By Patricia Jones, Alliance Community Task Force: Creating Opportunity

For many years, the churches in Alliance have been providing food baskets at Christmastime to families who need a little extra to make ends meet. A few years ago, United Way of Western Nebraska took over the organization of this project, and here is a review of how it works.

People in the Box Butte County area who need food assistance are asked to fill out an application at uwwn.org before December 5. Their income must be less than 180% of the federal poverty level, with the dollar amount of income based on the size of the family.

Everyone who meets the criteria will receive a food box in December. The goal is to provide a nice holiday meal and to fill gaps of needed items to be used by the family later. Food boxes can be picked up on Sunday, December 18. Disabled or families with other special needs may be able to have their boxes delivered.

Most area churches collect food, and area businesses are generous with their contributions. Individuals who want to donate food are asked to drop items off at St. John's, 2090 Emerson, December 1-12, Monday through Thursday, 8:30 am - 2:30 pm. You will be asked to check the expiration date (no expired food can be used) and to sort the food onto the correct table.

Items requested: boxed stuffing, canned vegetables, canned fruit, gravy packets, boxed meals (hamburger helper, tuna helper, mac &amp; cheese, etc.), dessert mixes (cake or brownie mixes, jello, etc.), pasta sauce, pasta, peanut butter, jelly, canned tuna, canned chicken, canned soup, cooking oil, and cereal.

Along with these items, meat certificates, potatoes, bread, and milk vouchers will be included with the food boxes. These vouchers can be redeemed at the grocery stores.

Monetary donations are needed as well. If your church participates, a designated check may be left with them. Checks may be sent to United Way, PO Box 617, Alliance, NE 69301. All checks should include Christmas food boxes in the memo line. United Way will use this money to pay for vouchers and to order any remaining food needed.

If you buy groceries at Safeway, you've noticed the option of donating at the cash register. In November, Safeway used these Turkey Bucks to provide $50 gift certificates; 95 families received these gift cards for their Thanksgiving meals. Now Safeway is collecting Santa Bucks for gift cards to support the Christmas boxes.

Besides food, St. John's Lutheran Church collects new hats, mittens, gloves, socks, and blankets to distribute to families when they pick up their boxes. These donations can be dropped off at St. John's, 2090 Emerson, Monday-Thursday, 8:30-2:30.

For the last two years, Christmas food boxes have been given to 250-300 families, serving 650-700 people. This year the need is expected to be even greater! If you have questions, contact Karen Benzel, 308-763-6031, or email her at kbenzel@uwwn.org.

Please be generous as these food boxes help us address food insecurity and provide food beyond a holiday meal to families in our community.

By Patricia Jones, Alliance Community Task Force: Creating OpportunityFor many years, the churches in Alliance have been providing food baskets at Christmastime to families who need a little extra to make ends meet. A few years ago, United Way of Western Nebraska took over the organization of this project, and here is a review of how it works.People in the Box Butte County area who need food assistance are asked to fill out an application at uwwn.org before December 5. Their income must be less than 180% of the federal poverty level, with the dollar amount of income based on the size of the family.Everyone who meets the criteria will receive a food box in December. The goal is to provide a nice holiday meal and to fill gaps of needed items to be used by the family later. Food boxes can be picked up on Sunday, December 18. Disabled or families with other special needs may be able to have their boxes delivered.Most area churches collect food, and area businesses are generous with their contributions. Individuals who want to donate food are asked to drop items off at St. John's, 2090 Emerson, December 1-12, Monday through Thursday, 8:30 am - 2:30 pm. You will be asked to check the expiration date (no expired food can be used) and to sort the food onto the correct table.Items requested: boxed stuffing, canned vegetables, canned fruit, gravy packets, boxed meals (hamburger helper, tuna helper, mac &amp; cheese, etc.), dessert mixes (cake or brownie mixes, jello, etc.), pasta sauce, pasta, peanut butter, jelly, canned tuna, canned chicken, canned soup, cooking oil, and cereal.Along with these items, meat certificates, potatoes, bread, and milk vouchers will be included with the food boxes. These vouchers can be redeemed at the grocery stores.Monetary donations are needed as well. If your church participates, a designated check may be left with them. Checks may be sent to United Way, PO Box 617, Alliance, NE 69301. All checks should include Christmas food boxes in the memo line. United Way will use this money to pay for vouchers and to order any remaining food needed.If you buy groceries at Safeway, you've noticed the option of donating at the cash register. In November, Safeway used these Turkey Bucks to provide $50 gift certificates; 95 families received these gift cards for their Thanksgiving meals. Now Safeway is collecting Santa Bucks for gift cards to support the Christmas boxes.Besides food, St. John's Lutheran Church collects new hats, mittens, gloves, socks, and blankets to distribute to families when they pick up their boxes. These donations can be dropped off at St. John's, 2090 Emerson, Monday-Thursday, 8:30-2:30.For the last two years, Christmas food boxes have been given to 250-300 families, serving 650-700 people. This year the need is expected to be even greater! If you have questions, contact Karen Benzel, 308-763-6031, or email her at kbenzel@uwwn.org.Please be generous as these food boxes help us address food insecurity and provide food beyond a holiday meal to families in our community.

Getting Ahead: Christmas food baskets 

LINCOLN, NEB.&nbsp; — The holiday season kicks off with one of the busiest travel weekends of the year, and Nebraska State Troopers will be working to keep motorists safe over Thanksgiving weekend.

“Thanksgiving always brings a big increase in travel on roadways in Nebraska and across the entire country,” said Colonel John Bolduc, Superintendent of the Nebraska State Patrol. “As you travel, remember that someone is counting on you to make it to the Thanksgiving dinner table. Drive safely and do your part to help everyone on the road make it to their Thanksgiving destination.”

The Nebraska State Patrol is participating with the annual&nbsp;Click it or Ticket&nbsp;nationwide campaign. Troopers across Nebraska will be working overtime from Wednesday, November 23, through Sunday, November 27. This effort is made possible thanks in part to a grant for $24,780 from the Nebraska Department of Transportation – Highway Safety Office.

AAA is projecting that nearly 50 million Americans will drive more than 50 miles this Thanksgiving. That’s a 1.5% increase over 2021.

“The weather forecast throughout the weekend looks great for roadway travel across the state,” said Colonel Bolduc. “With excellent travel conditions it’s important to not be complacent behind the wheel. Eliminate distractions, watch your speed, buckle up, and always drive sober, whether your trip is across the country or just across town.”

Troopers will be conducting high-visibility patrols across the state. Any motorist in need of assistance can call *55 or 800-525-5555 to reach the NSP Highway Helpline.

By Nebraska State Patrol&nbsp;LINCOLN, NEB.&nbsp; — The holiday season kicks off with one of the busiest travel weekends of the year, and Nebraska State Troopers will be working to keep motorists safe over Thanksgiving weekend.“Thanksgiving always brings a big increase in travel on roadways in Nebraska and across the entire country,” said Colonel John Bolduc, Superintendent of the Nebraska State Patrol. “As you travel, remember that someone is counting on you to make it to the Thanksgiving dinner table. Drive safely and do your part to help everyone on the road make it to their Thanksgiving destination.”The Nebraska State Patrol is participating with the annual&nbsp;Click it or Ticket&nbsp;nationwide campaign. Troopers across Nebraska will be working overtime from Wednesday, November 23, through Sunday, November 27. This effort is made possible thanks in part to a grant for $24,780 from the Nebraska Department of Transportation – Highway Safety Office.AAA is projecting that nearly 50 million Americans will drive more than 50 miles this Thanksgiving. That’s a 1.5% increase over 2021.“The weather forecast throughout the weekend looks great for roadway travel across the state,” said Colonel Bolduc. “With excellent travel conditions it’s important to not be complacent behind the wheel. Eliminate distractions, watch your speed, buckle up, and always drive sober, whether your trip is across the country or just across town.”Troopers will be conducting high-visibility patrols across the state. Any motorist in need of assistance can call *55 or 800-525-5555 to reach the NSP Highway Helpline.

Troopers spend Thanksgiving on the road to help keep Nebraska safe

Alliance –Box Butte County RSVP invites and challenges you to include a local nursing home resident in your Christmas giving this year. 

RSVP has set up a “Tree of Love” at Carter’s that is decorated with ornaments listing gift suggestions for the residents of Highland Park.

To share in the true spirit of Christmas, stop into Carter’s, select an ornament and purchase a gift for a nursing home resident. Gifts should be left at Carter’s no later than Monday, December 19th.

For more information, please contact Angie Flesner at (308) 762-1293.

By City of AllianceAlliance –Box Butte County RSVP invites and challenges you to include a local nursing home resident in your Christmas giving this year. RSVP has set up a “Tree of Love” at Carter’s that is decorated with ornaments listing gift suggestions for the residents of Highland Park.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/11/1669162578738.jpeg" alt="Photo by Carter's Home, Hardware &amp; Appliance.&nbsp;" />
 <figcaption>Photo by Carter's Home, Hardware &amp; Appliance.&nbsp;</figcaption>
 </figure>To share in the true spirit of Christmas, stop into Carter’s, select an ornament and purchase a gift for a nursing home resident. Gifts should be left at Carter’s no later than Monday, December 19th.For more information, please contact Angie Flesner at (308) 762-1293.

Box Butte Co. RSVP sets up 'Tree of Love' at Carter's Home, Hardware & Appliance

SCOTTSBLUFF -&nbsp;The WNCC Alumni Association hosted its 9th Annual Alumni &amp; Friends Awards Ceremony &amp; Banquet on October 21, where it recognized the 2022 alumni award winners.

Richard Stickney received the 2022 WNCC Cara Perkins Meritorious Service Award. Stickney is a member of the Western Community College Area Board of Governors representing District 3.

Audrey Murphy accepted the 2022 WNCC Outstanding Young Alumnus Award. Murphy graduated from WNCC in 2007, earning a Business Administration degree. She currently serves as the Training Coordinator for Platte Valley Companies and also volunteers with the Rotary Club, and Rocky Mountain RYLA, a leadership camp for teenagers.

