At the Neihardt State Historic Site in Bancroft Sunday afternoon, a recording of John G. Neihardt’s voice carried the words of Black Elk’s prayer across the grounds. Gathered for the 56th annual Neihardt Day, the crowd of 50 people listened intently to his words.

The Cuming County Board of Supervisors learned last week that it might be asked to help replace some funding that the Elkhorn Logan Valley Public Health Department (ELVPHD) is losing.

Chuck Ross was awarded the Doyle Denney Heart of a Coach Legacy Award at the 53rd annual Nebraska Coaches Association Awards Banquet on July 25.

Cuming County soon will have a corn whisky distillery after action taken last week by the Cuming County Board of Supervisors.

The Cuming County Fair Foundation and Agricultural Society (Fair Board) have undertaken the restoration of a wagon once used by the West Point Cadet band in the late 1800s before it became the property of the Agricultural Society in the early 1900s.

Beemer is back to hosting their annual Play Daze this year. Beemer Play Daze will be held July 23 - 24.

A back-to-school plan for the 2021-2022 school year was approved by the Wisner-Pilger Board of Education at Monday night’s meeting.

As the city searches for new sources to tap for clean drinking water, the Annual Water Quality Report appears in this week’s News-Chronicle.

The Josh Abbott Band is the headline entertainment for Wisner’s 150 Celebration. They will take the stage on the Thunderdome track at 9:30 p.m. on June 26.

The Wisner 150 Planning Committee is firming up events for the anniversary celebration June 25 – 27. The Wisner Junior Livestock Show will be held June 24 – 27 in conjunction with the 150th celebration.

The Lower Elkhorn Natural Resources District’s board of directors isn’t short of opinions to consider regarding its proposed groundwater management area for parts of Cuming, Dodge and Colfax counties.

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow said “For bells are the voice of church; they have tones that touch and search the hearts of young and old.”

Wisner’s Easter Egg Hunt is back this year after being cancelled last year due concerns over COVID. The Easter Egg Hunt will take place on April 3 at 1 p.m. at the Wisner Care Center.

The Bancroft Volunteer Fire and Rescue Dept. is hosting a benefit for Jesse Hansen on Saturday.

Proposed changes to the Groundwater Management area in Cuming and two other counties will be discussed at an Open House Public Hearing Thursday from 5-7 p.m. at the Nielsen Center in West Point.

Wisner-Pilger School students have taken the bait and are raising trout in the classroom as part of a unique project that crosses over to different classes and age groups.

When it comes to pediatric therapy, Franciscan Healthcare has a team that knows what to do when children are experiencing developmental delays, are diagnosed with a disability, need rehabilitation after an accident, or face an array of situations that fall in between.

The Wisner City Council Monday night made an Omaha firm it’s legal counsel for financing related to the Grandview Project on the northwest edge of town.

Marilyn Raabe was one of those people who made the world a more pleasant place for everyone else. She gave far more than she took. She was kind, caring, cheerful, dependable, loyal and humble, to name a few of her traits.

On Feb. 25, Wisner-Pilger Junior-Senior High School held a planned, unannounced safety sweep in conjunction with the Nebraska State Patrol K-9 unit, Cuming County Sherriff’s Department and the Wisner Police Department.

Sub-zero temperatures the night of Feb. 16 didn’t stop organizers of an event that usually occurs during the heat of the summer from telling the Wisner City Council they’ll be back this year.

If you happened to be in the downtown area while Wisner was dealing with last week’s sub-zero weather, you probably noticed it was noisier than usual. That’s because the city was running its pair of 2,200 horsepower Caterpillar generators to keep the lights on in the community.

During a recent Wisner City Council meeting, council members picked the winning logo design that will grace banners, advertising, t-shirts and other memorabilia for Wisner’s 150th Celebration.

If it seems like the coronavirus pandemic has been hanging around for awhile, well it has.

The Wisner Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 5767 was honored for 75 years of service to area veterans on Feb. 9 when the post received a commemorative citation from the national VFW organization marking the occasion.

International student Marzia Gasparini’s dream of experiencing life in the United States almost didn’t happen due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Wisner Lions Club recently donated new plaques for the flag cases that line the walls of the Wisner VFW. The cases honor deceased VFW members by displaying their casket flags.

