome back goes to Becky Kerkman, Elementary Guidance Counselor. The Neligh city pool will hold its annual end of summer pool party on Thursday, Aug. 13, 6-8 p.m. There will be games and prizes for those attending.
"There will be a lot of cool prizes this year, including a single pass from next year's pool season," said manager Emily Anderson. "We will have a coin toss, relays, biggest and smallest splash and longest breath." The pool will close for the season on Saturday, Aug.15. The City of Neligh was publicly accused of not paying an electric rebate, but Neligh mayor Joe Hartz rebutted that claim and said the check was cashed nearly a year ago.
Hartz told the city council at the start of Tuesday's meeting that at a previous public meeting "Connie Baker brought up the fact that she had not been addressed in the rebate program, so I told her we would check and see where it was at. Connie did get a rebate, and she cashed the check for the rebate." According to the August 2014 bills published by the City of Neligh, Baker received her rebate that month. The check cleared, or was cashed, the following month. Council member Ted Hughes voiced frustration into the allegation. "I guess I feel when the truth comes to light that whole discussion was made to make the City and City employees look bad, and I would like that noted," Hughes said. "I'm not going to term it what I think it was." Superintendent Dean Bly said it took several inspections before the rebate was filed due to incomplete work, but he also confirmed the rebate occurred nearly a year ago. "There were several times we went out to inspect Connie's property, and it wasn't completed," Bly said. "That's why it didn't get signed off on (right away)." Hartz said electrical rebate forms are available at the City offices for water heaters, furnaces, lights, conversions and much more and encouraged residents to get a form. The Neligh Young Men's Club wants to bring some Halloween fun back to Neligh and asked the City Council to allow a haunted trail in Fred Penn Park.
NYMC member Steve Simonsen told council members on Tuesday during the regular meeting that the club lost its haunted house several years ago and would like to have a fun event for local and area youth to enjoy during Halloween. "The best location we came up with is Penn Lake Park. They have that shelter there that we would start the trail," he said. "Can we have a haunted haunted trail on city property? That's our big thing." City Clerk Dana Klabenes asked City Attorney James McNally if there were concerns about having the trail on city property. McNally said there would be liability concerns if someone on the haunted trail was injured. Although the NYMC does have an insurance policy, McNally said the coverage may not be sufficient for potential medical expenses. Simonsen said there would be a small admission charge since the NYMC rarely breaks even the way it is. Paying $500 for more coverage for this event would be a burden on the organization, he said. Council member Ted Hughes suggested having the event be a free-will offering, which would allow the City's insurance to cover the rest of the liability. Council member Stephanie Wanek said a free-will donation with a suggested amount may be better to ensure everyone gives something to help cover costs. She also suggested asking a business to sponsor the event with an insurance rider, but Simonsen said he preferred not to ask businesses because they give so much during the Fourth of July. Simonsen offered to take council members through the haunted trail for their approval as well and said the NYMC was asking now to be proactive in this discussion to ensure they had every concern met before moving forward. "I don't think any of us are not supportive of this," Wanek said. "We just want to be cautious. We'll check into this and get more information for our next meeting." Hughes asked about using the lottery fund for a small donation to help cover expenses since this is a youth event. Klabenes said the City has $48,707 in cash in that account. "If the kids come through the haunted trail, they're not riding their bikes and toilet papering my house," Hughes said with a laugh. "I agree with Steph. I think we all are supportive of this but need to find a way." The item was tabled and moved to the September agenda, which Simonsen said would still allow the organization enough time to plan their event for October. People will see no change in when fireworks can be discharged within the City of Neligh during the Fourth of July holiday.