The 2022 WNCC Family Pride award was presented to the Richard and Anita Duncan family. Anita was the first to attend WNCC in 1958, then named Scottsbluff Junior College, before returning and earning an associate of arts in business in 1973. Her mother, Eunice, attended SJC to keep her teaching certificate and her father, Walter, earned his GED from WNCC when he was 75 years old. Anita's husband Richard was an employee of the college. Both their children, Floyd and James attended WNCC in the 1980s. The Duncan's also have grandchildren that have attended WNCC through the dual credit program.

Nancy Mayborn Peterson, author and class of 1954 graduate, received the 2022 WNCC Outstanding Alumnus award. Peterson has been a published writer for more than 40 years, having works appear in "The Reader's Digest," "American History," "Good Housekeeping," "The Denver Post's Empire Magazine" and many others. She has authored four books focusing on frontier history and historical fiction. Her most recent novel, Not to be Forgiven, was given a finalist award for Best First Novel in the 2014 nation-wide Next Generation Indie Book Awards Competition and earned the Best Adult Mainstream Novel by the Colorado Authors League.

Mary Barkeloo received the 2022 Lifetime Achievement Award. Barkeloo graduated from WNCC in 1971 before beginning to work for the college in 1983 as a vocational evaluator. Over 34 years of employment at the college, she held many titles and worked both in Student Services and Educational Services. She retired in 2017 as the Institutional Research Director.

“I believe that academic or vocational education can change lives and that scholarships can and do help students in their pursuit of education," Barkeloo said. "What a great place to start and at an affordable cost. For me and others I’m sure, attending WNCC was, is and will continue to be a great experience.”

The 2022 WNCC Friend of the College Award was presented to the Thomas D. Buckley Trust. To date, the Thomas D. Buckley Trust has given $47,900 toward scholarships for students at the Sidney Campus, spread across 128 students since 2011.

Organized in 2011, the WNCC Alumni Association has presented awards annually for the past nine years. Their mission is to provide opportunities for alumni and friends of WNCC to build lifelong relationships and support the College mission. If you would like more information on how you can be a part of the WNCC Alumni Association which hosts this event and many others, visit go.wncc.edu/alumni or contact Mary Sheffield, WNCC alumni &amp; stewardship director at&nbsp;<a href="mailto:alumni@wncc.edu" target="_blank">alumni@wncc.edu</a>, or call 308-630-6571.

By WNCCSCOTTSBLUFF -&nbsp;The WNCC Alumni Association hosted its 9th Annual Alumni &amp; Friends Awards Ceremony &amp; Banquet on October 21, where it recognized the 2022 alumni award winners.Richard Stickney received the 2022 WNCC Cara Perkins Meritorious Service Award. Stickney is a member of the Western Community College Area Board of Governors representing District 3.Audrey Murphy accepted the 2022 WNCC Outstanding Young Alumnus Award. Murphy graduated from WNCC in 2007, earning a Business Administration degree. She currently serves as the Training Coordinator for Platte Valley Companies and also volunteers with the Rotary Club, and Rocky Mountain RYLA, a leadership camp for teenagers.The 2022 WNCC Family Pride award was presented to the Richard and Anita Duncan family. Anita was the first to attend WNCC in 1958, then named Scottsbluff Junior College, before returning and earning an associate of arts in business in 1973. Her mother, Eunice, attended SJC to keep her teaching certificate and her father, Walter, earned his GED from WNCC when he was 75 years old. Anita's husband Richard was an employee of the college. Both their children, Floyd and James attended WNCC in the 1980s. The Duncan's also have grandchildren that have attended WNCC through the dual credit program.Nancy Mayborn Peterson, author and class of 1954 graduate, received the 2022 WNCC Outstanding Alumnus award. Peterson has been a published writer for more than 40 years, having works appear in "The Reader's Digest," "American History," "Good Housekeeping," "The Denver Post's Empire Magazine" and many others. She has authored four books focusing on frontier history and historical fiction. Her most recent novel, Not to be Forgiven, was given a finalist award for Best First Novel in the 2014 nation-wide Next Generation Indie Book Awards Competition and earned the Best Adult Mainstream Novel by the Colorado Authors League.Mary Barkeloo received the 2022 Lifetime Achievement Award. Barkeloo graduated from WNCC in 1971 before beginning to work for the college in 1983 as a vocational evaluator. Over 34 years of employment at the college, she held many titles and worked both in Student Services and Educational Services. She retired in 2017 as the Institutional Research Director.“I believe that academic or vocational education can change lives and that scholarships can and do help students in their pursuit of education," Barkeloo said. "What a great place to start and at an affordable cost. For me and others I’m sure, attending WNCC was, is and will continue to be a great experience.”The 2022 WNCC Friend of the College Award was presented to the Thomas D. Buckley Trust. To date, the Thomas D. Buckley Trust has given $47,900 toward scholarships for students at the Sidney Campus, spread across 128 students since 2011.Organized in 2011, the WNCC Alumni Association has presented awards annually for the past nine years. Their mission is to provide opportunities for alumni and friends of WNCC to build lifelong relationships and support the College mission. If you would like more information on how you can be a part of the WNCC Alumni Association which hosts this event and many others, visit go.wncc.edu/alumni or contact Mary Sheffield, WNCC alumni &amp; stewardship director at&nbsp;<a href="mailto:alumni@wncc.edu" target="_blank">alumni@wncc.edu</a>, or call 308-630-6571.

WNCC honors 2022 Alumni Award winners

By: Mike Glesinger&nbsp; PANHANDLE POST

The Nebraska Music Education Association (NMEA) hosted the 2022&nbsp; All State Band, Chorus, Jazz Band and Orchestra concerts, November 18, at the Lied Center for the Performing Arts at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln campus.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Each year, approximately 3000 of the best high school musicians in the state audition for this event.&nbsp; Selection as a member of one of these groups is one of the highest music honors attainable in Nebraska.&nbsp; Following the auditions,&nbsp; three Alliance High School students were selected.&nbsp; &nbsp;AHS juniors, Tallan Ackerman and Matthias Benzel were among the 440 students selected to be a part of the 2022 All-State Chorus.&nbsp; &nbsp;Sophomore Daulton Mangus (tuba),&nbsp; was among the 161 students selected to be part of the 2022 All-State Band.&nbsp;

The All-State&nbsp; selections gathered in Lincoln November 16-17-18 for&nbsp;rehearsal and then performed a public concert on Friday, November 18 at the Lied Center for the Performing Arts.&nbsp; Dr. Sandra Snow, Professor of Choral Conducting and Music Education at the Michigan State University College of Music, was the Guest Conductor for the Vocal music concert.&nbsp; &nbsp;Dr. Cynthia Johnston Turner,&nbsp; Dean-Faculty of Music at Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo, Ontario was the Guest Conductor for the Instrumental music concert.&nbsp; &nbsp;The All-State Band&nbsp; performed&nbsp; 4 selections...Bright Shadow Fanfare&nbsp; composed by Nicole Piunno.&nbsp;&nbsp;Shimmering Sunshine composed by Kevin Day. Shenandoah composed by&nbsp; Omar Thomas . The Stormchasers composed by&nbsp; Robert Sheldon.&nbsp; &nbsp;

The All-State Chorus performed 7 selections.....Ring Out, Ye Crystal Spheres&nbsp; composed by&nbsp;&nbsp;Stephen Paulus.&nbsp; &nbsp;In virtuta tua domine composed by&nbsp;Grzegorg Gorczycki.&nbsp; &nbsp;Nu’oli composed by Robert Lowry / arr. Jace Saplan.&nbsp; &nbsp;Red River Valley&nbsp; arr. Carol Barnett.&nbsp; &nbsp;Arroz con leche composed by&nbsp; Carlos Guastavino.&nbsp; &nbsp;A Survival Plan of Sorts&nbsp; composed by Melissa Dunphy.&nbsp; &nbsp; When Thunder Comes&nbsp; composed by Mari Esabel Valverde

The public concert was well attended.&nbsp; The Nebraska Music Education Association hosts this event each school year.

