HARTINGTON — A hotly contest and highly anticipated rematch between Cedar County Commissioner Dave McGregor and former Commissioner Dick Donner turned out to be run-away during Tuesday’s Primary Election.
Cedar County Clerk Dave Dowling said just 26 percent of Cedar County’s registered voters cast ballots in the election, which was competed in record time. All races were final by nine p.m. Tuesday.
McGregor pulled in 287 votes in Cedar County’s central commission district, while there were 196 votes for Donner.

COLERIDGE — The Coleridge Blade website, coleridge.us, will carry complete coverage of this year’s Cedar County elections.
The web site will be updated just as soon as the elections are finalized.
Since the polling places will still be open when the Blade is printed, next week’s issue will not contain any election news. However, results from the elections will be available on May 19.

HARTINGTON — The May 11 Primary Election is an important race for several Cedar County candidates.
Votes cast in the Primary will decide the winner in the race for Clerk of District Court and will determine who will serve as a Cedar County Commissioner in the central and north districts.
Republican Sally Kneifl is challenging incumbent Janet Wiechelman for the position of Clerk of District Court. Wiechelman is also a Republican.
Kneifl is coming into the race with experience in the court system. She is currently working for the state of Nebraska as a Children and Family Services Specialist.

LAUREL — The wait is over — Coleridge will have a Middle School next fall.
After months of speculation, meetings, planning, research and differences of opinions, the Laurel-Concord School Board members voted 4-1 to approve moving students in grades 5-8 to a Middle School in Coleridge for the 2010-11 school year. John Wolfgram was the only Board member to vote against the plan.
Coleridge High School students will attend classes at Laurel-Concord and the two schools will be involved in a football co-op.
Coleridge is currently bussing pre-school through fourth grade students to Laurel.
Before the vote was taken, Supt. Rich Patton was asked to give his recommendation on the middle school.

HARTINGTON — County residents will get to see the finished product when the Cedar County Courthouse hosts a grand-opening ceremony Friday.
The final touches are now being put in place for the nearly $2.9 million renovation project at the Cedar County Courthouse.
Gov. Dave Heineman will be on hand for a ribbon cutting and dedication ceremony for the Cedar County Courthouse on Friday, Nov. 20 at 4 p.m. The event will also help kick off Hartington’s Candlelight Christmas celebration.
The guaranteed maximum price or GMP for the Courthouse Complex, which included a new annex and renovating the two existing buildings, was originally set at $2,609,000, according to Cedar County Clerk Dave Dowling.

COLERIDGE — The main focus for Coleridge Christians Caring is helping those in need.
Representatives from all four churches in Coleridge came together in 1986 to discuss what they could do to offer a helping hand to others.
A decision was made at the meeting to ask each of the Coleridge churches to appoint two or three people to serve with the pastors on a steering committee which became known as the Christians Caring Committee.
Over the last 23 years the good deeds done by Christians Caring range from reaching out with a bag of groceries to helping send books to Afghanistan.

COLERIDGE — Richard L. Collins, 80, Coleridge, died Nov. 8, 2009, at his residence in Coleridge.
Visitation and a prayer service were Nov. 10, at Immanuel Lutheran Church, Coleridge, and continued one hour prior to services at the church.
Funeral services were Nov. 11 at the Immanuel Lutheran Church, with the Rev. Andreas Stein officiating.
Burial was at the Lawn Ridge Cemetery, Coleridge.

COLERIDGE — John “Jack” Dendinger, 80, Coleridge, died Nov. 9, 2009, peacefully with his family at his side.
Visitation and a Vigil Service were Nov. 12 at St. Michael’s Catholic Church, Coleridge, and continued Friday at the church.
Mass of Christian Burial was Nov. 13 at St. Michael’s Catholic Church with Bishop William Dendinger and Rev. Jeffery Loseke officiating.
Burial was in St. Michael’s Cemetery, Coleridge, with military honors provided by the Coleridge American Legion Post 114.

COLERIDGE — The Coleridge School hallways were full Monday.
Over 160 people showed up to gather information, ask questions and voice opinions on whether a Middle School for Laurel and Coleridge students should be located in Coleridge.
The Middle School Information Meeting included a tour of the school building, along with information on having students from Coleridge and Laurel-Concord Schools merge if a middle school is created.
Supt. Rich Patton said a middle school at Coleridge would give the students their own space and activities.
This idea is not new as Coleridge, Laurel-Concord, Newcastle and Wynot schools have a history of sharing.

WAKEFIELD — Board members from four schools in northeast Nebraska held a strategic planning workshop at the Education Service Unit in Wakefield on Sept 30.
Close to 40 school board members, administrators and patrons from the Coleridge, Laurel-Concord, Newcastle and Wynot School districts discussed the future of the inter-local agreement for sharing that the schools have been involved in.
Burma Kroger, Director of Board Development for the Nebraska Association of School Boards chaired the workshop.
The hot topic of the evening was football and the possibility of developing a middle school for the Coleridge and Laurel-Concord Schools.