During Tuesday's council meeting, members discussed adopting an ordinance restricting both the hours and age of those who can discharge fireworks; however, ordinance 580 failed for lack of motion. The ordinance would have restricted discharge on weeknights between 8 a.m.-10:30 p.m. and until 11 p.m. on weekends. Fireworks would have been allowed until midnight on the Fourth of July. Also, no one under age 16 would have been able to sell or discharge fireworks without supervision of an adult. The City of Neligh will instead continue to follow state statute and allow discharge on weekdays from 8 a.m. until 11 p.m. and until 11:59 p.m. on July 4. Council member Steph Wanek called the ordinance "too much" and reminded council members that discussion of the ordinance began with one complaint. She said the council would not consider erecting a sign on a bridge despite hearing three complaints. "I think this is complicating the matter," she said. "I don’t think (a half hour) makes enough of a difference. Policing this is a nightmare with the time changes and getting the word out to public." Mike Wright, Neligh Police Chief, said the nightmare for his force would be enforcing discharge to those under the age of 16. There were more questions than answers following Neligh-Oakdale’s board meeting Monday. The new sprinkler system that was supposed to ensure student occupancy in the basement by the start of school next week failed two pressure tests earlier in the day.
Board members were told the failure was probably due to an underground leak. But as for the timeline and costs associated with locating and repairing the leak, those are all unknown at this point. Interim Superintendent Bill Kuester told board members that John Wieczorek, district manager for Ahern Fire Protection of Omaha, sent him an email at 5:15 p.m. Monday with what he called “disheartening news.” Kuester called Wieczorek during Monday's meeting, so all board members could publicly hear the update on the sprinkler system. This was the first public update on the sprinkler system since the July board meeting. Kuester said members of the Building and Grounds Committee have met several times, including with the fire marshal, but those meetings were not open to the public. Watch the meeting Wieczorek said both in an email and via the conference call that at minimum, the water line must pass a hydrostatic test of 200 psi for 2 hours. The results of the test performed was a loss of 12 psi after 90 minutes of testing. This was the second straight meeting Kuester received unexpected news on sprinkler issues just hours before the board met. Last month, he was told occupancy was questionable due to documents having not been filed with the state fire marshal’s office. But Kuester worked through those issues and set an Aug. 14 deadline to have sprinklers installed in the basement and old gym to ensure occupancy. Kuester said in trying to meet that deadline, he made several change orders to “speed this thing up." “I wanted to get students in the first day of school as a goal, so I approved some additional funds for labor, overtime, for design and fabrication as well as the hydrostatic testing and flushing was approved here with Ahern for $3,875, but that didn’t quite work out as we planned,” Kuester said. This was all done in anticipation of inspection Thursday by Deputy Fire Marshal Sean Lindgren, which Wieczorek said has been postponed due to the leak and failed test. Student occupancy in the basement by the start of the school year, as Principal George Loofe pointed out to the board, is dependent on the fire system being installed and tested. Loofe asked the board for clarification on where he should put classrooms considering this latest development. “I want clarification,” Loofe said. “If he (fire marshal) shuts the classrooms off until the water is fixed, that’s one thing. But if he shuts the classrooms and the old gym off, that’s a whole another thing I need to prepare for by Wednesday.” Krista Schindler said, “That condition is not being met, so his question is, ‘Is that still applicable?’ ” Loofe’s question was not answered during the meeting. Wieczorek said Ahern does not perform underground work and is unable to self-perform these repairs. Kuester asked Ahern to offer suggestions of underground utility contractors to find and repair the leak. The first step, Wieczorek said, is to find out who installed the line. They are looking for the original plans. In other discussion during the meeting: Separation Wall A separation wall is being constructed in the 1930s building around the stairwell. Kuester said Ron Gilg, who serves on the Building and Grounds Committee, was hired to complete the job. They anticipate the wall being finished by the start of school. HVAC vs. Hotel Units Kuester said he met with a representative from TRANE for budgetary numbers on a new HVAC system since the boilers are from the 1950s. Kuester said tying into the present system would cost the district between $2 million and $2.5 million. A less expensive option than a central unit, he said, would be to put individual units similar to hotel heaters and air conditioning units in each classroom. That would cost about $1 million, he said. New Bus Kuester said Mrs. Lingenfelter had budgeted $75,000 for a bus and $25,000 for a van for 2014-15. He reminded board members that several months ago they decided not to purchase a bus. He said the district will need a bus and asked to transfer the $100,000 into the depreciation fund with it earmarked for that purchase. The transfer was unanimously approved. 