Laura Mangas is the Alliance High School Instrumental Music Instructor and Christina Kloch is the Vocal Music Instructor.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/5/1652472587799.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>By: Mike Glesinger&nbsp; PANHANDLE POSTThe Nebraska Music Education Association (NMEA) hosted the 2022&nbsp; All State Band, Chorus, Jazz Band and Orchestra concerts, November 18, at the Lied Center for the Performing Arts at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln campus.&nbsp;&nbsp;Each year, approximately 3000 of the best high school musicians in the state audition for this event.&nbsp; Selection as a member of one of these groups is one of the highest music honors attainable in Nebraska.&nbsp; Following the auditions,&nbsp; three Alliance High School students were selected.&nbsp; &nbsp;AHS juniors, Tallan Ackerman and Matthias Benzel were among the 440 students selected to be a part of the 2022 All-State Chorus.&nbsp; &nbsp;Sophomore Daulton Mangus (tuba),&nbsp; was among the 161 students selected to be part of the 2022 All-State Band.&nbsp;The All-State&nbsp; selections gathered in Lincoln November 16-17-18 for&nbsp;rehearsal and then performed a public concert on Friday, November 18 at the Lied Center for the Performing Arts.&nbsp; Dr. Sandra Snow, Professor of Choral Conducting and Music Education at the Michigan State University College of Music, was the Guest Conductor for the Vocal music concert.&nbsp; &nbsp;Dr. Cynthia Johnston Turner,&nbsp; Dean-Faculty of Music at Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo, Ontario was the Guest Conductor for the Instrumental music concert.&nbsp; &nbsp;The All-State Band&nbsp; performed&nbsp; 4 selections...Bright Shadow Fanfare&nbsp; composed by Nicole Piunno.&nbsp;&nbsp;Shimmering Sunshine composed by Kevin Day. Shenandoah composed by&nbsp; Omar Thomas . The Stormchasers composed by&nbsp; Robert Sheldon.&nbsp; &nbsp;The All-State Chorus performed 7 selections.....Ring Out, Ye Crystal Spheres&nbsp; composed by&nbsp;&nbsp;Stephen Paulus.&nbsp; &nbsp;In virtuta tua domine composed by&nbsp;Grzegorg Gorczycki.&nbsp; &nbsp;Nu’oli composed by Robert Lowry / arr. Jace Saplan.&nbsp; &nbsp;Red River Valley&nbsp; arr. Carol Barnett.&nbsp; &nbsp;Arroz con leche composed by&nbsp; Carlos Guastavino.&nbsp; &nbsp;A Survival Plan of Sorts&nbsp; composed by Melissa Dunphy.&nbsp; &nbsp; When Thunder Comes&nbsp; composed by Mari Esabel ValverdeThe public concert was well attended.&nbsp; The Nebraska Music Education Association hosts this event each school year.Laura Mangas is the Alliance High School Instrumental Music Instructor and Christina Kloch is the Vocal Music Instructor.&nbsp;<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/11/1669150209279.jpeg" alt="Guest Conductor Dr. Cynthia Johnston Turner,&nbsp; AHS Sophomore Daulton Mangas" />
 <figcaption>Guest Conductor Dr. Cynthia Johnston Turner,&nbsp; AHS Sophomore Daulton Mangas</figcaption>
 </figure><figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/11/1669150340026.jpeg" alt="AHS Instrumental Music Instructor and Mom, Laura Mangas,&nbsp; Daulton Mangas" />
 <figcaption>AHS Instrumental Music Instructor and Mom, Laura Mangas,&nbsp; Daulton Mangas</figcaption>
 </figure><figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/11/1669150432289.jpeg" alt="AHS Jr. Matthias Benzel , AHS Vocal Music Instructor Christina Kloch" />
 <figcaption>AHS Jr. Matthias Benzel , AHS Vocal Music Instructor Christina Kloch</figcaption>
 </figure>

AHS Students selected for All-State Band & Chorus

Today we spoke with Chadron Interim City Manager Tom Menke about the Nov. 14 city council meeting. The council approved a memorandum with the Chadron Library partners and the city for fundraising efforts for the renovation and expansion project, an ordinance on first reading to create a clean energy assessment district pursuant, how Menke feels about being Interim City Manager and more.&nbsp;

<div><iframe title="Post Podcast: Chadron Interim City Manager Tom Menke" allowtransparency="true" height="300" width="100%" style="border: none; min-width: min(100%, 430px);" scrolling="no" data-name="pb-iframe-player" src="https://www.podbean.com/player-v2/?i=3zhiq-131eb34-pb&from=pb6admin&square=1&share=1&download=1&rtl=0&fonts=Arial&skin=2&font-color=auto&logo_link=episode_page&btn-skin=5&size=300" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div>Today we spoke with Chadron Interim City Manager Tom Menke about the Nov. 14 city council meeting. The council approved a memorandum with the Chadron Library partners and the city for fundraising efforts for the renovation and expansion project, an ordinance on first reading to create a clean energy assessment district pursuant, how Menke feels about being Interim City Manager and more.&nbsp;

Post Podcast: Chadron Interim City Manager Tom Menke 

POST PODCAST: Coffee Talk 11/22/22

The Knight Museum and Sandhills Center 26th Annual Christmas Tree Festival is Nov. 26 - Dec. 3 in Alliance.&nbsp;

&nbsp;An auction of many Christmas items will start on November 26 and ends Saturday, December 3 at 4:00 p.m. 

There will be other events to enjoy throughout the week as well.

By Panhandle Post<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/11/1669136965913.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>The Knight Museum and Sandhills Center 26th Annual Christmas Tree Festival is Nov. 26 - Dec. 3 in Alliance.&nbsp;&nbsp;An auction of many Christmas items will start on November 26 and ends Saturday, December 3 at 4:00 p.m. There will be other events to enjoy throughout the week as well.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/11/1669137241634.jpeg" alt="Photo from Knight Museum and Sandhills Center Facebook.&nbsp;" />
 <figcaption>Photo from Knight Museum and Sandhills Center Facebook.&nbsp;</figcaption>
 </figure>

Knight Museum to hold annual Christmas Festival in Alliance

By Hemingford Community Foundation

The Hemingford Community Foundation is extending our sincerest gratitude to the community as it’s been an exciting year of grants, donors, and important investments to serve the community’s needs.

In June, we were challenged by an anonymous donor for the community to match their very generous donation of $10,000. Excitingly, the community&nbsp;exceeded&nbsp;that challenge in just three weeks!

The funds have begun to be invested into key community needs beginning with elevating the safety profile for Hemingford Public Schools and providing the initial seed for the Bobcat Cares Fund. This fund is accessible for any students’ needs a school member may identify whether it be shoes or a coat and to cover expenses for any student who may not be able to meet the financial obligations for breakfast, lunch, or supplemental milk. Students will receive a meal; no questions asked. If you or your business is interested in making a tax-deductible donation to this fund, please visit&nbsp;<a href="https://otcf.org/hemingford-community-foundation/" target="_blank">https://otcf.org/hemingford-community-foundation/</a>&nbsp;or connect with any of our board members listed below.

The Foundation issued grants to support the following:

The Foundation also provides a mechanism to support scholarships. This year was the second year of helping to coordinate the Keri Votruba Aspiring Youth in Ag Scholarship. This scholarship is offered to assist students pursuing a major in an agricultural-related field with the 2022 recipient being Ethan Specht.

Additionally, being an affiliate fund of the Oregon Trail Community Foundation allows the Foundation access to apply for grants. Currently, the Hemingford Holiday Play has applied for a Nebraska Arts Council grant. This will help provide financial support to offset the costs of facilities, marketing, props, and set design.

The committee completed strategic planning in August with the following areas prioritized for the next three years:

Don’t miss out on the 2023 Murder Mystery Annual Foundation Fundraiser to be held on the evening of February 11, 2023, at The Body Shop. Many community members are thrilled to begin putting together an exciting event!

The board is comprised of Jessica Davies, April Delsing, Joni Jespersen, Will Mahony, Tonya Mayer, and Tabi Prochazka. They have been meeting monthly to serve the residents of Hemingford and the surrounding area by identifying and supporting the people, organizations, and projects that make Hemingford a great place to live, learn, work, and play.&nbsp;We invite the community to reach out to any board members to discuss how the Foundation can be of service.

The Foundation is an affiliate fund of the Oregon Trail Community Foundation. Visit their website at&nbsp;<a href="https://otcf.org/hemingford-community-foundation/" target="_blank">https://otcf.org/hemingford-community-foundation/</a>. &nbsp;

By Hemingford Community Foundation<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2019/12/1576689451071.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>The Hemingford Community Foundation is extending our sincerest gratitude to the community as it’s been an exciting year of grants, donors, and important investments to serve the community’s needs.In June, we were challenged by an anonymous donor for the community to match their very generous donation of $10,000. Excitingly, the community&nbsp;exceeded&nbsp;that challenge in just three weeks!The funds have begun to be invested into key community needs beginning with elevating the safety profile for Hemingford Public Schools and providing the initial seed for the Bobcat Cares Fund. This fund is accessible for any students’ needs a school member may identify whether it be shoes or a coat and to cover expenses for any student who may not be able to meet the financial obligations for breakfast, lunch, or supplemental milk. Students will receive a meal; no questions asked. If you or your business is interested in making a tax-deductible donation to this fund, please visit&nbsp;<a href="https://otcf.org/hemingford-community-foundation/" target="_blank">https://otcf.org/hemingford-community-foundation/</a>&nbsp;or connect with any of our board members listed below.The Foundation issued grants to support the following:<ul>
 <li>Hemingford American Legion continued revitalization</li><li>Hemingford Girls Wrestling to purchase warm-up gear for the junior high girls’ team that began this school year and support as the program continues to expand</li><li>Hemingford Spudpicker Baseball and Softball used their grant to improve the grounds for the 2022 summer and subsequent seasons</li>
 </ul>The Foundation also provides a mechanism to support scholarships. This year was the second year of helping to coordinate the Keri Votruba Aspiring Youth in Ag Scholarship. This scholarship is offered to assist students pursuing a major in an agricultural-related field with the 2022 recipient being Ethan Specht.Additionally, being an affiliate fund of the Oregon Trail Community Foundation allows the Foundation access to apply for grants. Currently, the Hemingford Holiday Play has applied for a Nebraska Arts Council grant. This will help provide financial support to offset the costs of facilities, marketing, props, and set design.The committee completed strategic planning in August with the following areas prioritized for the next three years:<ul>
 <li>Strategic Giving</li><li>Maximizing 501(c)3 Access</li><li>Community Presence</li><li>Strategic Partnerships</li>
 </ul>Don’t miss out on the 2023 Murder Mystery Annual Foundation Fundraiser to be held on the evening of February 11, 2023, at The Body Shop. Many community members are thrilled to begin putting together an exciting event!<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/11/1669133155533.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>The board is comprised of Jessica Davies, April Delsing, Joni Jespersen, Will Mahony, Tonya Mayer, and Tabi Prochazka. They have been meeting monthly to serve the residents of Hemingford and the surrounding area by identifying and supporting the people, organizations, and projects that make Hemingford a great place to live, learn, work, and play.&nbsp;We invite the community to reach out to any board members to discuss how the Foundation can be of service.The Foundation is an affiliate fund of the Oregon Trail Community Foundation. Visit their website at&nbsp;<a href="https://otcf.org/hemingford-community-foundation/" target="_blank">https://otcf.org/hemingford-community-foundation/</a>. &nbsp;

Hemingford Community Foundation extends gratitude to community

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — American consumers and nearly every industry will be affected if freight trains grind to a halt next month.

