Have you ever heard of Lyle, Kansas. It sits on a country road just south of Lebanon, Nebraska. It sits two miles south of the Nebraska-Kansas state line. When I visited the site a few days ago, all that I found that was left was a closed Methodist Church, a cemetery, and a community building that is still in operation. There is one house in the village owned by Terry Rippe. The first men to locate in the vicinity of Lyle were Nick and Tom Sorrick and Len and Worley Andrews. These were all buffalo hunters and arrived at the site of Lyle in the spring of 1873. They both filed for homesteads in the area. Worley Andres boasted the first frame house in the county and was one of the early clerks of the county. Mr. Rippe gave me an old post card that he had of an early store at Lyle named the E.M. Jones Store. I don't know how long the community was served by a post office. I took a picture of the back of the church to show the use of outhouses. Does anyone remember the "glory days" of the outhouse? I won't share any of my stories.

The open portion of the meeting of the Village of Oxford Board of Trustees was short on Monday, January 3. They met at 7 for a regular meeting and after approving claims and hearing reports from Clerk Becky Calderone and Public Works Director Duane Hoffman went into executive session. The executive session was to have discussion on patron misconduct at the Oxford Public Library.

Richard "Dick" Quinn, 82, of McCook, passed away on Tuesday, December 28, 2021 at Community Hospital in McCook. Dick is survived by his wife, Carla Quinn of McCook; son, Gregory Quinn of McCook; daughter, Gina (Kraig) Dorwart of Lincoln; son, Gary Quinn of McCook; four grandchildren and six great-grandchildren; sister, Kim (Phil) Wilsey of Grand Island; sister, Kay Haffey of Axtell; and sister-in-law, Susanne Shaw of Grand Island.

Clarissa “Cassie” Uerling (nee Teel), 88, of Fort Smith passed away on December 22, 2021. Cassie was a loving wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, friend, and nurse. She was a member of Christ the King Catholic Church.

A Funeral Service for Tim Glendening was held on Monday, January 3, 2022, at 10:30 a.m. at the Nelson-Bauer Funeral Home in Holdrege, Nebraska with Pastor Keith Menter officiating. Following the funeral, the family will honor his wish for cremation. Military Honors will be provided by the Navy Funeral Honors Team.

Macy Shane Thomas, age 53, living in Minden, Nebraska previously of Beaver City and Stamford, Nebraska passed away on Wednesday, December 29, 2021 in Gibbon, Nebraska. He was born at Norton, Kansas to Melvin Samuel and Merrilee Kay (Lockwood) Thomas on August 5, 1968.

A Graveside Service for Larry D. Reusink will be held on Friday, January 7, 2022, at 2:00 p.m. at Fort McPherson National Cemetery at Maxwell, Nebraska, with Pastor Daren Popple officiating, with Military Honors provided by the Army National Guard Funeral Honors Team.

As 2021 draws to a close, I want to wish all of you a Happy New Year for 2022. The next session of the Nebraska Legislature will begin next Wednesday, January 5 . This will be a “short” 60-day session that is scheduled to end on April 20, 2022. A number of bills from last year that did not pass will “carryover” to this next session, and senators will have ten legislative days to introduce new bills.

About a year ago, we surprised our children with an addition to our family - our first dog, Annie. Over the course of the year, we have had our ups and downs - potty training was easier with three of my kids - and Annie has decided to fit right in with the Gerlach gang in that she is ornery as heck and the pickiest eater imaginable with everything except the stuff she shouldn’t have.

What does it mean to practice humanity in medicine? The phrase is used as a tagline and in book titles. Humanity and compassion .in medicine is touted as something to aspire to, a noble accomplishment. But in reality, the biomedical model of health, the business model for healthcare, is not set up to support it. Algorithms and best practices set forth by insurance companies and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid do not account for the time required to establish meaningful human interaction between patient and caregiver.