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Overton's Parker Walahoski wins first place at Nebraska Beef Ambassador contest
Jessica Kennedy
LINCOLN — Nebraska Cattlemen’s NCW - Consumer Education and Promotion Committee announced the results of the 2026 Nebraska Beef Ambassador Contest, held on June 11 in Lexington.
Pictured (left to right): Parker Walahoski, Overton; Emily Van
Meter, Bennet; Taylyn Mass, West Point; Meredith Ruda, Ames,
Iowa.
Courtesy Photo
The following are the contest results:
Collegiate winners
First place - Parker Walahoski, Overton
Second place - Emily Van Meter, Bennet
Third place - Meredith Ruda, Ames, IA
Senior winners
First place – Taylyn Maas, West Point
Background
The Nebraska Beef Ambassador Contest and Beef Advocacy Training provides an opportunity for future beef industry leaders, ages fourteen to twenty-four years old, to sharpen their advocacy skills and strengthen their knowledge of the key issues facing the number one industry in Nebraska.
The Nebraska Beef Ambassador Contest requires participants to address current issues facing the beef industry with both a written response and a mock media interview.
The contest is separated into two divisions, senior and collegiate.
Cash prizes are awarded, and the two first-place division winners receive a belt buckle.
The first-place junior and collegiate winners become official Nebraska Beef Ambassadors for a full year.
They will work to educate consumers and students on the importance of beef.
At the end of their one-year term, the collegiate Nebraska Beef Ambassador will be awarded a scholarship on behalf of the Nebraska Cattlemen Research and Education Foundation.
The contest was sponsored by Farm Credit Services of America and Purina Animal Health.
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Top StorySpotlight
Maintenance work continues on N-21, Lexington to Oconto
Jessica Kennedy
NORTH PLATTE — Weather permitting, a chip seal project will continue on Nebraska Highway 21 (N-21), according to the Nebraska Department of Transportation in a June 25 press release.
State maintenance forces will be performing a chip seal from reference post 28 to reference post 46, from Lexington to Oconto.
The work is anticipated to take three weeks.
Traffic will be maintained with a pilot car and automated flagger system.
Chip seal is an application of an asphalt binder to a roadway surface followed by an aggregate.
Motorists are reminded to drive cautiously in and near work zones, to buckle up, and put phones down.
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Gothenburg Health expands chronic care program with $309,000 grant
Ashley Mohler
GOTHENBURG — Gothenburg Health has received a $309,000 grant to expand its chronic care program by adding staff and increasing the number of patients it can serve.
The funding comes through the Rural Health Transformation Fund and the Nebraska Chronic Disease Management Navigation and Education Initiative.
Director of Population Health Shay Holbrook said the grant was initially intended to help organizations launch new chronic care programs, which delayed Gothenburg Health's application because it already had an established program.
After reviewing the grant criteria more closely, Gothenburg Health submitted an application focused on expanding its existing services.
"We went into the grant wanting to expand," Holbrook said. "We wanted to add staff and double the amount of patients we could help. Our goal was to touch more lives and improve quality care."
The grant allowed Gothenburg Health to hire a second community navigator and a registered dietitian.
Holbrook said adding a second community navigator will allow staff to better support patients by checking in after appointments, answering questions and helping ensure chronic conditions do not go unmanaged.
"They make sure patients are getting along okay, that they understand what happened at their appointments and, overall, make sure chronic condition management doesn’t fall between the cracks," Holbrook said.
Chronic illnesses are long-term health conditions that require ongoing medical care. Examples include anxiety disorders, diabetes, asthma and Alzheimer's disease.
Gothenburg Health's chronic care program serves patients with two or more chronic conditions.
"We would take anyone we could, as long as we have enough manpower to make sure they are well cared for," Holbrook said.
For more information about Gothenburg Health's programs or to find out whether the chronic care program may be beneficial, contact the clinic at 308-537-3661.
Gothenburg Health is located at 910 20th St. in Gothenburg.
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Lexington man charged with three sexual assault felonies
Andrew Bottrell
A 46-year-old Lexington man has been charged with multiple felony charges of first-degree sexual assault of a child.
Hairo Bran-Medina is charged with two counts of first-degree sexual assault of a child, a Class 1B felony, and sexual assault of a minor, a Class 2 felony, in Dawson County Court.
A preliminary hearing is set for July 9 in Dawson County Court. If a judge determines there is enough probable cause to continue with the case it will be moved to Dawson County District Court.
Bran-Medina was arrested Wednesday. Court documents in the case have been sealed.
Crime-courts
Top StorySpotlight
California man arrested after troopers find over 25 pounds of meth
Andrew Bottrell
A California man was arrested Tuesday in Dawson County after state troopers found more than 25 pounds of methamphetamine during a traffic stop.
Saul E. Macias Serrano, 32, of San Jacinto, California, is charged with possession of methamphetamine, more than 140 grams, a Class 1B felony, in Dawson County Court.
According to court documents, a trooper conducted a traffic stop on a Honda Pilot at mile-marker 236 just west of the Lexington exit about 10:55 a.m. Tuesday.
Macias Serrano gave troopers permission to search the vehicle during the stop. During that search, police found 26 bags of methamphetamine, each weighing about 1 pound. In total, 26.8 pounds of methamphetamine was found in the vehicle.
Macias Serrano was arrested and lodged in the Dawson County Detention Center.
Bond is set at $1 million. A preliminary hearing is set for 11 a.m. July 9 in Dawson County Court. If a judge finds there is enough probable cause to continue with the case, it will be moved to Dawson County District Court.
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