Humphrey-Lindsay saw the return of quarterback Joel Brandl in his first game back since he was injured in game one of the season. But the Bulldogs could not seem to put together enough for sustained drives. Brandl was tough in the pocket, completing 14 of 31 passes for 192 yards and rushing three times for __ yards. The Bulldogs also ran the wildcat several times throughout the game, most often with running back Cash Hastreiter in the first three quarters and later with Tristan McCloud in the final quarter.

In the first quarter, East Butler drew first blood on a 49-yard touchdown run by senior Dane Sova. The two-point conversion was successful when senior quarterback Grant Kozisek ran it in. The Bulldogs could get no traction on the ensuing possession, getting back-to-back false start penalties on the way to going three-and-out. The Tigers came right back out and scored another touchdown on a 52-yard run by Kozisek, who also passed to Gunner Fencl for the two-point conversion. But Kozisek was just getting warmed up. After another stalled drive by Humphrey-Lindsay, Tigers QB Kozisek added six more to the board on a 1-yard rush. The two-point conversion was no good. East Butler was able to score once more before the end of the first quarter on a 7-yard pass from Kozisek to Cash Bohac. The Bulldogs were able to bat down the pass for the two-point conversion. The quarter ended with a score of 28-0.

The Bulldogs were able to piece together a better second quarter offensively. Early in the 2nd, Brandl connected with Hastreiter on a 13-yard pass, scoring the first points for H-L. The conversion was no good. The Bulldogs were able to hold the Tigers to a three-and-out, but on the very next possession, East Butler’s Kozisek intercepted a Brandl pass and ran it 65 yards into the endzone for six more. Bohac passed to Owen Obbink for a successful 2-point try. The Tigers scored again when Caleb Osmera ran it in from the 26-yard line. The conversion pass from Bohac to Osmera was good. Humphrey-Lindsay strung together several plays later in the quarter, capped off by a 30-yard pitch and catch from Brandl to Hastreiter. Unfortunately, the conversion failed. Just when the Bulldogs thought the half was over, East Butler managed one more score with just 42 seconds left in the half, a 3-yard pass from Kozisek to Vance Pelan. The two-point conversion attempt had to be backed up ten yards on yard pass from Kozisek to Pelan was good. The half ended with a score of 12-52. Since the Tigers were up by 40 at the half, the rest of the game was played under a running clock. East Butler scored twice in the third quarter, once on a 3-yard pass from Kozisek to Pelan with the ensuing conversion also a 3-yard pass from Kozisek to Pelan. Tigers running back Osmera rushed from 9-yards out for the second TD. A few minutes into the fourth quarter, both teams let the varsity rest and called on the reserves. Sophomore Matthew Klement ran it in from 30 yards, but the conversion was no good. Klement also rushed for the Tiger’s final TD from the 27 yard line. The Bulldogs were able to sustain the final drive of the game, led by McCloud. He scored a 5-yard rushing touchdown for a final score of 18-82.

The Bulldog team hurt themselves several times throughout the game between penalties, bad snaps, and fumbles. Coach Brandon Kirby said, “We played good at times but made too many mistakes that cost us in the end. We need to do a better job of the mental side of the game. We have the talent.” The loss puts the Humphrey Lindsay record at 1-5. The Bulldogs will play in David City at Aquinas Catholic on Friday at 7 p.m.

Summary EB 28 24 16 14 – 82 HL 0 12 0 6 – 18 Passing: J. Brandl, 14-31-192 Rushing (carries – yd, TD) – E. Reichmuth 6-26; C. Hastreiter 8-24; J. Brandl 3-7; T. McCloud 14-53.

Receiving (receptions – yards): E. Reichmuth, 3-25; C. Hastreiter, 6-107; B. Weeder, 3-24; E. Sueper, 2-36 Tackles: L. Wiese, 2; E. Reichmuth, 7, C. Hastreiter, 2; B. Weeder, 7; L. Pospisil, 2; E. Sueper, 3; K. Sueper, 8; K. Gronenthal, 1; E. Killham, 1; H. Groteluschen, 1; K. Kirby, 1; K. Ransom, 4

Central Valley Ag’s new cardtrol is open on Frontage Road, along Highway 81.

Brent Reichmuth, Senior Vice President of Operations, said the new Humphrey Cardtrol is a significant upgrade from what we have today, but the biggest improvement is really access.

“Getting semis in and out of our current Cardtrol has become more difficult, and we knew we needed more room. With the purchase of the old Platte Valley Equipment property, we had the space we were looking for to spread out and build a state-ofthe- art Cardtrol that is much easier for trucks and our producers to get in and out of. Being closer to Highway 81 also gives us an opportunity to pull some additional truck traffic off the highway that may not have used our Cardtrol in the past. This gives us a much better location and a facility that we believe can serve our producers for a long time.

The current cardtrol on Third Street will be open for now.

“We don’t have a definitive date for closing the old Cardtrol,” he said. “We will keep it open until the new site is completely operational so there is no disruption in service for our customers. Once we’re comfortable that everything at the new site is operating the way it should, we will schedule the old Cardtrol to be taken out of service and have the underground tanks removed. Eventually, we plan to sell that property and hopefully see it serve another purpose in the Humphrey community.

Reichmuth said they decided to relocate the cardtrol because of accessibility.

“It really came down to access and where we believe we can serve the most people. The old location has served CVA and our customers well, but we had an opportunity with the development of this property to put the Cardtrol in a location that is easier to get in and out of and gives us considerably more room. When you’re making an investment like this, you don’t want to solve just today’s problem. We wanted a location that makes sense today but also gives us the ability to grow and change as our producers’ needs change.

The cardtrol is not the only improvements CVA is making at that location.

“There has really been a lot more happening on this property than just the new Cardtrol. Work on the distribution center that will support our agronomy operations throughout the area is nearly complete. We have pretty well gutted the entire big building and opened it up for warehouse storage, we are just finishing a new semi loading dock, and we are re-tinning the west building to give us additional warehouse and distribution space. We have also added chemical storage tanks along with the containment needed around those tanks. Inside, we have completely renovated the office area, which has become CVA’s new Safety Training Center. It gives us a dedicated place to bring employees in for training and will also serve as our DOT training center for CVA,” he said.

“Agriculture continues to change, and our producers continue to invest in their operations. We have to be willing to invest right alongside them. Projects like this are about making sure CVA is positioned to continue serving our producers today and well into the future.”

Depending on your generation, the word “cancer” can leave multiple impressions. In past generations, it was viewed as a death sentence. In more recent years, however, and with the advancement of scientific/medical research by leading universities and organizations, the word “cancer” has evolved. Although there is definitely fear and worry about mortality, there are also words such as strength, hope, determination, survival intermingled with it.

In the next four weeks, we will center a series of articles on Breast Cancer Awareness Month. We plan to examine the lives of breast cancer survivors, bring awareness to what the “pink ribbons” represents, enlighten many who don’t realize that men can and do get breast cancer, and take a look at how local medical personnel are working to help patients navigate the sometimes challenging and scary maze of a breast cancer diagnosis.

In some families, it comes as no surprise when a family member receives a breast cancer diagnosis. Familial genetic connections have been documented time and again. Such was the case for Humphrey resident Leashalea Wemhoff. In the spring of 2024, Shae was lying in bed with her then 2-year-old son when he poked her in the upper chest. She immediately wondered, “Why did that poke hurt so much?” She began to feel around the area for more tenderness, and that is when she came across something she knew shouldn’t be there. After examining the newly discovered bump and having her husband affirm her fear, they agreed she would contact her doctor right away.

Shae followed the advice of her physician and went in for a biopsy. They told her the results usually take a week. She was alone at her office just two days later when she received the call the biopsy did, in fact, find cancer. Triple-negative breast cancer, stage 1. Her immediate thought was, “How am I going to break this to my kids? How am I going to tell my dad I have cancer?”

According to the American Cancer Society (ACS), triplenegative breast cancer (TNBC) is an aggressive type of invasive breast cancer where the cancer cells lack estrogen receptors, progesterone receptors, and contain excess HER2 protein.

TNBC tumors test negative for all three common growth receptors (ER-, PR-, HER2-), meaning standard hormone and HER2-targeted therapies do not work. It is incredibly difficult to treat. TNBC accounts for about 10 to 15 percent of all breast cancer diagnoses and is more prevalent in women under the age of 40, as well as those with a BRCA gene mutation. Shae’s family history was filled with breast cancer, ovarian cancer, and prostate cancer cases, and her physicians discovered that she had a BRCA gene mutation after her diagnosis.

