Nonprofit Tabitha, Nebraska’s industry-leading Senior Care provider, honored Dayna Swenseth, Director of Nursing as Tabitha’s annual TEAMember of the Year. Swenseth, shares her time and talent at Tabitha Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Lincoln, Nebr. She is responsible for leading all nursing units and was spotlighted for her successful management of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
“The Christmas Song,” perhaps better known as “Chestnuts Roasting On An Open Fire,” is a beloved tune cowritten in 1945 by Mel Tormé and Robert Wells. The song was reportedly penned on a hot July day and the writers had to think cool thoughts to evoke a feeling of the holiday season. This Christmas classic became one of the defining performances of Nat King Cole’s career, as he is one of the most popular artists to perform the song and recorded it on at least three separate occasions.
There’s a light at the end of the tunnel, and its not an oncoming train. That phrase has kept the our local publications going since Oct. 1 when the News-Press, Syracuse Journal-Democrat and Hamburg Reporter were purchased by CherryRoad Media. Our papers have a new look today and a new feel. We have hope. But to fully understand where we are, you must first understand where we have been. The News-Press, Journal-Democrat and Hamburg Reporter had been owned by GateHouse Media. GateHouse then acquired and took the name of Gannett, the company known for its association to the USA Today. And in the summer of 2021, our papers were sent out to be designed elsewhere. You might have noticed the papers change, mainly due to some of the national and international stories in the publications. But also with smaller photos and a design that felt wrong for a small town. Under the watch of GateHouse, our papers went through a lot, and not much of it was good. Our staff had been reduced. Our print plant in Syracuse was closed. And we were discouraged. When GateHouse became Gannett, however, things got much worse. Here in Nebraska City, we lost our general manager and we lost two dedicated graphic artists. We lost our front office presence. We lost our human resources person as well. A staff that had once numbered in the low teens here in Nebraska City had been reduced to an editor, two general assignment reporters and two sales people. While missing all those people, we struggled to swim in ever turbulent waters with employees taking on tasks and doing their best in situations for which they had been trained very little or not at all. We struggled with legals, both getting them printed in the paper and getting documentation out to those who had purchased the legals. Our phones were down. Our doors were locked. We were cut off from our readers. It seemed that for a big portion of 2021, our local publications here were near a tipping point toward disaster. We survived. Thanks to a team effort, we clawed and we scratched. We were determined not to let these vibrant papers dissolve. But the future was uncertain. Enter CherryRoad, a company whose focus is on the local journalism our readers love. On Oct. 1, the sale of our papers to CherryRoad became finalized. We knew a positive change was coming. It would be the support we needed. It would be a more local focus that we wanted. But we also knew it would be a process. We still had an agreement for services with Gannett for a period of three months while CherryRoad worked feverishly for a new direction. A chance would not be immediate, but we had hope that there was a light at the end of the tunnel. Our change from what we had been under GateHouse/Gannett is not over with the new look of the paper today. This is a first step. We are looking forward to more steps in the right direction. We are looking for new ideas to celebrate our papers, their rich history and their connection to the community. Challenges still exist. We are working to come up with regular office hours while still not having a dedicated front office person here in Nebraska City. We welcome folks to knock on the door. Sometimes it is locked inadvertently. Sometimes we are really busy doing the work of the paper. But we welcome people to knock on our door. We’ll do our best to help you. And we want you to know that your business matters to us. Today is a day to celebrate moving in the right direction. We welcome you to join us as we get ready for a new chapter in 2022 and beyond. The paper is here to serve you, to print your news and to help local businesses develop a successful advertising plan. The main thing is that we are still here. We did it. And we want all of that hard work to pay off for the readers who have been and continue to be so loyal to us. Thank You for reading! And Merry Christmas!
By the time you are reading this, we will have given out food for Christmas to lots and lots of families in need. Thank you to all of those who donate food or give monetary gifts to make this happen! Thank you to Terry’s for delivering the food we need (and it was a lot!) to fill all the orders! I also want to thank the volunteers and board members who fill the orders at Christmas and throughout the year!!! It is because of these generous gifts of time and treasure that we have been able to help those in need for almost 25 years.
Families and businesses with healthy finances follow a budget. Families have to monitor their spending to meet day-to-day needs and be prepared for future expenses. Businesses have to keep costs lower than revenues to meet payroll and make a profit.
Everyone possesses the ability to inspire themselves, but sometimes we need a little help. This was one of the messages chef and entrepreneur Kevin Shinn brought to the Nebraska City Rotary Club on Dec.
Diane Hawkins, assistant controller, was awarded Nebraska Wesleyan’s CORE Award at the December staff meeting. The CORE Award recognizes a staff member whose efforts and contributions significantly exceed expectations in demonstrating or promoting one or more of those values: excellence, liberal arts, and personal attention to students, diversity, community, and stewardship.
Students from across Otoe County have been learning about weather and climate through the 4-H school enrichment program Weather and Climate Science, said Erin Steinhoff, Otoe County 4-H Extension Assistant. Students from the Syracuse sixth grade and the Skyview Learning Academy first, second, sixth and seventh grades learned the difference between weather and climate. They experimented with how colors of surfaces, both natural and manmade, influence how fast an object warms up.
Kick off the new year in the great outdoors by participating in First Day Hikes at Nebraska’s state parks Jan. 1. Join in one of the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission’s planned hikes and enjoy the activities that go along with it, or create your own adventure by exploring trails, watching wildlife, or snapping photos at any state park. Activities include a fruitcake fling and gnome hunt at Ponca State Park, snowball toss at Indian Cave State Park, sledding at Sherman Reservoir State Recreation Area, or a scavenger hunt at Red Willow SRA, among others. Bring your dog, but be sure to keep him or her on a leash. Hikes are planned at: Buffalo Bill State Historical Park, Calamus SRA, Chadron SP, Fort Kearny SRA, Indian Cave SP, Johnson Lake SRA, Lake Ogallala SRA, Louisville SRA, Mormon Island SRA, Platte River SP, Ponca SP, Red Willow SRA, Rock Creek Station SHP, Schramm Education Center, Sherman Reservoir SRA, Wagon Train SRA, Wildcat Hills SRA, and Windmill SRA. Branched Oak
Dear Amy: This little thing has nagged me for many years. My son has had two marriages… both of his wives have never felt comfortable calling me “Dad,” or by my first name. Instead, they have called me “Grampa” in text messages, and even when we’re together.