The Post Podcast

100 Women Who Care Keith County preparing for next meeting on Monday

Ogallala, Ne - The next 100 Women Who Care Keith County will meet this Monday, April 14 at Front Street Steakhouse. Every quarter women from Keith County meet and bring $100 with them that they will eventually donate that evening to a local organization. The meeting begins at 6pm sharp (Mountain Time). This quarter the women will be hearing from "Teammates", "Outy Obsession" and "The Ogallala Tree Board"

After each of these organizations presents, the women in the room will vote on who will recieve that quarters financial donation of $100 from each woman/business in attendance. Of course that's $10,000 or more. Since its inception in 2020, the group has donated $202,225 locally.

Kerry Anderson joined Derek Beck on Sandhills Spotlight on Z93.5 Country  Thursday morning to talk about this Monday's meeting and the group.

 

 

Ogallala City Council Recognizes Service, Plans First-Ever Drone Show for July 4th

Podcast with Ogallala City Manager Kevin Wilkins on Sandhills Spotlight, originally heard on Z93.5 Country on Wednesday, April 9, 2025 with Derek Beck.

 

OGALLALA, Neb.  — The Ogallala City Council held its regular bi-monthly meeting Tuesday evening, recognizing longtime city employees, proclaiming National Library Week, April 6–12. Mayor Steven Krajewski recognized Jason Curtis & Tracy Hood for 25 years of service to the City of Ogallala in the Street Department.   

The city is also preparing for the city’s first-ever drone show this Fourth of July weekend. 

In light of anticipated fire restrictions this summer, the city has opted to replace its traditional Fourth of July fireworks display with a drone show. City Administrator Kevin Wilkins said there is an estimated 95% chance a fire ban will be in place by early July, based on consultations with local fire officials. 

“We needed to make a decision,” Wilkins said. “We’re also about $7,000 short in fundraising for a fireworks show, and the council is prepared to underwrite that if needed.” 

Instead, the city has contracted Fantasy Drone Shows of Norfolk for a performance on Saturday, July 5. The company is scheduled to perform a show in Colorado the night before and will return through Ogallala, reducing the cost of the typically $80,000 production to $25,000. The show will take place near the Soap Box Derby Track and the Western Diamond Baseball/Softball Complex. 

In other business, the council reviewed a funding request from the Keith County Area Housing Development Corporation regarding the former Ogallala Middle School building, and Auditorium. Vacant for several years, the property is slated for redevelopment into a 44-unit apartment complex through an adaptive reuse project. 

The corporation is seeking $460,000 in Local Option Municipal Economic Development Act (LB840) funds to address environmental issues, including asbestos, and to begin demolition work. Wilkins said once the building is abated and cleared, it will be transferred to a private developer for construction. 

“We’re hoping to start demolition by late summer and move toward acquisition by midwinter,” Wilkins said, adding that the projected construction timeline is about 12 months. 

The city and housing development corporation are also pursuing historic district designation for the site as part of the revitalization effort. 

(Audio) Visit North Platte recaps board of directors meeting

North Platte Post

Back on Monday, March 24, Lisa Burke the Executive Director of Visit North Platte attended the Lincoln County Commissioners Board of Directors meeting to recap the 2024 year for tourism for North Platte and Lincoln County. POST news director Canon Rath met with Burke as Burke recapped the meeting. To learn more, check out the podcast below.

(Audio) North Platte City Council Meeting, April 1st recap

North Platte Post

North Platte, Neb. - The North Platte city council held a regular meeting on April 1st and different agendas were discussed amongst the council. Topics this session included the purchase of a new Chevy truck for the fire department, new auxiliary equipment for the fire department and more.

On Wednesday, Post Canon Rath chatted with North Platte Mayor Brandon Kelliher about the different topics from the council meeting. If you would like to learn more in-depth of what went on during the April 1st, North Platte City Council meeting check out the podcast below or check out the video below the podcast.

(PODCAST) "Craig Baxter's Kenya Dream with Rotary" - Kim Baxter

North Platte, Neb. - Kim Baxter is an optometrist who has been doing mission trips to provide eye care in developing countries for many years, including to Kenya.  

About 13 years ago, Kim went on a trip to Kenya with his son Craig, and they were deeply impacted by the poverty and lack of access to healthcare, especially for newborns and expectant mothers.   

 After Craig's tragic passing a few years later, Kim worked with his local Rotary club to secure a large global grant from Rotary International to provide medical equipment and training to a hospital in Kenya.  

"Lots of this has to do with Craig, so his spirit is very much enthralled and a big part of it,” said Kim Baxter.  

After Craig's passing, Kim made a promise to continue the work in Kenya in his son's memory, which led to a major global grant project through Rotary to improve the maternity ward and neonatal care at a hospital in western Kenya. This project was highly successful, reducing infant mortality at the hospital by 60% and leading to significant improvements in the hospital's facilities and equipment.   

Baxter and his Rotary club have continued to go on annual eye care missions to Kenya, providing eye exams and glasses to thousands of people who have never had access to such care.  

