No surprise, all three river gauges are showing ice due to the below-zero temperatures we have had the last few nights. The South Loup River gauge height in feet has been steady the last few days at around 2.84 feet. The Middle Loup River level has been dropping for the last couple of days and had a reading of 1.10 feet. The North Loup River has seen a bit of a rise the last few days and is at 2.53 feet. Nothing out of the ordinary.

The Howard County American Legion meeting will be held on Sunday, February 1, 2026 at the Dannebrog Legion. Registration will begin at noon, with a meal following at 12:30. The meeting will be held after the meal. A memorial service will be held. All American Legion, American Legion Auxiliary, Sons of the American Legion, and Legion Rider members are invited.

The University of Nebraska at Kearney recently announced students who earned a place on the dean’s list for the fall 2025 semester. Students who are on the dean’s list must have completed twelve credit hours or more of classes with a 3.5 grade-point average or better on a 4.0 scale.

The St. Paul Country Quilters met on January 19th in the Sts.

308.968.3348 Marvin and Betty Poss attended the visitation for Howard Gappa on Wednesday evening at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Catholic Church at Paplin. Saturday noon, Julie Spilinek and several other family members attended the first birthday dinner/ party at the Elba Community Center for Emmett Spilinek that was hosted by his parents, Thomas and Alex Spilinek of Minden.

The Howard County Board of Commissioners convened for its first regular meeting of the new year last Tuesday, January 13th. Among other items, members of the county board heard an update of the county roads building, reorganized for the new year, and officially adopted a salary schedule for elected officials.