ARAPAHOE – After the passage of LB 243 that put a cap on property tax during the 2023 Legislative Session, school districts across the state are grappling with managing budgets. During the Arapahoe-Holbrook School Board meeting on Monday, May 13, finding solutions to the district’s financial situation was a recurring point of discussion.

INDIANOLA - Ask any parent of multiple children and they’ll all agree - every baseball diamond needs a playground nearby. Tanner and Miranda Teel have spent a great deal of time - along with others resurrecting little league in Indianola over the past four springs and summers.

Working as an RN in inpatient rehab, I am often called upon to care for patients who have had a cerebrovascular accident, or more commonly called a stroke. I have observed that every stroke patient experiences a unique combination of symptoms but the one of the most important tasks they accomplish in rehab is learning how to be adaptable.

Graduation week is upon us - well, for most of our schools, though congratulations are in order for the Southern Valley Class of 2024, which completed commencement last weekend. It’s that time of year when kids of all ages are excited, but particularly those who are wrapping up high school for good.

All youth aged 8–18 years old are invited to the annual Animal Science Discover Day May 29, Wednesday 9:00am – 3:30 pm in Curtis, NE on the NCTA Campus. Activities will focus on several different aspects of various livestock production & careers.

I never expected that after attending a couple events in Omaha I’d be rushing to a friend’s basement for cover from massive tornadoes at the end of April. But that’s what thousands of Nebraskans were doing that weekend. The strongest tornadoes our state has seen in years swept across Nebraska, leaving unbelievable damage in their wake.

On Thursday, April 18 th , we hit day sixty of the Second Session of the 108 th Legislature bringing the short session to the end. We passed some great legislation including protecting our farmland from potential foreign adversaries like China, strengthening of school security, investments in high-demand college programs, protections of religious freedom, and my personal priority bill, protections for minors from online pornography. I am happy to say Nebraska is now the fifteenth state to stand up to the big pornography industry and protect our kids.

ALMA - Cambridge, Southern Valley, Medicine Valley, Hi-Line, Arapahoe, and Southwest competed at Alma's Dale Harsin Track Invite last Thursday, May 2nd. The Cambridge girls won and the Cambridge boys placed second. The Southern Valley girls placed third, and the boys placed eleventh. For Medicine Valley, the girls placed fourth, and the boys placed eighth. The Hi-Line boys placed fifth and the girls placed ninth. The Arapahoe girls placed sixth and the boys placed ninth. And finally, the Southwest girls placed eighth and the boys placed tenth.

CURTIS - Ten local golfers medaled and the Hi-Line boys golf team took first at the Cattle Trail Tournament in Curtis Tuesday. Four Bulls finished in the top 11 as the Bulls shot a 346, beating out Hitchcock County by three and Southwest by five for the team title.

SUTHERLAND - Arapahoe, Cambridge, Maywood-Hayes Center, Medicine Valley, and Southwest competed at the Best of the Midwest track meet in Sutherland last Tuesday, April 30th. Out of the 24 girls' teams, Cambridge placed ninth, Arapahoe placed fifteenth, Maywood-Hayes Center placed sixteenth, Medicine Valley tied for sixteenth, and Southwest placed twenty-fourth.