The Rotary Club is working to build and equip a medical clinic called the "Craig Memorial Dispensary" in Kenya, named after a Kim’s son Craig.  There was initial setback when the local village leader reneged on a promise to donate land for the clinic, but they found an abandoned clinic that they will renovate instead.   

The club is working on a $250,000 global grant from Rotary International to provide medical equipment and other infrastructure for the clinic. This project has attracted partnerships with the Kenyan government, a local university, and other Rotary clubs that are providing additional funding and resources.  

 The clinic will provide medical services and training opportunities for local students, helping to address a shortage of healthcare access in the region. 

 This project has involved many volunteers and donors from the local community and Rotary network and has been described as a story of "divine intervention" and people coming together to do good.  

 "For anybody out there that thinks they can't make a difference in the world, particularly, I'm thankful to be a Rotarian because it's linked me up with many other Rotarians. It's given us access to the Rotary Foundation funds for these big projects, these big global grant projects that without that kind of funding behind us, we wouldn't be able to ever get off the ground with the magnitude of the projects that we've been involved in is tremendous,” said Baxter. 

Hershey Volunteer Fire Department Annual Spaghetti Dinner

North Platte, Neb. - The Hershey Volunteer Fire Department is back again for its annual Free will donation Spaghetti Dinner at the Hershey School Cafeteria. The event is taking place from 11Am to 2 PM with all you can eat spaghetti with meat sauce, Homemade buns and deserts all with a free will donation.

Heartland Singers Concert this Sunday in North Platte

The Heartland Singers are having a spring concert on Sunday afternoon at 3pm at the First Baptist Church on McDonald Road in North Platte. Mike Douty spoke with the post about the concert Sunday. A Free Will Donation will be taken during the show.

Perkins County Fair having Rock Concert at Fair with Eve 6

Kasey Kroeker from the Perkins County Fair Board announced on Friday, that the fair will host Rock group Eve 6 on Friday, July 18. Tickets onsale today at www.PerkinsCountyFair.com

Ogallala City Council Recap - City clears way for historic preservation zoning to help create space for low income housing

Ogallala, Ne - The Ogallala City Council held their regular March meeting on Tuesday (March 25). The Council approved adding Jeffrey Lampmann to the Ogallala Tree Board. It's a two-year term.  

The Council had a discussion with the public on the speed limit heading west on highway 30 towards the sale barn. City Manager Kevin Wilkins said "we had a citizen address the speed limits on Highway 30 as it goes towards a sale barn. I think they made a credible case for the state of Nebraska to examine the speed zone changes as it migrates out towards the intersection of Highway 30 and the bypass." The speed limit increases to 50mph right before the sale barn. "We will ask the State to take a look at that" Wilkins said. 

Action items heard by the council included an amendment to the agreement for consulting services with the Airport Improvement Program Project. Wilkens said this was just housekeeping to approve a 3rd party FAA requirement for payment to an engineering firm who already had worked on the Searle Field master layout plan. The council approved the item. 

Also, the council talked about amending section 31.07 of the Municipal Coade Regulating Historic Preservation. "We amended a section of the municipal code related to the historic preservation commission a year ago," according to Wilkins. "I was trying to streamline the commission, so I took out some language the State preferred; in addition, we're adding some additional language that allows for historic overlays." He said, "so you have a historic structure that may be zoned residential or commercial. You could put an overlay over that zoning designation for historic purposes. What that does is set you up for some additional tax credits or funding." Wilkins said that right now the primary intent of this is a proposed project at the Ogallala Middle School for 44 units of mixed to low-income housing there. Wilkins says "this helps facilitate moving that project forward. It gives that project additional points for the Nebraska Investment Finance Authority application." It could potentially get that area a Historic tax credit. Wilkens went on to say, "we're anticipating doing a historic overlay on that particular block where the Middle school sits and then incorporating the auditorium into that." The Council passed the motion.  

The Council also approved the installation of two automated license plate readers in Ogallala. One permanent reader on the viaduct and a mobile license plate reader. The readers can scan a license plate and automatically relay plates that are in the system for BOLO or Amber Alerts to law enforcement officials in the city and county. This is a statewide system already in place in other cities around Nebraska including North Platte and Kearney. 

The Ogallala City Council will meet again April 8. 

 

 

(Audio) People's Health gearing up for Wild Night at Wild Bills this Friday

North Platte Post

North Platte, Neb. - People's Health in North Platte is back again to education young adults with their focus this time around on high school students with the annual Wild Night. This event is taking place Friday at Wild Bills from 4:00pm - 6:00pm.

Students have the opportunity to attend the event and earn a passport card and attend all the different agencies to learn. The event is geared around health. After students complete their passport, they will get a card and that card can get them free laser tag, bowling and pizza. Their will be raffles and giveaways. Students are asked to bring their HS ID with them

POST Canon Rath chatted with Elizabeth Thayer about the upcoming event. To learn more, checkout the podcast below.