Tuesday, April 16 is here

Posted

Hello and welcome to Tuesday. Here are some things to know as you go through the week: 

SCC breaks ground

Southeast Community College in Milford “broke ground” on a new diesel technology and welding facility on March 29.

Around 60 people gathered for the ceremony in the Dunlap Center as rain poured outside.

“Today we get to celebrate construction of the new diesel tech center,” SCC President Dr. Paul Illich said.

Illich said the project was part of a master plan that included one new facility of significant size on each of the college’s three campuses in Milford, Beatrice and Lincoln.

The $13 million facility will be named the Crete Carrier Diesel Technology and Welding Center and will be funded in large part by the Acklie Charitable Foundation, with what Illich called that “largest gift in the college’s history.”

“We thank the foundation for continuing investing in SCC and its mission,” he said.

Tonn Ostergard, chairman and CEO of Crete Carrier, said SCC is important to their family, as his parents attended community colleges and his wife attended SCC.

“Southeast Community College contributes to the betterment of the state in so many ways,” Ostergard said, adding that it’s important for students to keep being trained in the diesel technology field.

“There’s a lot of talk about autonomous trucks. I think that’s a long ways off. But there will never be an autonomous tech,” Ostergard said.

Truck Center Company also contributed financially to the project.

“We need qualified people to take care of our customers, and you guys are making that happen,” said Trey Mytty, President and CEO of Truck Center Co.

The facility will provide more training space for the diesel technology-truck program, as well as 30 welding bays.

“We have 13 programs that require at least one welding class, but the college lacked the space to grow these programs,” Illich said. “We’re thankful to our board of governors for their vision to develop the facilities.”

The new building will allow the program to expand the number of students enrolled.

It also will feature nine truck bays, space for two overhead cranes, a place to work on combines and classroom spaces.

The facility is being built by Boyd Jones Construction of Lincoln and Omaha and is expected to be completed in December.

Happening this week:

Seward County Sheriff Mike Vance along with counselors from Blue Valley Behavioral Health will give a presentation tonight on what parents need to know about drugs and alcohol in youth. It begins at 6 p.m. at the Seward Civic Center. The session will help parents figure out trends with teens and how to engage in positive decision making with youth. 

The Seward County Genealogical Society is set to meet Thursday morning at 10:30 a.m. in the library of the Civic Center. 

Holy Cross Lutheran Church in Goehner will host a fun run this Saturday. More information is available by visiting their Facebook page or calling (620) 654-7156.

In the world today

April 15 was the anniversary of the Titanic sinking in the North Atlantic. More than 1,500 people died in the tragedy.

April 15 also saw the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris catch fire. Flames destroyed more than eight centuries of history. Some of the art works and other relics were saved from the flames, and hundreds of firefighters fought the blaze. According to msn.com, investigators had ruled out arson and terror-related motives. The cathedral was undergoing renovations.