Area News
School Meals at No Charge for All Students
Effective for School Year 2021-22, Hitchcock County Schools will serve meals at no charge to enrolled students. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has approved use of the Seamless Summer Option (SSO), which allows local school districts to provide no-cost meals to all enrolled students for the duration of the 2021-22 school year. The new…
Read MoreBenkelman Bricks Begins Next Phase of Project
Maybe you remember the big brick building on the corner of Main Street as Irelands, or Atens or the Napa building, the building has come under lots of scrutiny in recent years and sitting on the city’s nuisance list right now, is greatly in need of repairs. Last year, a group of community citizens came…
Read MoreWeather Doesn’t Dampen Spirit at Big Timber Gathering
With a chuckwagon, campfire, and beautiful scenery right out of the Old West, you could almost see and hear the history of “The Big Timber” property located about halfway between Benkelman and Bird City last weekend. Tana and Darren Dale purchased the historical Cheyenne County land about a year ago. You drive about 10-miles south…
Read MoreDundy County Commissioners Approve Resolution Stating Opposition to 30×30 Program
The Dundy County Commissioners have joined a growing list of Nebraska Counties formally opposing President Joseph Biden’s 30 x 30 program. The commissioners voted 3-0 to approve the resolution during their regular meeting on Monday. Dundy County’s resolution is based on similar resolutions passed by other Nebraska Counties, specifically Keith County. The Dundy County resolution…
Read MoreThe Memory of “Dudes” McDonald Inspires at Miracle on 34 Fundraiser
As part of the Miracle on 34 Emergency Responders fundraiser held in Benkelman on Saturday, March 20, 2021, the family of the late Kenny “Dudes” McDonald’s, a longtime Benkelman firemen, donated his fire fighter helmet to the live auction. The special helmet, that was presented to Dudes on his retirement from the department, raised…
Read MoreEl Dorado Manor Turns 50
The staff and residents of the El Dorado Manor Nursing Home and Assisted Living Center are celebrating the facilitie’s 50th Anniversary. El Dorado Manor became a reality in 1970, through the perseverance of business people and private citizens who petitioned the Village Board of Trustees to approve bonds for the construction of a nursing home.…
Read MoreGive Back to the Fire Departments and Emergency Responders Who Helped Save Benkelman
You can still smell smoke and see the scar of the wildfire on the west edge of Benkelman. The memory of the wildfire that came so close to spreading into Benkelman if not for the efforts of the Benkelman Rural Fire Department and 13 other departments answering the mutual aid call after midnight on January…
Read MoreCity of Benkelman Asking Residents to Conserve Energy Usage
The City of Benkelman is urgently asking customers to cut down on their power and natural gas usage to mitigate the risk of potential power outages due to extreme cold weather and increased regional demand. Customers are urged to lower their thermostats by 3 degrees, unplug unnecessary appliances, close fireplace dampers, and refrain from large…
Read MoreUpdate: Short Term Electricity Blackouts Possible
From Southwest Public Power District Monday, Feb, 15 The red area is the Southwest Power Pool (SPP) of which NPPD and SWPPD are a part of. The issue is the winter storm that has developed is causing unprecedented demand extended from Texas to the Dakotas that exceeds generation and reserve capacity. SPP is asking for…
Read MoreNPPD asking customers to voluntarily conserve energy
February 14, 2021 Columbus, Neb. – Wholesale and retail customers of Nebraska Public Power District are being asked to take steps to conserve energy use due to current and future low temperatures that are affecting the state and midwestern portion of the country. Customers are asked to reduce any electrical usage effective immediately and through…
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