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BBGH INVITES PUBLIC TO PARTICIPATE IN PARADE FLOAT ENTRY

Box Butte General Hospital is inviting you to participate in videotaping their entry in Saturday’s Alliance Christmas Parade.

For the past three years, the hospital has been involved in Service Excellence through a company called “Custom Learning.”  At the last two national conferences, the hospital has submitted a team video or team photo slide show that explains the hospital’s mission and function.  The videos are fun and up-beat.

This year, BBGH is submitting another video for the conference in January, which will be held in New Orleans.

The focus of this year’s video is “Engagement.”

The City of Alliance is also working with Custom Learning so the hospital would like to highlight partnering with the city in the video.

During Saturday’s Christmas parade, they will video parts of the parade to put into its final video submission.  You are encouraged to dance along with the hospital and city as their floats travel down Box Butte Avenue.

If you’d like to participate, gather on Box Butte between 10th and 8th Streets before 1 p.m., Saturday.

KIMBALL CITY OFFICIAL PLEADS NO CONTEST IN ASSAULT

Kimball city water supervisor Dave Ford has entered a no contest plea to a charge of 3rd degree assault in a dispute with a customer over a water leak. He will be sentenced January 9th

Kimball  City Administrator Harold Farrar says Ford will keep his job, but has been disciplined…although he can’t offer specific details because personnel issues are confidential.

The incident occurred August 3rd when the customer came to City Hall and got in an argument with Ford over the city’s responsibility to repair a leaking line. During the argument, Ford pushed or grabbed the resident.

He was originally charged with felony strangulation, but Kimball County Judge Randin Roland dismissed the more serious charge after a preliminary hearing…citing a lack of evidence.

Kimball County Attorney Dave Wilson recused himself from the case, with Cheyenne County Attorney Paul Schaub acting as prosecutor.

 

BLAUSEY AWARDED PADDEN MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP

Alliance Kiwanis Club Secretary/Treasurer Ted Bohlen (at right) presents Box Butte General Hospital nurse Sarah Blausey, LPN, the $500 Terry Padden Memorial Scholarship for 2012.

Ms. Blausey is studying to be an RN through the University of South Dakota online option so she can continue her duties at the hospital. Ms. Blausey thanked the Kiwanis for the award.

“I’ve known since I was a little girl that I wanted to be a nurse,” she said. “I’ll use the scholarship to help offset the costs of school.”

Mr. Padden belonged to the Alliance Kiwanis Club while he was the Chief Executive Officer at Box Butte General Hospital.

This is the fifth scholarship awarded in his memory.

CELL TOWER NEARING COMPLETION IN RUSHVILLE

Viaero is expect to complete construction of a cell tower in Rushville either today or tomorrow and have it in operation by the end of the year.

Mayor Chris Heiser, who has been the local Viaero dealer for a little more than 2 years, says the company first tried to put up a tower when it came to Rushville last year, but ran into opposition from neighbors of the proposed site.

The project was stymied until  Heiser…who is also a partner in Sides and Milburn Ford…discovered that property across the street from the dealership was zoned commercial and could serve as a tower site. Viaero purchased a small parcel and poured the concrete footings in July.

The last 3 segments of the 150-foot metal tower were being erected Thursday. Heiser thinks most Rushville residents are happy to see the tower, or at least aren’t terribly upset by it since cell phone towers are becoming a more and more common sight…not just in the country, but inside city limits as well.

Heiser says anyone with questions about the tower or Viaero can contact him at either Sides and Milburn or the Viaero office…which just happens to be at the car dealership.

 

SLASH PILES WILL BE BURNED AT CHADRON STATE PARK

Photo courtesy of Nebraska Games & Parks

LINCOLN, Neb. – Prescribed burns are scheduled for Chadron State Park, Smith Falls State Park, Wildcat Hills State Recreation Area and Lake Minatare State Recreation Area this winter.

Between December 15 and April 30, as weather permits, the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission will burn slash piles – debris from cut brush or trimmed trees – at each park area.

Slash piles at Smith Falls State Park and Wildcat Hills State Recreation Area were created during forest management projects in 2009. Removal of trees burned in wildfires at Chadron State Park will begin this winter, and some of that material may be burned. Additional slash piles may be created at Lake Minatare this winter with the cleanup of trees damaged during a 2011 storm.

SCOTTSBLUFF RADIO LADY WINS NATIONAL AWARD

Leslie Smith, Farm Director at KNEB Radio in Scottsbluff, has been named winner of the Horizon Award at the National Association of Farm Broadcasting Convention in Kansas City.

The Horizon Award recognizes farm broadcasters with less than five years of experience who have contributed greatly to the industry.

Smith, a native of Kiowa, Colorado and graduate of Colorado State University; has been farm director at KNEB since 2008.

In recent years Smith has also won numerous awards from the Nebraska Broadcaster’s Association and the Associated Press for her reporting on ag issues.

Smith has been recognized as the Nebraska Agri-Business Association’s, 2011 Media Person of the Year. She was the 2011 Panhandle Business Professional Women’s Young Careerist, and received the NAFB Excellence in Farm Reporting Award in 2009 and 2011.

