Milford’s official city flag was designed by Nolan Eickhoff as part of his Eagle Scout project.
Megan Johnson with I’ve Got a Name will speak at an event about human and sex trafficking on April 17 at the Seward Civic Center auditorium.
Milford now has an official city flag as voted on by its residents.
Boy Scout Nolan Eickhoff designed the flag as part of his Eagle Scout project.
The Milford City Council approved Eickhoff’s project in July 2018, and Eickhoff asked for community input through a series of surveys.
Mayor Patrick Kelley, who originally offered to serve as a liaison to Eickhoff’s Eagle Scout committee, said he was now concerned about adopting an official flag because there would be no pole available to fly it on at the new municipal building, since a third flag pole (one for the American flag, one for the Nebraska flag and one for the city flag) was cut from the building project for budget reasons.
Last summer, the council agreed to pay for a flag to be made with the intent that it would fly over the municipal building.
Eickhoff presented five cost estimates ranging from $16 to $150.
Kelley said adopting an official city flag would be “opening up a can of worms for other people to want to create flags for us to display.”
Instead, Kelley suggested that once the flag was made, the mayor could create a proclamation honoring Eickhoff and his efforts.
“In that proclamation, we’d come up with a day where we could display it in a nice case inside the building or more appropriately on a pole,” Kelley said, asking if Eickhoff had a favorite day or if the Boy Scouts had a special day of the year so they could “display it for that day, but not officially (adopt) it as the official city flag.”
“I think that’s a lot of work for him to put in for just one day a year,” resident Kelli Keib said.
Council member Jason Stahl agreed with Keib.
“Why can’t we honor the people’s vote on this? They voted three times to do it. I understand, still give him credit for doing it once a year. The citizens thought this was going to be the official city flag,” Stahl said.
Read more about Milford's city flag here.
Around 45 high school and middle school students in Nebraska enter the commercial sex trade every year, according to studies from the Women’s Fund of Omaha.
Much of the trafficking happens along the I-80 and I-29 corridors, and it’s why the Seward County Sheriff’s Office is sponsoring a community event to raise awareness.
On April 17, Paul Yates and Megan Johnson of I’ve Got a Name will present information regarding human trafficking and how it affects people and communities.
“We want to grow out of Lincoln,” Yates said “We have no template for what we do, but we want to be someone who cares and can be there for them.”
He said he’s working with Seward County Sheriff Mike Vance and authorities in York to raise awareness of human trafficking and how to spot and report it.
Yates wants to connect his organization with resources and organizations in Seward and York counties to build a network.
As street outreach coordinator, Johnson speaks at hotels and jails, where she often connects with current and former human trafficking victims.
During those presentations, she shares her own experience of working as an escort and drug abuse and how she turned her life around.
Read more about the upcoming presentation here.
Special needs respite night - The ARC of Seward County will host a Special Needs Respite Night on Friday, April 12, from 6 to 8 p.m. at St. John Lutheran Church, west entrance, 919 N. Columbia Ave. Supervised activities and snacks will be provided for loved ones with special needs (and their siblings) while you eat out, run errands, enjoy some quiet time or relax on-site with other Seward area families. Register by Monday, April 8. Forms can be found at http://stjohnseward.org/respite-night/ and emailed to Amanda.geidel@cune.edu or call (402) 643-2983 to RSVP and complete the forms that night. Check-in begins at 5:45 p.m.
Dixie Zabka to receive honors - Dixie Zabka will be honored as the 2019 Outstanding Woman in Business Friday, April 12, at a luncheon at Concordia University. Lunch begins at 11:30 a.m. in the Janzow Campus Center. Tickets are $15 in advance or $20 at the door. Registration is requested by Friday, April 5, and may be done at cune.edu/wib. Deb Burma of Concordia Publishing House will be the keynote speaker.
On the hunt for Easter eggs - Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Milford will host an Easter egg hunt Saturday, April 13, at 10 a.m. The free event includes the hunt, cookie decorating and crafting.
The King and the Queen are visiting Seward - The bankrupt King will be wearing new clothes to impress the rich Queen who he plans to marry for her money at Seward Memorial Library on Saturday, April 13. The King’s luxurious new outfit can only be seen by smart people. Will you be able to see his newly tailored clothes? Come to the library at 1 p.m. and watch the York College Traveling Children’s Theatre cast re-tell this hilarious story. The talented students will perform “The New Clothes King and the Bandit Queen” in the lower level conference room. Everyone is invited to this one-hour show. Children who have not yet attended school must be accompanied by an adult.
Buzz around Bee in annual race - The ninth annual Bee Buzz Run will be Sunday, April 14, in Bee. Races begin at 8:05 and 8:30 a.m. The entry deadline is Sunday, April 7. No race-day entries will be accepted. Register at www.getmeregistered.com/beebuzzrun or by mail. Entry forms are available at www.villageofbee.com/buzz-run. The entry fee includes a T-shirt. A breakfast buff et will be served that morning in the Bee Ballroom from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. All proceeds from the day will benefit the Bee Ballroom Restoration Project.
Concert at St. Gregory features CU choirs - Concordia University’s Cantamus Women’s Choir and Male Chorus will perform a joint spring concert Sunday, April 14, at 4 p.m. at St. Gregory the Great Seminary in Seward. The program includes a variety of music from spirituals to congregational singing and, of course, choral music. A few of the pieces to be performed are “Adoramus te, Christe” by Palestrina, “Sing Unto God” from George Frederick Handel’s Judas Maccabeus, “You Are Mine” by David Haas as well as several pieces arranged and composed by Concordia professor Dr. Jeffrey Blersch, including the premier of “Herald of Good News.”