Dr. Rabih Fahed, a hematology and oncology specialist at the Carson Cancer Center in Norfolk, helped to devise a strategy for dealing with Shae’s TNBC. Together with the other oncologists, physician’s assistants, nurses, and nurse navigators, Shae went through two types of chemotherapy: onceweekly through the summer, and then the “red devil” (doxorubicin) every three weeks for three months. After the chemotherapy, she underwent a double mastectomy as a way to prevent the almost-certain return of breast cancer.

“Trust your doctors, trust the team of medical experts. They know what they are doing. Yes, it is very scary at first. But lean on them and your nurses. They are angels on earth and put in your care for a reason,” Shae said. “I had a nurse navigator through it all, and she was a god-send. She explained everything as it was happening, made sure we understood everything, called to check on me and see what I needed, and was always a phone call away for anything I had questions on. After you get through it, they are all still there for you and are so proud and excited for you. It’s a team you never wish, in your life, you would need, but you are glad in the end they are the people they are, and that they were there for you.”

Throughout her treatment, Shae experienced many expected side effects such as hair loss, fatigue, and nausea. She also had a few that were unexpected: weight gain, allergic reactions, and neuropathy in her throat.

She said the reality of being a cancer patient truly set in “When my good friend and hairdresser shaved my head. That is when it all hit for me and also my family. There was a lot of emotion in that event.”

She explained that it is much more than hair loss or how you look. “It’s not about vanity.

It’s about everyone knowing and staring at you. Once you lose your hair, eyebrows, and eyelashes, it really hits you hard and makes it real. It’s very hard to explain. If you have been through it, you know.”

If you have been through it, you also know there are some very dark moments that are incredibly difficult to get through.

During the darkest moments, Shae just kept thinking, “I have to keep going. There is no other option. This is completely beatable. I caught my cancer early, and I wanted to be there for my kids, to see them grow, and to see them experience life. Dayto- day, I just kept going.' Shae also said she continued to work through the entirety of her treatment and subsequent surgeries.

“It wasn’t expected of me or required. I had to keep going and keep my mind focused on something other than cancer. My work was flexible and completely understanding. Not everyone has that, and I was very grateful. I wanted everything to stay as normal as we could for myself and my kids. I just kept moving.

My husband was my rock from beginning to the end. I might have had the challenge of cancer and treatment, but he took more on his shoulders mentally than anyone, and he never wavered.”

Especially at first, their family and close friends agreed to keep this diagnosis quiet. She said since the kids were out of school for the summer, she was able to undergo her treatments with very few people knowing that they were even happening.

“I had a great friend start a meal train for me. I didn’t want this at first, but she insisted and wanted to help and gather other friends and family to help also. This, by far, was what helped the most.

Just taking this burden off our backs was hands down the best thing anyone could have done.”

It went beyond the meal train for the Wemhoffs, however.

Support can be shown in a lot of different ways, but the more personal it is, the more it means to those who are impacted and affected by something like breast cancer. When October rolls around every year, many people and companies display the pink ribbons in support of people with breast cancer. The pink ribbons are meant to show support and spread awareness, but for many breast cancer survivors, like Shae, the ribbons miss the mark. “The products that have the pink ribbons on them...I feel it’s gotten very commercialized. I really like the fundraiser in Norfolk, ‘For the Girls’ because I feel like that’s local, and they’re doing great things. All that money they’re raising, they are proving that it’s actually going toward fundraising for new equipment for hospitals.” Before buying pink ribbons online or from a big-box store that is just looking to make a profit, ask yourself, “Is there something better we can do locally to benefit (those with breast cancer)?”

Any support you show will be appreciated by people impacted by breast cancer and those who love them, but remember that the small gestures in life are quite often the most effective and meaningful. “The outpouring of support from Humphrey and the surrounding communities and their members,” was a kind of unexpected joy and kindness the entire Wemhoff family received. “The cards, phone calls, prayers, meal train, gift cards ... so many just wanted to share support and help. It was purely amazing. Our lawn being mowed by neighbors (you know who you are); the littlest thing to them, but it was one of the biggest moments I can remember.”

A breast cancer diagnosis is not something anyone wants to receive, but if you find yourself or a loved one receiving the phone call bearing the unthinkable news, remember Shae’s advice. “When going through any hardship in life, lean on those around you for support.

You will find support where you least expect it, and make new, long-lasting relationships out of something so terrible. There are those that show up for you that surprise you, and those who don’t show up for you that break your heart. You really learn who is there for you and who doesn’t matter anymore.”

Humphrey Lindsay 17 21 Wynot 25 25 

In the final game of the Clarkson Tournament, Humphrey-Lindsay fell to Wynot in two sets, 17-25, 21-25.

The team was held to a hitting rate of 0.014, with Nyla Beller and Hallie Reichmuth the only hitters in the positive hitting percentage column. Reichmuth had nine kills on 23 attempts with only two hitting errors. Beller smacked down four more kills on 10 attempts, but did rack up three hitting errors. Autumn Fittje led the team in assists with 10. Summer Korth added five more.

Blocking at the net was a bit slim, requiring the back row to pick up the hits. Aydan Hake had nine digs, Karly Korth dug eight, and Beller scooped up seven of the team’s 40 digs. Beller and Hake teamed up for double-digit serve receives each, accounting for over half of the receptions.

Summary Humphrey Lindsay 17 21 Wynot 25 25 HL (kills, aces, blocks) – Khloe Hooker, 1k; Autumn Fittje, 2k; Nyla Beller, 4k, 1b; Aydan Hake, 1k, 1b; Hallie Reichmuth, 9k; Marley Hall, 2b; Taya Heinen, 2b. Assists: Autumn Fittje, 10, Nyla Beller, 2; Aydan Hake, 1; Summer Korth, 5.

Game 2 Humphrey Lindsay 19 21 Elmwood-Murdock 25 25 

In the second game of the Clarkson Tournament, Humphrey- Lindsay was taken down in two sets by Elmwood-Murdock, 19-25, 21-25. The Bulldog’s primary outside hitters, Nyla Beller and Hallie Reichmuch, were held to low hitting rates, though they did have a combined dozen kills. The team, as a whole, managed 19 kills on 72 attempts with 14 hitting errors for a 0.069 hitting rate. Autumn Fittje and Summer Korth combined for 15 of the 17 assists.

Marley Hall led the team with three blocks, followed by Nyla Beller with two. The digging behind the block was marginally effective. Beller dug 11 attack attempts and Summer Korth scooped up seven. Aydan Hake and Reichmuth had double-digit clean passes on serve receive, with 15 and 10 respectively.

Karly Korth had the lone service ace, and led the team in points scored with eight. 

Summary Humphrey Lindsay 19 21 Elmwood-Murdock 25 25 HL (kills, aces, blocks) – Khloe Hooker, 1k, 1b; Karly Korth, 1a; Autumn Fittje, 4k; Nyla Beller, 7k, 2b; Aydan Hake, 1k; Hallie Reichmuth, 5k; Marley Hall, 1k, 3b; Assists: Autumn Fittje, 8; Aydan Hake, 1; Hallie Reichmuth, 1; Summer Korth, 7.

Game 1 H-L 23 28 25 Clarkson 25 26 21

No statistics were available as of press time. +Pender 10 22 21 H-L 25 25 25

Humphrey-Lindsay Bulldogs were able to put out the fire the Pender Pendragons brought to Humphrey Sept. 29, beating them 25-10, 25-22, 25-21.

The Bulldogs came out of the gates energized, playing relaxed and confident. They side hitter in a lineup switch designed by Coach Cami Oelsligle. Beller was able to wipe several hits off the outside block and was nearly unstoppable. Marley Hall was moved to middle blocker, and Summer Korth and Autumn Fittje have settled into a true 6-2 offense. Karly Korth continues to serve solidly for Hall, and play the back row as a defensive specialist. The lineup works well, as it maintains the length of the front row players’ reach, and capitalizes on strong back row play. The only hiccup in the current lineup is the absence of Makayla Stock at libero. She is sidelined with a calf/Achilles injury and will take some time to heal before she re-enters the lineup consistently. Oelsligle used the word “discipline” to describe the Bulldogs in the first set.

