News

*Editor’s Note: After speaking with the youth and adults who experienced the Callaway Senior High Youth Group mission trip a couple of weeks ago and hearing their passion for sharing their stories, I want to be sure and give them all the space they need. Therefore, this article will be done in two installments. Be sure and see the July 4 issue of the Courier for, as Paul Harvey would say, “The rest of the story.”

As of June 24, there are seven males, no females, lodged in the Custer County Jail. Cooper Thomas Brass - booked Feb.

The Custer County Courthouse and all offices will be closed on Thursday, July 4, and will reopen for regular business hours on Friday, July 5..

It may be the “Year of the Dragon” in China, but 2024 is the “Year of the Mouse” at the Peyton House. It seems we have been inundated with mice. I blame our youngest cat. She had something in her mouth and when I went to look, she dropped it and a mouse took off into the pantry and was gone. We did subsequently catch the little rat with a trap. I first put peanut butter on the trap because when I was working for Chadron State College’s mammalogist we used peanut butter to catch all kinds of rodents. Cindy told me to use cheese, but I told her that only works in cartoons.

On July 9, 2020, the lives of a Callaway family were changed forever. As word spread of a single-vehicle accident late that night that claimed the life of 19-year-old Sydnee Sallach, the small town was rocked to the core. And the 15 young men and women Sydnee had graduated with just the year before struggled to come to terms with the reality that their friend, who many of them had known most of their lives, was gone.

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Today, June 20, is The Summer Solstice, which, marks the longest day of the year and the official beginning of summer - a season beloved by many. A time-honored tradition among various cultures is to greet this day by watching the sunrise. Many think of a beach or grand location as the best spot to catch a beautiful sunrise. However, according to a recent survey of 3,000 respondents conducted by Mixbook, the Nebraska Sandhills ranked as a top sunrise viewing spot. The report stated, 'This unique region of mixedgrass prairie offers beautiful sunrise views over rolling sand dunes and grasslands.'

Volunteers are being sought to help clean up and get ready for Callaway’s biggest event of the summer - Pioneer Picnic. The big event begins on Friday, June 28 and runs through Sunday, June 30.

I had to chuckle the other day. I was returning from the Salem Presbyterian Cemetery located northeast of Gothenburg and a 13-lined ground squirrel ran across the road. Had Dean, my father-in-law, been driving he would have swerved to try and kill the little rodent. Why? He hated 13-lined ground squirrels.

After serving the Callaway school district for the past five years, Superintendent Bryon Hanson bid farewell to the school board in his final meeting on Tuesday, June 11. He offered his final thoughts at the conclusion of the monthly board meeting.