Family

OMAHA-(AP) Thirty Nebraska state lawmakers urged local school boards on Thursday, July 1 to reject proposed state health standards that include lessons for young children on gender identity and gender expression.

The 2021 Walk to Remember will be held at the Valentine City Park on Saturday, July 17 at 9:30 a.m. Walk, share, and remember the life of children gone too soon.

Now is the time to plan and plant vegetables for a bountiful fall harvest. Planting now extends the harvest season for greater yield without expanding the garden.

ACTIVITIES Cards daily at 1:00 p.m. Men’s coffee group daily at 9:30 a.m.

Garden maintenance - watering: Here are five tips for watering your garden: Focus on the root zone; remember, it’s the roots that need access to water, not the leaves. Water deeply and thoroughly. Lawns and annuals concentrate their roots in the top 6 inches of soil; for perennials, shrubs and trees, it’s the top 12 inches. Water only when needed. Too much moisture can be just as damaging to plants as too little. Water in the morning if possible. And finally, mulch your garden and containers with an organic material. Mulch reduces surface runoff and slows evaporation from the soil.

The 42nd Haley Reunion was held June 27 & 28, 2021 in the Valentine City Park. A meal was enjoyed Saturday evening and Sunday noon by 46 descendants of Maude and Albert Haley. Many also attended a memorial service at the Sharp campground on the river south of Sparks Saturday evening. Rita Sharp Rowan hosted a wonderful reception for family and friends with refreshments, including smores for the kids. We paid tribute to Wayne and Doris Sharp, LeRoy Kaplan, Donna Fae VanMetre, and Randy Weber. It was a beautiful night at the river and a great time. Thanks for hosting this Rita!

Lincoln – June 30, 2021, marked the last day of the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic state of emergency in Nebraska. Executive Order 20-10 which was implemented by Governor Ricketts at the beginning of the COVID-19 State of Emergency, will expire on July 30, 2021.

David Dorsey, a member of the Sand Painters Art Guild, won Best of Show for his painting Boots and Coffee at the Association of Nebraska Art Clubs 2021 art show. Doris Heath received an Award of Excellence for her work Rainbow Buffalo, and Joan Swim received an Honor Mention for her painting Apricity.

ACTIVITIES Senior Center hours Monday-Thursday 8:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m., Friday 8:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m. The Valentine Senior Center is open for coffee groups, card players and the use of the exercise equipment.

Gwenda and Greg Jackson hosted a Nieuwenhuis family reunion on Saturday at the Berean Church in Valentine and Ecology Park. Fifty descendants of Klaas and Grace Nieuwenhuis enjoyed dinner, games and visiting. Several cousins visited Gregory and LaCosta Jackson and family Sunday afternoon.