1:1 Initiative Laptops are ready for students in grades 7-12 thanks to the 1:1 initiative to put technology into the hands of students. Technology coordinator Robert Kreppel said he was grateful about the “cadillac” computers approved last December. He said students will get computers on the first or second day of school. Ag Program Administrators are considering adding an ag class via distance learning this fall from Elgin, but Kuester said “nothing is locked in at all.” No costs were shared on the fees involved with adding this class or a timeline on when a decision would be made on adding the class to the schedule. Loofe said if the class were to be offered this fall, students potentially could add the class until Aug. 21. The district offered an exploratory ag class last year in junior high, but there is no ag option this year. Kuester asked the curriculum committee to again discuss adding ag. Reinke referenced a previous survey of students that he felt was too broad. Schindler said the ultimate goal would be to offer an intro to ag class on a full-time basis. Chris Ford asked if that would require an additional faculty member and he was told it would. Insurance Increases The district added about $1.2 million of insurance this year. The premium is now $59,263, which Joe Knight said was an increase of about $6,000. They discussed adding flood insurance that would cover flooding from rain similar to the incident that flooded the school basement in October 2013. A $500,000 plan would cost $5,000. Knight said the coverage that was approved at Monday’s meeting has a $150,000 excess plan that kicks in if the $500,000 plan is purchased. Knight suggested improving drainage around the school since $5,000 per year would add up. Less than 24 hours after twice failing a pressure test of the new fire sprinkler system, Neligh-Oakdale has now passed the same test.
Interim Superintendent Bill Kuester said, "The outside fire underground line at Neligh-oakdale schools passed the hydrostatic pressure test this afternoon by the Nebraska State Fire Marshal’s Office. The State Fire Marshal is scheduled to perform the inside sprinkler test in the basement on Monday, August 17." No other details were provided into why the test failed on Monday. Board members were told Monday that the failure was probably due to an underground leak. John Wieczorek, district manager for Ahern Fire Protection of Omaha, said both in an email and via the conference call Monday night that at minimum, the water line must pass a hydrostatic test of 200 psi for 2 hours. The results of the test performed was a loss of 12 psi after 90 minutes of testing. Not passing the test raised several concerns for the district, including where to put students if basement classrooms and the old gym were not able to be occupied by the first day of classes. Occupancy is not guaranteed until the fire marshal gives the OK, but that appears to be more likely considering the pressure test passed Tuesday afternoon. Two O’Neill men were arrested in connection with a three-county burglary spree that resulted in $30,000-$40,000 in stolen property recovered last week in Holt County. They are both being held in Antelope County.
Drew W. Steskal, 25, and Amos J. Mosel, 29, were both arrested last week while a third arrest is pending, according to the Holt County Attorney's office. Eight separate searches took place during the investigation. According to court documents, Trooper Daniel Parker connected the two individuals with the crime spree. He arrested Steskal on August 1 for possession of methamphetamine and ignition interlock violation in Neligh. While searching the vehicle, owned by Mosel, the officer discovered a Miller 252 welder. Mosel took possession of the pickup the next day at the Antelope County Sheriff’s Office, along with the items located in the vehicle. Parker was later requested by the Holt County Sheriff's Department to serve a search warrant in O'Neill. He "was reading the information pertaining to the Holt County search warrant" and "saw that they were looking for a stolen Miller welder along with several other items." The welder was later identified by serial number as one that had been stolen from Holt County. Mosel was later questioned at his residence in O’Neill where he told officers where he left the stolen welder after picking up his vehicle. Court documents allege he later made a written voluntary statement at the Holt County Sheriff’s office with a different story. The welder was located at Mosel’s parents' residence in rural Holt County. Steskal allegedly told authorities that the welder, along with other items in the pickup at the time of his arrest, were stolen. According to documents, Steskal told authorities he and Mosel had taken the welder together from Opplinger Farms near Atkinson. The information he gave about the location and time frame of the stolen welder was correct, according to authorities. The total amount of stolen property from the burglaries suspected to have been committed by Mosel and Steskal was at the time estimated to be valued between $30,000 and $40,000, according to court documents. Officials have said that value may increase. Steskal was previously arrested on drug charges in 2013 and violated his probation in 2014, according to court documents. The current investigation was a joint effort between the Holt County Sheriff’s Department, O’Neill Police Department, Atkinson Police Department, Nebraska State Patrol, Valley County Sheriff’s Office, Nebraska Game and Parks and Holt County Attorney’s Office. Bomgaars is now two votes away from receiving tax increment financing for a water main project, thanks to action Monday night from the Re-development Authority of the City of Neligh.
