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As we enter a new year, it is only fitting to look back the year we just completed. Take a look back at some of 2024’s top stories:
JANUARY
The Fullerton Area Chamber of Commerce announced the winners of the Christmas Lights Contest. First place was awarded to the Welch family. Second place was awarded to Karley Collins and Michael Bristol. Third place was awarded to Jan Furby.
Fullerton’s boys basketball team finished second at the Shelby-Rising City Holiday Tournament.
Twin River schools announced they were going back to the voters another time to seek support for a new school building project. The voters rejected a $48.5 million bond in September of 2023.
Nance County was digging out after getting blanketed with snow. A second round of snow dropped between 6 and 10 inches of snow on top of the 8-12 inches that fell days earlier.
Elena Reimer, Kinzie Sharman, Lylla Sabata and Riley Thomas were all chosen for the Kearney Underclassman Honor Band.
Fullerton’s new show choir, 8th & Broadway, were the top group in Class D at the UNL Midwest Cup at the Lied Center. They also were won the Spirit Award.
Fullerton’s kindergarten students celebrated 100 days in the classroom with a number of activities related to the number 100.
Schools around the state were in a bind as they learned they would not receive as many wrestling tickets for State as they requested.
FEBRUARY
Cael Dubas won the Nance County Spelling Bee. The Fullerton eighth grader outlasted 12 other students for the honors.
Twin River schools held multiple discussion sessions with the public to gauge interest in a school building project and find out what the taxpayers would support. The district would settle on a $39.9 million project.
Fullerton freshman Riley Thomas finished in the top four at her wrestling sub-district. She advanced to the district meet.
Twin River’s Delaney Reeg set the Titan’s single game steals record, taking the ball away from her opponent 11 times in the consolation round of the East Husker Conference Tournament.
Four area wrestlers advanced to State in Omaha. Fullerton sent seniors Brett Bridger and Jerrod Land and Twin River sent freshmen Zach Held and Braxtin Fowler. Bridger won at 190 pounds. Held finished third at 113 pounds. Fowler finished fifth at 106 pounds.
Twin River announced it was moving from the East Husker Conference in favor of the Crossroads Conference to start the 2024-25 school year.
MARCH
Nance County Assessor Megan Zoucha announced the county was switching to Beacon for their GIS maps.
The Nance County Veteran’s Museum expansion project continued to see progress.
Twin River won the speech district title and were sending 14 students to State. The Titans finished second at State.
Fullerton announced that Paige Horn, Jaci Maxfield, Hunter Gochenour, Lylla Sabata and Morgan Supik were named to the Class D All-State Band.
The Genoa American Legion Post # 144 recognized two veterans for 50 years of continuous membership. Denny Backman and Bob Patrick both joined the U.S. Army in 1954.
APRIL
Paul Ulferts announced he was retiring from the Fullerton American Legion Honor Guard.
Students around the nation looked to the sky to view a solar eclipse.
Longtime Fullerton teacher received the Local Love Award from the United Way.
The NSAA approved use of the shot clock in Class C and D games. There are 221 boys basketball teams and 222 girls basketball teams that would have to adjust to the new rule. Classes A and B already were playing with the shot clock.
Twin River Superintendent Jason Schapmann announced his resignation at the April school board meeting. He was taking a position with Columbus Schools. The timing of the change came one month before taxpayers would vote on a school building project.
The Flower Belles Garden Club celebrated their 50th anniversary.
Fullerton’s Future announced they hired their first director, Carlee Konz. The childcare facility was set to open later in 2024.
Naomi Cemetery was dedicated following 6 years of work by Judy Knoblock.
Fullerton pole vaulter Roe Patton’s quest to defend his state title ended in Grand Island when the junior suffered a torn meniscus. He would undergo surgery and be off his leg for 6 weeks while he recovered. He was jumping at a level that would higher than the year before when he won State.
Fullerton’s Future buys the contents of Koala-T Preschool. Elaine Sims announced she was retiring after more than 30 years in Fullerton.
MAY
The Nance County Journal won 5 awards from the Nebraska Press Association including first place for General Excellence.
Fullerton and Twin River said goodbye to the Class of 2024.
The Nance County Foundation awarded two scholarships to graduating seniors. Tessa Cherry of Genoa and Aiden Norman of Fullerton were this year’s recipients.
Taxpayers in the Twin River school district approved the $39.9 million school bond. The measure passed by one vote.
The Fullerton Betterment Committee sponsored a Summer Kickoff downtown on the last day of school. There was sidewalk chalk, popcorn and games.
Fullerton’s Class of 1979 planned their reunion with a gettogether at Overtime Bar & Grill.
Fullerton’s track team sent 7 athletes to State. Fletcher Dubas, Nolan Dubas, Kane Wetovick, Aiden Norman, Morgan Supik, Jaci Maxfield and Makayla Robinson all punched their tickets to Omaha. Twin River’s Kirk Hebda qualified for State in the triple jump.
Twin River hired Chris Lecher as their interim superintendent. He came to the district from the Franklin school district.
Cornhusker Public Power District announced they were giving $6,765 back to their communities.
JUNE
Nance County Sheriff Deputies crashed an underage party. No Nance County youth were found at the property in southwestern Nance County.
The Nance County Ag Society completed projects at the fairgrounds. Additional electricity was installed in the Show Barn and permanent stage was added near the beer garden.
Fullerton native Emily Frenzen discussed her recent trip to Kenya and Malawi.
Fullerton’s pool added adult swim time throughout the week.
Aiden Norman and Kirk Hebda shined as all-stars at the Sertoma 8-Man Football game.