Also at the convention, Al Gustin, of KFYR/KBMR in Bismark, ND was named Farm Broadcaster of the Year.

SIDNEY MAN TO BE SENTENCED IN MARCH FOR DRUG CHARGE

The witness in a Sidney homicide last August has entered a guilty plea to a drug charge in a plea agreement.

KSID Radio in Sidney reports that 56-year-old year old Leland Blake of Sidney made the plea Wednesday to delivery of vicodin, a class two felony.

Cheyenne County Attorney Paul Schaub says in exchange for the plea another charge of delivery of vicodin and a charge possession of a firearm by a felon were dismissed. Blake also agreed to being available to testify in depositions, contested hearings, and the trial involving 53-year-old Larry Martinez.

Court documents say Blake witnessed Martinez shoot his friend, 30-year-old Mandy Kerschman of Sidney, at Blake’s home. Martinez fatally shot the woman because he was upset with a text she sent him.

Blake was accused of selling the vicodin pills twice to an undercover police officer in July.

Blake is scheduled to be sentenced March 6th at 10 a.m.

DR. RANDY RHINE TO BE NAMED CSC PRESIDENT

Nebraska State College System (NSCS) Chancellor Stan Carpenter announced today that the NSCS Board of Trustees will name Randy Rhine as the 11th president of Chadron State College (CSC) at its January 15, 2013 Board meeting. Rhine currently serves as the Interim President, a position he has held since Janie Park’s retirement in May of this year. Park had served as President of CSC for seven years.

Rhine is a familiar face around Chadron State College.  His career at CSC began in 2005 when he was brought to the college by President Park to provide leadership in increasing enrollment and designing initiatives targeting CSC’s mission of access to affordable high quality education.

The national search for Chadron’s 11th President was conducted by a committee representing various Chadron constituents, including faculty, staff, students, the community and NSCS Trustees. The two finalists for the presidency visited Chadron November 12 – 13 to meet with a number of college groups and individuals. They also met with the Board and NSCS office staff.

I am honored by the opportunity to serve as president of Chadron State College,” said Rhine. “The faculty, staff and students are second-to-none and I look forward to working with everyone as we continue to provide excellent educational opportunities in Nebraska and the region.  As we look toward the future, I will work hard to see that Chadron State continues its role of outreach and service.”

Board Chair Carter “Cap” Peterson of Wayne said, “Randy is an excellent choice for president at CSC. I believe he will make Chadron an even stronger institution than it is today. The Board of Trustees was very impressed with the quality of candidates for the presidency, and congratulates the search committee on a job well done.”

When making the announcement this afternoon, Carpenter said, “Randy has a great understanding of Chadron State College and the Nebraska State College System. In his role as president, Dr. Rhine will continue his work with Chadron’s business and education leaders and those in ranching, farming and agribusiness across Nebraska and the high plains region generally. His experience with enrollment growth and retention, as well as developing partnerships with business and industry, will greatly benefit CSC and its students.”

 Prior to joining Chadron, Rhine served as the Dean of the College of Professional Studies and Lifelong Learning at Montana State University – Billings. He worked with University leadership to coordinate the College’s outreach efforts and provide an entrepreneurial approach for expansion in the community, region and internationally.

HEMINGFORD ENDS RELATIONSHIP WITH RHD

The Hemingford Village Board of Trustees has voted to terminate its contract with Rural Health Development, the consulting and management firm which oversees Hemingford Community Care Center.

The Hemingford Ledger reports that the decision came after a town hall meeting held November 13 where the public was largely in favor of making the change. The board then approved and is currently advertising for an administrator for the care center. They are also pursuing Senior Insite Consulting, which services three nursing homes in eastern Nebraska, as a replacement for Rural Health Development (RHD). The termination of the contract with RHD requires a 60-day notice. RHD will remain at Hemingford Community Care Center until January 31.

An audit earlier this year found the nursing home was two years behind on its payroll taxes, which through negotiations, was determined to be $101,000.

Hemingford worked out an agreement with the IRS to pay off the delinquent payroll withholding taxes.

Half of that will be paid off with a 6-month, 4.75% interest $50,000 loan from the Bank of the West that is paid to the IRS for the taxes accrued in the first quarter of this year. The remaining $51,000 will be paid off by the village at a rate of $5,000 a month.

RHD blamed the delinquent taxes on on problems using the IRS electronic transfer service.

ALLIANCE 10TH AND BOX BUTTE LIGHTS TO (HOPEFULLY) BE REPAIRED NEXT WEEK

The City of Alliance reports that there has been a delay in the shipment of the parts to repair the traffic lights at 10th and Box Butte.

In a post on the city’s facebook page, they state that they have been notified that the parts will be shipped to Alliance early next week at which time the Electric Department will be making the repairs to the signal.

The lights were damaged in an October 18 windstorm, when the Alliance area experienced wind gusts of over 70 mph.

The lights have been in a continuous flashing red mode since then, creating a four-way stop.

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