The years seem to fly by faster and faster and as we begin 2026, here is a brief look back at what happened in the area in 2025.
January
After thirty-eight years of putting in stitches, setting broken bones and delivering babies will come to an end when Dr. Ben Martin officially retires from his medical practice this week.
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Toni Rasmussen, an agricultural educator at Wayne Community Schools was recognized for her dedication to agricultural education and received the 2024 National Association of Agricultural Ideas Unlimited Award presented during the 2024 NAAE Convention, Dec. 3-7, in San Antonio, Texas.
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Caitlyn Smart originally learned about Wayne State College through a recruitment agency and wanted the chance to study abroad.
That brought her from Johannesburg, South Africa to Wayne, Nebraska, where she is now a sophomore studying health sciences. She hopes to pursue a career as a traveling physician's assistant or do some type of missionary work.
In recent weeks her family has had the opportunity to travel to the United States to celebrate Christmas with her and take in some of Nebraska and other parts of the U.S.
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The Wayne High School Pep Band traveled to Ponca Public School to participate in the inaugural Battle of the Pep Bands, on Jan. 17. The Wayne High School Pep Band was also named the Overall Winner of the 2025 Battle of the Pep Bands. Their spirited performances, combined with their success in the various competitions, earned them the top honor of the evening.
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Dylan Anderson, a 2021 graduate of Wayne High School and the son of Derek and Tracy Anderson of Wayne, had the chance of a lifetime. Anderson is a senior at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln majoring in music education.
On Jan. 20 the nation watched President Donald Trump being sworn in as the 47th president of the United States. Anderson participated in the University of Nebraska -Lincoln Combined Choirs performing “One Voice” as the prelude for the swearing in at the United States Capitol Rotunda with the U.S. Marine Corp Band.
February
Wayne girls battle from behind twice to win B-4 district and walk away with a B-4 individual bowling district champion. The Wayne High girls won the district title to advance to their fifth consecutive state tournament. Individually, Graycen Trautman bowled a 542 series to be crowned B-4 District champion.
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The Wayne girls wrestling team came away with five state qualifiers at the A-2 Tournament on Saturday. State qualifiers for the Wayne girls will be Essynce Owens-Webb (100) and Nyla Bolles (135) both won gold, followed by Serenity Heil-Ellis (125) placed runner-up as third place medals were posted by Anna Naeve (145) and Kadence Rees (155).
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Deux Femmes Pianistes presented music for two pianos by American women composers at Wayne State College. The performance featured Dr. Angela Miller-Niles, associate professor of piano at Wayne State, and Shelly Armstrong, Wayne State’s collaborative pianist.
The music, expressly written for two pianos, challenges dexterity, technique, and virtuosic skills.
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The Wayne Blue Devils Dance Team competed at the Nebraska State Cheer & Dance Competition in Grand Island on Feb. 20 in Class C1, performing routines in high kick and hip hop. The Blue Devils gave "a stellar performance" with each dance, placing fifth out of 17 teams in hip hop. The team also placed third in high kick, even with one dancer unable to perform due to illness.
March
The Providence Medical Center Board of Directors has announced the appointment of Nicole Haglund as the new Chief Executive Officer, effective March 1, 2025. Haglund has been an integral part of PMC for nearly a decade, demonstrating exceptional leadership, dedication, and a steadfast commitment to quality healthcare.
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Wayne High School Athletic Director Dave Wragge has announced that Russ Plager will take over as head football coach for Hayden DeLano, who has resigned from his teaching/coaching position at Wayne Jr./Sr. High School.
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After thorough evaluation and careful consideration, the Laurel City Council has made the difficult decision to permanently close the Hillcrest Care Center and Assisted living facility, effective Tuesday, May 13, 2025.
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Wayne High Speech captured the Class B-3 District championship on Saturday in Schuyler with a total of 12 events headed to state competition. Six of Wayne's events earned championships honors. They include Olivia Hanson in both Informative Speaking and Persuasive Speaking; Alec Schaffer in both Humorous and Series and the Oral Interpretation of Drama team of Johen Piper, Gavin Anderson, Gabriel Armstrong, Aidan Bohnert and Colby Raulston.
April
Hundreds of people gathered at the Beaumont Event Center on Sunday for the Wayne America, Inc.'s annual banquet. This year's Patron of the Year Award went to the Wayne TeamMates Mentoring Program. Coordinator Shalee Hoffman and members of the board were on hand to accept the award. The program, which was started by Tom Osborne, has been in Wayne since 2000 and more than 400 students have benefited from having a mentor.
