Sarpy County Guide & News

08/11/2025

Congrats to Werner Enterprises on this honor!

DAV names innovative, Nebraska-based trucking company Large Employer of the Year

ERLANGER, Ky. – DAV (Disabled American Veterans) has named Werner Enterprises, a leading trucking company based in Omaha, Nebraska, its Large Employer of the Year. Representatives from the company will accept the award on stage Aug. 10 during the 2025 DAV and Auxiliary National Convention in Las Vegas.

Through innovative programs and strategic partnerships over the past two decades, Werner Enterprises has brought more than 25,000 transitioning service members and veterans into its workforce.

Werner’s approach to veteran recruiting involves a streamlined introduction for veterans into the industry and multiple options for entry. To further help veterans, the company offers apprenticeships with the Department of Labor, military skills test waivers and other services.

The company’s veteran resource group, WEVets, helps prior-service associates to network, develop their careers and find purpose through volunteering in their communities. The group also holds community events that allow those without a military background to learn more about their colleagues who have served, increasing a shared sense of understanding and teamwork.

Additionally, Werner’s support for the veteran community is apparent through its partnerships; awards and recognitions; publications; features; and fleet of 10 military-themed, wrapped trucks driven by military members or veterans throughout the United States.

“Werner Enterprises is raising the bar in veteran recruitment,” said DAV National Commander Daniel Contreras. “Whether it’s the apprenticeships for veterans entering the industry or the opportunities available to veteran employees, Werner Enterprises is a strong partner to the military community. We thank them for their efforts and for furthering DAV’s mission to support veterans and their families.”

07/24/2025

Cody Talarico of Bellevue wins Excellence in Arts Education from Nebraska Arts Council

Congratulations to the following awardees for this year’s State Arts Awards! We had many nominations, and we are grateful to those nominators for all of their hard work!

The biennial awards program is Nebraska’s premier event in recognizing individuals and organizations that shape our state’s artistic landscape. The impact of the arts, and these honorees, is felt in the classroom, the economy, and the community.

We have 8 categories for this year’s awards with the following winners:

Access to Arts
An individual, business, or community organization leading the cause of outreach and inclusion in the arts.

WhyArts, Inc., Omaha

Ruth Davidson Hahn, Lincoln

Excellence in Arts Education
An educator, arts education program, or community organization that has made a long-term, outstanding contribution to arts education in Nebraska.

Cody Talarico, Bellevue

Lorinda Rice, Lincoln

Leadership in the Arts
An individual artist, arts administrator or patron who has made a significant impact on the arts in Nebraska.

Gretchen Peters, Gering

Audrey Kauders, Kearney

Heritage Award
An individual, group or organization that exemplifies excellence within a cultural tradition.

Whiteclay Makerspace, Lincoln

Bluebird Cultural Initiative, David City

Organizational Achievement
An arts organization that demonstrates achievements at a consistently high level of excellence in programming and outreach.

International Quilt Museum, Lincoln

Bone Creek Museum of Agrarian Art, David City

Outstanding Artist
An individual artist practicing in any discipline whose work or career has made a significant contribution to their art form and to the state of Nebraska.

Daniel Martinez, Lincoln

Sarah Rowe, Omaha

Thomas C. Woods III Partner in the Arts
Awarded to an individual, business, or community organization that has shown outstanding commitment by its continued support of the arts through time, energy, expertise and/or financial support.

Mid-America Arts Alliance, Kansas City, MO

The Leonard Thiessen Award
Awarded by the board of the Nebraska Arts Council for extraordinary contributions to the arts for the state of Nebraska.

Rich Vierk, Lincoln


A more complete press release, with photos and bios for each awardee, will be available soon.

The awards ceremony will be held at the Rotunda at the Capitol Building in downtown Lincoln on October 10th, 2025. RSVP for this event will be made available at a later date.

07/10/2025

Teams for the 2025 Nebraska Coaches Association All-Star games are out.

20th NCA All-Star Softball Game
Monday, July 21st, 2025, 6:00 p.m.
UNL’s Bowlin Field

41st NCA All-Star Volleyball Match
Tuesday, July 22nd, 2025, 6:00 p.m.
Lincoln North Star High School

45th NCA All-Star Girls’ Basketball Game
Wednesday, July 23rd, 2025, 6:00 p.m.
Lincoln North Star High School

56th NCA Boys’ Basketball Game
Wednesday, July 23rd, 2025, 8:00 p.m.
Lincoln North Star High School

06/30/2025

Bellevue Little Theatre, 203 W. Mission in Olde Towne Bellevue, will hold auditions for 'The Rocky Horror Show', the opening productions of the 57th season, on Sunday and Monday, July 13 and 14.

