ST. HELENA — Gene Wuebben has traveled down a lot of country roads and met a lot of kids over the years.

For the last 40 years Wuebben has been driving a school bus for students who rode the bus to East Catholic in Bow Valley, as well as those who shared the ride to other area schools.

The route for East Catholic includes St. James, Bow Valley, St. Helena and Wynot along with a sister school – West Catholic in Fordyce.

Kids on his bus have also included Hartington students on the Cedar Catholic route.

“I would pick up kids and meet the Cedar Catholic bus in the country,” Wuebben said. “At first the buses from the different schools were following each other around – then the schools started working together on the bus routes. We always drove by the clock –  a time was designated for the bus to be at a certain place at a certain time to meet the other bus.”

When Wuebben first started driving the school bus he would leave home by 5:15 in the morning to be ready to start his route.

His afternoon route would start around 3 p.m. and he would not be back home until 6:30.

“My first route was 55 to 60 miles long,” said Wuebben. “Later on the hours were shorter.”

Wuebben has driven his bus through all kinds of weather and would see the seasons change from fall to winter to spring.

“If there was school – I went,” Wuebben said.

Wuebben still remembers one of the days when the roads were extremely icy.

“I started early in the morning – I only had two boys on the bus. I was going up a hill when I spun out. I had to back down the hill on pure ice,” said Wuebben. “When I got back down and turned around I took the kids back home. They were calling school off.”

Wuebben said he enjoyed driving the country roads through northern Cedar County.

“I would notice the cattle, I could see how the crops were coming and who had started cutting hay,” he said.

The most important thing for Wuebben though was the kids on his bus.

“I was blessed with the best kids in the world. I hardly ever had any problems with discipline,” Wuebben said. “I had good cooperation with the parents and the kids.”

The kids did find out they had to pay a price to ride Wuebben’s bus.

“They had to give me a big smile or they could not get on the bus,” he said.

Wuebben has escorted students from three generations during his school bus driving years.

Mary Klug, head teacher at the East Catholic School, had been a student on Wuebben’s bus at one time.

“All though my school years, he was my bus driver. He was for a lot of adults around here,” said Klug. “He’s just so special to the kids. He was that friendly, familiar face they all looked forward to seeing.”

Klug said Wuebben was more than just a bus driver for the kids.

“A field trip wasn’t just a field trip because he knows the land and stories  associated with it,” she said. “He was a tour guide and interacted with the kids.”

Wuebben said he will miss some of the benefits that came along with his job as a bus driver.

“The mothers, of the kids who rode the bus, would give me delicious rolls and cookies. I will miss that,” he said.

Wuebben felt an outpouring of love when he was dealing with health issues at the time of a diagnosis of cancer nine years ago and through knee surgeries.

He was showered with “get well” cards that were made especially for him by the students who rode his bus.

“The kids kept me going. They said a lot of prayers for me,” Wuebben said. “They have been my guardian angels.”

An open house will be held to honor and thank Wuebben for his years of service to the school kids.

The open house will be held between 4 and 6 pm on December 6th at Immaculate Conception Parish Center.

Gene and Rosemary Wuebben live in St. Helena. They have seven children:  sons Duane and Dennis who lives in Hartington; Mary Ann Hoebelheinrich, Yankton; Rosanne Koch, Wynot; Joan Reed, Vermillion; Janice Koch, Wynot and Donna Bollich, Crofton.

The Wynot, St. James, Obert and Newcastle area were hit hard by Thursday's storm.

HARTINGTON — A Thursday morning storm here flooded roads and wiped out crops.
Over two inches of rain fell in northern Cedar County around 8 a.m. Thursday. Hail ranging from tennis ball size to golf ball size also decimated area fields, bringing an end to hopes for a good harvest.

Instead of a Mid-season tournament, organizers are hoping to put on a “Last Swing Before Spring” Tournament July 25-26.
The tourney format and teams are still in the planning stages, however, but organizers are hoping for a good turnout.
The tourney is expected to feature teams in the 10-and-under, 12-and-under, 14-and-under and 18-and-under divisions.
“We’re also hoping that Verdigre can participate this time, since Kolache Days and the Midseason tournament always conflict with each other,” said 18&U coach, Bill Mainquist.

Members of the St. John The Baptist Centennial Committe are: (left to right) Ruth Wiebelhaus, Jean Lammers, Karla Sudbeck, Darrell Lammers, Tom Wiebelhaus, Fr. David Fulton, Jerome Thoene, Don Albers, Lyle Lammers, Marcia Albers, Rhonda Lammers and Marie Haahr.

FORDYCE —   After over two years of planning, Fordyce is ready to party.
Parades, food vendors, baseball and softball, quilt shows, kids games and a prime rib dinner are all on tap this weekend as Fordyce comes together to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the town’s main industry — the St. John the Baptist Catholic Church.
The celebration will begin Saturday afternoon with youth softball and baseball games and concessions and activities behind the church.
The annual prime rib supper will be held in the parish center with a 6 p.m. social hour followed by a 7 p.m. meal. This meal is limited seating and through advance reserved tickets only, which can be purchased from parish council members.

