The Indianola Alumni 1891–1969 met August 12, 2021 at St Catherine’s Church Hall, with a total of 59 attendees, including members, spouses, and guests traveling from several states to join us. Thomas Vontz (Buttonwillow CA) and Jane Berg Schulenberg (Eagle ID) were honored with traveling the farthest (each one over 1000 miles)! We were also happy to have former coach Jerry Felker and his wife Sharon join us for the evening.

BARTLEY – The Village Board held a public hearing prior to the regularly scheduled meeting on August 10, 2021, to discuss the downtown sidewalk renovation project that has been in the works for over six months.

Thirty-one ladies turned out Saturday for the Old Settler’s Day rolling pin throwing contest. Prizes were awarded to the first and second place winners in the various age groups. Winners and their winning distances were: In the under 24 age group, winners and their distances were, 1st place Sydney Reichert

INDIANOLA - The Indianola City Council met briefly Monday to approve a pair of building permits, to further discuss the City’s water meter project and to approve the annual 1 percent budget increase.

Gratefully, I don’t have to begin this week’s column with funeral notices. The community has had more than its share of them in the last few weeks.

08/09/2021 Zachary S. Bowers of Beaver City: Third degree assault, Entry of Plea: August 23, 2021 @ 9:30A.M.

The Red Willow County GOP will meet for their monthly meeting on Tuesday, August 24, 2021, at Bedore Barn-Marlene’s Kitchen, 3 miles north of McCook. Guest speaker, Elizabeth Tegtmeier who has declared her intention to run for the State School Board, will speak at 7:00. Plans for the Blue Rock Shoot, to be held September 26, 2021, will be finalized. All area residents are invited to attend. Several from the area have attended public meetings throughout the previous month and will be reporting on those meetings. As usual, the GOP is encouraging everyone to become involved in local, state, and federal issues facing us.

INDIANOLA - The annual Old Settler’s Celebration was held this past weekend in Indianola, bringing in a large crowd for a parade (led by the 2021 Honor Family of Don and Donna Behnke, pictured above), a ranch rodeo, the annual Bum Malleck Memorial Threshing (pictured right) and many more activities.

WILSONVILLE – Austin Rice is a popular guy—at least among the students who have taken his concealed carry class. The 26-year-old farmer is a Nebraska Concealed Handgun Permit certified and National Rifle Association (NRA) basic pistol certified instructor. Since he opened Wildcat Firearms last September, over 30 people have taken his six-to-eight-hour class that includes both classroom instruction at his farm office and onsite shooting at the range he constructed across the road.

Southwest Nebraska Public Health Department (SWNPHD) is working closely with the Nebraska Plains Healthcare Coalition (NPHCC) to help area hospitals and clinics coordinate care for people hospitalized with COVID-19. NPHCC is assisting hospitals with medical surge planning in order to spread the patient load across all hospitals. Surge planning is a key preparedness tool for responding to disasters and other events that may exceed the limits of the normal medical infrastructure.