Auditions will begin at 7 pm both Sunday and Monday

Todd Uhrmacher is director for this production; Laureen Pickle is music director; Debbey Massey Schneweis choreographer

Please dress in comfortable clothes for a dance audition and bring a prepared song. An accompanist will be provided. The audition will also require cold readings from the script.

Be aware that the part of Rocky has been precast.

Complete details for the audition, as well as an audition form can be found on our web site
www.theblt.org.

All requirements are stated below. Please read carefully and be aware of costume requirements for this production/ This is an 'adult' musical, and all auditioning must be 18 years of age or older.

RICHARD O'BRIEN'S
THE ROCKY HORROR SHOW


Auditions: July 13th and 14th at 7:00pm
​Rehearsals begin July 27
Performances: Friday-Sunday, September 12-28, 2025

In this cult classic, sweethearts Brad and Janet, stuck with a flat tire during a storm, discover the eerie mansion of Dr. Frank-N-Furter. As their innocence is lost, Brad and Janet meet a houseful of wild characters, including a rocking biker and a creepy butler. Through elaborate dances and rock songs, Frank-N-Furter unveils his latest creation: a muscular man named “Rocky.” That “Sweet Transvestite” and his motley crew did the “Time Warp” on Broadway in a 25th anniversary revival. Complete with sass from the audience, cascading toilet paper, and an array of other audience participation props, this deliberately kitschy rock ’n’ roll sci-fi gothic musical is more fun than ever!

AUDITION REQUIREMENTS
-Actors cast must be at least 18 years old.
-Actors cast in this production must be comfortable wearing minimal clothing on stage. Costuming may include tights, corsets, or lingerie for actors of all gender identities.
-Bring a prepared 16-32 measure audition cut in the style of the show with sheet music for the audition accompanist.
-For the dance portion of the audition, choreography will be taught at the audition. Actors interested in the role of Columbia will have an additional tap audition.

​CHARACTER BREAKDOWN
The role of Rocky (the creature) has already been cast.
DR. FRANK N. FURTER: Male Identifying; 20s-40s Range; Baritone; A self-indulgent cross-dressing mad scientist/transvestite/master of the castle. He has impeccable comedic timing, an incredibly-forward sense of sexuality, and an irresistible charisma.
BRAD: Male Identifying; 20s-30s Range; Baritone/Tenor; A straight-laced, optimistic, stereotypical All-American man. Until he isn’t.
JANET: Female Identifying; 20s-30s Range; Mezzo-Soprano; A naive, wholesome, stereotypical All-American girl. Until she isn’t.
RIFF RAFF: Male Identifying; 20s-40s Range; “Rock” Tenor; Transylvanian brother/lover of Magenta. Disgruntled underling in the castle. A bit creepy. Must have strong rock vocals.
MAGENTA: Female Identifying; 20s-40s Range; Mezzo-Soprano; Transylvanian sister/lover of Riff-Raff. A maid in the castle. Slightly scary, overtly sexual.
COLUMBIA: Female Identifying; 20s-40s Range; Mezzo-Soprano; A groupie who falls in love with Eddie. Quirky, lost soul. Must be able to tap dance.
EDDIE: Male Identifying; 20s-40s Range; Baritone; An ill-fated delivery boy with no sense of control or sanity. Emerges from the deep freeze with half his brain and is all rock and roll madness.
DR. SCOTT: Male Identifying; 40s-60s Range; Baritone; Mentor of Brad and Janet who senses trouble in the castle. Strong comedic timing and perhaps a German accent.
NARRATOR: Male Identifying; 40s-60s Range; Non-Singing Role who speaks directly to the audience in a professional manner. British accent. Must be great with improv as this character has direct interaction with a sometimes very vocal audience.
PHANTOMS: Any Gender; 20s-40s Range; SATB (soprano, alto, tenor, bass: a combination of voices) Ever-present, always lurking inhabitants of The Rocky Horror Show, must be able to move well.

