PIERCE — It was 72 years ago that a Pierce American Legion boxing team won the team trophy at the Golden Gloves district boxing tournament in 1953. The trophy had been kept at the home of Don Miles for many years and, following his death, at the home of his daughter, Jacque Collison.
Collison had been looking for a permanent home for the trophy and eventually decided the Pierce Legion would be a good location.
She and Bill Stonacek, a member of the 1953 team and also a Pierce Legionnaire, presented the trophy earlier this month to the Pierce American Legion, where it will now be displayed.
The 16th annual Golden Gloves district tournament was held in Norfolk at the Norfolk City Auditorium on Jan. 28-29, 1953. There were 2,030 paying spectators in attendance on Jan. 29 to watch the district boxing championship matches.
Two Pierce men, Ralph Tesch and Miles, were in charge of the Pierce Legion boxing team, also known as the “Teapot Dome Team” made up of 18- and 19 year-old boys. Tesch was the manager and trainer, while Miles was the assistant manager.
Dick Fischer and George Prince were individual champions in their weight classes. Stonacek was a runner-up in his class. — Pierce County Leader
What’s new
Atkinson
A new coffee shop is coming to Atkinson in the spring of 2025. Although it’s new, the name may ring familiar to those in the community.
Mighty Mojo Coffee Co. is based out of South Dakota and owned by Trisha and Dan Cahoy.
Originally, the company was meant to be nothing more than a mobile coffee truck, which is exactly how it all began in the spring of 2021.
However, after the opening of its mobile coffee truck, the company quickly grew in popularity with the local and surrounding communities, and the idea became bigger. — The Atkinson Graphic
Laurel
The health care company looking into purchasing the embattled Hillcrest Care Center has a troubling record when it comes to quality-of-care violations.
Representatives from Accura Healthcare, based in West Des Moines, Iowa, toured the facility and spoke with staff recently.
“I don’t think the owners knew they were going to meet with us that day,” said Laura Showen, a registered nurse at Hillcrest who works on an as-needed basis.
Showen said she also believes Accura representatives had no intention of meeting with family members and residents as the City of Laurel press release indicated, she said.
“My goal is to let the community know that we still care about the residents,” Showen said. “We’re still fighting for the residents and what’s best for them. We will encourage the community to do the same and fight for the elderly ... to have a safe home.” — Laurel Advocate
Meadow Grove
The Meadow Grove Library has begun hosting a monthly book club. Copies of the chosen book are available for checkout at the library at the beginning of each month. An evening discussion will be held at the end of the month.
The Nebraska Library Commission and Three Rivers Library System have book club kits that are available to participating libraries at no cost.
Anyone interested in reading the March selection, “The Silent Patient” by Alex Michaeldes, may stop into the Meadow Grove Library to check out a copy.
The book club meeting is Thursday, March 27, at 6 p.m. — The Tilden Citizen/Meadow Grove News
Osmond
Deb Schmit, a retired registered nurse from Osmond, became a member of the Nebraska Nurse Honor Guard on March 2. Schmit served as nurse at Osmond General Hospital from Jan. 1, 1973, to Dec. 31, 2019. She worked in the cardiac rehab unit starting in 1994.
Ten nurses in total from Northeast Nebraska joined the honor guard. Others becoming members of the Nursing Honor Guard for the area were Julie Loberg and Joan Thies, both of Randolph. — Osmond Republican
Randolph
Randolph school board members presented information at a town hall meeting recently, detailing how they whittled down the scope and price tag of a school bond issue.
Voters narrowly defeated a $9.75 million bond issue in November. That figure was reduced by $1 million, and the new plan likely will be presented to voters in a May special election.
The new bond proposal includes a scaled-down version of the new CTE/ag building, from 13,000 square feet to 9,680 square feet. Additional space for the art program and a mezzanine was dropped from the original plan.
Roof repairs slated at the high school will be taken out of the bond proposal, instead funded through the district’s special building fund and completed this summer. That leaves the high school gym air conditioning project remaining on the bond.
No changes were made in the improvements planned at the elementary building, estimated at nearly $4.9 million. — Randolph Times
South Sioux City
A $127 million bond issue will be decided this spring by taxpayers in the South Sioux City Community Schools district.
The district board of education voted unanimously to accept a Cardinal Vision proposal that the school superintendent said is a “pivotal moment” in the community’s history.
The proposal, one of four considered by community members at the end of a six-month effort to educate the community on aging buildings and overcrowding issues in the school district, comes at what superintendent Rony Ortega calls a key period in the community’s history
At Tuesday’s meeting, Ortega addressed the board and stated that the community development agency had met earlier in the day and discussed option CV4, the plan agreed upon by Cardinal Vision community members after six months of meetings.
The option comes with a price tag of $127 million to complete and would cost South Sioux City residents an extra $40 a month, based on a $200,000 home, over the next 25 years. — Dakota County Star
Valentine
Valentine graduate Kolton Brown released his first music extended play, “Find a Girl,” in February.
Brown started his music career at the age of 4, singing karaoke whenever and wherever he could. He was involved in music throughout his schooling.
Two years of guitar lessons during college helped prepare him for his future music career. Along with several college buddies, Brown started a band during his junior year called Backroads, playing at venues in Chadron and Valentine.
Brown is now an operations manager for an audio/visual company and resides in Northglenn, Colorado, with his wife, Brittany; their two daughters, Addilyn and Liliana, and dogs, Max and Layla. — Valentine Midland News
West Point
Talk of Scooter’s Coffee coming to West Point has circulated around the community for years. Now, it’s no longer just talk.
Rusty Smith and Shea Stokely have confirmed that Scooter’s Coffee will be coming to West Point later this year. The two will be partners in the well-known coffee franchise.
The Scooter’s will be located at the old Casey’s north location, which more recently was where Davis Auto’s north location used to be. — West Point News