On Sunday morning, a breakfast sponsored by Vacation Bible School will be served from 8:30-noon in the Parish Center.
The regular Sunday Mass will be held at 10:30 a.m. in St. John’s Church and at 11:30 a.m. the concessions and game booths will open until 2 p.m. At 2 p.m. a Centennial Mass with Archbishop Eldon Curtiss will be celebrated in the church.
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Hartington Chamber of Commerce President Stephanie Scoggan and several Chamber members recently helped Wayne Goeden cut the ribbon welcoming him into the Hartington business community. Goeden recently opened Tri-State Computers at 212 Broadway Street in the Alltel Cell Phone building in downtown Hartington.

Little did Paul or his classmates know then where and what opportunity his enjoyment for wrestling would provide.
In his 23-year professional wrestling career, Paul has competed in over 4,300 professional wrestling matches as a big name wrestler, wrestled some of the most furious of professional wrestlers, lived and performed internationally and worked for major wrestling organizations such as the National Wrestling Alliance, World Wrestling Entertainment/Extreme Championship Wrestling, International Wrestling Grand Prix (Japan), Catch Wrestling Association (Germany, Austria), All Star Promotions (England), European Wrestling Promotion, Italian Wrestling Association, Total Nonstop Action Wrestling on Spike television and more.
Paul has also been featured internationally in numerous newspapers, wrestling and health magazines and on television and radio.
Paul’s ability to make friends and be a well-known professional wrestler has taken him to 52 countries and back home to Nebraska.
Paul has been to or lived in India, all of the United Kingdom, South Africa, Austria, Germany, Japan, Egypt, and the Middle East extensively.
He currently resides in Omaha where he and a business partner have started Big O, Inc., as well as continuing his wrestling career.
Paul’s original dream and plans after graduating from Cedar Catholic in 1984 was to play college football.
He played football while he attended Kearney State College for one year.  He was set up to be a walk-on player for the University of Nebraska Cornhuskers when he decided to move on.
“I walked away from my dream.  I just wasn’t ready for it, so after attending UNL for one year I went to Madison, Wisc. to play for the Badgers.”
That is where Paul discovered his wrestling career while he was a bouncer at a bar.
“I tossed out four guys at once all throwing punches, then hopped over a car to break up a fight,” he said.  “I didn’t realize until it was over that everybody in the bar was watching through the big windows.  It must have been like a watching a movie.
One of the bar patrons, Minnesota State Treasurer Bob Mattson, approached him about considering a professional wrestling career.

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“It was a long night,” said Donna Lauer, who is a three-year cancer survivor. “The Relay is having the community come together to show people they really care.”
Tina Derickson, St. Helena, and Jennifer Kleinschmit, Hartington, were the co-chair persons for the Relay for Life, which was a chance to Celebrate, Remember and Fight Back.
A morning worship service at 6:30 a.m. by Father Jeff Loseke was followed by the closing ceremony and final lap.

“It was beautiful,” said Kleinschmit. “The first rays of sunlight are symbolic of  the cancer patient seeing the light at the end of their treatments.”
Kleinschmit said as of early Sunday morning, $44,886 had been raised. Plus there is some additional money that has not been counted yet,  she said.
“Together we can make a difference,” said Kleinschmit.
The statistics show that 35 residents in Cedar County alone, are diagnosed with cancer every year, she said.
The Relay for Life started off with a supper at 5:30 on Saturday evening.

A large crowd attended the opening ceremony, which included an introduction of over 60 cancer survivors who took the first lap around the track to a loud round of applause.
It was an emotional scene – the crowd cheering, tears falling and long embraces among many of the survivors.
“You are the true symbols of hope,” Kleinschmit told the survivors who were wearing purple shirts with the word HOPE in large letters.
Caregivers walked alongside the survivors on the second lap in a symbol of the support and care they had given. Angel food cake and strawberries were served to those who completed the Relay for Life lap.
Fifteen teams came prepared to stay the course all night and many had pitched tents along the track.
“You have to have at least one person from a team on the track for the whole 12 hours – from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m.,” said Derickson. “Normally there are 15 on a team.”
A silent auction was held between 8-10 p.m.
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The Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services and local health departments will be working with businesses to help them comply with Nebraska’s new smoke-free law.
Every indoor workplace and public place in Cedar County as well as across the state must be smoke-free by June 1. The act was designed to protect the public health and welfare of people.
Lonnie Sackschewsky, who owns Lonnie’s Bar and Grill in Coleridge and Donavon Kleinschmit, who owns Delmonicos #20 Saloon & Steak House in Fordyce, do not like the new law.
“I don’t think the ban is fair,” said Sackschewsky.
People can currently smoke at most food establishments in the county, but June 1 that will change.