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The City of Wayne Green Team presented Refind & Refresh with its Zero Hero award recognizing outstanding work in reducing, reusing, and recycling within the community of Wayne. Owned and operated by Chele Meisenbach since 2023, Refind & Refresh is a consignment store specializing in used furniture and home décor. In just over two years, Refind & Refresh has successfully sold more than 3,000 items.
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At around 2:15 a.m. on Friday morning (April 11) a vehicle pursuit was initiated by the Wayne Police Department in Wayne with a black Ford Mustang that then fled west on Highway 35 and was pursued by Wayne Police until they discontinued on Highway 35 near Winside. The driver continued into Stanton County. A short time later the Mustang was observed on Highway 35 near the Stanton County line by the Stanton County Sheriff’s office and the vehicle refused to stop and turned back eastbound on Highway 35. The vehicle then fled at speeds of more than 120 mph. About two miles west of Wayne, the Mustang was successfully spiked with a tire deflation device and was finally stopped at the west edge of Wayne on Highway 35. The driver, Treyton Smith, 20, of Springfield was taken into custody.
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The dedication ceremony for Stearns Hall, Wayne State College’s new residence hall, was held on April 30. Wayne State named the new residence hall in honor of Dr. Sheila M. Stearns’ distinguished leadership of the college from 1999 to 2003. Stearns served as the 10th president of Wayne State and was the first woman to lead the institution. Stearns passed away May 23, 2023.
May
After breaking ground in mid-September of 2023, community and college united in thanking donors during a grand opening and ribbon cutting ceremony for the Wayne State College Athletic and Recreation Complex on April 24. From the newly updated main entrance to the Recreation Center, a transformational project that has spent the better part of five years took a giant leap in another phase.
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As the demolition of Berry Hall passes the halfway point, Wayne State wanted to provide an update on the project. The west end of the building has been taken down and crews are working on the east end of the building, which is expected to be completely torn down by June 4. As part of the demolition scope of work, Hausmann is salvaging 500 bricks from Berry Hall. The college will make an announcement about the bricks once the details have been set.
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From Blair High School, Wayne High girls and boys track teams competed in the B-3 District Championships hosted by Blair. The Wayne High girls tied for eighth with 31 points while the Blue Devil boys took eighth with 26 points. In the girls division. Wayne High state qualifiers were led by junior Elle Powicki, freshman Alivia Kesting, sophomore Addison Frank, junior Nyla Bolles.
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Former Wayne State College President Curt Frye, who served as the college’s 12th president from 2011-2015, passed away Tuesday, May 13, 2025 at Avera Sacred Heart Hospital in Yankton. He was 77. Frye was living in Yankton, South Dakota, and he was formerly of Wayne.
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This year marks a momentous occasion in the life of Concordia Lutheran Church in Concord as the congregation celebrates 140 years of unwavering faith, devoted service, and deep community roots. Since its founding in 1885, the church has stood as a beacon of hope, a sanctuary of worship, and a cornerstone of faith and compassion in our area. Concordia is an Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) Congregation.
June
St. Mary's Elementary School opened in Wayne in the fall of 1954. In the 70 years since that opening, a student with a connection to the Dorcey family has been enrolled at the school nearly every year. In 1954 Jerry Dorcey was a fifth grader and along with his siblings, Mark, a sixth grader; John, a fourth grader and Tom, a third grader, were students at the newly opened school. Later, siblings Mary Ann, Kevin and Susan would also attend the school.
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Benjamin Hix, son of Ryan and Kim Hix of Wayne, told his parents about an organization called Raising Men & Women Lawncare. The organization provides free lawn mowing to elderly, disabled, single parents and military veterans. Hix completed mowing the 50th yard for free and received a new lawn mower, weed eater and leaf blower from the founder Rodney Smith.
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Eleven Wayne High students and teacher Josh Johnson traveled to the east coast in late May to learn about the workings of the U.S. government. The group traveled to Washington, DC and New York City to take part in the educational trip through the Close Up Foundation.
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Wayne Area Legacy Fund Donates Over $4,000 to Support Green Space at Little Roots Child Development Center and Preschool. The Wayne Area Legacy Fund (WALF) has announced a donation of over $4,000 to Little Roots Child Development Center and Preschool.
Find more highlights (July - December) from 2025 in the January 1 edition of the Wayne Herald.
