Valentine Elementary is building Badgers by adopting a new belief statement: “We are kind, we are strong, we work hard, we will never give up, we are Badgers.” The Badger Den wants to partner with you for a BOGO special: Buy One Give One to ensure all students at VES get a shirt to show their commitment to being a Badger! Our goal is to complete this mission by Easter 2025. How does this BOGO work? You pick from three tees - buy one for yourself and give one to your favorite elementary student OR buy one, get one, and give them both, OR buy one for your VCS student and let them gift one to a friend.

The Cherry County Club volleyball 15s team was in Broken Bow Sunday, March 9, 2025. They played at the 4 County Classic Tournament and were the tournament champs out of 10 teams! Pictured are from L to R: Danika Janssen, Leah Larabee, Tylee Tinant, Devahney Belville, Mia Sherbeyn, Haddie Mundorf, Bayley Burdick, Payten Daughtery, Alexandra Monroe, and Coach Julie Porath.

Agriculture is Nebraska’s number one industry. It sustains our families,strengthensruralcommunities, and ensures a strong future for generations to come. National Ag Week, March 16-22, is a special time of year for Nebraska agriculture. It’s the perfect time to highlight and celebrate an industry that people depend on every day, and one that’s near and dear to my heart.

Doug and Shirley Kroeger are some of our most dedicated members. This husband-and-wife duo have over 50 years between them as volunteers on our squad. You don’t usually see one without the other and they make the perfect team.

The Sandhills Prairie Refuge Association (SPRA) is a non-profit refuge friends group supporting scientific, historical, and educational projects on the Fort Niobrara, Valentine, and Seier National Wildlife Refuges. The refuges are part of the National Wildlife Refuge System administered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. TheSPRAboard of directors are concerned about inadequate staffing and funding of the refuges. The refuges are important to Nebraska and the local community.

Part of my agreement with them included pursing my MBA in Healthcare Management while I working there, which I completed and really enjoyed. As COO, my responsibilities included multiple departments, which expanded over time and included: Plant Operations, Environmental Services or housekeeping, IT, and eventually ended up with dietary, all our clinics, and rehabilitation departments. I managed several projects including minor renovations, a kitchen-cafeteria remodel, different clinic projects, a daycare for our employees children, and a new electronic health record change. It was a cool experience.”