The Bulldogs almost stalled in the second set. The score was tied 18-18 and H-L could feel the heat from the Pendragons, who played the set like they had nothing to lose. Even though Pender was able to score one more point after the tie, the Bulldogs took over. They have had a few sets this season slip out of their grasp at critical points like this, but they were not going down without a fight. Oelsligle described the set two win with the word “heart.”

With momentum on their side, the Bulldogs went on to win set three with the addition of a few bench players. “We have a strong sub in every position right now but tonight we didn’t go to [it] because we didn’t need it.”

Throughout the match, the Bulldogs were able to at least get a hand on a lot of the hits Pender tried to throw down. This was a key statistic in the match. Beller and Hallie Reichmuth each had 16 digs and Aydan Hake dug up 15 more. Overall there were 71 digs in the three-set match. Also defensively, Humphrey Lindsay was able to control the serve receive, again led by Beller and Reichmuth, who had a combined 28 of the 45 serve receives. Blocking at the net was solid as well. Summer Korth had an incredible one-hand ace block, and had a team-high four total blocks. On offense, Hake and Beller kept their hitting rate at 0.300+, which contributed to the team rate of 0.177. The Bulldogs connected on 37 of the 113 attempts at the net. Korth dished out 19 set assists and Autumn Fittje added 11 more. Hake and Reichmuth each had one ace serve and accumulated 19 points collectively. Oelsligle said, “As long as we’re playing for the right reasons, then this is going to be fun. You have to give a shout out to our bench because they do their job of helping us to get better every single practice and then sit over here and cheer for us and bring good energy. That’s sometimes a hard role to play but you can’t discredit that because that’s why we believe we are stronger than a lot of teams. We have this bench to play against every single day.”

Summary Pender 10 22 21 H-L 25 25 25 H-L (kills, aces, blocks) – Autumn Fittje, 5k, 1b; Nyla Beller, 10k, 1b; Aydan Hake, 7k, 1a, 3b; Hallie Reichmuth, 10k, 1a; Marley Hall, 3k; Summer Korth, 2k, 4b; Assists: Karly Korth, 1; Autumn Fittje, 11; Nyla Beller, 1; Aydan Hake, 2, Summer Korth, 19.

The Defenders whipped Omaha Nation 54-0 here Friday afternoon, and that allowed head coach Eric Kessler to empty his bench and get his younger players valuable experience.

“It’s a little bit of a tougher week, we don’t like to look ahead, so we just worked on ourselves this week and getting the younger kids some snaps, and they got a lot of snaps,” he said. “Like I told them, we have them on film now, so we can critique some things. We’ve played five games and a lot of these guys didn’t get five snaps in five games because of the competition we’ve had, so it’s good to get them on film, so we can correct some things.”

That’s one of the keys to their long-term success, getting everyone playing time, so when the younger kids get their chances to play, they have experience.

“We have good young players, and they put in just as much time in the summer and at practices, so it was good to get them on the field and get some reps,” Kessler said.

As for the game, senior Ethan Wieseler took the opening kickoff and outraced the Omaha Nation defense 70 yards for the score, and the rout was on.

Archangels intercepted three passes in the first half, and Wieseler returned one 15 yards for the score, and senior Gavin Geilenkirchen ran in two scores from 38 and 5 yards.

Tate Wietfeld tossed 15 yards to Cade Wietfeld on a 15-yard scoring play, and Jameson Small scored on a 5-yard run.

Jameson Small added an 8-yard touchdown run in the third quarter, and the defense recorded a safety in the fourth to wrap up the scoring.

Small led the Defenders with 68 yards rushing on 13 carries and he recorded a team-high 11 tackles.

The Defenders travel Friday to Clarkson for a 7 p.m. kickoff.

The Defenders struggled a bit from the service line, serving only 80% and racking up 12 service errors on 60 attempts. While aggressive serving is desired and can be an offensive weapon, it can also hurt if those serves end up out of bounds or in the net.

At the attack line, ACHS was much more consistent and powerful, hitting 0.110 with four of the Defender servers maintaining a rate of 0.333 or higher. Scarlett Kessler led the team with eight kills on 23 attempts and no errors. Anisten Johannes added five more kills. The Defenders also averaged 3.0 blocks per set, led by Johannes with seven. Team assists totaled 21 with Tatum Classen dishing 15 and September Babel adding 4 more.

Libero Courtney Eisenmann stepped up on serve receive, taking care of 38 of the 60 serves coming over the net. Kessler also had a solid platform, adding eight clean receptions. The Defenders averaged 15.3 digs per set with Eisenmann and Kessler combining for 19 total digs.

Summary ACHS 19 22 19 Leigh 25 25 25 ACHS (kills, aces, blocks) – Izzy Tasa, 1k, 4b; Tatum Classen, 2k, 1a; Eva Klassen, 3k, 1a, 1b; Scarlett Kessler, 2k, 2b; September Babel, 1k, 2a; Grace McPhillips, 3k, 2b; Anisten Johannes, 5k, 2a, 7b; Assists: Izzy Tasa, 1; Tatum Classen, 15; Courney Eisenmann, 1; September Babel, 4.

Archangels Catholic Defenders competed in a triangular on Thursday, coming away with one win and one loss.

Archangels 25 25 GI Lutheran 23 17

On their way to the first road win in several away games, the Defenders spread their attacking across the front row. Junior Eva Klassen led the team in kills with seven, followed by Scarlett Kessler with six. Despite having fewer kills, Anisten Johannes led the attackers in hitting percent with 0.333 and five kills. Tatum Classen was the floor general, leading the team with 23 set assists.

Blocking was also spread out across the net, with five front row players racking up at least one block. Middle blocker Johannes had four blocks and outside hitter Kessler added three more to the team total.

ACHS dug up 43 attack attempts with zero digging errors. Senior libero Lillie Beltz led all Defenders with 11 digs. Kessler added an impressive nine more to the total. Archangels also had excellent serve receive, getting 36 of 38 passes to the setter. Klassen led the solid passing with 11, followed by Izzy Tasa who added nine.

Summary Archangels 25 25 GI Lutheran 23 17 ACHS (kills, aces, blocks) – Izzy Tasa, 2k, 2b; Tatum Classen, 1b; Eva Klassen, 7k; Scarlett Kessler, 6k, 3b; Grace McPhillips, 5k, 1b; Anisten Johannes, 5k, 4b; Assists: Tatum Classen, 23; Scarlett Kessler, 1; Grace McPhillips, 1.

Archangels 19 25 24 Nebr Christian 25 17 26

The second match was hardfought, but the Defenders came up short in set one and lost in a heart-breaker in set three. Sophomore Izzy Tasa had a team high 0.368 hitting rate and hammered eight kills. Grace McPhillips also had an impressive 0.300 hitting percentage. Senior setter Tatum Classen led the match with 17 of the 25 set assists.

With only four total blocks in the match, the Defenders had to make up the difference with digging. Four ACHS players had double-digit digs: Scarlett Kessler (18), Tatum Classen (12), Eva Klassen (12), and Courtney Eisenmann (10). Eisenmann also led the team in clean serve receives, with 14. Klassen and Kessler each added ten more.

Scoring instant points on serving were Classen and Klassen, each with one ace serve, and Kessler who contributed two aces.

With the loss, the Defenders move to 13-7 on the season, and head to Elgin for a triangular with EPPJ and St. Mary’s on Tuesday, followed by a trip to Clarkson on Thursday.

Summary Archangels 19 25 24 Nebr Christian 25 27 26 ACHS (kills, aces, blocks) – Izzy Tasa, 8k, 1b; Tatum Classen, 3k, 1a, 1b; Eva Klassen, 5k, 1a; Scarlett Kessler, 1k, 2a; Grace McPhillips, 3k, 1b; Anisten Johannes, 6k, 1b; Assists: Izzy Tasa, 1; Tatum Classen, 17; Courtney Eisenmann, 1; Eva Klassen, 1; Scarlett Kessler, 3; Anisten Johannes, 2.

Founded in the 1950s by his parents, Jim and Mary Catherine, Beller Feedlot grew steadily through the generations. Today, Terry oversees a 6,200-headcapacity business guided by the same quality focus that shaped its creation.

