On the evening of July 19, 2012, a lightning storm rolled through the canyons south of the Niobrara River near Johnstown that ignited an area of trees in a canyon of the Niobrara River Valley. Innumerous storms frequent Nebraska throughout the summer season, each bringing their share of lightning, thunder, hail, wind and other methods of destruction.

The Nebraska Star Party is coming up this July 24-29, 2022 at Merritt Reservoir’s Snake Campground. Wednesday, July 27, at 1:00 p.m. at the Valentine High School will be presenters and kids programs. These programs are free and open to the public.

Weeks before July 4, many were probably working on their derby cars. Fine tuning them for the hits they’d take, and making sure they’d keep on running if they did get a good whollop. At 6:00 p.m., Wreckless Promotions began the annual Demolition Derby with a total of 24 cars.

The 11th annual Andrew Claymon Memorial Fishing Tournament was held at Merritt Reservoir on Saturday, June 11, 2022, with 52 teams consisting of 122 youth and adult participants, competing for prizes in three divisions, as well as a new award category this year for total weight of panfish. The tournament is in memory of 16 year old Andrew Claymon who died of cancer on July 5, 2010.

Weather is something that our farmers and ranchers keep an eye on. Out here, there’s so many variables not just from day to day, but from year to year. Just think, in 2019 there was flooding! Today, if you look at the UNL Drought Monitor, a good portion of northeast Nebraska is in a severe drought, southwest Nebraska is in even worse condition with severe drought as well as extreme drought. Cherry County has pockets of abnormally dry, moderate drought, and severe drought.

May 19, 2022, Valentine Rotarians placed eight pet waste stations around Valentine. Locations include: three at the Valentine City Park, Valentine Aquatic Center, Ecology Park, Valentine Ballfield Complex, Cowboy Trailhead Park, and the walking path by the Cherry County Fairgrounds.