One of the biggest rail unions&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/technology-business-congress-government-and-politics-79d2e2c2779598b0a14396464ee4f7e9">rejected its deal Monday</a>, joining three others that have failed to approve contracts over concerns about&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-economy-government-and-politics-207229bcd558b6a6c1d58f3f85e2d804">demanding schedules</a>&nbsp;and the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/government-and-politics-business-strikes-940da8fc519f8c526ca614e201d01216">lack of paid sick time</a>. That raises the risk of a strike, which could start as soon as Dec. 5.

It wouldn’t take long for the effects of a rail strike to trickle through the economy. Many businesses only have a few days’ worth of raw materials and space for finished goods. Makers of food, fuel, cars and chemicals would all feel the squeeze, as would their customers.

That's not to mention the commuters who would be left stranded because many passenger railroads use tracks owned by the freight railroads.

The stakes are so high for the economy that Congress is expected to intervene and impose contract terms on railroad workers. The last time US railroads went on strike was in 1992. That strike lasted two days before Congress intervened. An extended rail shutdown has not happened for a century, partly because a law passed in 1926 that governs rail negotiations made it much harder for workers to strike.

Here are some of the expected impacts of a rail strike:

Railroads haul about 40% of the nation's freight each year. The railroads estimated that a rail strike would&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/economy-congress-government-and-politics-a53abd85fa6f8b3ccd622222ea9a4c46">cost the economy $2 billion</a>&nbsp;a day in a report issued earlier this fall. Another recent report put together by a chemical industry trade group projected that if a strike drags on for a month some 700,000 jobs would be lost as manufacturers who rely on railroads shut down, prices of nearly everything would increase even more and the economy could be thrust into a recession.

And although some businesses would try to shift shipments over to trucks, there aren't nearly enough of them available. The Association of American Railroads trade group estimated that 467,000 additional trucks a day would be needed to handle everything railroads deliver.

Chemical manufacturers and refineries will be some of the first businesses affected, because railroads will stop shipping hazardous chemicals about a week before the strike deadline to ensure that no tank cars filled with dangerous liquids wind up stranded.

Jeff Sloan with the American Chemistry Council trade group said chemical plants could be close to shutting down by the time a rail strike actually begins because of that.

That means the chlorine that water treatment plants rely on to purify water, which they might only have about a week's supply of on hand, would become hard to get. It would be hard for manufacturers to make anything out of plastic without the chemicals that are part of the formula. Consumers will also pay more for gasoline if refineries shut down either because they can't get the ingredients they need to make fuel or because railroads aren't available to haul away byproducts like sulfur.

Chemical plants also produce carbon dioxide as a byproduct, so the supply of carbon dioxide that beverage makers use to carbonate soda and beer would also be restricted, even though the gas typically moves via pipelines.

Roughly half of all commuter rail systems rely at least in part on tracks that are owned by freight railroads, and nearly all of Amtrak’s long-distance trains run over the freight network.

Back in September, Amtrak cancelled all of its long-distance trains days ahead of the strike deadline to ensure passengers wouldn’t be left stranded in remote parts of the country while still en route to their destination.

And major commuter rail services in Chicago, Minneapolis, Maryland and Washington state all warned then that some of their operations would be suspended in the event of a rail strike.

It would take about a week for customers to notice shortages of things like cereal, peanut butter and beer at the grocery store, said Tom Madrecki, vice president of supply chain for the Consumer Brands Association.

About 30% of all packaged food in the U.S. is moved by rail, he said. That percentage is much higher for denser, heavier items like cans of soup.

Some products, like cereal, cooking oils and beer, have entire operations built around rail deliveries of raw ingredients like grain, barley and peanuts, along with shipments of finished products.

Those companies typically keep only two to four days’ worth of raw ingredients on hand because it’s expensive to store them, Madrecki said, and grocers also keep a limited supply of products on hand.

Madrecki said big food companies don't like to discuss the threat of a rail strike because of worries about product shortages can lead to panic buying.

Any disruption in rail service could threaten the health of chickens and pigs, which depend on trains to deliver their feed, and contribute to higher meat prices.

“Our members rely on about 27 million bushels of corn and 11 million bushels of soybean meal every week to feed their chickens. Much of that is moved by rail,” said Tom Super, a spokesman for the National Chicken Council, a trade group for the industry raising chickens for meat.

The National Grain and Feed Association said a rail strike now would hit pork and chicken producers in the southern U.S. hardest, because their local supply of corn and soybeans from this year’s harvest is likely exhausted and they’d have to ship feed by truck, dramatically increasing costs.

“They only have so much storage. They can’t go without rail service for too long before they’d have to shut down the feed mills and they run into problems,” said Max Fisher, the NGFA's chief economist.

Jess Dankert, the vice president for supply chain at the Retail Industry Leaders Association, said retailers’ inventory is largely in place for the holidays. But the industry is developing contingency plans.

“We don’t see, you know, canceling Christmas and that kind of narrative,” Dankert said. “But I think we will see the generalized disruption of really anything that moves by rail.”

David Garfield, a managing director with the consulting firm AlixPartners, said a rail strike could still impact holiday items shipped to stores later in December, and would definitely hamper stocking of next season’s goods.

Retailers are also concerned about online orders. Shippers like FedEx and UPS use rail cars that hold roughly 2,000 packages in each car.

Drivers are already paying record prices and often waiting months for new vehicles because of the production problems in the auto industry related to the shortage of computer chips in recent years.

That would only get worse if there is a rail strike, because roughly 75% of all new vehicles begin their journey from factories to dealerships on the railroad. Trains deliver some 2,000 carloads a day filled with vehicles.

And automakers may have a hard time keeping their plants running during a strike because some larger parts and raw materials are transported by rail.

By Associated PressOMAHA, Neb. (AP) — American consumers and nearly every industry will be affected if freight trains grind to a halt next month.One of the biggest rail unions&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/technology-business-congress-government-and-politics-79d2e2c2779598b0a14396464ee4f7e9">rejected its deal Monday</a>, joining three others that have failed to approve contracts over concerns about&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-economy-government-and-politics-207229bcd558b6a6c1d58f3f85e2d804">demanding schedules</a>&nbsp;and the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/government-and-politics-business-strikes-940da8fc519f8c526ca614e201d01216">lack of paid sick time</a>. That raises the risk of a strike, which could start as soon as Dec. 5.It wouldn’t take long for the effects of a rail strike to trickle through the economy. Many businesses only have a few days’ worth of raw materials and space for finished goods. Makers of food, fuel, cars and chemicals would all feel the squeeze, as would their customers.That's not to mention the commuters who would be left stranded because many passenger railroads use tracks owned by the freight railroads.The stakes are so high for the economy that Congress is expected to intervene and impose contract terms on railroad workers. The last time US railroads went on strike was in 1992. That strike lasted two days before Congress intervened. An extended rail shutdown has not happened for a century, partly because a law passed in 1926 that governs rail negotiations made it much harder for workers to strike.Here are some of the expected impacts of a rail strike:$2 BILLION A DAYRailroads haul about 40% of the nation's freight each year. The railroads estimated that a rail strike would&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/economy-congress-government-and-politics-a53abd85fa6f8b3ccd622222ea9a4c46">cost the economy $2 billion</a>&nbsp;a day in a report issued earlier this fall. Another recent report put together by a chemical industry trade group projected that if a strike drags on for a month some 700,000 jobs would be lost as manufacturers who rely on railroads shut down, prices of nearly everything would increase even more and the economy could be thrust into a recession.And although some businesses would try to shift shipments over to trucks, there aren't nearly enough of them available. The Association of American Railroads trade group estimated that 467,000 additional trucks a day would be needed to handle everything railroads deliver.CHEMICALS RUN DRYChemical manufacturers and refineries will be some of the first businesses affected, because railroads will stop shipping hazardous chemicals about a week before the strike deadline to ensure that no tank cars filled with dangerous liquids wind up stranded.Jeff Sloan with the American Chemistry Council trade group said chemical plants could be close to shutting down by the time a rail strike actually begins because of that.That means the chlorine that water treatment plants rely on to purify water, which they might only have about a week's supply of on hand, would become hard to get. It would be hard for manufacturers to make anything out of plastic without the chemicals that are part of the formula. Consumers will also pay more for gasoline if refineries shut down either because they can't get the ingredients they need to make fuel or because railroads aren't available to haul away byproducts like sulfur.Chemical plants also produce carbon dioxide as a byproduct, so the supply of carbon dioxide that beverage makers use to carbonate soda and beer would also be restricted, even though the gas typically moves via pipelines.PASSENGER PROBLEMSRoughly half of all commuter rail systems rely at least in part on tracks that are owned by freight railroads, and nearly all of Amtrak’s long-distance trains run over the freight network.Back in September, Amtrak cancelled all of its long-distance trains days ahead of the strike deadline to ensure passengers wouldn’t be left stranded in remote parts of the country while still en route to their destination.And major commuter rail services in Chicago, Minneapolis, Maryland and Washington state all warned then that some of their operations would be suspended in the event of a rail strike.FOOD FEARSIt would take about a week for customers to notice shortages of things like cereal, peanut butter and beer at the grocery store, said Tom Madrecki, vice president of supply chain for the Consumer Brands Association.About 30% of all packaged food in the U.S. is moved by rail, he said. That percentage is much higher for denser, heavier items like cans of soup.Some products, like cereal, cooking oils and beer, have entire operations built around rail deliveries of raw ingredients like grain, barley and peanuts, along with shipments of finished products.Those companies typically keep only two to four days’ worth of raw ingredients on hand because it’s expensive to store them, Madrecki said, and grocers also keep a limited supply of products on hand.Madrecki said big food companies don't like to discuss the threat of a rail strike because of worries about product shortages can lead to panic buying.HUNGRY HERDSAny disruption in rail service could threaten the health of chickens and pigs, which depend on trains to deliver their feed, and contribute to higher meat prices.“Our members rely on about 27 million bushels of corn and 11 million bushels of soybean meal every week to feed their chickens. Much of that is moved by rail,” said Tom Super, a spokesman for the National Chicken Council, a trade group for the industry raising chickens for meat.The National Grain and Feed Association said a rail strike now would hit pork and chicken producers in the southern U.S. hardest, because their local supply of corn and soybeans from this year’s harvest is likely exhausted and they’d have to ship feed by truck, dramatically increasing costs.“They only have so much storage. They can’t go without rail service for too long before they’d have to shut down the feed mills and they run into problems,” said Max Fisher, the NGFA's chief economist.RETAIL RISKSJess Dankert, the vice president for supply chain at the Retail Industry Leaders Association, said retailers’ inventory is largely in place for the holidays. But the industry is developing contingency plans.“We don’t see, you know, canceling Christmas and that kind of narrative,” Dankert said. “But I think we will see the generalized disruption of really anything that moves by rail.”David Garfield, a managing director with the consulting firm AlixPartners, said a rail strike could still impact holiday items shipped to stores later in December, and would definitely hamper stocking of next season’s goods.Retailers are also concerned about online orders. Shippers like FedEx and UPS use rail cars that hold roughly 2,000 packages in each car.AUTOMOBILE ANGSTDrivers are already paying record prices and often waiting months for new vehicles because of the production problems in the auto industry related to the shortage of computer chips in recent years.That would only get worse if there is a rail strike, because roughly 75% of all new vehicles begin their journey from factories to dealerships on the railroad. Trains deliver some 2,000 carloads a day filled with vehicles.And automakers may have a hard time keeping their plants running during a strike because some larger parts and raw materials are transported by rail.