The family’s dedication was recognized for its decades-long role in supplying the brand this September. Beller Feedlot received the 2026 Feedyard Commitment to Excellence Award at the Certified Angus Beef (CAB) Annual Conference in Marco Island, Fla.

One Pen at a Time

What started as a wedding gift became the foundation. Jim and Mary Catherine received a heifer and a steer, fattened and sold them, and then bought more cattle with the proceeds. The first generation of Beller Feedlot ownership repeated this process until they reached 300-400 head in the 1960s. Aiming for a total feeding capacity of 1,500 head, the first feedyard expansion took place in the 1970s.

As it grew, so did Terry and his brother Rick’s interest in cattle feeding. At their dad’s retirement and their own transition into management, numbers grew to 4,500 head and gradually increased since then. The last major expansion, a confinement barn, added 1,200 head to that capacity.

Some expansion stages were like growing pains, the first addition of six pens not leaving enough capital to stock more than half with cattle for the first three years.

Rick passed away in 2004, but Terry has carried on managing the family cattle feeding business.

“My shoulders were pretty heavy for a while,” he says, and while noting his dad and brother would be proud of the progress today, none of it would be possible without the family and crew surrounding Terry.

The next generation, sons Riley and Wesley Beller, feature in daily operations. Riley feeds and checks cattle, along with hauling distillers and other corn byproducts for their grain farming enterprise. Wesley is a jack of all trades, assisting with feeding and processing cattle, maintenance and especially cleaning pens. That favorite duty is testament to the feedyard’s commitment to animal health and performance.

“Strong work ethic” is a common core description when speaking of their father. Not just his drive, but attention to detail and peace of mind from knowing nothing was left undone at the end of the day.

“Work hard, no shortcuts, do the right thing and go the extra mile,” Wesley sums up.

The Beller Blueprint

The Beller Feedlot team sources high-quality Angus feeder cattle, provides top-tier care, manages nutrition for optimal performance, and builds strong customer relationships.

“We’ve got some great relationships that go back 35 and 40 years,” Terry says. “And they don't look elsewhere.”

Most of those longtime, as well as newer sources, are known for Angus calves with performance and feed efficiency, carcass merit and docility. With a goal to produce as many CAB and Certified Angus Beef Prime carcasses as possible, Terry has zeroed in on reviewing carcass data from the packer.

In the early 2000s, Beller Feedlot became CAB licensed via a now-shuttered Feedlot Licensing Program, gaining increased access to carcass data from packers where they shipped cattle.

“It was the best move I ever did,” Terry says.

At the time, getting a carcass data sheet back from the packer was no easy feat. But Terry pressed on and worked with the CAB team. He had a vision for better genetics and increased profitability — knowing how customer cattle graded, and sharing that with customers was an integral piece.

Despite catching some flak from his father, Terry passed the carcass data he received on to ranchers.

“It’s like the Bible,” Terry says. “They look at their carcass data and say, ‘That cow's got to go. We’ve got to switch bulls. We’ve got to make some change — we want Terry Beller to be happy with every calf that goes on that load.’” The Bellers are keenly aware that the ability to grade well starts with high-quality Angus genetics at the ranch and is dependent on their daily management. Combining top-tier care and nutrition, they’ve found their sweet spot in achieving CAB and its Prime level.

Low-stress handling, a stringent fly protocol, shades and twice-daily pen checks—on foot—are the cornerstone of Beller’s animal care. And they still dial in feed rations with the counsel of a nutritionist. Details and doing things right matters.

“I like big numbers. I like producing premium cattle,” Terry says. “And then once we close them out, I like to see a positive on the bottom line, of course.”

Terry’s the first one to the feedyard; he runs a feed truck and then heads to the office to cook his team breakfast ahead of their daily morning meeting.

A String of Successes

The Bellers aren’t new to such awards. In 2003, the feedyard was CAB Feedlot Partner of the Year for yards with less than 15,000-head capacity. They are one of only two CAB Gold Award winners among more than 70 previously licensed feedyards. Motivated by customer success, the partner yard regularly entered CAB’s quarterly AngusSource Carcass Contest between 2008 and 2011.

For Terry, it’s not about awards or plaques on the wall. It’s in knowing he and the crew completed another day’s work at the caliber he expects: the animals are well-fed, well taken care of and Terry’s happy with how things look at the sunset night check. Success is in a report from their packer partners showing he’s hit his CAB and Prime goals.

Today, Beller Feedlot markets nearly all cattle on a grid to Cargill or Greater Omaha. Carcass data from the past year for cattle harvested at both highlights the feedyard’s continued motivation and drive to achieve quality-rich outcomes.

Started by his parents in the 1950s, Terry Beller continues the Beller Feedlot legacy.

Since July 2025, the feedyard has carcass data from Cargill on 4,300 head averaging 24.8% Prime and 40.2% CAB. Another data set, comprising 13 lots of non-hormone treated (NHTC) program cattle sold to Greater Omaha, shows only one group grading below 40% Prime, with the highest reaching 77% Prime.

For Terry, though, a carcass sheet reading 100 percent CAB or Prime with no outs remains the benchmark. Looking ahead, he has another goal in mind: improving feed efficiency.

“Our ultimate dream is to convert four or five pounds of feed to one pound of beef, versus seven pounds to 1 pound of beef,” he says.

For many, the numbers Beller Feedlot is posting today would be reason enough to celebrate. For Terry, they are simply the next benchmark to build upon. Whether the goal is more Prime, more CAB or greater feed efficiency, the approach remains unchanged: do the job right, take care of the cattle and keep looking for ways to improve. That philosophy fueled decades of success and will continue to shape the feedyard’s future.

Just $1 million separates St. Francis of Assisi Parish from its $25 million goal and the ability to complete its entire school and athletic vision at once.

St. Francis of Assisi Parish is within $1 million of reaching a $25 million capital campaign goal that would allow the parish to complete its entire school and athletic vision together.

The “United in Faith. Building for Generations.” campaign has now raised $24 million toward its $25 million goal. Reaching $25 million would allow St. Francis to complete the full project at the same time, including a new grade school and state-of-the-art competition gymnasium.

“This community has already done something extraordinary,” said Father Taylor, pastor of St. Francis of Assisi Parish. “We have raised $24 million because people believe in Catholic education and in what this community can provide for generations to come. We are incredibly grateful.”

Why reaching $25 million matters mow 

St. Francis is now in a position to consider completing the entire vision together rather than moving forward with only a portion of the project.

There also is a practical reason to complete the project now. Delaying construction of the competition gymnasium could mean significantly higher labor and material costs in the future. It also could require the parish to return to the community years from now for another major fundraising effort. Construction is scheduled to begin in spring 2027.

“We have to think about stewardship,” Father Taylor said. “If we have an opportunity to build this entire project together, at today’s costs, with the momentum and generosity we have right now, we need to take that opportunity seriously. Waiting doesn’t make the challenge disappear. In many ways it makes the challenge harder.”

What the completed project means for students 

At $25 million, St. Francis will be able to complete the full vision for a new grade school and competition gymnasium designed to serve students, athletes, families and the broader community for generations.

The gymnasium will feature a state-of-the-art competition floor, two scoreboards, a dedicated weight room, men’s and women’s locker rooms and additional spaces designed around the needs of today’s students and tomorrow’s.

“Having a facility like this gives our kids a place they can be proud of and a place that matches the level of commitment they bring every day,” Eric Kessler, long-time coach and athletic director, said.

“It’s not just about having a nicer gym. It’s about giving our students the opportunity to practice, compete and develop in a facility that can support them at every level,” he said.

The facility also will give younger students an opportunity to see themselves as future athletes.

“One of the things I like most about this project is what it can mean for our grade school students,” Kessler said. “They’ll be able to walk into that gym, watch our high school athletes compete and picture themselves being out there someday. That’s powerful for a young athlete. It gives them something to work toward.”

That opportunity is especially important at a time when space for student activities has become increasingly limited.

“Space has become such a premium that we’re sometimes asking families to make sacrifices just to give their kids an opportunity to participate,” Kessler said. “There are families getting up early to make it to practice at 6 a.m. because that’s the only time we can find space for an activity, and there are kids and families staying late into the evening for the same reason. We want our kids to have these opportunities, but we also know how important that time is for families to be together.

Having additional space would allow us to provide more opportunities for our students while also giving families back some of that time.”

