News from neighbors
Troopers find 211 pounds of marijuana in I-80 traffic stops
CHAPPELL REGISTER, Jan. 2 — Troopers with the Nebraska State Patrol have arrested two people after discovering more than 200 pounds of marijuana in two traffic stops Monday.
At approximately 5:40 p.m. MT, a trooper observed a Hyundai Santa Fe fail to signal a turn as it was exiting Interstate 80 at the Ogallala, Nebraska, interchange. During the traffic stop, the trooper detected criminal activity. A search of the vehicle revealed 116 pounds of marijuana.
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NextEra answers questions at meeting
STERLING JOURNAL-ADVOCATE, Dec. 23 — NextEra officials met with more than 100 Fleming area landowners and other interested area residents Thursday evening to answer questions about the Niyol Wind Energy Center, a wind farm NextEra plans to build west and south of Fleming in 2020 and 2021.
Jennifer Herron, the project manager, conducted most of the meeting and fielded most of the questions, although she was accompanied by several other company officials.
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Oshkosh water tower listed on National Register of Historic Places
CHAPPELL REGISTER, Dec. 12 — Proudly standing 120 feet tall, the Oshkosh, Nebraska, water tower has been an iconic landmark in Garden County, Nebraska, since 1920.
History Nebraska is pleased to announce that the tower has been listed in the National Register of Historic Places nearly 100 years after its construction.
The tower is in excellent condition and is a classic example of a “tin-man” type elevated tower. These water towers were once standard across rural Nebraska communities but are quickly disappearing as new technologies take hold.
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Lack of drivers jeopardizing school busing
GRANT TRIBUNE-SENTINEL, Dec. 25 — Could school bus routes turn into school pickup points? That’s the question facing Perkins County (Nebraska) Schools Superintendent Phillip Piquet and his school board over the next nine to 16 months.
Piquet said two of the five route drivers have already told him when their current bus license expires, they don’t plan to renew it.
The problem for Piquet is finding people who want to drive a school bus and have the time to do it.
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Creative district certified by state
STERLING JOURNAL-ADVOCATE, Dec. 23 — Sterling is one of three Colorado cities to have creative districts certified by Colorado Creative Industries. The announcement was made late last week by Betsy Markey, executive director of the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade.
Cindy Moore, executive director of Logan County Arts League, said the certification is the result of a lot of hard work by a lot of people.
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Chimney sweep keeps chimneys Santa Claus-ready
IMPERIAL REPUBLICAN, Dec. 26 — John and Mary Aaberg of Chappell, Nebraska, own a business called The Chimney Sweep. John has been a chimney sweep for 41 years — since he got out of high school in 1978, he said.
The job of a chimney sweep is to remove soot, blockages and built-up creosote from the chimney liner, firebox, smoke chamber and damper.
It only takes a small accumulation of creosote glazing to create the potential for a chimney fire.
“Some people try hanging a log chain down the chimney and shaking it around to loosen the creosote. But then it falls down behind the damper and creates an even bigger fire hazard because the creosote is now closer to the fire,” Aaberg said.
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