News

From my Window According to the National Retail Federation, the average expenditure “per person” on this holiday season in the United States is $890.00 for gifts alone, while other sources - Nerd Wallet and Gallup estimates the amount to be $1,107.00 per person. These figures are significantly higher than years past due to general price increases and tariffs.

Our community is heartbroken at the word of the loss of Greg Hobbs, 72, of Maxwell, NE, formerly of Kilgore. Services will be held at the Valentine Berean Church on January 10, in Valentine. Cards can reach Ruthie at 24861 E. Slant Rd, Maxwell NE 69151.

322 N. Macomb 402-376-1400 M-F • 8:00 a.m.

Niobrara Council minutes from the December 18, 2025 meeting. Chair Hollenbeck was absent for the meeting, so Vice Chair Appelt led the meeting which was called order at 1:01 p.m. The meeting was held at the Cherry County South Building Meeting Room, 202 North Main Street, in Valentine, Nebraska.

December 2025 Survey Results at-a-Glance: • Farm and Ranchland Prices: Highest in 20 Months • For only the second time in 2025, the overall Rural Mainstreet Index (RMI) climbed above growth neutral 50.0. Half of bank CEOs identified the reduction of tariffs and trade restrictions as the most effective policy change needed to boost farm income.

Season’s greetings from the Nebraska Poison Center! The holidays bring changes in routine that can increase the risk of accidental poison exposures in the home. Keep these important safety tips in mind this season:

During the week of December 14 -20, the police department had no arrests to report, and responded to 28 calls for service, including: • 8 traffic stops • 6 animal complaints • 2 alarms • 1 non-injury accident.

There’s something especially moving about walking up to a loved one’s grave at Christmastime and seeing a wreath laid in their honor - a quiet reminder that their service and sacrifice are not forgotten. Mt.

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In 1952, two young men from the same Sandhills community boarded a bus headed for Omaha, much like countless others from small towns across America. They went for a physical. They came home drafted. Gilbert Witte and Richard “Dick” Steifel were soon wearing Army uniforms, bound together by fate, friendship, and a war half a world away.