“Buildings are important, but the buildings themselves are not the mission,” Father Taylor said. “The mission is the young person who walks through those doors. The child who discovers a gift. The student who finds confidence. The athlete who learns perseverance. The family who finds a community. That’s what we’re really building.”

The final $1 million

With $24 million already raised, parish leaders are now focused on the remaining $1 million needed to reach the campaign goal. Supporters have already responded in a variety of ways, including increasing existing pledges, making first-time gifts and considering larger commitments.

A larger commitment does not necessarily mean a larger payment today. St. Francis is offering a five-year pledge period, allowing families and individuals to spread their commitment over time.

“We understand that every family’s circumstances are different,” Father Taylor said. “This is not about comparing gifts. It is about prayerfully considering what you are able to do and then being willing to respond.”

Tim Hassenstab, a St. Francis parishioner and alumnus, said the project has taken on particular meaning for his family. Hassenstab and his brothers and sisters have come together in significant ways to honor their late parents, who were longtime pillars of the St. Francis parish and Humphrey community.

“For our family, this project is about much more than a new school or a new gym,” Hassenstab said. “It is one of the ways we can honor our parents and what they taught all of us. They believed deeply in giving back. They believed in the responsibility we have to support the parish and the community that has given so much to our family.

“My brothers and sisters and I have all been shaped by that example. We were taught that when you have been blessed, you have a responsibility to give back. This project gives our family an opportunity to do that together, while helping ensure that St. Francis continues to be a place where families can raise their children well after we’re all gone,” he said Mike Duesman, another alumnus, said his connection to the parish and Humphrey goes back generations. The Duesman family has long been part of the community, and he sees the campaign as an opportunity for alumni and former residents to remain invested in the place that shaped them.

“When you grow up in a place like Humphrey and go through St. Francis, you carry that community with you, no matter where life takes you,” he said. “My family has been fortunate to be part of this community for generations, and I know there are a lot of other families who feel the same way.

“There are a lot of people from Humphrey and St. Francis who have gone on to build lives and businesses all over the country. They may not live here anymore, but they know what this parish and this school mean. I think this is a moment for all of us who have called St. Francis home to think about what we want to leave behind,” Duesman said.

Parish leaders are seeking potential support beyond the campaign’s existing donor base, including former St. Francis students who now live elsewhere, family members, business owners, friends and alumni who understand the importance of a strong school to a rural community.

Allen and Cheryl German, major donors involved in the campaign, said the $24 million raised to date reflects the community’s belief in the project.

“We have watched an incredible number of people sacrifice to get this campaign to $24 million,” Allen said, “That should tell all of us something. People believe in this. They believe in the school. They believe in St. Francis. They believe in the future.”

Several naming opportunities remain available within the new school and gymnasium, including the competition gym floor, weight room, scoreboards, men’s and women’s locker rooms and a few classrooms.

A vision for generations

For more than a century, St. Francis has been a place where faith is taught, friendships are formed and generations of families build their lives around a shared community.

The new school represents the next chapter. The gymnasium represents an opportunity to complete that chapter now rather than leaving a significant part of the vision for the future.

“Someday, our community’s children will inherit what we choose to build today,” Father Taylor said. “They won’t know every name of every person who gave. They may not know how hard it was to raise these dollars. But they will walk into these classrooms. They will walk onto that gym floor. They will sit in those bleachers. They will play, learn, pray and grow here. That is our responsibility and our privilege.”

The “United in Faith. Building for Generations.” campaign is $1 million short of its $25 million goal, which would allow St. Francis to complete the entire project together.

About St. Francis of Assisi Parish and School 

St. Francis Elementary School in Humphrey has provided faithbased education and spiritual formation to generations of families for more than 118 years. The St. Francis Elementary Building Project seeks to create a safe, modern and Christ-centered learning environment to serve students for generations to come.

More information about the campaign, including project details, campaign progress and opportunities to participate, can be found at hsfschool.org/newschool.

Media Contact: Deb Herchenbach Campaign Co-Chair campaign@hsfschool.org 402-920-3161

He was able to stay in the country, but that doesn’t mean leaving home was easy for Bill Albracht.

The 94-year-old Humphrey man served three years in the U.S. Coast Guard during the Korean War, 1952-55.

He was one of nine from the area who enlisted, some went into the Coast Guard and some the U.S. Air Force.

“We all wanted to serve our country. We were asked to do it, and we all wanted to do it,” he said.

He was born 2 1/2 miles south of Humphrey, the youngest of 15 — including three sets of twins — to Henry and Gertrude Albracht.

Before then, his family lived between Lindsay and St. Bernard, where most of his brothers and sisters were born.

“My dad bought a farm over there and lived there a couple years, and hogs went down to 4 cents a pound and corn 10 cents a bushel, and he lost the farm, so with a big family they had to find a place they could rent, and they found a place over by Humphrey, and that’s where I was born,” he said.

He graduated from St. Francis High School in 1949, and Albracht said it was his class that gave the school it’s mascot, the Flyers.

“We had two girls in our class who had brothers who were pilots, or flyers, and that’s how that name became. There was another name before Flyers, but I never heard too much about it,” Albracht said. “Our grade school is still the Flyers, and our high school is the Defenders.”

He helped his dad farm until he was 20 and then an area group of young men, figuring they were going to be drafted at some point, enlisted in the military.

“Six of us joined the Coast Guard in 1952, and in March three of the guys we ran around with went into the Air Force,” he said. “We were sent to Alameda, Calif. On one particular Sunday, the six of us who were in the Coast Guard, we were able to get the day off, and we went to the Air Force Base to meet with them, so the nine of us, plus another kid from the Navy (Larry Sawyer) got together.”

Albracht hung out that day with John Eisenmenger, Coast Guard; Dean Kruse, Air Force; Ed Hamling, Air Force; Leroy Haferland, Air Force; Mark Foltz, Coast Guard; Larry Sawyer, U.S. Navy; Don Lubischer, Coast Guard; Fritz Haiar, Coast Guard; and Don Adamy, Coast Guard.

The guys who joined the Coast Guard made that decision together.

“We knew we were going to be drafted in 1952, and we didn’t want to go into the Army infantry. Two of them joined the Coast Guard in February, and two weeks later myself and the others joined at the end of February. The three that went into the Air Force joined the next month,” Albracht said. “The reason to go into the Coast Guard is because it was for three years, and the Air Force was four years. Most of the guys wanted to come back and continue farming.”

Basic training was in Alameda, Calif., and after that he came home for a short leave before being sent to Seattle, Wash.

For a young man who grew up in rural Platte County, Neb., being so far from home was not always easy.

“I got a little homesick,” he said. “Then they announced they had some openings in Astoria, Ore., (a port city in northwest Oregon), and I thought I have some cousins in Oregon. I was a family guy, coming from a big family, so I got homesick, and I’m not embarrassed to admit that.”

He requested a transfer there, so he could be closer to family.

“I got there on a Friday by bus, and they told me you can take the weekend off, so I hitchhiked to see my cousins, and was back at the Coast Guard Base by Sunday,” he said.

At the base there was a repair shop and buoy tenders, which are buoy markers. There are three ships that picked up the buoys to clean and paint and then put back in the Columbia River, a 10-mile wide area.

The buoys were used as Aids to Navigation (ATON) to mark safe shipping channels, guide mariners, and warn them of dangerous underwater hazards and shifting shoals along the treacherous Columbia River bar and Pacific Northwest coast.

“That was one of the jobs of the Coast Guard,” he said. “We also had boats that patrolled the Columbia River.”

Albracht started out in the mailroom and as a driver, but wanted to learn skills that could translate to the farm, so he took correspondence courses on engine repair.

“Eventually I didn’t have to take care of the mail anymore, and I spent my time in the repair shop on boat engines, mostly diesel engines,” he said. “I was lucky I was able to stay in that area. I had these relatives about 150 miles away in Mount Angel, Sublimity and Salem, Ore. I would go see them often, and it was just like going on a weekend, which was nice.”

Albracht calls his time in the Coast Guard as “kind of boring” compared with others who served during that time, but he’s proud to have served the country.