A rail strike looms and impact on US economy could be broad

By Kerri Rempp, Discover Northwest Nebraska

The holiday season and new year will be full of changes for The New Leaf in Chadron.

“We always had a vision of a three-year, five-year and 10-year plan,” said Angela Lollar, who owns the business with her husband, Phill.

The first three years after relocating from Brighton, Colorado, to purchase the business was the evaluation phase. When they bought the business it offered floral design, tanning, tuxedo rental, lawn care services, a greenhouse and a nursery.

“Now that we’re into year five, we’re making it our own,” Angela said.

They dropped the lawn care services and nursery and added a construction arm to the business, as Phill has a background in the industry. Work will begin soon on the next change – creating a separate entrance to the building and expanding the tanning salon upstairs.

A vacancy created by the relocation of the hair salon has given The New Leaf the opportunity to implement the next phase. Phill and Angela will add three new tanning beds for a total of six. One bed will be capable of red-light therapy, and The New Leaf will also add a spray tanning booth. Phill’s construction of a new entrance will allow The New Leaf customers to tan after hours with a keycard and touchscreen check-in services.

The goal is to open the expanded services Jan. 9, 2023, on the Lollars’ fifth anniversary of owning The New Leaf.

The New Leaf will kick off the holiday season first, however. The business is part of the inaugural Holiday Passport Program from the Nebraska State Tourism office. The program encourages visits to 20 businesses across the state for holiday cheer and shopping and is modeled after the popular summer Passport Program.

“I’m thrilled to death to be a part of this,” Angela said. The program launched Nov. 19 and runs through Jan. 1. Passport books are available at The New Leaf or from the State Tourism office.

Passport participants will receive a holiday souvenir token from The New Leaf, in addition to finding distinctive gift items. The New Leaf has unique men’s gifts, customizable gifts, houseware and home décor and locally-made jewelry in stock for holiday shopping.

Santa makes a stop at The New Leaf on Shop Small Saturday each year, and is scheduled to appear Nov. 26 from 9 a.m. – 1 p.m. for photos.

Nearly five years after making the move to Northwest Nebraska, the Lollars say it was the right decision.

“It’s beyond our expectations. It’s the best thing we’ve ever done,” Angela said.

By Kerri Rempp, Discover Northwest Nebraska<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/11/1669131172902.jpeg" alt="Brolin Morgan, Gillie Watson and Angela Lollar, from left, have some fun creating the holiday spirit at The New Leaf in Chadron. Photo by Kerri Rempp/Discover Northwest Nebraska" />
 <figcaption>Brolin Morgan, Gillie Watson and Angela Lollar, from left, have some fun creating the holiday spirit at The New Leaf in Chadron. Photo by Kerri Rempp/Discover Northwest Nebraska</figcaption>
 </figure>The holiday season and new year will be full of changes for The New Leaf in Chadron.“We always had a vision of a three-year, five-year and 10-year plan,” said Angela Lollar, who owns the business with her husband, Phill.The first three years after relocating from Brighton, Colorado, to purchase the business was the evaluation phase. When they bought the business it offered floral design, tanning, tuxedo rental, lawn care services, a greenhouse and a nursery.“Now that we’re into year five, we’re making it our own,” Angela said.They dropped the lawn care services and nursery and added a construction arm to the business, as Phill has a background in the industry. Work will begin soon on the next change – creating a separate entrance to the building and expanding the tanning salon upstairs.A vacancy created by the relocation of the hair salon has given The New Leaf the opportunity to implement the next phase. Phill and Angela will add three new tanning beds for a total of six. One bed will be capable of red-light therapy, and The New Leaf will also add a spray tanning booth. Phill’s construction of a new entrance will allow The New Leaf customers to tan after hours with a keycard and touchscreen check-in services.The goal is to open the expanded services Jan. 9, 2023, on the Lollars’ fifth anniversary of owning The New Leaf.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/11/1669131272243.jpeg" alt="The New Leaf in Chadron offers a variety of unique gifts, such as these men’s items, in addition to fresh flowers, tanning and construction services. Photo by Kerri Rempp/Discover Northwest Nebraska" />
 <figcaption>The New Leaf in Chadron offers a variety of unique gifts, such as these men’s items, in addition to fresh flowers, tanning and construction services. Photo by Kerri Rempp/Discover Northwest Nebraska</figcaption>
 </figure>The New Leaf will kick off the holiday season first, however. The business is part of the inaugural Holiday Passport Program from the Nebraska State Tourism office. The program encourages visits to 20 businesses across the state for holiday cheer and shopping and is modeled after the popular summer Passport Program.“I’m thrilled to death to be a part of this,” Angela said. The program launched Nov. 19 and runs through Jan. 1. Passport books are available at The New Leaf or from the State Tourism office.Passport participants will receive a holiday souvenir token from The New Leaf, in addition to finding distinctive gift items. The New Leaf has unique men’s gifts, customizable gifts, houseware and home décor and locally-made jewelry in stock for holiday shopping.Santa makes a stop at The New Leaf on Shop Small Saturday each year, and is scheduled to appear Nov. 26 from 9 a.m. – 1 p.m. for photos.Nearly five years after making the move to Northwest Nebraska, the Lollars say it was the right decision.“It’s beyond our expectations. It’s the best thing we’ve ever done,” Angela said.

Holidays, 2023 equal new beginnings for New Leaf in Chadron 

Plenty of mentored hunting opportunities exist over the holidays for youth under age 18 through the Passing Along the Heritage Program.

Lake Wanahoo in Saunders County has seven units totaling 1,067 acres available for mentored youth hunting. Other PATH sites are also available.

PATH provides Nebraska youth and their mentors access to hunt on private lands and selected public lands without other hunter competition. Only youth under age 18 may hunt on these sites. The mentor is there to help the youth and ensure a safe hunting experience.

To locate and reserve a site, and obtain a permission slip, visit&nbsp;<a href="https://lnks.gd/l/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.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.57DQvzlsN0fZlzWARG2mSI3RrjKpw0GhGHsPkkAuATI/s/497221906/br/148544227259-l" target="_blank">OutdoorNebraska.org/PATH</a>. A mentor must possess a permission slip at all times of the youth hunt. Mentors may enroll for PATH up to five times annually.

The program is made possible by the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission and landowners. The Lower Platte North Natural Resources District manages the Lake Wanahoo habitat area in cooperation with Game and Parks and Pheasants Forever.

By Nebraska Game and ParksPlenty of mentored hunting opportunities exist over the holidays for youth under age 18 through the Passing Along the Heritage Program.Lake Wanahoo in Saunders County has seven units totaling 1,067 acres available for mentored youth hunting. Other PATH sites are also available.PATH provides Nebraska youth and their mentors access to hunt on private lands and selected public lands without other hunter competition. Only youth under age 18 may hunt on these sites. The mentor is there to help the youth and ensure a safe hunting experience.To locate and reserve a site, and obtain a permission slip, visit&nbsp;<a href="https://lnks.gd/l/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJidWxsZXRpbl9saW5rX2lkIjoxMDIsInVyaSI6ImJwMjpjbGljayIsImJ1bGxldGluX2lkIjoiMjAyMjExMTguNjY5MjY4NzEiLCJ1cmwiOiJodHRwczovL2djYzAyLnNhZmVsaW5rcy5wcm90ZWN0aW9uLm91dGxvb2suY29tLz91cmw9aHR0cCUzQSUyRiUyRnd3dy5vdXRkb29ybmVicmFza2Eub3JnJTJGUEFUSCUyRiZkYXRhPTA1JTdDMDElN0NKZXJyeS5LYW5lJTQwbmVicmFza2EuZ292JTdDM2M3YzBlNjdlNjgwNDljMWViNDgwOGRhYzk2NjgxMDAlN0MwNDMyMDdkZmU2ODk0YmY2OTAyMDAxMDM4ZjExZjBiMSU3QzAlN0MwJTdDNjM4MDQzNzQwMjE1Mzk3MDMyJTdDVW5rbm93biU3Q1RXRnBiR1pzYjNkOGV5SldJam9pTUM0d0xqQXdNREFpTENKUUlqb2lWMmx1TXpJaUxDSkJUaUk2SWsxaGFXd2lMQ0pYVkNJNk1uMCUzRCU3QzMwMDAlN0MlN0MlN0Mmc2RhdGE9M1hFR2pDTHhvUno4OFlrUEFiZThZWXh2b1Q4eUVxY3F3ZSUyRmYweSUyQkpSWVUlM0QmcmVzZXJ2ZWQ9MCJ9.57DQvzlsN0fZlzWARG2mSI3RrjKpw0GhGHsPkkAuATI/s/497221906/br/148544227259-l" target="_blank">OutdoorNebraska.org/PATH</a>. A mentor must possess a permission slip at all times of the youth hunt. Mentors may enroll for PATH up to five times annually.The program is made possible by the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission and landowners. The Lower Platte North Natural Resources District manages the Lake Wanahoo habitat area in cooperation with Game and Parks and Pheasants Forever.

