Columns

Dear Governor Jim Pillen, Sutton, as you may know, has been dealing with, and going through a tough challenge over the course of the past four months. We’ve been dealing with the aftermath of an EF-1 tornado that shook, beat up, and damaged many areas of this small South Central Nebraska community.

As I write this open letter to you, I mostly represent just myself, as I’ll never speak for others in an open opinion, but my gut feeling tells me that as I write this, and after the other businesses and homes that have been left “crippled” by this “little storm,” have read this, many may just jump on board with my letter to you.

From the time that the storm hit our little town, on July 29, 2023, to today, Sunday, Nov. 19, it’s been a long and grueling 114 days since the early morning “teeny tornado” left a path of destruction.

CAPITOL VIEW COMMENTARY BY J.L. SCHMIDT STATEHOUSE CORRESPONDENT NEBRASKA PRESS ASSOCIATION I don’t remember much about my recent 64-block ambulance ride from my house to an urban hospital, but I was told after the fact that it was a matter of a few minutes to keep my body from going into septic shock.

The whole incident helped me understand the critical importance of getting rural patients to medical care as quickly as possible. It also speaks volumes about staffing those ambulances with competent medical professionals.

That’s why I support the efforts of Sen. Myron Dorn of Adams in the upcoming Legislature. Nebraskans care about one another. Rural Nebraskan health care workers have told state lawmakers that many of their local emergency medical service providers need state help to stay afloat.

Veterans Day is an outstanding opportunity to recognize the men and women of our armed forces who have served our country. Through their courage and devotion to their duties, America’s veterans have helped keep the United States the greatest, freest nation on Earth.

It is fitting we pause to give them a day of recognition; yet we owe them so much more. History, as well as current events, are constant reminders– we live in the land of the free because of the brave.

In observance of Veterans Day, this week I gathered with Nebraskans for ceremonies in Kearney and Grand Island. Both were wonderful times of coming together to celebrate and thank the great Nebraskans who have defended our nation. The event in Grand Island broke ground for a new state-administered veterans cemetery, set to open in the spring of 2025.

During the pandemic, school closures and the transition to online or remote learning were no doubt challenges for our Nebraska students, teachers, and parents.

As students logged on to their Zoom calls and worked on their online schooling, parents were often sitting side-by-side to work on their own online remote work. Parents were able to see and hear what their kids were learning with far more transparency than before.

In many cases, this experience led to an appreciation for our strong schools, but in other cases, parents raised valid criticisms over various curriculum and school policies. Because of this, I am approaching the upcoming legislative session with a key goal in mind: empowering parents.

We must ensure transparency for parents, whether it comes to the curriculum, athletic policies, their student’s physical and mental health, and books.

Postseason football, volleyball and cross country is officially upon us in Clay Countyland, as the end of the Fall sports season is here.

Sandy Creek’s Madalyn Andersen will be the first Sandy Creek state cross country qualifier to hit the state meet course in Kearney since the early to mid 80’s, at least wearing a Cougar uniform that is, as she will take part in the Class D state meet at the Kearney Country Club this Friday afternoon at 2:30 p.m.

Meanwhile, the Sandy Creek football team, one year after qualifying for their first playoff session since 2011, as the Class D-1 13th seed in 2022, will wear a target this year, instead of being the “no-name” team so to speak as Cougar Nation into the postseason as the second seed in the west bracket of the first round in 2023.

Fall sports has been a whirlwind of action this season. I’ve witnessed an enourmous and vast improvement with the Sutton girls golf team over their inagural season of 2022. The Sandy Creek football team is and has served a strong notice to the Class D-1 football teams across the state that they are after more than just a berth in the playoffs this year.

Sutton’s volleyball team is battling strong in both conference and non-conference matches, all the while, the Fillies’ head coach Shelli Mohnike reached the 100-win milestone of her coaching career, while senior Reagan Robinson surpassed the 1,000 career digs plateau last week.

The Harvard football team, who started the year at 3-0, has taken a couple of tough ones “on the chin” the past two weeks, but will make every effort possible this week to ensure that the Cardinals finish with at least a .500 record with their fourth win over the Franklin Flyers this week, as Cardinal Nation celebrates Homecoming week.

Sutton is now just beginning its ninth week in dealing with the “leftover problems” and damages following an EF-1 tornado that left behind damaged homes and businesses in its wake. That damage can still be seen in some area homes, at the Fox Hollow Golf Course, and certainly in the north half of the Sutton downtown business district, along Saunders Avenue.

With each passing day, speaking clearly from my own personal perspective, our damaged building isn’t “healing,” if you will, on its own. No, it’s still sitting there with a large hole toward the front of the building, letting the elements of Mother Nature continue to add to the disarray of our building.

I’m certain that what I’m sharing can easily be said for so many other buildings and homes that are still waiting for some sort of resolution, so that we can begin returning our homes and buildings to what it was before July 29.

Seasons come and seasons go, but as I was walking off of the football field in Sutton Friday night, and off of the volleyball court Saturday afternoon in Geneva, it hit me that as fast as time flies in life, the reality of the regular season for fall sports activities has reached its halfway point this past week. The football, volleyball, and cross country seasons just finished up week four, and as time flies, we’re just a week-and-a-half away from the first district competition for Sutton’s girls golf team.

As a matter of fact, district competition for the Harvard and Sandy Creek cross country teams loom just two-and-a-half weeks down the road.

The Sandy Creek and Harvard football teams remain unbeaten after four weeks. The Cougars are at 4-0, following their 64-20 win in Sutton, while Harvard holds on to a 3-0 record following their hair-raising 34-32 win over Dorchester.

Rivalries can come in all sorts of ways, and in the case of this week’s big rivalry football game between the Sandy Creek Cougars and the Sutton Mustangs, the two teams are coming into Friday night’s contest in Sutton in different ways.

The Cougars are 3-0 and coming off an over-the-top thrilling triple overtime 64-62 win over Exeter-Milligan/ Friend. In contrast, Sutton hits the field this week with an 0-3 record, following a 56-30 loss to the Hi-Line Bulls, a cooperative team made up of student-athletes from Elwood and Eustis-Farnam High Schools.

Sandy Creek’s huge Class D-1 8-Man win over the EMF Bobcats was nothing short of a rare game that will stick in my mind like some of the big football games our Clay County Schools have had.

Old Trusty was back for the 41st year, this year featuring Avery steam engines, tractors, and equipment.

The fairgrounds was bustling with activity, and the morning weather was perfect—it did get a little warm in the afternoon, but that was OK too.

I did what I usually do, wandered around the grounds and taking photos of everything and anything. I was also on the lookout for potential stories I hadn’t done yet.

One thing I find fun is seeing people I’ve already written stories on because it reminds me of how fun it was to talk to them, and learn about their machine/ engine/tractor or their skill.

Or coming across areas that remind me of a certain photo, like the man who brings his trailer of a town that has a train going through it.

My first year at Old Trusty I captured a little boy enthralled with watching the train, and it’s still one of my favorite photos from the event.