“I had brothers who served in WW II, and they had it very tough,” he said. “One of them drove a tank, and he got out to have a cigarette, and the Germans blew up the tank. Another one went on Utah Beach, and he was 28 years old at the time. A lot of the other soldiers, with their big packs on, drowned. He got to the beach, and of course there were dead soldiers all over, so he laid between the dead soldiers to get by after being hit by shrapnel for which he earned a Purple Heart. Later on he was in a Jeep accident and broke his leg and was sent to the hospital, by that time the war was eased up. When he went to the hospital most of his company went to the Battle of Bulge, and a lot of them were killed, so they had tough times. I had nephews who had tough times in Vietnam, so I consider myself lucky to be able to stay in the United States my three years.”

He said all the guys who went into the Coast Guard were scattered around the United States and over seas.

His last 2 years in the Coast Guard were spent in the shop, putting to work the mechanical skills he learned.

“We mostly overhauled 40foot Coast Guard boats they used for patrolling the Columbia River. I did some of that. One night we had to take one woman from Astoria across the river 10 miles to Seattle because she was going to have a baby.

“Then one time they had the Salmon Derby we had to go out and patrol the river because they had all these small boats out there, and some of them capsize. As a matter of fact, one Sunday afternoon I caught a 10-pound and 17-pound salmon,” he said.

When his duty was over he returned home in 1955, but there was no farm.

“The farm my dad rented, he wasn’t able to hold onto it because he didn’t have help, and he was getting up in age. He moved to Humphrey, and he took care of the park in Humphrey for about 20 years. When I came home a cousin got me a job at Habco in Columbus. I was an acetylene welder. I was there about 6 months.”

His twin brothers suggested he go to college in the G.I. Bill, so he enrolled at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, studying agriculture, graduating with the bachelor of science degree in ag education.

Albracht got a job at Leigh Public School, teaching vo ag three years before a friend told him the Farmers Co-op Grain & Lumber was going to build a new feedmill, and asked him if he wanted to work at the co-op.

He got the job, but had to get out of his teaching contract at Leigh, which he did by finding his replacement.

Albracht helped build the feedmill, which became operational in 1959.

He stayed at the feedmill 15 years, which was operated by the co-op, and then spent two years learning lumber, grain and petroleum departments, learning that part of the business.

He was teaching when he met his wife, Marge.

“I was 30 years old, and no one would have me,” Albracht jokes. “I went to a lot of dances, and she had a cousin there and she told him she wanted to dance with me. So we started getting along. Finally, I started going with her, and I was 31 when I got married,” he said.

He and Marge have been married 63 years and have three children, Pat, who lives in the Dallas area, Cathy, Omaha, and Lynn, who lives in Humphrey.

After that he became co-op manager, a job he held for 15 years, making it 32 years at the co-op.

Albracht retired at 62, but he didn’t stop working.

He started working for Mark Foltz on his farm, spending 10 years during wheat harvest running a grain cart and hauling manure and whatever else needed to be done.

He had to quit when he lost sight in his left eye.

Albracht lost the sight in his left eye. He developed iritis (an inflammation of the iris) while working at the feed mill. When he was 92 he started taking steroid shots, had a cataract removed and started taking eye drops. Albracht was sent to a specialist in Omaha and ended up making 15 trips there before he had surgery to drain the eye and keep the pressure down. Eventually, there was no more they could do for him, and he lost his sight in that eye, but that hasn’t slowed him down.

He’s kept busy doing odd jobs, including building a garage and sunroom onto his home, and he enjoys volunteering.

“I enjoy doing volunteer work. I did some brick work with Melvin Pfeifer. He was putting the block on the community building, so I volunteered to help him. Then I volunteered at the school. The biggest job we did was we put a weightroom and lockerroom in. We built additions onto the entrance of the auditorium, and someone showed me how to put in tile on the ceiling and on the wall, so I was able to do that. Then we renovated the church basement, and I spent a summer doing that,” he said.

He started singing in the church choir 77 years ago, including coming back on leave when he was in the Coast Guard.

Zobel was assisted by Molly Wallish and Cecelia Brichacek, campus ministers at Scotus Central Catholic in Columbus; Sr. Mary Jacinta and Sr. Peter Marie, both School Sisters of Christ the King in Lincoln; Kade Wiese; Fr. Zach Tucker, rural vocations director; and Fr. Taylor Leffler, school president and pastor, who combined to form a solid team providing spiritual sustenance for the retreatants.

The day began with Mass celebrated by Fr. Taylor. In his homily, he shared about the life of St. Padre Pio who, like St. Francis of Assisi, received the gift of the stigmata after prayerfully asking for a deeper relationship with Jesus. He encouraged retreatants to develop a relationship with Christ through prayer, but also to listen for His voice.

After the homily, ten juniors were commissioned as lectors and EMHCs and will now be available to provide ministry at school and parish Masses.

Mrs. Zobel opened the retreat by explaining the theme for the day and introducing Fr. Taylor, who gave the first talk on Discernment of Spirits in the gym to the whole group. One thing that stood out from his talk was that Satan knows our names, but calls us by our sins; Jesus knows our sins, but calls us by name. He went on to encourage students to find their identity in Christ.

The second talk was given by Kade Wiese who attended seminary briefly before discerning out. He shared that process and how he knew it was the voice of God speaking to him; he also expressed how he processed God’s presence in his own plan for his life. “When you are at peace with a decision, you will know it is the right one,” he said. It is through prayer and contemplation that the right decision comes.

Retreatants were then given time for personal reflectionå, thinking through questions about their personal prayer lives. Later, they had the opportunity to discuss and share their thoughts and reflections on the morning talks within small groups.

The young men remained in the gym and heard from Fr. Taylor and Fr. Zack, who shared about their vocations to the priesthood, the ways God spoke to them as they discerned His desire for their lives, and how they knew the priesthood was right for them. At this time, the ladies gathered in the library to hear from Sr. Mary Jacinta and Sr. Peter Marie, who shared about themselves—hearing the voice of God in prayer and daily living, their vocation journeys, and living life as a religious sister in community with others.

After lunch and free time in the gym—where there were four different games happening at the same time—and throughout the school where students gathered in groups to chat with the retreat speakers and leaders, everyone gathered for a question and answer period with the priests and sisters. The questions ranged from the very trivial, such as “What is your favorite color?” to the much deeper, “How do you know it is God speaking to you?”

Students then gathered back at the church for adoration. Fr. Taylor set the focus for prayer and contemplation for the retreatants, while Fr. Tucker and Fr. Dan Wittrock were in the confessionals for anyone who wanted to partake in the sacrament of reconciliation.

The retreat ended at 3:30, and all present headed in all the different directions life takes them each day at that time, with a new focus on being still and knowing He is God.

The funding will help purchase specialized equipment and sensory tools for BCHC’s occupational, physical and speech therapy services, helping children build strength, coordination, communication, motor skills and independence.

Since its inception just over a year and a half ago, BCHC’s Pediatric Therapy program has served more than 60 children, with referrals continuing to grow.

The Valero Benefit for Children supports children’s programs in communities where Valero has major operations, with a focus on basic needs, education and healthcare. Funds are generated through Valero’s annual Benefit for Children charitable event in San Antonio, Texas, which includes golf outings and sporting clays tournaments. Proceeds are then distributed to children’s organizations in Valero communities.

“We are incredibly grateful to Valero for investing in the kids and our communities,” said Aprill Murphy, BCHC Grant Writer. “For rural families, having specialized pediatric therapy close to home means less travel and easier access to consistent care. Support like this allows BCHC to continue growing these services and giving local children the resources they need to reach their fullest potential.”

Valero has a history of supporting children at BCHC, previously awarding $5,000 annually in 2016, 2017 and 2018 to support a literacy program.

After Mass, students found their grandparents and escorted them to the school where they were treated to coffee, muffins, and juice. They were then invited to tour the elementary school and classrooms to see where the children spend their days.

Grandparents Day is always time well spent.

Like the name implies, multicolored Asian lady beetles are a non-native species of lady beetle, or ladybug, that first established populations in the US in 1988. Since then, they have spread across the country and are now an annual problem here in Nebraska. Related to our native lady beetles, multicolored Asian lady beetles will move into homes and other structures for winter, while most of the other lady beetles overwinter outside.

In Nebraska, these beetles begin their overwintering behavior around the end of September/ beginning of October, when cold nights are followed by warm, sunny days. In their native range, multicolored Asian lady beetles will overwinter on vertical rock faces in the mountains. With Nebraska’s lack of mountains, they instead look for any vertical surface that is light-colored. They are attracted to the sides of buildings that receive afternoon sun and can be seen congregating on homes, sheds, or garages to look for a good, warm spot to survive the winter. During this time, they may also enter homes.