A Silver Creek man was arrested in Genoa after walking around town without his pants.
Fullerton and Genoa residents saw a bump in home valuations.
Ralph “Butch” Horacek was named Outstanding County Board Member of the Year at a county board workshop in Kearney.
The drought was easing in Nance County. There was 6.83 inches of rain in May and 6.53 inches of rain through June 26.
JULY
Nance County Fair returned to Fullerton.
An EMT class was announced to be coming to Fullerton.
Twin River schools reached a settlement with a former employee. The board also voted to accept the resignation of former school counselor Dan Koziol at their July meeting.
Angie Shotkoski retired after spending 40 years at First Bank & Trust of Fullerton.
Fullerton Schools continued their budget discussions but acknowledged that a lot could change depending on what happened in the Legislature’s special session.
Nance County highway crews began the work of repairing roads after recent storms.
Fullerton resident Todd Hellbusch died in a motorcycle accident on Highway 52 north of Primrose.
The Sonderup family has been bleeding green for generations. In 2024, it was time for Luke and Lora Sonderup to shine at the Nance County 4-H Expo.
Pawnee Days returned to Genoa.
Two Quilts of Valor were presented at the Nance County 4-H Expo. Scott Adams and Ed Engstrom were presented with quilts.
AUGUST
The Corn Krib opened for business in Belgrade. The bar opened after months of renovations.
Nearly 60 airboaters stopped in Fullerton and raised $4,400 for autism awareness.
The City of Fullerton was going around and marking residences with blue flags to identify water shutoffs.
The Genoa Indian School Foundation held their annual recognition and day of remembrance, marking 90 years since the school closed. Close to 100 people were in attendance this year.
Fullerton’s golf team started practice, but the real work was put in over the summer. Senior Keila Dubas played a lot of golf over the summer in her bid to get back to State golf.
The Fullerton Betterment Committee sponsored a Cruise Night on Broadway.
Fullerton’s sixth grade class visited the Nebraska State Fair.
SEPTEMBER
Nance County Sheriff Chief Deputy Eric Griffin was able to assist in the search and rescue of a missing person by using the department’s drone.
Belgrade voters would have the opportunity to cast ballots for or against allowing a lottery in their village. This was the first step for Corn Krip to apply for a license to offer Keno.
Jaci Maxfield was crowned Fullerton’s Homecoming Queen. Nolan Dubas was crowned Homecoming King.
Fentanyl pills were found in Genoa. Twin River school administrators announced the drugs were found in Genoa but not found on school grounds. Nance County Sheriff Ben Bakewell said the drugs were not connected to the district, but it is important for the community to be aware the drugs are out there.
Coltt Kremlacek, a former Fullerton resident, was injured in a motorcycle accident. A benefit for him was planned in Council Bluffs.
Fullerton’s football team opened the season 4-0 for the first time since 2019.
The city of Fullerton received 10 trees through a grant.
The Goldenrod Conference approved Archangels Catholic joining the conference. Archangels Catholic opened when St. Francis closed in Humphrey.
Fullerton defeated Twin River in volleyball, securing bragging rights for the next year.
OCTOBER
Fullerton’s Future officially opened with an open house.
Fullerton’s marching band participated in the Columbus Marching Festival.
Fall Festival returned to Fullerton. There was plenty of fun, food and games on Broadway.
The city of Fullerton recognized two employees — Rick Mangus and Mitch Lane — who celebrated 25 years of employment.
Nance County officials stressed that the county was not a sanctuary county. The county was listed as a sanctuary for by the Center for Immigration Studies. The county has since been removed from the list.
Nance County drivers were warned to keep an eye out for bald eagles when they drive near bridges. Two eagles had been hit by vehicles within a week.
Twin River crowned Sophia Gasper as Homecoming Queen. Paydon Rinkol was crowned Homecoming King.
Fullerton’s FFA announced they were collecting items for hurricane disaster relief.
Fullerton’s boys and girls cross country teams finished third at the Goldenrod Conference meet in Burwell.
Fullerton residents were under a boil order after E. coli was found in the water supply. The order was lifted after 8 days.
Twin River football completed their first winning season in school history. The team capped the season with a 40-0 win over Humphrey-Lindsay. The team was not playoff eligible and finished their season with a 5-3 record.
Twin River celebrated the groundbreaking for their new school building project.
NOVEMBER
Fullerton students put the finishing touches on their play production, “Appropriate Behavior.”
David Sorenson, Larry Phillips and Roger Hellbusch received Quilts of Valor at Fullerton’s Veteran’s Day program.
Angie Herman was appointed to fill a vacant seat on the Fullerton Board of Education. Scott Russell had resigned from the board in October after being elected to the Nance County Board of Supervisors. Herman will serve the remaining two years of the term.
Fullerton teacher Colton Kohl was named NMEAYoung Music Educator of the Year.
Nance County Sheriff Ben Bakewell announced that human remains were discovered near the Genoa tree dump. The case is ongoing and is being treated as a homicide investigation.
DECEMBER
Fullerton students donated birthday bags to the food pantry after collecting items for a project during World Kindness Week.
Old Fashioned Christmas returned to Fullerton. Santa made an appearance and met with local children.
Calico Annie’s closed their door and Anne Wemfoff announced her retirement.
The residents at Valley View Assisted Living decorated for Christmas and were visited by the Fullerton kindergarten class. The students also met with Santa during their visit.
Nance County’s K-9 officer, Zina, was retiring at the end of the year. The county will still have access to a drug dog, but won’t have it immediately available as they did with Zina on duty.
Fullerton’s Future celebrated the new year with an Enchanted Forest Gala.