PATH offers mentored hunting for youth over holiday breaks

Today&nbsp; we'll return you to the Nov. 15 Alliance City Council meeting. The council approved a proclamation for Small Business Saturday on Nov. 26. A-Town Zesto owner and new councilwoman Tearza Mashburn accepted the proclamation from Councilman Earl Jones. The council approved a rezone application from Jirdon Agrchemical which is a division of Westco, Alliance Heartland Flats enhanced employment area tax approval, 800Mhz flash code purchase for the Alliance Fire Department, Alliance Parks Foundation funding approval to purchase holiday lights to be placed on the pedestal of the city fountain during the winter and more.&nbsp;

<div><iframe title="Post Podcast: Alliance City Council meeting, Nov 15" allowtransparency="true" height="300" width="100%" style="border: none; min-width: min(100%, 430px);" scrolling="no" data-name="pb-iframe-player" src="https://www.podbean.com/player-v2/?i=gucsu-131d8d7-pb&from=pb6admin&square=1&share=1&download=1&rtl=0&fonts=Arial&skin=2&font-color=&logo_link=episode_page&btn-skin=5&size=300" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div>Today&nbsp; we'll return you to the Nov. 15 Alliance City Council meeting. The council approved a proclamation for Small Business Saturday on Nov. 26. A-Town Zesto owner and new councilwoman Tearza Mashburn accepted the proclamation from Councilman Earl Jones. The council approved a rezone application from Jirdon Agrchemical which is a division of Westco, Alliance Heartland Flats enhanced employment area tax approval, 800Mhz flash code purchase for the Alliance Fire Department, Alliance Parks Foundation funding approval to purchase holiday lights to be placed on the pedestal of the city fountain during the winter and more.&nbsp;<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/11/1669063930097.jpeg" alt="Councilman Earl Jones receives a thank you from the council for his service to Alliance. Mara Anderson and Tearza Mashburn were elected the new council seats during the election.&nbsp;" />
 <figcaption>Councilman Earl Jones receives a thank you from the council for his service to Alliance. Mara Anderson and Tearza Mashburn were elected the new council seats during the election.&nbsp;</figcaption>
 </figure><figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/11/1669063917885.jpeg" alt="Councilwoman Annora Bentley receives a thank you from the council for her service to Alliance.&nbsp;" />
 <figcaption>Councilwoman Annora Bentley receives a thank you from the council for her service to Alliance.&nbsp;</figcaption>
 </figure>

Post Podcast: Alliance City Council meeting, Nov. 15

POST PODCAST: Coffee Talk 11/21/22

BADLANDS NATIONAL PARK, S.D. (AP) — Perched atop a fence at Badlands National Park, Troy Heinert peered from beneath his wide-brimmed hat into a corral where 100 wild bison awaited transfer to the Rosebud Indian Reservation.

Descendants of bison that once roamed North America's Great Plains by the tens of millions, the animals would soon thunder up a chute, take a truck ride across South Dakota and join one of many burgeoning herds Heinert has helped reestablish on Native American lands.

Heinert nodded in satisfaction to a park service employee as the animals stomped their hooves and kicked up dust in the cold wind. He took a brief call from Iowa about another herd being transferred to tribes in Minnesota and Oklahoma, then spoke with a fellow trucker about yet more bison destined for Wisconsin.

By nightfall, the last of the American buffalo shipped from Badlands were being unloaded at the Rosebud reservation, where Heinert lives. The next day, he was on the road back to Badlands to load 200 bison for another tribe, the Cheyenne River Sioux.

Most bison in North America are in commercial herds, treated no differently than cattle.

“Buffalo, they walk in two worlds,” Heinert said. ”Are they commercial or are they wildlife? From the tribal perspective, we've always deemed them as wildlife, or to take it a step further, as a relative.”

Some 82 tribes across the U.S. — from New York to Alaska — now have more than 20,000 bison in 65 herds — and that’s been growing in recent years along with the desire among Native Americans to reclaim stewardship of an animal their ancestors lived alongside and depended upon for millennia.

European settlers destroyed that balance when they slaughtered the great herds. Bison almost went extinct until conservationists including Teddy Roosevelt intervened to reestablish a small number of herds largely on federal lands. Native Americans were sometimes excluded from those early efforts carried out by conservation groups.

Such groups more recently partnered with tribes, and some are now stepping aside. The long-term dream for some Native Americans: return bison on a scale rivaling herds that&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/b15ba2d8009a46139967fdf6e4251e23">roamed the continent</a>&nbsp;in numbers that shaped the landscape itself.

Heinert, 50, a South Dakota state senator and director of the InterTribal Buffalo Council, views his job in practical terms: Get bison to tribes that want them, whether two animals or 200. He helps them rekindle long-neglected cultural connections, increase food security, reclaim sovereignty and improve land management. This fall, Heinert's group has moved 2,041 bison to 22 tribes in 10 states.

“All of these tribes relied on them at some point, whether that was for food or shelter or ceremonies. The stories that come from those tribes are unique to those tribes,” he said. “Those tribes are trying to go back to that, reestablishing that connection that was once there and was once very strong.”

Bison for centuries set rhythms of life for the Lakota Sioux and many other nomadic tribes that followed their annual migrations. Hides for clothing and teepees, bones for tools and weapons, horns for ladles, hair for rope — a steady supply of bison was fundamental.

At so-called “buffalo jumps,” herds would be run off cliffs, then butchered over days and weeks. Archaeologists have found&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ap-top-news-us-news-native-americans-montana-bison-87f94fbd45624212b7c3e94d5ffb30eb">immense volumes of bones</a>&nbsp;buried at some sites, suggesting processing on a major scale.

European settlers and firearms brought a new level of industry to the enterprise as hunters, U.S. troops and tourists shot bison and a growing commercial market used their parts in machinery, fertilizer and clothing. By 1889, few bison remained: 10 animals in central Montana, 20 each in central Colorado and southern Wyoming, 200 in Yellowstone National Park, some 550 in northern Alberta and about 250 in zoos and private herds.

Piles of buffalo skulls seen in haunting photos from that era illustrate an ecological and cultural disaster.

“We wanted to populate the western half of the United States because there were so many people in the East,” U.S. Interior Secretary Deb Haaland, the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-cabinet-cabinets-parks-native-americans-national-parks-3e68649e5901248207480dd8503b0246">first Native American cabinet member</a>, said in an interview. “They wanted all of the Indians dead so they could take their land away.”

The thinking at the time, she added, was “‘if we kill off the buffalo, the Indians will die. They won’t have anything to eat.’”

The day after the bison transfer from the Badlands, Heinert's son T.J. sprawled flat on the ground, his rifle scope fixed on a large bull bison at the Wolakota Buffalo Range. The tribal enterprise in just two years has restored about 1,000 bison to 28,000 acres (11,300 hectares) of rolling, scrub-covered hills near the Nebraska-South Dakota border.

Pausing to pull a cactus paddle from the back of his hand, Heinert looked back through the scope. The 28-year-old had been talking all morning about the need for a perfect shot and the difficulty in 40-mile (64-kilometer) an hour winds. The first bullet went into the animal's ear, but it lumbered away a couple hundred yards to join a larger group of bison, with the hunter following in an all-terrain vehicle.

Two more shots, then after the animal finally went down, Heinert drove up close and put the rifle behind its ear for a final shot that stopped its thrashing. “Definitely not how it's supposed to go,” Heinert kept repeating, disappointed it wasn't an instant kill. “But we got him down. That's all that matters at this point."

Coinciding with widespread extermination of bison, tribes such as the Lakota were robbed of land through broken treaties that by 1889 whittled down the “Great Sioux Reservation” established in 1851 to several much smaller ones across the Dakotas. Without bison, tribal members relied on government “beef stations” that distributed meat from cattle ranches.

The program was a boon for white ranchers. Today, Cherry County, Nebraska — along Rosebud reservation’s southern border — boasts more cattle than any other U.S. county.

Removing fences that crisscross ranches there and opening them to bison is unlikely, but Rosebud Sioux are intent on expanding the reservation's herds as a reliable food source.

Others have grander visions: The Blackfeet of Montana and tribes in Alberta want to establish a “transboundary herd” ranging over the Canada border near Glacier National Park. Other tribes propose a “buffalo commons” on federal lands in central Montana where the region's tribes could harvest animals.

“What would it look like to have 30 million buffalo in North America again?” said Cristina Mormorunni, a Métis Indian who's worked with the Blackfeet to restore bison.

With so many people, houses and fences now, Haaland said there's no going back completely. But her agency has emerged as a primary bison source, transferring more than 20,000 to tribes and tribal organizations over 20 years, typically to thin government-controlled herds so they don't outgrow their land.

“It’s wonderful tribes are working together on something as important as bison, that were almost lost,” Haaland said.

Transfers sometimes draw objections from cattle ranchers who worry bison carry disease and compete for grass. Such fears long inhibited efforts to transfer&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/billings-parks-montana-id-state-wire-us-news-043a4046504eda23bf393fad8b946158">Yellowstone National Park bison.</a>

Interior officials work with state officials make sure relocated bison meet local veterinary health requirements. But they generally don't vaccinate the animals and handle them as little as possible.

Bison demand from the tribes is growing, and Haaland said transfers will continue. That includes up to 1,000 being trucked this year from Badlands, Grand Canyon National Park and several national wildlife refuges. Others come from conservation groups and tribes that share surplus bison.