The multicolored Asian lady beetles gain entry to your home through cracks or openings in exterior walls and move into attics, ceilings, and wall voids. They will also move into other warm areas of the home if they can find an entry point.

Outdoors, lady beetles are beneficial insects that feed on small, soft bodied bugs like aphids. Multicolored Asian lady beetles do not feed on wood, clothing, or food, and they do not reproduce over the winter. Instead, the insects will enter a diapause, or insect hibernation. This means they will become less active and pause their growth. Additionally, the multicolored Asian lady beetle does not carry human diseases, but some folks may develop a seasonal allergy to compounds that the beetles produce. Lady beetles release a smelly liquid when handled or crushed, which can also stain fabrics, walls, or carpets yellow.

Management You can use several techniques to prevent and manage these insects. The most effective way to prevent them is to exclude them from coming into your home. Be sure to inspect the outside of your house and seal up any cracks or other entry points around windows, doors, siding, utility pipes, chimneys, or fascia. Use good quality caulk or silicone and install weather stripping as needed. Replace any damaged screens on windows or doors, and make sure to cover any openings like attics, chimneys, and exhaust vents with number 20 screen mesh to physically stop them from moving in and becoming a pest.

After sealing your home, a perimeter spray around the exterior of the home can be effective if carefully timed, but keep in mind that these products can wash away and are only used to prevent the lady beetles from entering buildings.

If you do find beetles in your home, the best method of removal is your vacuum with a hose attachment. Smashing the insects or trying to sweep them away may cause the insects to release that smelly liquid and potentially stain your carpet. If you do vacuum up many beetles, be sure to clean out your vacuum soon afterward. Because the beetles do not reproduce indoors, indoor use of insecticides for Asian lady beetles is not recommended. Using foggers (aka “bug bombs”) or other insecticides to kill beetles in wall voids, may leave you with a plethora of dead beetles which then invites other pests into your home.

You may not notice a multicolored Asian lady beetle problem in your home until the spring, when temperatures warm up and they become active again. Once again, a vacuum will usually do the trick for removal.

Taylor Cammack is the Horticulture, Landscape, and Environmental Systems (HLES) Extension Instructor in Platte County. If you have any horticulture questions, please contact at (402) 563-4901 or tcammack7@unl.edu.

An accidental trip home for Christmas.

Don Sjuts, was serving in the U.S. Army during the Korean War, but a vehicular accident landed him back home on Christmas Day.

A 1953 graduate of Humphrey Public School, Sjuts grew up on a farm a half-mile from Cornlea with his parents, George and Lena Sjuts, and a brother, Henry, and three sisters, Elsie, Imelda and Jean.

He enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1954-56 during the Korean War, and after basic training in Fort Bliss in western Texas, six weeks later he was shipped off to Germany.

Don and his cousin, Calvin Sjuts, enlisted together and went through basics and were sent to Germany.

“I figured I was going to be drafted some time, and there was 25 of us who volunteered from Lindsay, Humphrey, Creston, Tarnov,” he said.

At Fort Bliss he had 4 weeks of infantry training and 4 weeks of artillery training, but circumstances prevented him from using his artillery training.

“I never stayed in one place very long,” he said. “I was in an accident, and I spent about 6 months in a hospital and a month at home on convalescence leave.”

One day in Germany he finished guard duty, and his sergeant gave him another assignment, which turned into a driving lesson on a German vehicle.

“He said, ‘Sjuts, get down to Ketchikan,’ which was the town we were closest to in Germany. He said the kid who was driving for the sergeant got caught in a bar, so he had a guy take me to Ketchikan. We were maybe 4 miles away. He took me to get a Volkswagen, and it was parked by the vegetable market there. I got in it, and it was up against the curb, and I got it started, but I couldn’t find reverse. This girl that worked in the vegetable garden came up, and she said, ‘Don’t you know how to drive a Volkswagen?’ I said no, I can’t find reverse, so she showed me, and I drove it to the officer’s club and reported. The chief warrant officer was in charge of the officer’s club, and he asked me if I had a license to drive it. I told him I had a Nebraska license. He said I had to have a German license, and kind of chewed my tail. I told him the sergeant told me to get up here. He said that’s alright, you’ll have to take drivers training.

There was no question whether I was going to take it or not.”

Sjuts took the test and passed and drove other times to the market in Ketchikan, and one day he drove to the market and a German citizen caught a ride back to Ketchikan, and that’s when the accident happened.

“On the way we were on this blacktop highway, and there was a small mountain, and we were meeting a tractor-trailer, and here comes this ambulance with sirens on passing the tractor-trailer. He hit me, and I was pinned in. That Volkswagen was just tin, and there happened to be two soldiers in a Jeep at an intersection not to far from where the accident happened, and they came over right away,” Sjuts said.

The two soldiers got Sjuts out of the vehicle, and a nurse, who was riding on the ambulance, helped. He was then transported to a German hospital, where he spent four-five days before he was transported to another hospital, this one in a military hospital in Lundstrom, Germany.

“I got there and a couple days later this German hospital said they were going to set my toes. My left foot was smashed. My toes were sticking straight up, and the German doctor said he was going to set the toes, and I asked how he was going to do that. He said, ‘I’ll pull them, and they’ll snap back into place,’ ” Sjuts said.

After several attempts, Sjuts told him to stop. It was too painful and not helping.

“I sat up in bed and doubled my fist and said you’re not going to touch me as long as I’m conscious,” he said.

Soon after that another doctor, who was a major in the Army, came into Sjuts’s room and asked about his condition.

“I told him my toes and bones are all messed up. He told the German doctor that was enough, and said they’d take me into surgery,” he said.

His leg was broken, split in two, and his foot and toes smashed.

During surgery the doctor set his leg and put pins in his toes.

The accident happened Sept. 22, 1954, and he was transferred Dec. 21, 1954, to a hospital in Lundstrom, Germany.

From that point it was transfer after transfer.

He flew to the United States, flying to New York — with a stop in England to refuel the plane. He ended up at Camp Kilmer Hospital in central New York, and then to Scott Air Force Base in St. Clair County, Ill., and then to Fitzsimons Army Hospital in Denver, landing Dec. 24, 1954 after an all-night flight.

“The doctor came in and saw me, and he looked at my leg — I had a long leg cast on — and he said, ‘We looked at your leg, and the cast is alright, and we’re going to send you home for a month of convalescence leave,’ ” Sjuts said.

So they grabbed his duffel bag, which Sjuts said, ‘Hadn’t been open since the grass was green.”

He was put on a train, riding from Denver to Columbus, Neb., arriving around 3-4 a.m. He was about to call his sister, who lived in Columbus, when he met a guy who used to own the Gambles store in Humphrey. He was picking up his daughter and offered Sjuts a ride.

“He got me to Humphrey, and we got a hold of the town cop, and he took me to my folk’s house. I had called my folks (before the accident) and told them I won’t be home for Christmas, but I didn’t have time to call them and say I was coming home. I knocked on the door about 6 o’clock in the morning and surprised the heck out of them,” he said. “They had planned a family dinner for Christmas, so I surprised everybody because I was home for Christmas.”

A month later it was time to go back. He spent about four months at a Denver hospital before being reunited with the same group he left Fort Bliss with, and they headed back to Fort Riley, Kan.

President Dwight D. Eisenhower was at the hospital in Denver at the same time, and “He had the whole top floor,” Sjuts said.

Back in Germany he was in charge of the day room, which is like a recreation room, and he was assistant mail clerk.

Once he was off the crutches he was put in charge of the gas dump, where vehicles filled up with fuel.

“I had a warrant officer who was over me, and he said I was in charge out here, and the only thing you do, he said, ‘Was mark the gallons down. You don’t get up and fill 5 gallon cans or anything. If you ever have any problems go inside, lock the door, give a ring, and I’ll be out here.’ “ Sjuts was tested one day, and followed his instructions.

“There was a lieutenant, he was pretty gung-ho. He came in, and he needed 5 gallon cans to take out to the field. He told me to fill the cans, and I said no sir. He said, ‘What do you mean no?’ I walked into the office and locked the door, and he was hammering on the door. I called the warrant officer, and he said stay in the office and I’ll be right down, He came down and had the lieutenant fill the cans.”