TIF is possible since Bomgaars is now inside city limits due to annexation. TIF funding comes from property taxes from the project itself, not from other people’s taxes. It’s also not a grant; it is a low-interest loan that will be paid back over a 15-year period. Greg Ptacek, Neligh Economic Development Director, told board members Bomgaars will pay $12,520 annually, which is an increase of $7,622 to be captured to pay for the water main. The board, which is also the Neligh Economic Development Board, unanimously adopted a resolution (2015-05) to authorize the use of TIF for the project. Al Stelling made the motion with Dennis Anderson seconding. It passed 4-0; Ryan Koinzan was absent. The resolution will now go in front of the Neligh Planning Commission next week. Pending its passage, the City Council will hear the resolution at an Aug. 20 special meeting. The board held a public hearing regarding the declaration of an area of Neligh being blighted and substandard and in need of redevelopment pursuant to the Nebraska Community Development Law and to adopt a redevelopment plan for the area. The hearing was also on an amendment identifying a redevelopment project utilizing TIF for the Bomgaars project. No one spoke at the hearing. The only other individuals attending the hearing were media. Two other resolutions were also adopted at the meeting. Anderson made a motion to adopt 2015-03 with Stelling seconding, making a recommendation to the City Council to declare a portion of Neligh blight and substandard. It passed 4-0. This area is located along the western corridor of Highway 275. The third resolution (2015-04) recommended the approval of a redevelopment plan for the City of Neligh. Anderson made the motion with Stelling seconding. It passed 4-0. The Neligh Library's annual "End of Summer Street Dance" is tonight, and all ages are invited for fun, food and, of course, dancing.
The event will be on Main Street just outside the Neligh Library from 6-9 p.m. There will be hotdogs, chips, popcorn, refreshments and ice cream sundaes. A DJ will provide the music. Angie Hamilton knew she could be called to active duty at anytime. Still, the news was unexpected for the Neligh family, who have three children ages three and under.
They'll leave Neligh on Tuesday for 3 1/2 months as Angie, a nurse anesthetist, fulfills her military obligation in Washington. "It's much more difficult now. It would have been easier when I was single or before the kids," said Angie, who is a first lieutenant in the U.S. Army. "Now we have three kids three and under, and they're all coming with us. It's just what we have to do." On Tuesday, Chad and Angie (Wolfe) Hamilton of Neligh will begin a 1,500-mile journey to Joint Base Lewis-McChord near Tacoma, Wash., with their daughter Collins, 3, and twin sons Cash and Kendall, 13 months. The family will live near the base until the end of November. The 38-year-old Clearwater High School graduate will treat soldiers, veterans and military family members at Madigan Army Medical Center, the Army's second-largest treatment facility. Although similar in job description to what she does now at the Antelope Memorial Hospital, her cases will be much different there, considering Madigan is one of only three designated Level II trauma centers in Army medicine. As for Chad, Angie's husband, the transition is much different. He'll be leaving his new business, Hamilton Garage, and become a stay-at-home-dad - only not at his home. It'll be in an apartment in a new city. "It is what it is," Chad said. "I've talked to my customers. It's for three months, and they understand what's going on. My place is with my family, and they are being very supportive of our family." Angie enlisted in the U.S. Army on her brother's birthday - May 22, 1998, just three months before earning her LPN at Northeast Community College. A recruiter spoke to Angie's nursing class about the benefits of military assistance with education, so she enlisted and went through basic training in January 1999 at Ft. Leonard Wood, Mo. Angie then finished her degree in criminal justice through the University of Nebraska-Kearney in 2001 before earning a bachelor's degree in science from Creighton University in 2005, the same year she and Chad were married. She graduated from Bryan LGH College