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April 3, 2024
HARTINGTON – A September trial has been set for a man accused of a quadruple murder in Laurel but the location of the trial has yet to be decided.
Lawyers argued a change of venue in Cedar County District Court here Thursday in the case against Jason Jones, 44, in the deaths of Gene Twiford, Janet Twiford, Dana Twiford and Michele Shankles-Ebeling, in Laurel Aug. 4, 2022.
Jones’ lawyer Todd Lancaster argued extensive media coverage and potential jurors’ ties to the victims and witnesses would make it difficult for Jones to receive a fair trial in Cedar County.
Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty. All victims were found to have gunshot wounds.
April 3, 2024
HARTINGTON — Cedar Security Bank branch manager Laurie Leise presented a $500 check to Hartington Baseball Association members to help them in their efforts to put on the 2024 American Legion Class C Junior State Baseball Tournament this July. This marks the first time Hartington has hosted the State Tournament.
April 10, 2024
WYNOT — Kayla Pinkelman was named Wynot Prom Princess and Chase Schroeder was named Prom Princess at the school’s annual Spring Prom.
April 10, 2024
HARTINGTON — Cedar Catholic High School crowned Faith Christensen as the 2024 Cedar Catholic Prom Princess and Logan Rohan as the Prince Saturday night in the Holy Trinity Gym.
April 17, 2024
HARTINGTON — A jury of nine women and five men was chosen to decide the fate of David Phillips Jr. in his second-degree murder trial in Cedar County District Court.
Phillips was arrested March 1, 2023, and charged with second-degree murder, use of a firearm to commit a felony and possession of a stolen firearm in the death of 31-year-old Israel Matos-Colon, Fowlerville, Mich., at a cell phone tower worksite one mile north of Hartington.
The 12-person jury and two alternates was chosen at the end of a long day where District Court Judge Bryan Meismer, Assistant Nebraska Attorney General Corey O’Brien and defense attorney Todd Lancaster explained the trial process, then questioned potential jurors.
Eighty-six Cedar County residents spent most of Monday learning about the Nebraska legal system as prospective jurors.
April 24, 2024
HARTINGTON – Two Hartington-Newcastle High School students have been recognized for dashing toward an idea that is all about inclusion.
Juniors McKenzie Bruning and Maddie Steffen recently put together an award-winning 2024 FCCLA – Family, Career and Community Leaders of America – project called “Racing Towards Inclusion.”
“We planned a track meet for students who usually aren’t included in extracurricular activities in school,” Bruning said. “These students might have a disability, which prevents them from competing. Our main message we wanted to get across was inclusion.”
The track meet Bruning and Steffen planned is called the ’Cats Dash, and was held on April 15 in Hartington.
“One of our teachers mentioned an idea that we thought had a very important purpose of including those who don’t usually get as many opportunities,” Steffen said. “We thought that it was a perfect event that we could plan. This idea also came up around the time we were looking for an idea for our STAR project this year.”
STAR (Students Taking Action with Recognition) events are competitions in which FCCLA members compete at the regional/district, state and national levels.
DEATHS
April 3, 2024
Stephen Shank, Gerald “Jerry” Schmidt, Geraldine Theresa “Gerri” Schumacher,
April 10, 2024
Alice M. Marshall, Diane C. Erickson,
April 17, 2024
Patricia “Pat” Suing, Rosa “Rosie” (Steffen) Dreesen, Martin Gregory Kneifl,
April 24, 2024
Carrol V. Lipp, Christopher Hrabe.
Heimes joins
Hall of Fame
May 1, 2024
AURORA – Alton Heimes was recognized April 27, as a 2024 inductee of the Nebraska Auctioneers Association Hall of Fame. The ceremony took place during the organization’s annual convention in Aurora.
Heimes described himself as feeling “pretty proud and lucky” to have had a long career as an auctioneer and to be honored by his peers for it.
He found out about the Hall of Fame honor on April 19 – the same day he and his wife, Sharon, celebrated their 55th wedding anniversary.
“I was surprised,” Heimes said. “I just didn’t really think this was ever going to happen to me.”
Heimes has been an auctioneer since 1968. He also has been a member of the Nebraska Auctioneers Association for more than 50 years.
May 1, 2024
LINCOLN — The Cedar County News was named as one of the top weekly newspapers in the state Saturday, April 27, during the Nebraska Press Association’s annual convention in Lincoln.
The News won 21 awards to claim the sweepstakes award for its circulation category. The News competes in the second largest circulation category for weekly newspapers.
The Hartington-based newspaper took third place in the overall sweepstakes competition, which pits all weekly newspapers — regardless of size — against each other.
The Stanton Register took firstplace honors in the sweepstakes competition, while the North Bend Eagle placed second.
Two Cedar County News staffers also earned special recognition on the night.
News photographer Jeremy Buss was honored for taking the Feature Photo of the Year — the top feature photo published in 2023 in any sized weekly or daily newspaper in the state.
The photo was taken last summer during swimming lessons at the Hartington Municipal Swimming Pool.
Cedar County News Editor Rob Dump was honored for penning the Editorial of the Year, the best editorial published in 2023 in any sized weekly or daily newspaper in the state.
Dump’s editorial was written to draw readers’ attention to National Newspaper Week. The editorial talked about the challenges all small-town businesses face, and the unique challenges the newspaper industry is facing today. He also won a first-place award in the Class C division for his editorial writing as a whole.
In all, the Cedar County News won 11 first-place plaques, five second-place awards and five third-place honors.
DEATHS
May 1, 2024
Sharon Wieseler, Marlene Schmidt, Darrel Benson, Martin “Marty” Gubbels, Marvin Manus, William “Bill” Tejral.