Sjuts said it was a culture shock going from the Midwest to Germany, but he enjoyed it despite the accident.

“It was a good experience,” he said. “It was an opportunity to see part of the world and meet people. I met a lot of guys and got to be good friends with them.”

After he was discharged, Sjuts came back to the family farm, which is what his parents had always wanted for him.

“My folks were counting on me taking the farm over, and they were going to retire,” he said.

He was 21 when he was discharged.

Before he enlisted, Sjuts was going steady with Norma Gehring, but didn’t want to commit to marriage in case something happened to him.

“I didn’t want to tie her down. I told her when I got out we’ll see if we’re still single, and that’s what happened. We got married March 5, 1957.

They have four children, Terry, Mike, Greg and Sandy.

He was nominated for the award by Mary Jane Rosenthal, on behalf of the Tarnov Heritage Museum.

On the nomination form, Rosenthal said, “Louis is very generous with his time, fixing whatever needs fixing even though he is busy with his Deacon duties. Our museum is located in a former Catholic Boarding School built in 1911 and always has something to fix. Louis is also a good promoter of our organization. He gets things set up for our annual breakfast fundraiser. He also plays a big part in organizing our annual parish spaghetti fundraiser.” His dedication, generosity, and thoughtful research have left an indelible mark — not just on the Museum, but on the entire community.”

Dohmen has been a deacon in the parish for 20 years. He has spent part of the time clearing out trees, brush and weeds from around both St. Michael’s Catholic Church and cemetery in Tarnov as well as the now closed St. Anthony’s of Padua Catholic Church and its cemetery in Burrow’s Township, near Tarnov. He also assists with maintenance duties at St. Michael’s Church, the Social Hall, and the Museum.

Several of his family and many parish members were able to attend and help surprise him with this award. A dinner of sloppy joes, chips, desserts, and drinks was served in the Parish Social Hall at St. Michael’s Saturday in his honor. A slide show presentation was also viewed by those in attendance.

Raised on his family farm near Spearville, Kan., Jeff learned the values of hard work, dedication, and community from an early age. After graduating from Kansas State University, he returned to his hometown and began his career with Victory Electric Cooperative. Over the next 12 years, he served in a variety of leadership roles, starting as an Electrical Engineer and more recently transitioning into the Manager of Engineering.

Jeff and his wife are proud parents of two boys, and family remains at the center of his life. Outside of work, he enjoys spending time with family and friends, building meaningful relationships, and making the most of opportunities to connect with those around him.

David Johnson joined Cornhusker Public Power District on June 29.

Before joining the District, David worked for CNC and brings more than 16 years of experience as a mechanic. He earned degrees in Auto Technology and Auto Body from Northeast Community College.

David and his fiancée, Shirri, live in Columbus. He has a daughter and five stepsons.

Outside of work, David has been racing Sport Mod cars for 14 years. He competes at U.S. 30 Speedway in Columbus on Thursday nights and at the Albion Speedway on Friday nights. In his free time, he also enjoys hunting, fishing, and spending time with his family.

On the boys side of the race, Klayton Brandl was just out of medal contention, running 18:24.00 and coming in 12th among a field of 98 male runners. Other Bulldogs competing Friday were Jarrett Fittje, 42nd, 20:23.00; Drew Weeder, 46th, 20:31.90; Xander Gronenthal, 56th, 21:08:60; Cooper Gleeson, 89th, 24:30.50; and Logan Petersen, 93rd, 25:47.00.

Coach Joe Hesse said, “The Humphrey Lindsay runners are hitting their stride at the right time. They’re getting PR’s at nearly every meet, which is a testament to the time they’ve put in over the summer and at practices. We look forward to showing everyone what we’ve got as the season ramps up to districts.”

The Bulldogs will next compete at the Stanton Invitational on Thursday.

The Defenders, 4-1, put together a complete game here Friday, topping Guardian Angels Central Catholic 42-12.

In the first half the Defenders stopped GACC on fourth-andone, and turned that into a 6-0 lead when senior Ethan Wieseler scored on a 2-yard run.

Senior Gavin Geilenkirchen returned a punt 65 yards and Wieseler tossed to Tate Wietfeld for the conversion and a 14-0 first quarter lead.

The second quarter started with another defensive stand. On fourth-and-one, the defense rose up again and stopped GACC. Two plays later Wieseler raced 17 yards for the score and a 20-0 lead.

The Bluejays looked to get back in the game on their next drive when the defense rose up again. Wieseler forced a fumble, and Jacob Keller recovered.

Geilenkirchen made them pay with a 40-yard dash to the end zone. Wietfeld’s conversion extended the lead to 28-0 in the third.

GACC finally reached the end zone when Hudson Bramlett tossed 31 yards to Timothy Gerrish.

In the fourth, Geilenkirchen scored on a 26-yard run for a 34-6 lead.

Geilenkirchen got defensive, picking off a pass in the end zone to stop another GACC drive, and followed that with a 42-yard touchdown run, and conversion for a 42-6 lead.

GACC’s final score came when Bramlett threw 32 yards to Jaxson Wegener.

ACHS head coach Eric Kessler said he was proud of his team’s defensive effort.

“I thought our defense played really well,” he said. “These guys (GACC) are a really good team. We had fourth down, and one play was a pass one of the Wietfeld twins came up and made a great open-field tackle, which I thought was a great play. Our defense did a really great job. I’m really proud of them.”

Kessler said his team is growing and getting better.

“This is the fourth rated team we’ve played, so it’s not like we’re playing nobodies, and I do think we’re getting better. We’re really young. We have some really good seniors, but we are really young, and some of the things we’re preaching are starting to come. We’re not where we’re going to be, but we’re coming,” Kessler said.

He credited his four seniors for their leadership on and off the field.

Geilenkirchen and Wieseler score a lot of touchdowns, but Kessler said seniors Jacob Keller and Wyatt Brandl are just as important.

“Jacob and Wyatt don’t get their names in the paper too much, but Jacob is really good up front, and Wyatt does all the little things for us as far as blocking and doing the little things, so we’re very fortunate to have those four seniors.”

The Defenders host Omaha Nation at 3 p.m. Friday.

Summary GACC 0 0 6 6 - 12 ACHS 14 14 6 8 - 42 Individual Leaders Rushing: ACHS — Geilenkirchen, 23-230 Passing: ACHS —Wieseler, 2-6-46 yards Receiving: ACHS — Geilenkirchen, 1-37 Tackles: ACHS — Wieseler, 11; Reichmuth, 11

Hosted by Boone Central High School, the meet featured grade-level competition among runners in Class C and D schools with freshmen racing against freshmen, sophomores against sophomores, juniors against juniors and seniors against seniors. Several days of rain left portions of the course slippery, and runners occasionally lost their footing.

In the high school girls race, freshman Brisa Reigle won first place among the freshman girls and placed third among high school girls in the meet with a personal best of 20:23.52. Claire Wegener did not compete.

All of the high school boys set personal best times for the race. Senior Jaiden Anderson led the Defenders in the high school boys race, finishing first among the senior boys and crossing the finish line second among all high school boys in the meet. Junior Daven Zach finished at 41st in 20:24.09, followed closely by freshman Easton Noonan at 43rd in 20:25.81.

The junior high girls were led by Brylie Reigle, who placed seventh with a time of 10:20.46. Emma Wegener finished 30th among all junior high girls in 11:54.87, followed by Emerie Small in 31st 11:56.06. Elizabeth Keller was 38th with a time of 13:36.39.

Tate Schumacher paced the junior high boys with a seventhplace finish with a time of 9:39. Eli Schumacher placed 26th overall among all junior high boys in 10:37.97, while Knox Bruland and Korbyn Westring finished 30th and 31st overall among all junior high boys, respectively. Bruland recorded a time of 10:50.95, and Westring finished in 10:51.

Coach Brockhaus praised the team’s continued progress as the season has reached its midpoint.

“The kids are half way through their season and they just keep getting better. I’m excited to see how they do in October. They have not peaked in their racing yet as districts on October 12 is the goal for peak times.”

Before districts the high school has three more meets: Kearney on Monday, September 28, Battle Creek Friday, and the conference meet at Steepleview Golf Course in Humphrey Oct. 8. With school records and personal bests continuing to be set, the Defenders will look to build on their momentum during the second half of the cross-country season.