Back at Wolakota range, Daniel Eagle Road approached the bison shot by T.J. Heinert. Eagle Road rested a hand on the animal's head. Heinert got out some chewing tobacco, tucked some behind his lip and passed the tin to Eagle Road who did the same. Heinert sprinkled tobacco along the bison's back and prayed.

Chains fastened around the front and hind legs, the half-ton animal was hoisted onto a flatbed truck for the bouncy ride to ranch headquarters. About 20 adults and children gathered as the bison was lowered onto a tarp, then listened solemnly to tribal elder Duane Hollow Horn Bear.

“This relative gave of itself to us, for our livelihood, our way or life," Horn Bear said.

Soon the tarp was covered with bloody footprints from people butchering the animal. They quartered it, sawing through bone, then sliced meat from the legs, rump, and the animal's huge hump. Children, some only 6, were given knives to cut away skin and fat.

The adults took turns dipping pieces of kidney in the animal's gall bladder bile. “Like salsa,” someone called out as others laughed.

The stomach was washed out for use in soup. The pelt was scraped and spread on a railing to dry. The skull was cleaned and the tongue, a delicacy, cut out.

Then came an assembly line of slicing, grinding and packaging of meat distributed to families through a food program run by the tribal agency that operates the ranch. The work lasted into the night.

A first for many, the harvest illustrates a challenge for the Rosebud Sioux and other tribes: few people have butchering skills and cultural knowledge to establish a personal connection with bison.

Katrina Fuller, who helped guide the butchering, dreams of training others so the reservation’s 20 communities can come to Wolakota for their own harvest. “Maybe not now, but in my lifetime," she said. “That’s what I want for everyone.”

Horn Bear, 73, said when he was very young his grandparents told him creation stories revolving around bison. But then he was forcibly enrolled in an Indian boarding school — government-backed institutions where&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/religion-native-americans-south-dakota-762797ee44f94d06e2f7776599bef374">tribal traditions were stamped out</a>&nbsp;with beatings and other cruelties. The bison were already gone, and the schools sought to erase the stories of them too.

Standing on the blood-spattered tarp, Horn Bear said the harvest brings back what was almost totally taken away — his people's culture, economy, social fabric.

“It's like coming home to a way of life,” he said.

By Associated PressBADLANDS NATIONAL PARK, S.D. (AP) — Perched atop a fence at Badlands National Park, Troy Heinert peered from beneath his wide-brimmed hat into a corral where 100 wild bison awaited transfer to the Rosebud Indian Reservation.Descendants of bison that once roamed North America's Great Plains by the tens of millions, the animals would soon thunder up a chute, take a truck ride across South Dakota and join one of many burgeoning herds Heinert has helped reestablish on Native American lands.Heinert nodded in satisfaction to a park service employee as the animals stomped their hooves and kicked up dust in the cold wind. He took a brief call from Iowa about another herd being transferred to tribes in Minnesota and Oklahoma, then spoke with a fellow trucker about yet more bison destined for Wisconsin.By nightfall, the last of the American buffalo shipped from Badlands were being unloaded at the Rosebud reservation, where Heinert lives. The next day, he was on the road back to Badlands to load 200 bison for another tribe, the Cheyenne River Sioux.Most bison in North America are in commercial herds, treated no differently than cattle.“Buffalo, they walk in two worlds,” Heinert said. ”Are they commercial or are they wildlife? From the tribal perspective, we've always deemed them as wildlife, or to take it a step further, as a relative.”Some 82 tribes across the U.S. — from New York to Alaska — now have more than 20,000 bison in 65 herds — and that’s been growing in recent years along with the desire among Native Americans to reclaim stewardship of an animal their ancestors lived alongside and depended upon for millennia.European settlers destroyed that balance when they slaughtered the great herds. Bison almost went extinct until conservationists including Teddy Roosevelt intervened to reestablish a small number of herds largely on federal lands. Native Americans were sometimes excluded from those early efforts carried out by conservation groups.Such groups more recently partnered with tribes, and some are now stepping aside. The long-term dream for some Native Americans: return bison on a scale rivaling herds that&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/b15ba2d8009a46139967fdf6e4251e23">roamed the continent</a>&nbsp;in numbers that shaped the landscape itself.Heinert, 50, a South Dakota state senator and director of the InterTribal Buffalo Council, views his job in practical terms: Get bison to tribes that want them, whether two animals or 200. He helps them rekindle long-neglected cultural connections, increase food security, reclaim sovereignty and improve land management. This fall, Heinert's group has moved 2,041 bison to 22 tribes in 10 states.“All of these tribes relied on them at some point, whether that was for food or shelter or ceremonies. The stories that come from those tribes are unique to those tribes,” he said. “Those tribes are trying to go back to that, reestablishing that connection that was once there and was once very strong.”HERDS SLAUGHTEREDBison for centuries set rhythms of life for the Lakota Sioux and many other nomadic tribes that followed their annual migrations. Hides for clothing and teepees, bones for tools and weapons, horns for ladles, hair for rope — a steady supply of bison was fundamental.At so-called “buffalo jumps,” herds would be run off cliffs, then butchered over days and weeks. Archaeologists have found&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ap-top-news-us-news-native-americans-montana-bison-87f94fbd45624212b7c3e94d5ffb30eb">immense volumes of bones</a>&nbsp;buried at some sites, suggesting processing on a major scale.European settlers and firearms brought a new level of industry to the enterprise as hunters, U.S. troops and tourists shot bison and a growing commercial market used their parts in machinery, fertilizer and clothing. By 1889, few bison remained: 10 animals in central Montana, 20 each in central Colorado and southern Wyoming, 200 in Yellowstone National Park, some 550 in northern Alberta and about 250 in zoos and private herds.Piles of buffalo skulls seen in haunting photos from that era illustrate an ecological and cultural disaster.“We wanted to populate the western half of the United States because there were so many people in the East,” U.S. Interior Secretary Deb Haaland, the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-cabinet-cabinets-parks-native-americans-national-parks-3e68649e5901248207480dd8503b0246">first Native American cabinet member</a>, said in an interview. “They wanted all of the Indians dead so they could take their land away.”The thinking at the time, she added, was “‘if we kill off the buffalo, the Indians will die. They won’t have anything to eat.’”HARVESTING A BULLThe day after the bison transfer from the Badlands, Heinert's son T.J. sprawled flat on the ground, his rifle scope fixed on a large bull bison at the Wolakota Buffalo Range. The tribal enterprise in just two years has restored about 1,000 bison to 28,000 acres (11,300 hectares) of rolling, scrub-covered hills near the Nebraska-South Dakota border.Pausing to pull a cactus paddle from the back of his hand, Heinert looked back through the scope. The 28-year-old had been talking all morning about the need for a perfect shot and the difficulty in 40-mile (64-kilometer) an hour winds. The first bullet went into the animal's ear, but it lumbered away a couple hundred yards to join a larger group of bison, with the hunter following in an all-terrain vehicle.Two more shots, then after the animal finally went down, Heinert drove up close and put the rifle behind its ear for a final shot that stopped its thrashing. “Definitely not how it's supposed to go,” Heinert kept repeating, disappointed it wasn't an instant kill. “But we got him down. That's all that matters at this point."BUFFALO DREAMSCoinciding with widespread extermination of bison, tribes such as the Lakota were robbed of land through broken treaties that by 1889 whittled down the “Great Sioux Reservation” established in 1851 to several much smaller ones across the Dakotas. Without bison, tribal members relied on government “beef stations” that distributed meat from cattle ranches.The program was a boon for white ranchers. Today, Cherry County, Nebraska — along Rosebud reservation’s southern border — boasts more cattle than any other U.S. county.Removing fences that crisscross ranches there and opening them to bison is unlikely, but Rosebud Sioux are intent on expanding the reservation's herds as a reliable food source.Others have grander visions: The Blackfeet of Montana and tribes in Alberta want to establish a “transboundary herd” ranging over the Canada border near Glacier National Park. Other tribes propose a “buffalo commons” on federal lands in central Montana where the region's tribes could harvest animals.“What would it look like to have 30 million buffalo in North America again?” said Cristina Mormorunni, a Métis Indian who's worked with the Blackfeet to restore bison.With so many people, houses and fences now, Haaland said there's no going back completely. But her agency has emerged as a primary bison source, transferring more than 20,000 to tribes and tribal organizations over 20 years, typically to thin government-controlled herds so they don't outgrow their land.“It’s wonderful tribes are working together on something as important as bison, that were almost lost,” Haaland said.Transfers sometimes draw objections from cattle ranchers who worry bison carry disease and compete for grass. Such fears long inhibited efforts to transfer&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/billings-parks-montana-id-state-wire-us-news-043a4046504eda23bf393fad8b946158">Yellowstone National Park bison.</a>Interior officials work with state officials make sure relocated bison meet local veterinary health requirements. But they generally don't vaccinate the animals and handle them as little as possible.Bison demand from the tribes is growing, and Haaland said transfers will continue. That includes up to 1,000 being trucked this year from Badlands, Grand Canyon National Park and several national wildlife refuges. Others come from conservation groups and tribes that share surplus bison.“WAY OF LIFE"Back at Wolakota range, Daniel Eagle Road approached the bison shot by T.J. Heinert. Eagle Road rested a hand on the animal's head. Heinert got out some chewing tobacco, tucked some behind his lip and passed the tin to Eagle Road who did the same. Heinert sprinkled tobacco along the bison's back and prayed.Chains fastened around the front and hind legs, the half-ton animal was hoisted onto a flatbed truck for the bouncy ride to ranch headquarters. About 20 adults and children gathered as the bison was lowered onto a tarp, then listened solemnly to tribal elder Duane Hollow Horn Bear.“This relative gave of itself to us, for our livelihood, our way or life," Horn Bear said.Soon the tarp was covered with bloody footprints from people butchering the animal. They quartered it, sawing through bone, then sliced meat from the legs, rump, and the animal's huge hump. Children, some only 6, were given knives to cut away skin and fat.The adults took turns dipping pieces of kidney in the animal's gall bladder bile. “Like salsa,” someone called out as others laughed.The stomach was washed out for use in soup. The pelt was scraped and spread on a railing to dry. The skull was cleaned and the tongue, a delicacy, cut out.Then came an assembly line of slicing, grinding and packaging of meat distributed to families through a food program run by the tribal agency that operates the ranch. The work lasted into the night.A first for many, the harvest illustrates a challenge for the Rosebud Sioux and other tribes: few people have butchering skills and cultural knowledge to establish a personal connection with bison.Katrina Fuller, who helped guide the butchering, dreams of training others so the reservation’s 20 communities can come to Wolakota for their own harvest. “Maybe not now, but in my lifetime," she said. “That’s what I want for everyone.”Horn Bear, 73, said when he was very young his grandparents told him creation stories revolving around bison. But then he was forcibly enrolled in an Indian boarding school — government-backed institutions where&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/religion-native-americans-south-dakota-762797ee44f94d06e2f7776599bef374">tribal traditions were stamped out</a>&nbsp;with beatings and other cruelties. The bison were already gone, and the schools sought to erase the stories of them too.Standing on the blood-spattered tarp, Horn Bear said the harvest brings back what was almost totally taken away — his people's culture, economy, social fabric.“It's like coming home to a way of life,” he said.

