Miss Nebraska Tween, Keeley Kouma, will head to nationals in Baltimore, Maryland, to compete in America’s National Teenage Scholarship Organization pageant. Keeley funded her way to Baltimore in part by making and selling dog treats.
Keeley Kouma is on her way to the big stage, and Seward has helped get her there.
Most notably, Seward’s dogs have helped get her there.
Keeley, a fourth grader from Seward, was crowned Miss Nebraska Tween earlier this year by the Midwest National Teenage Scholarship Organization in partnership with America’s National Teenage Scholarship Organization.
Though Keeley already volunteers in the community, she took her involvement a step further this summer and started her own business, Pretty Paw Pastries, making homemade dog treats and selling them to help pay her way to the national pageant.
She put her whole heart into the business, mixing, baking, packaging and selling about 1,000 bags of bone-shaped treats.
“I chose to do it because I love animals, and puppies are a great way to do it,” Keeley said. “And I do like baking, sometimes. I learned that Seward has a lot of dogs, and they love their dogs.”
Read more about her future plans for the business and her journey to the national pageant HERE.
A federal judge has blocked construction of the proposed Keystone XL pipeline, overturning President Donald Trump’s approval of the pipeline and ordering Trump’s state department to revisit environmental concerns about the project.
The proposed oil pipeline would run through Seward County, and many property owners in the area have already signed real estate agreements with TransCanada, the company hoping to build the pipeline.
Environmental supporters and attorneys held a press conference Nov. 9 to give additional details and answer questions.
Those who spoke at the conference included attorneys and representatives from seven indigenous, landowner and environmental groups.
According to a press release from Bold Nebraska, “U.S. District Court Judge Brian Morris found that the Trump administration’s reliance on a stale environmental review from 2014 violated the National Environmental Policy Act, the Endangered Species Act and the Administrative Procedure Act.”
TransCanada has remained mostly quiet about the ruling, issuing the following statement:
“We have received the judge’s ruling and continue to review it. We remain committed to building this important energy infrastructure project.”
Hayes said TransCanada could appeal the judge’s decision, but the company has not yet stated an intention to do so.
Read more about the ruling HERE.
Milford High School students Maddie Wittstruck, left, and Katie Patton represented Nebraska Family, Career and Community Leaders of America at the Capitol Leadership Conference in Washington, D.C., Oct. 8-10. The conference provided training on how to advocate for career and technical organizations and programs to congressmen and women. The delegation spent a day on Capitol Hill and met with staff from each of Nebraska's five congressional districts.
Brookdale Heartland Park in Seward hosts a coffee club Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays at 9 a.m. in the coffee shop. Everyone is welcome to come for coffee and conversation. This is a new time for the group.
The Seward County Genealogical Society will hold its monthly meeting Thursday, Nov. 15, at 10:30 a.m. in its library at the Seward Civic Center. The society’s library is open Thursdays from 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. for those wishing to search its resources for genealogical and family history.
Free doughnuts, coffee and conversation can be found Friday mornings beginning at 9 a.m. at the Seward Senior Center.
Dates have been set for the winter farmers market, which will be at the Seward Memorial Library. The market will go from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Saturdays, Nov. 17, Dec. 22, Jan. 19, Feb. 16, March 16 and April 20.
The second part of a free two-week series called A Parent’s Survival Guide to Living with Teens will be presented Tuesday, Nov. 20, from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at the Seward Civic Center. Brenda K. Jennings, president of Motivate 2 Communicate LLC, will be the presenter. She will talk about how to best balance family and work life, manage stress and challenging teens and how to set your teen up for success. Contact the Pretrial Diversion Office at (402) 643-3055 for more information.