Smoking has already been off limits at Delmonicos, Kleinschmit said.
Pam Thoene, who works at the Chief Bar in Hartington, might hear a few complaints when the ban goes into effect on June 1.
“I think it will probably upset some people,” said Thoene.
Right now customers can smoke in the Chief Bar.
DHHS has developed a website that contains resources such as questions and answers, informational brochures and the finalized regulations. The online guidance defines an indoor area and outlines where smoking is restricted.
“We want to help businesses take steps to be in compliance,” said Dr. Joann Schaefer, Chief Medical Officer and Director of the Division of Public Health.
DHHS has fielded questions about outdoor smoking areas, which are allowed by the law.

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“Relay For Life is as much an awareness raiser about the progress against cancer as it is a fund raiser,” said event co-chair Tina Derickson, St. Helena. “Many of the participants will be people who have dealt with cancer themselves. Their involvement is proof of the progress that has been made in reducing cancer death rates and in the quality of life following cancer treatment.”
Relay For Life is a unique fundraising event that allows participants from all walks of life — including patients, medical support staff, corporations, civic organizations, faith-based groups and community volunteers — to join together to fight cancer.
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The two sisters spent a lot of time together while they were each recovering.
“There were no problems after surgery,” McQuay said. “While we were in the hospital we went back and forth to each others rooms – we had fun being together.”
McQuay and her sister still keep in close contact with one another since coming home from the hospital.
“We talk all the time. Kathy called me every single day for a while, to make sure I was okay,” said McQuay.
Miller and McQuay were both released from the hospital after only four days.
The match between the two sisters was so close Miller may eventually be on only one anti-rejection drug.
Miller was taking 33 pills a day after the surgery.
“I go in for lab work twice a week. The dosage I was on right after surgery has been changed – they keep checking to see what will work,” said Miller.
McQuay said her husband, Greg, and their three children, ages 14, 13 and five, were supportive of her choice to give up one of her kidneys for her sister.
“Greg knew I wanted to do it – but he was nervous because of our kids,” said McQuay. “My kids were scared for both me and my sister. They helped me out a lot after the surgery.”
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A “dog licensing day” is in the works for residents in the city of Hartington.
Dog owners will be able to obtain a one-year license, which is mandatory in order to keep a dog within the city limits.
“Rabies is the only vaccination that is required for the license,” said Police Chief Casey Nieman. “I have been trying to work out plans to have a vet be there so the vaccination can be given at the same time if it is needed.”
A date will be set as soon as all the plans are in place.

A Town Hall meeting for Hartington residents will be held May 27.
A community survey that was taken has been tabulated and the results of the survey will be presented at the Town Hall meeting.
“The survey gave people a chance to tell us what they would like to see done in town,” said Mayor Bill Yates.
A Hazard Mitigation meeting will be held May 18 in the basement of the City Auditorium said Yates.
Cedar and Dixon counties are working together to develop a plan.
The hazard mitigation plan will put plans in place on how each jurisdiction will respond in case of a natural disaster such as flood, drought, earthquake, wildfire, winter storm, tornado, high wind storm and other disasters. Each community, school district and other special districts are involved in the hazard mitigation plan.
“Someone has to go to the meeting,” said Yates.
Cake was served in honor of high school student Aaron Brodersen, who has been attending the City Council meetings for close to four years.
“Having Aaron attend our meetings has really been good,” said Mayor Bill Yates. “Whenever we have asked him what he thinks – he has had a good opinion. Aaron truly has the capabilities of a true leader. He is an outstanding youth.”
Brodersen has been attending the council meetings as part of youth leadership with LEAP (Leaders Energizing Activities in Partnership).

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State statute requires property must be valued at market value for tax purposes.
Whenever real estate sells and a deed is filed at the Courthouse – a form has to be filled out showing the sale price.
Each year a sales ratio study is done which compares the assessed values at the Assessor’s office to the current sale prices.

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Early pioneers buried at the Paragon Cemetery will also be honored at the ceremony.
A small round iron marker that has a picture of the moldboard plow will also be placed by the graves of 17 pioneers, said Pastor Bob Bryan, Trinity Lutheran Church, Hartington.
“We will acknowledge the names of the pioneers at the Memorial Service,” said Don Olsen who is president of the Paragon Cemetery Association. “We are still searching the records for any additional names of early pioneers in case we overlooked someone – we have a couple of extra markers.”
A six p.m., catered dinner to celebrate the history of the Paragon Cemetery will he held the evening before Memorial Day at Trinity Lutheran Church.
The dinner will be a time to visit with one another, exchange family histories and pictures, and share stories from the rural Paragon community.
“We want people to bring family stories and any early pictures and share them at the dinner,” said Olsen. “It will be an informal evening – we want to take time to get acquainted with one another.”
Letters that have been received will be shared with those in attendance at the dinner, said Bryan.

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For a more complete look at this story, subscribe to our E-edition. Current subscribers to the Cedar County News printed edition, can recieve discounted rates.