Bison spread as Native American tribes reclaim stewardship

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Railroad engineers accepted their deal with the railroads that will deliver 24% raises but conductors rejected theirs, threatening the health of the economy just before the holidays and casting more doubt on whether the industry will be able to resolve the labor dispute before next month's deadline without the help of Congress.

Even the threat of a work stoppage could tangle the nation's supply chain as railroads freeze shipments of chemicals and other goods that could create hazards if disrupted midway to their destination.

A split vote Monday from the two biggest railroad unions follows the rejection by three other unions of their deals with the railroads that the Biden administration helped broker before the original strike deadline in September. Seven smaller unions have approved the five-year deal that, on top of the 24% raise, includes $5,000 in bonuses.

But many union members have voted to reject the contracts because, they say, they fail to address demanding schedules and quality of life issues for employees.

All 12 must approve the contracts to prevent a strike that could cripple supply chains and hamper a stressed U.S. economy still emerging from the pandemic.

The Retail Industry Leaders Association said a rail strike “would cause enormous disruption to the flow of goods nationwide” although retail stores are well stocked for the crucial holiday shopping season.

“Fortunately, this year’s holiday gifts have already landed on store shelves. But an interruption to rail transportation does pose a significant challenge to getting items like perishable food products and e-commerce shipments delivered on time, and it will undoubtedly add to the inflationary pressures already hitting the U.S. economy," said Jess Dankert with the group that represents more than 200 major retailers.

The unions that rejected their deals agreed to return to the bargaining table to try to hash out a new agreement before a new strike deadline early next month. But those talks have deadlocked because the railroads refuse to consider adding paid sick time to what was already offered.

It appears increasingly likely that Congress will have to step in to settle the dispute. Lawmakers have the power to impose contract terms if both sides can't reach an agreement. Hundreds of business groups have urged Congress to be ready to intervene if needed.

Workers frustrated with the demanding schedules and deep job cuts in the industry pushed to reject these contracts because they don't resolve workers' key quality-of-life concerns. The deals for the engineers and conductors did include a promise to try to improve the scheduling of regular days off and negotiate the details of those schedules further at each railroad. The unions that represent engineers and conductors also received three unpaid days off a year to tend to medical needs as long they were scheduled at least 30 days in advance.

The railroads also lost out on their bid to cut crew sizes down to one person as part of the negotiations. But the conductors in the Transportation Division of the International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers union still narrowly rejected the deal with roughly 51% voting against it. A smaller division of the SMART-TD union that represents about 1,300 yardmasters did approve the deal.

“The ball is now in the railroads’ court. Let’s see what they do. They can settle this at the bargaining table,” SMART-TD President Jeremy Ferguson said. “But, the railroad executives who constantly complain about government interference and regularly bad-mouth regulators and Congress now want Congress to do the bargaining for them.”

The railroads maintain that the deals with the unions should closely follow the recommendations made this summer by a special panel of arbitrators President Joe Biden appointed. That's part of the reason why they don't want to offer paid sick time. Plus, the railroads say the unions have agreed over the years to forego paid sick time in favor of higher pay and strong short-term disability benefits.

The unions say it is long overdue for the railroads to offer paid sick time to workers, and the pandemic highlighted the need for it.

The group that negotiates on behalf of the railroads said Monday that the unions that rejected their deals shouldn't expect to receive more than the Presidential Emergency Board of arbitrators recommended. The National Carriers Conference Committee said businesses could start to be affected by the threat of a strike even before the deadline because railroads will start curtailing shipments of dangerous chemicals and perishable cargo days ahead of the deadline.

“A national rail strike would severely impact the economy and the public. Now, the continued, near-term threat of one will require that freight railroads and passenger carriers soon begin to take responsible steps to safely secure the network in advance of any deadline,” the railroads said.

The unions that voted Monday represent more than half of the roughly 115,000 rail workers involved in the contract dispute with Union Pacific, Norfolk Southern, BNSF, Kansas City Southern, CSX and other railroads.

By Associated PressOMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Railroad engineers accepted their deal with the railroads that will deliver 24% raises but conductors rejected theirs, threatening the health of the economy just before the holidays and casting more doubt on whether the industry will be able to resolve the labor dispute before next month's deadline without the help of Congress.Even the threat of a work stoppage could tangle the nation's supply chain as railroads freeze shipments of chemicals and other goods that could create hazards if disrupted midway to their destination.A split vote Monday from the two biggest railroad unions follows the rejection by three other unions of their deals with the railroads that the Biden administration helped broker before the original strike deadline in September. Seven smaller unions have approved the five-year deal that, on top of the 24% raise, includes $5,000 in bonuses.But many union members have voted to reject the contracts because, they say, they fail to address demanding schedules and quality of life issues for employees.All 12 must approve the contracts to prevent a strike that could cripple supply chains and hamper a stressed U.S. economy still emerging from the pandemic.The Retail Industry Leaders Association said a rail strike “would cause enormous disruption to the flow of goods nationwide” although retail stores are well stocked for the crucial holiday shopping season.“Fortunately, this year’s holiday gifts have already landed on store shelves. But an interruption to rail transportation does pose a significant challenge to getting items like perishable food products and e-commerce shipments delivered on time, and it will undoubtedly add to the inflationary pressures already hitting the U.S. economy," said Jess Dankert with the group that represents more than 200 major retailers.The unions that rejected their deals agreed to return to the bargaining table to try to hash out a new agreement before a new strike deadline early next month. But those talks have deadlocked because the railroads refuse to consider adding paid sick time to what was already offered.It appears increasingly likely that Congress will have to step in to settle the dispute. Lawmakers have the power to impose contract terms if both sides can't reach an agreement. Hundreds of business groups have urged Congress to be ready to intervene if needed.Workers frustrated with the demanding schedules and deep job cuts in the industry pushed to reject these contracts because they don't resolve workers' key quality-of-life concerns. The deals for the engineers and conductors did include a promise to try to improve the scheduling of regular days off and negotiate the details of those schedules further at each railroad. The unions that represent engineers and conductors also received three unpaid days off a year to tend to medical needs as long they were scheduled at least 30 days in advance.The railroads also lost out on their bid to cut crew sizes down to one person as part of the negotiations. But the conductors in the Transportation Division of the International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers union still narrowly rejected the deal with roughly 51% voting against it. A smaller division of the SMART-TD union that represents about 1,300 yardmasters did approve the deal.“The ball is now in the railroads’ court. Let’s see what they do. They can settle this at the bargaining table,” SMART-TD President Jeremy Ferguson said. “But, the railroad executives who constantly complain about government interference and regularly bad-mouth regulators and Congress now want Congress to do the bargaining for them.”The railroads maintain that the deals with the unions should closely follow the recommendations made this summer by a special panel of arbitrators President Joe Biden appointed. That's part of the reason why they don't want to offer paid sick time. Plus, the railroads say the unions have agreed over the years to forego paid sick time in favor of higher pay and strong short-term disability benefits.The unions say it is long overdue for the railroads to offer paid sick time to workers, and the pandemic highlighted the need for it.The group that negotiates on behalf of the railroads said Monday that the unions that rejected their deals shouldn't expect to receive more than the Presidential Emergency Board of arbitrators recommended. The National Carriers Conference Committee said businesses could start to be affected by the threat of a strike even before the deadline because railroads will start curtailing shipments of dangerous chemicals and perishable cargo days ahead of the deadline.“A national rail strike would severely impact the economy and the public. Now, the continued, near-term threat of one will require that freight railroads and passenger carriers soon begin to take responsible steps to safely secure the network in advance of any deadline,” the railroads said.The unions that voted Monday represent more than half of the roughly 115,000 rail workers involved in the contract dispute with Union Pacific, Norfolk Southern, BNSF, Kansas City Southern, CSX and other railroads.

Big rail unions split on contract with engineers ratifying

By Alliance Police Department&nbsp;

We have received multiple reports that our community has received calls from (308) 762-4955. 

It has been reported that people are being told that they have missed court and/or requested to send money to take care of a warrant. We will not contact you via phone nor request money to take care of any warrant.

 It was mentioned that officers names have been mentioned as the caller.

 If you are unsure of the call is legit, hang up and call the Alliance Department back at (308) 762-4955 / (308) 762-4956 / (308) 762-4957.&nbsp;&nbsp;

By Alliance Police Department&nbsp;We have received multiple reports that our community has received calls from (308) 762-4955. It has been reported that people are being told that they have missed court and/or requested to send money to take care of a warrant. We will not contact you via phone nor request money to take care of any warrant. It was mentioned that officers names have been mentioned as the caller. If you are unsure of the call is legit, hang up and call the Alliance Department back at (308) 762-4955 / (308) 762-4956 / (308) 762-4957.&nbsp;&nbsp;

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