of Health Science as a nurse anesthetist in 2010. The Hamiltons moved to Neligh in January 2011. They own TKO Anesthesia with Christan Ford, also of Neligh, and are contracted through Antelope Memorial Hospital and other facilities. Angie's job in Washington will be very similar to what she is doing now, only on a larger scale, which is a great opportunity for more training that she can bring back to Northeast Nebraska. "I'll be doing more than what we do in a rural facility," she said. "I'll be doing bigger, more intense cases. That's a benefit." As if packing up the household wasn't enough of a challenge, Angie has also been preparing the business for her leave. TKO Anesthesia will continue providing services to rural hospitals, including AMH, during her absence. "If I were someone's employee, it would be a lot easier," she said. "When you own a business, you have to find your own help and so forth." Her partner, Christan Ford, agreed that having Angie gone presents its share of challenges, but she both understands the commitment and supports her partner's military service. "She's obligated to serve, and I support her service to our country," Christan said. "Our responsibilities here are very important as well, so this does greatly affect our business. But we're working through this and will meet all of our obligations as a business. I wish their family nothing but the best while they are away." Angie said that support, along with support from family, friends and the community, has made this transition a bit easier, especially since this is the first time she's been called to active duty. She received a call at 2 a.m. Sept. 12, 2001, asking her to prepare for possible activation, following 9/11. However, being a college student, she did not serve at that time. When this notice came through via email, she was given nearly 90 days to get her affairs in order in preparation of her service. That was almost too much time, Chad said, because it meant they had months to think about how this would work with their children, family and jobs. Collins was enrolled in the 3-year-old preschool program this fall. That has been put on hold, although they are hoping to enroll her in January. The Hamiltons both said leaving, even for 3 1/2 months, isn't easy for any of them. They'll be counting the days until they can return and get back to their normal routine. "I guess we'll see how fast three months fly by," Chad said. "Hopefully, it goes by pretty fast. You just do what you have to do, but we will be back." Angie added, "Yes, we will be back to Neligh. It's tough on everyone, but we appreciate the support we've received." Two juveniles who had been reported missing were detained Sunday in connection with a burglary at a Neligh convenience store.
Neligh Police Chief Mike Wright said surveillance video from both Cubby's and the City of Neligh's generation plant, along with an eye-witness report, assisted officers in locating and subsequently detaining two male juveniles around noon on Sunday. The burglary occurred just after 3 a.m. Sunday morning. Wright said the boys were originally detained after discovering they had been reported missing by another agency. He said they both allegedly had stolen property in their possession from the Cubby's burglary at the time they were taken into custody as missing juveniles. Because they are juveniles, they cannot be held at the Antelope County Law Enforcement Center and are instead being held at the Northeast Nebraska Juvenile Detention Center in Madison, pending a detention hearing next week. Both juveniles are charged with burglary and criminal mischief, both felonies, along with theft and trespassing, both misdemeanors. One of the juveniles detained gave a false name and faces an additional felony charge of criminal impersonation. Wright said the juveniles have been staying with friends in Neligh since late last week. The Antelope County Sheriff's Department assisted the Neligh Police Department with the investigation. "We worked together to solve this quickly," Wright said. "The Neligh Police and Sheriff's Department works well together, and we're blessed to have great full-time and part-time officers." The new season brings new rules for high school football, including the amount of contact players can have each week.