06/28/2025

Nathaniel Gignilliat of Bellevue named to Kennesaw State's Spring 2025 President's List

KENNESAW, GA - Nathaniel Gignilliat of Bellevue has been named to the Kennesaw State University Spring 2025 President's List.

Majoring in Biology, Gignilliat is among more than 6,100 undergraduate students recognized on the Spring 2025 President's List.

To qualify, students must achieve a term grade point average of 4.0 while completing a minimum of nine credit hours.

06/28/2025

250-plus Huskers named to Deans' Commendation List for spring 2025

By Sean Hagewood | University Communication and Marketing
LINCOLN - More than 250 University of Nebraska–Lincoln students have been named to the Deans’ Commendation List for the spring semester of the 2024-25 academic year.

The Commendation List recognizes students in the College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources, College of Arts and Sciences and College of Journalism and Mass Communications who met or exceeded a specified grade-point average and carried six to 11 graded semester hours.

Qualification for the Commendation List varies. Listed below are the minimum requirements for each college and the name of its respective dean. All qualifying grade-point averages are based on a four-point scale. Students can be on the Commendation List for more than one college.

College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources, 3.75; Interim Dean Thomas Burkey.
College of Arts and Sciences, 3.7; Acting Dean Patrick Dussault.
College of Journalism and Mass Communications, 3.7; Dean Shari Veil.

Following is a list of honorees by hometown, state and country. The first section is for students from Nebraska, the second is for students from elsewhere in the United States, and the third is for international students. Some international students are listed under their adopted hometowns in the United States. Some students chose not to be listed.

Bellevue:

Caesar Manongas, senior, Dean’s Commendation List, College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources, biochemistry.

Papillion:

Chandan Clinkingbeard, junior, Dean’s Commendation List, College of Arts and Sciences, biological sciences and psychology.
Kate Freeman, senior, Dean’s Commendation List, College of Arts and Sciences, political science.
Blake Michael Gross, senior, Dean’s Commendation List, College of Arts and Sciences, biochemistry.
Noah Tassello, senior, Dean’s Commendation List, College of Journalism and Mass Communications, sports media and communication, and advertising and public relations.

06/27/2025

Local students named to Dean's List at University of Maryland Global Campus

ADELPHI, MD - Nearly 18,000 University of Maryland Global Campus students were named to the Dean's List for the spring 2025 term.

To be eligible for the honor, a student must complete at least six credits during the term, earned a grade point average of at least 3.5 for the term, and maintained a cumulative GPA of 3.5 at UMGC.

The following students from the area were recognized:

Noah Alford, Papillion

Christopher Cheek, Papillion

Ryan Devincent, Papillion

Abigail Flores Acevedo, Bellevue

Amanda Floto, Bellevue

Caleb Newlin, Bellevue

Mayowa Olorunfemi, Omaha

Kelly Patterson, Bellevue

Jay Peer, Bellevue

Thomas Perkowski, Papillion

Andreas Rodriguez, Ralston

Scott Sinclair, Bellevue

Dylyn Sleiman, Bellevue

Mason Smith, Bellevue

Gauret Stearns, Bellevue

Nathaniel Stoddard, Bellevue

Ian Wedeking, Bellevue

Cole Wiggins, Bellevue

Jason Winkle, Papillion

06/27/2025

Jaime Martin of Bellevue named to Mississippi State University's spring 2025 President's List

MISSISSIPPI STATE, MS - Jaime Martin, of Bellevue, was named to the Mississippi State University spring 2025 President's List.

Students on the President's List achieved a 3.80 or better grade-point average, based on a 4.0 scale, while completing at least 12 semester hours of coursework with no incomplete grades or grades lower than a C.

06/27/2025

06/27/2025

06/27/2025

06/27/2025

Washburn Announces Kaylee Wagner of Papillion graduated in Spring 2025

TOPEKA, KS - Washburn University is pleased to announce the students in its spring 2025 graduating class. These students completed their courses for certificates, associate, bachelor's, master's and doctorate degrees - more than 1,300 total from Washburn University, Washburn University School of Law and Washburn Institute of Technology (Washburn Tech).

Kaylee Wagner from Papillion, graduated with a degree in Finance Accounting

"I always look forward to celebrating our students and their incredible accomplishments at the end of each semester," said Dr. JuliAnn Mazachek, president, Washburn. "We are proud of their hard work and dedication in earning a certificate or degree and cannot wait to see the amazing things they accomplish in their communities as they transition from Washburn students to alumni."