Two letters of resignation were accepted by the Wisner-Pilger Board of Education at their monthly meeting on Monday night.

After 49 years of deadlines and headlines, Marilyn Raabe hung up her pica pole and retired from the Wisner News-Chronicle on Jan. 29.

Friday, Governor Pete Ricketts announced that Nebraska has launched vaccinate.nebraska.gov, an online portal for COVID-19 vaccination registration.

Pastor Jared Hartman told the Wisner City Council Monday that St. Paul Lutheran Church has installed a new sound system in the bell tower which will play music during the day, on weekends, and for weddings, church services and celebrations.

Elkhorn Logan Valley Public Health Department conducted two events for COVID vaccinations on Friday; one at the Nielsen Center in West Point and one at the Lifelong Learning Center in Norfolk.

The Wisner City Council Jan. 19 raised cemetery rates. Other agenda items included discussion of a request that tax increment financing (TIF) be considered to help in developing the Grandview Addition, a presentation on resources available to help the community deal with stress from COVID-19…

Dan Bossow has assisted with several community fund-raisers over the years, but he never thought he’d be the focus of one. Bossow suffered a debilitating stroke in September 2020, and now the community is pulling together to help him cover his medical expenses.

Although Wisner’s food pantry is relatively new, it has been a much needed source of food security for several Wisner residents during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Wisner-Pilger Board of Education voted on the annual reorganization of the board at Monday night’s meeting. Mike Stuhr was elected president, David Raabe was elected vice president and Mark Glaubius was elected treasurer.

Wisner Community Development hosted a public meeting on Jan. 6 to update the public on changes made to the preliminary plat map of the Grandview Addition.

The Wisner Care Center is dealing with several cases of COVID-19 and one resident has died from the virus, according to Administrator Jonathon Brandow. In his report to the Wisner City Council Monday night, Brandow said the individual who died was a longtime resident.

Gina Uhing, Elkhorn Logan Valley Public Health Department director, has been named Area Person of the Year by the Norfolk Daily News and Elkhorn Valley Bank.

The day may come soon when the Cuming County Board of Supervisors has bids to review for a new Elkhorn River bridge south of Beemer.

David Branch shared some end-of-the-year good news with the Cuming County Board of Supervisors at last week’s board meeting and indicated he hoped he could add to it in four months.

The fire that destroyed Eugene and Carol Sateren’s home on Dec. 11 is still undetermined in origin.

Healthcare workers and EMTs in the area are receiving vaccinations for COVID-19. Wisner, Beemer, and Bancroft EMTs had the opportunity to be vaccinated at clinics conducted by the Elkhorn Logan Valley Public Health Dept. in the last two weeks, according to Melanie Thompson, emergency respons…

The 2020 winners of the VFW and Auxiliary District 7 Voice of Democracy and Patriot Pen essay contests are both students at Wisner-Pilger Junior-Senior High School. Senior Regan Scholting placed first with her Voice of Democracy essay, and eighth grader Sidney Feyerherm won with her Patriot’…

Lt. Gov. Mike Foley toured the City Auditorium, CROWN Project and Grandview Addition in Wisner on Dec. 8.

Randy Woldt’s career with the city of Wisner has spanned 40 years and his duties have included everything from mowing to city administrator/utilities manager.

The Wisner-Pilger Board of Education approved the hiring of up to three full-time substitute teachers for the 2021 winter/spring semester at their meeting Monday night.

At 11:24 p.m. on Friday night the Stanton County Sheriff’s office was notified and responded to a 911 call of a house fully engulfed in fire and two people still believed to be inside the residence on 575th Avenue southeast of Pilger.

For most people, the thought of being employed by the same business for 45 years seems unimaginable. However, Jeff Rabe clearly remembers what he was told when he was hired at Wisner Farmers Elevator. “People who work here, work here a long time,” said Tom Hoefs, the elevator’s manager at the time.

Jay Meyer attended his first council meeting as a new member, representing Ward 1. Meyer was elected in the Nov. 3 general election and replaces Chris Liermann, who chose not to seek reelection. Meyer, and Ward 2 incumbent Barry Meyer, who was reelected, read and signed their oaths of office.