May 8, 2024
HARTINGTON – The trial of a Laurel man charged with four counts of murder will be held in Dakota County.
District Court Judge Bryan Meismer ruled the trial of Jason Jones, 44, Laurel, will change venue due to the amount of publicity in the case in relation to the size of the community involved.
Meismer cited a preliminary jury questionnaire which indicated the case remains fresh in the minds of residents even more than a year later.
Voters approve city shop, reject Skylon plan
May 8, 2024
WYNOT – Three young women from the Wynot area are prepared to learn in-depth about American citizenship and government this June.
The Auxiliary of Wynot American Legion Post No. 31 recently announced Wynot High School juniors Joslyn Hochstein, Eliza Lange and Kallie Steffen are set to attend American Legion Auxiliary Cornhusker Girls State.
These Wynot students were selected through an interview process and will study local, county and state government processes in this nonpartisan political learning experience.
May 8, 2024
HARTINGTON – Three area students will be among about 270 of Nebraska’s young men who will learn hands-on about U.S. citizenship.
Hartington American Legion Post No. 4 recently announced Hartington-Newcastle junior Cole Heimes and Cedar Catholic juniors Christian Fiscus and Braeden Kleinschmit are set to attend American Legion Cornhusker Boys State.
May 15, 2024
HARTINGTON — The Skylon Ballroom will hold its last dance this summer, and will most likely be torn down after that.
Hartington city voters decided the fate of the historic ballroom Tuesday, with 357 people voting against a proposal to move and refurbish the Skylon, while only 231 people favored the proposal.
Local residents voted in favor, however, of building a new city shop to replace the antiquated shop now being used. That vote came in at 345 in favor and 239 against.
Mayor Mark Becker said the city’s residents have spoken, and now the city needs to “sit down and figure out what comes next.”
Becker said the city desperately needs a community center. Local residents decided they did not want to pay for a $1.6 million bond to move, expand and update the facility, however.
Building a new community center would most likely cost twice that amount, Becker said.
If the issue would have been approved, construction crews would have been able to begin work late this summer and the building would most likely have been moved in the fall, Becker said. It’s feasible that the refurbished facility would have been open some time in the summer of 2025, he said.
Now the fate of a community center is in limbo. Current Skylon owner Roger Wortmann said if the city does not move the building, it will have to be torn down to make room for a business expansion at his plumbing and electric business, which is located just north of the Skylon.
Becker said voters had a tough choice to make, but now the Council will now have to go back to the drawing board and make their own tough choices.
May 15, 2024
HARTINGTON — Laurel businessman Mike Meier defeated Randolph area farmer John Thelen, 638-161 for a chance to take the Cedar County Commission seat being vacated by Craig Bartels.
Bartels originally filed for the seat, but then decided he did not wish to run for a third term.
Both Meier and Thelen are Republicans, so they faced off in the primary. No one filed for the seat as a Democrat, so unless Meier faces a write-in challenger, he will take the seat in January.
May 15, 2024
HARTINGTON — The Hartington City Council approved a permit for the construction of a building which will house a new dentist office in Hartington.
The Council approved a building permit for an 83x46 foot structure to be built along Highway 57 just south of the Arbor Care Center and north of the Cobblestone Inn driveway.
The Hartington Family First Dental Clinic office will move to the new facility once it is completed.
May 22, 2024
HARTINGTON — The 2023-24 academic year marks the end of Donna Burbach’s career as the food service manager/head cook for Holy Trinity/ Cedar Catholic, as she is planning to retire.
Donna took a job at the Holy Trinity Elementary cafeteria 29 years ago under the leadership of Dorothy Murray.
“I started out at two days a week, as I was asked to take those days and see if I thought I would be interested in Dorothy’s position.”
May 22, 2024
WATERTOWN, S.D. – A Coleridge man will spend 28 days in jail and pay a $2,000 fine after he pleaded no contest to two sexual assault charges.
Jeffrey Hansen, 47, was detained following his change of plea and sentencing in South Dakota’s Third District Court to serve out his sentence at the Codington County Detention Center.
He pleaded no contest to two counts of sexual contact without consent. A charge of sexual contact with a child under 16 was dismissed.
A remaining 330 days in jail was ordered, but suspended on the condition that he pays his fines and court costs, obeys laws and has no contact – direct or indirect – with the victim in the case.
According to South Dakota court records, Hansen was indicted by a grand jury on June 27, 2023, and a warrant was issued for his arrest a few days later.
Hansen had previously held positions of power in Coleridge, including former fire chief and rescue president, and chairman of the Coleridge Area Fund.
May 29, 2024
HARTINGTON — Austin Creamer is an advocate for the auction industry, especially in his home state.
The Hartington auctioneer was elected to his second term on the Nebraska Auctioneers Association Board of Directors at the organization’s annual convention, held April 26-28 in Aurora.
His first three-year term on the board was from 2019 to 2021.
The 25-year-old said the board is responsible for making decisions for the association and being a voice for the auction industry across the state.
DEATHS
May 8, 2024
Mary Frances Arens, Francis W. “Frank” Rosinski, Sharon (Lindemann) Hoblit.
May 15, 2024
Jerome Pinkelman, Sharon Gubbels, Otto “Doug” Kneifl, Steven Hines.
May 22, 2024
Donna Mae Kuhn, Mercedes Goeden, Kim Backer, Christine Klanderud, Marvelan Schultz, Gayle Obermeyer.
May 29, 2024
Diane Marie Anderson, Phylliss A. Gleich, Marcel “Butch” Backman, Henrietta Mary Ann Sudbeck
