.jpg)
September
Sept. 4, 2024
HARTINGTON — The clerk of the district court and sheriff are making logistical plans for an upcoming murder trial in Dakota County.
Janet Wiechelman, Cedar County District Court clerk, said even though Jason Jones’ murder trial was moved elsewhere, Cedar County is in charge of all of logistics, from providing transportation and meals for jurors to cleaning the courtroom and jury room.
The three-week trial is set to start Monday, Sept. 9, with three days expected for jury selection.
Jones is accused of murdering Gene Twiford, Janet Twiford, Dana Twiford and Michele Shankles-Ebeling in Laurel on Aug. 4, 2022. The trial was moved to Dakota County due to extensive media coverage.
Wiechelman told Cedar County Commissioners she’s working closely with the Dakota County District Court staff and will keep a running statement of items that need to be reimbursed, which may include everything from paper to cleaning supplies.
“We’re trying to do things the same way they do their trials over there,” Wiechelman said.
Lunch each day alone will require some pre-planning, with nearly 25 meals required each day for jurors and court staff. Wiechelman said using a delivery service would be more convenient but more spendy with a delivery fee and driver’s tip. She hopes to utilize court staff from Dakota County to pick up meals to save on costs.
Sept. 4, 2024
HARTINGTON — Area residents can take in three separate open houses in the coming days.
The first event will be the official grand opening and Hartington Chamber of Commerce ribbon cutting at the new Security Bank location on Highway 57.
Thursday’s open house will include tours, appetizers and drinks.
On Sunday community members can take in an open house for the new Holy Trinity Early Learning Center in the basement of the Congregational Church. The facility opened its doors to 12 youngsters in early August.
An open house will also be held right across the street at the Cedar County Historical Museum. The Museum will throw its doors open to welcome guests from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. to help celebrate the 60th anniversary of the museum.
Sept. 4, 2024
OMAHA — Even though he’d played with some of the best musicians around the region and in front of crowds of all sizes, in his 40-plus years in music, Vern Kathol had never before recorded a solo CD.
He is checking that box off his bucket list now, though.
The CD, “Tinman,” will be released later this month under the stage name, Vernon John.
The music brings him back to his roots. His recollection of his first public performance is a little fuzzy, but he remembers singing with his sister, Cindy, in front of a Catholic Daughters meeting.
The Hartington native played in all kinds of bands throughout high school and after.
Eventually, he turned to the lighter side of music as he began to play solo acoustic gigs.
His new CD allows him to bring that music to more people. It features 12 original songs including the album’s title track “Tinman.”
The Tinman album will be available on CD and all of the major streaming services including Spotify, iTunes, Amazon and more. Kathol said the album exudes a distinctly Americana vibe with a consistent dose of acoustic guitar, but also features performances by outstanding musicians in the Omaha area.
Sept. 11, 2024
HARTINGTON — Over 200 area residents enjoyed a century of memories here at the Cedar County Historical Society Museum.
The museum hosted a picnic and Open House to mark the museum’s 60th anniversary.
The event featured tours of the main house, the expo building and the log cabin located behind the house.
Jerry Dendinger also brought Leo Arens’ antique car to display for the occasion, which included birthday cake, lemonade and hot dogs.
The anniversary party proved to be a great opportunity for Historical Society members to show off all the improvements they’ve made over the last few years, as well.
The major improvements include a new front and side porch, including a new floor, support columns and railing. For those visitors to the museum who benefit from a handicap entry, a new handicap access that meets state requirements also has been installed. This includes a ramp with railings leading to a new and wider access door on the front west side of the museum.
Also included in the museum makeover was a new lighted sign out front, renovation and illumination of the vintage walkway light to light up the front, and new sidewalks leading to the front porch steps and the handicap ramp on the west side of the house.
Sept. 11, 2024
SOUTH SIOUX CITY — Jury selection in the Jason Jones quadruple murder trial began with nearly 180 Dakota County residents.
Monday marked the start of what could be a three-week trial in the State’s case against Jones, who is accused of killing four people at two homes in Laurel in August 2022.
He is charged with four counts of first-degree murder and use of a firearm to commit a felony and two counts of first-degree arson in the deaths of Gene Twiford, 86, and his wife, Janet Twiford, 85; their daughter, Dana Twiford, 55; and Michele Ebeling, 53, in the early-morning hours of Aug. 4, 2022.
Sept. 11, 2024
DAKOTA CITY – A hearing has been scheduled here for Thursday, to consider possible limitations to press access at the Jason Jones murder trial.
The Cedar County News filed a motion to intervene last Friday in the quadruple murder trial to protect the newspaper’s access to trial exhibits.
The move comes after a July hearing in which the Nebraska Attorney General’s Office indicated they would be requesting a protective order to bar media from having access to trial exhibits including videos, photographs and other evidence.
At the July hearing, Prosecutor Corey O’Brien said he would be making the request through Jason Jones’ trial and possibly through the prosecution of his wife, Carrie Jones, who is charged in connection with the case.
During the July hearing, the prosecuting attorney said if evidence is disseminated through widespread media coverage, he fears it will be difficult to seat a fair and impartial jury in the subsequent trial of Carrie Jones.
Todd Lancaster of the Nebraska Commission on Public Advocacy agreed while media should be allowed to report on whatever they see in court, access to certain exhibits should be limited. Judge Bryan Mesmer said he would be inclined to sign a protective order sealing certain exhibits until both cases are resolved.
The Cedar County News argues in its motion that a protective order is a prior restraint on speech, citing case law which indicates the media and the general public must be given an opportunity to be heard.
‘’We are very concerned about the precedent a ruling like this could set,’’ said Cedar County News publisher Rob Dump.