The Nebraska School Activities Association (NSAA) has released mandatory contact limitations for football players. The biggest change for some schools will be no more than two consecutive days of full contact, but Neligh-Oakdale coach Ron Beacom said he's not concerned about the changes. "These rules aren't going to change how we prepare," Beacom said. "While they are mandatory now, they were recommended previously, and we followed most recommendations anyway. Even not having more than two consecutive days of full contact isn't that different if you understand what drills are allowed." The NSAA has always had a "no-contact" rule for the first two days of practice,but there are now limitations for Day 3-5 and Day 6-14, as well as Day 15 through the remainder of season. Day 3-5: Players can wear helmets and shoulder pads. Allowable contact includes unopposed drills without contact, drills against a bag or another soft-contact surface and drills where one player is designed to be the winner with contact above the waist and players stay on their feet. An example of the latter is a tackling drill where the runningback isn't going full speed and the defense is expected to tackle the runner, thus being the designated "winner." Day 6-14: Players can wear full protective equipment. All contact from Day 3-5 is allowed. There are limits to full contact with no pre-determined winner drills and/or games. Those are allowed a maximum of 30 minutes per practice, no more than two consecutive days, only one practice (on a scheduled two-a-day) and two scheduled scrimmages not to exceed 90 minutes each. Day 15-Rest of Season: Players can wear full protective equipment. All contact from Day 6-14 is allowed. Limits for full contact with no pre-determined winner drills and/or games of no more than four days per week (including games), no more than two consecutive days and a maximum of 30 minutes per practice. Basically, as of the 15th day of practice, there cannot be more than two consecutive days of full contact scrimmaging/game and no more than 30 minutes of full contact per practice. A team could have a light practice with tackling and running drills on Monday, full-contact practices with scrimmaging Tuesday and Wednesday, followed by tackling and running drills on Thursday prior to the game on Friday, where they would be full contact. There is also concern about smaller school not being able to play junior varsity games due to the restrictions, which could keep younger players from improving. Beacom said a full-contact game would limit contact in practice later, but that just means coaches have to use different drills the next day rather than scrimmage. He reiterated that players will still be able to play junior varsity games and improve throughout the season. "Yes, these are new stipulations for high school football," Beacom said. "But these have been the recommendations for the sport for a while, so it doesn't change much for us. We just want to make sure parents understand what their children and can and can't do in practice. We're going to follow the rules." Authorities are seeking more information after a Neligh convenience store was burglarized early Sunday morning.
Neligh Police Chief Mike Wright said two males broke the front glass door of Cubby's just after 3 a.m. Sunday and were last seen running south across 2nd Street. The only items reported missing were alcohol and tobacco, Wright said. Wright, along with two Antelope County Sheriff's Department deputies, searched the area and Riverside Park within minutes of the break-in. If anyone has information regarding the burglary, they are asked to contact the Neligh Police Department at 402-887-4335. Technology is great when it works, which is making a tough week even tougher for TK-Starlite Drive-In.
The Neligh Drive-In will be closed now through Wednesday of the upcoming week. Manager Brittany Kallhoff said the drive-in plans to reopen Thursday, Aug. 13. Their hard drive crashed earlier this week, leading to being able to only show DVD movies onto the big screen Thursday and Friday. But now due to projector and sound issues, Kallhoff said the drive-in is forced to close until Thursday. "We are sorry for any inconvenience," she said. "We hope to see you all on Thursday." When you give blood, you give life.
The American Red Cross Blood Drive will be held Monday, August 10, at the American Legion Hall in Neligh. Donations will be accepted from 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 a.m. They will be accepting both blood donations and double red cell. The most common donation is "whole" blood donation, which takes about a pint of blood. A Double Red Cell donation collects the red cells but returns most of the plasma and platelets to the donor. These donors must meet specific eligibility requirements and have type A Neg, B Neg, or O blood. To make an appointment to give blood, download the Red Cross Blood Donor App, visit redcrossblood.org or call 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767). Two arrests have been made following eight separate searches that resulted in the recovery of an estimated of $30,000 of stolen property, as well as the seizure of various types and quantities of suspected controlled substances.
According to the Holt County Attorney's office, beginning the evening of August 5, and into the late morning hours of August 6, a team of law enforcement officers led by the Holt County Sheriff conducted a series of successive searches in Holt and Antelope Counties in an effort to recover property stolen in recent burglaries. The team included elements from the Holt County Sheriff’s Department, O’Neill Police Department, Atkinson Police Department, Nebraska State Patrol, Valley County Sheriff’s Office, Nebraska Game and Parks, and the Holt County Attorney’s Office. Eight separate searches were conducted which resulted in the recovery of an estimated $30,000 of stolen property Two arrests were made without incident, and at least one arrest is still pending. If you have been the victim of a theft or burglary that has already been reported, a law enforcement representative will contact you in the coming days. If you have been the victim of a theft or burglary that has not been reported, make a report to law enforcement immediately. Now that the stolen property has been recovered, officials must begin the work of matching up each item of property with its true owner. At this time the recovered property is suspected to be tied to crimes in at least three counties in Nebraska and one in South Dakota. Editor's Note: The Antelope County News has spent several weeks examining documents on the City of Neligh's budget and property tax asking. All numbers from the City of Neligh are from public documents.
