News from Neighbors
Haxtun Town Council votes to continue blowing whistle on weekdays
HAXTUN-FLEMING HERALD, July 10 — Members of the Haxtun Town Council approved, with one dissenting vote, a motion to continue blowing the Town’s emergency whistle daily, Monday through Friday, but to discontinue blowing it on Saturdays permanently.
The whistle blows daily on weekdays at 7 a.m., noon, 1 p.m. and 6 p.m. It previously blew those times on Saturdays. However, the Town recently turned it off on Saturdays as a test about a month ago to see if anyone would notice. Many on the council speculated that most citizens failed to notice the change.
Carol Scheel, who came to support continuation of blowing the whistle, told members that she does not understand why people seem to want the Town to stop blowing the whistle. “We have had it forever.” She said that she has timed it and it lasts only about 10 seconds. “If people can’t put up with 10 seconds while our whistle blows, it frustrates me.”
Big Boy steams through Julesburg
JULESBURG ADVOCATE, July 12 — Big Boy No. 4014 stopped in Julesburg for just a few minutes Tuesday morning as it makes it through the Great Race Across the Midwest. In celebration of the 150th anniversary of the Transcontinental Railroad’s completion, the world’s only operating steam engine returned to the rails after more than two years of restoration.
Starting its journey July 8 in Cheyenne, Wyoming, it will make its way through Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, Wisconsin and Wyoming.
Julesburg was the only Colorado stop for the steam engine as it cut through the northeast corner of the state. It is expected to pass through Julesburg once again during the return trip Aug. 7, but it won’t be stopping this time.
Summit Springs Battle marks 150th anniversary
YUMA PIONEER, July 11 — Today marks the 150th anniversary of the Battle of Summit Springs, which happened July 11, 1869.
It occurred roughly 18 miles north, about 6 west, of what is now Otis, along the dividing line for Washington and Logan counties.
Yuma’s Matt Vincent has written an eight-page spread commemorating the battle in Colorado Magazine.
He shares that the battle was more of a massacre than actual battle (shades of Sand Creek), and it changed the future course of northeastern Colorado. It happened less than a year after the pivotal Battle of Beecher Island in southern Yuma County.
Led by Maj. Gen. Eugene Carr of the 5th Cavalry and the Pawnee Scouts from neighboring Nebraska, the Republican River Expedition essentially eliminated the Cheyenne Dog Soldiers (and their allies, the Brule and Oglala Sioux) from Colorado Territory, opening the proverbial gates for large cattle interests in the 1870s and, eventually, the (CB&Q) railroad line that gave rise to dozens of small towns in the 1880s.
Oliver remembered for charisma
GRANT TRIBUNE-SENTINEL, July 10 — Elijah R. Oliver, 22, was taken off life support and died Friday, July 5, following a one-vehicle accident 2 miles west of Grant, Nebraska, July 3.
Oliver was driving a 1998 Isuzu Trooper eastbound on Road 761 when he lost control of the vehicle owned by Jessen Unlimited.
The vehicle entered the north ditch and rolled two and a half times before coming to rest on the driver’s side. Oliver was ejected from the vehicle, and passenger Christian Crone, 26, of Grant, was trapped. He eventually was able to remove himself from the wreckage.
Neither occupants were wearing seatbelts, and excessive speed was determined to be a factor in the accident.
Borowski remembered for love of children
GRANT TRIBUNE-SENTINEL, July 10 — Justin Borowski, 31, of Grant, Nebraska, died Friday, July 5, at Good Samaritan Hospital in Kearney, Nebraska.
Borowski was assaulted at a home near Lake McConaughy July 3 or the early morning hours of July 4.
Timothy L. Walker, 42, of Brighton was arrested and charged with a class 2a felony of manslaughter after being questioned by the Nebraska State Patrol July 5.
School board votes to go 1:1 iPads for K-8
IMPERIAL REPUBLICAN, July 11 — After lengthy debate at the regular meeting on Tuesday night, Chase County Schools school board members voted to approve purchasing new iPads with the intent to go to a 1:1 ratio for K-8.
In order to go 1:1 for K-8, the school will purchase new iPads for grades 2-8. “The iPads we do have will be used for kindergarten and first grade,” said Superintendent Randy Klooz.
For high school, it was the administrators’ recommendation that the school move to MacBook Airs for all high school students, but many members felt that would be asking too much of taxpayers.
“I just can’t see that the benefits outweigh the cost of going with Airs for 9-12 when it doesn’t seem like we’re really getting much value out of the Chromebooks we currently have,” board secretary Sheila Stromberger said.
Based on last year’s numbers, the cost would be approximately twice as much to move to the Airs.
No motion was made to purchase the laptops, Mac or PC, for high school.