308.968.3348 Caden Moderow of Ravenna was a Thursday overnight guest of Dave and Barbara Tuma and Markus. Joining them Friday evening for a belated Christmas supper and gift exchange were David and Kayann Skibinski and Raegan of rural Loup City and Ryan and Denise Kucera, Allison, Willa, and Waylon of Ravenna.

Members of the Howard County Board of Commissioners tackled a number of topics at their four-hour final regular meeting of 2025 last Tuesday, December 23rd. Among other items, the roads department discussed intentions to begin moving in to the new roads building north of town and made a commitment to “get the excavator out” and do dirt work every day for the next forty-five days; Council on Alcoholism and Addictions Executive Director Connie Holmes and Howard County Medical Center (HCMC) CEO Arlan Johnson, both stopped by for items and updates; the sheriff’s office made prospective plans to designate an impound lot in the county; and the commissioners passed a resolution changing the role of county attorney to a parttime position and seemed to come near an agreement for the next four-year pay schedule for county officials.

Christmas Eve and Christmas Day guests of Mr. and Mrs. Larry Steenson were Mike and Nora Steenson of Arvada, Colorado; Luanne Steenson Mobley and Gail and Scott Seaton of Omaha; the Steenson family from the Detroit, Michigan area; and Drew, Bailey and Jack Johnston of Des Moines, Iowa.

Happy New Year! As of Sunday morning, December 28th, the Middle Loup River is running at 1,170 cubic feet per second (cfs). The North Loup is 1,790 cfs and the South Loup did not have a reading for cfs, although it had a reading of 2.57 ft. which is down from 2.85 ft earlier in the week, with 2.995 ft normal for this time of year.

The University of Nebraska– Lincoln conferred 1,197 degrees during commencement exercises December 19th and 20th at Pinnacle Bank Arena. The degrees were earned by 1,175 graduates from forty-four countries, thirty-nine states in the United States and 140-plus Nebraska communities.

Ahead of the 2026 election season, Secretary of State Bob Evnen reminds candidates that the use of the Great Seal of the State of Nebraska for political campaign purposes is strictly prohibited. The secretary of state is the official keeper of the Great Seal, tasked with determining how it is used and by whom.