* * * When property values go up, taxpayers generally expect the levy to go down. But is that what happened this year with the City of Neligh's budget? A closer look into the budget shows that not only did the levy go down, but the overall property tax asking from Neligh residents and businesses actually decreased 6 percent from 2013-14 to 2014-15, according to public documents. In comparing property tax asking for the last two years, public documents show the City requested $507,263 last year compared to $476,742 this year. The current fiscal year will end Sept. 30. The 2015-16 budget will be adopted next month. Expenditure Budget The City of Neligh’s expenditure budget has generally been around $5 million each year, but taxpayers aren’t responsible for all of it. Instead, they pay about 10 percent of the City's budget. The property tax asking, or levy as its generally called, covers both the general fund and bonds from property taxes. The City of Neligh’s overall levy decreased from .968235 to .893182 in 2014-15. City of Neligh officials have been under attack for the last several months by those apposed to annexation, accusing the municipality of constantly raising property taxes. Public documents show they've actually decreased in the last several years. In fact, Neligh’s property tax asking has decreased 11 percent since 2012. FEMA Dollars Some of the confusion, according to City Clerk Dana Klabenes, may be due to funding from both FEMA and the anonymous donation to repair the Old Mill Bridge. Due to the threat of losing FEMA funding when the bridge could not be repaired within the presented timeframe, the City of Neligh opted to use those funds for water line improvements. Those funds were receipted in 2013-14. Realizing the importance of the bridge, the City Council budgeted to take out a bond anticipation note for bridge repair in the event a grant from the Nebraska Game and Parks did not come through. Neligh did not receive the grant; however, with the anonymous donation for the bridge, the City no longer needed to take out the bond. A bond is still shown in the budget, despite it never being taken out. That clarification will be made once the budget is officially closed. Klabenes said confusion may also be from FEMA funding being receipted and spent in separate fiscal years, although it occurred just a couple of months apart. Those funds appear in the budget but are really just a shift of federal dollars. The FEMA funding was receipted in August of 2014 with the note being paid in October 2014. Comparing Budgets In comparing adopted budgets, which is the only apples to apples comparison possible from 2013-14 and 2014-15, the City of Neligh shows it increased its expenditure budget by about $300,000, or about 6.5 percent. However, when taking out the $500,000 of FEMA funding that was paid back in October, the City's expenditure budget actually decreased by 3 percent. The City of Neligh's tax levy is currently .893 which has a bond of .407 for streets and other projects. Neligh has several bonds in place with a majority of them maturing in the next six years, according to documents. Several bonds are for fire equipment, as well as sewer, water and street improvements. The largest improvement project bonded was in 2010 when 11 blocks were paved. This was for 3rd, D, F and 6th Streets. Klabenes said 3rd Street was paved at 8 inches rather than the usual 6 inches due to the high volume of truck traffic going to both grain elevators. Officials said Neligh currently anticipates no major projects in the next few years for street or sewer that will require a bond. Major Projects Ahead For Others In comparing tax levies with area communities, Neligh isn't the only community with a bond payment over its general fund. Plus, several surrounding communities are expected to add bonds soon. Each community will set its 2015-16 levy and budget next month, meaning levy amounts compared below will change in the upcoming weeks. Tilden's current levy is .819 with .397 toward bonds. Tilden is in the design stage of a nearly $3.6 million water lagoon project that utilizes both a loan and grant from the USDA to be used to construct a new four-celled lagoon with appurtenances and provide lift station upgrades, as well as water meter installation for all users. Nearby Elgin currently has a levy of .47. A major upcoming project for Elgin is a new water well due to having a high level of arsenic in one of its wells, according to the Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality. According to DEQ, the City of Elgin was approved for funding in 2013 through the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund. The total project amount was at that time expected to be about $1.5 million with 20 percent to be forgiven. Clearwater expects to finalize its application for a loan and grant for new sewer lines in August or September, which will also include water meters. This project is estimated to cost $2.5 million, according to Clearwater officials, and will include a flow study and possibly a new sewer lagoon. Clearwater's current levy is .49. |
|
News That Matters To Antelope County - Your News. Your Way. Every Day!
© Pitzer Digital, LLC