Merry Christmas

 

Obituary: Janice V. "Lady Elvis" Kucera

Janice V. Kucera was born to Charles A. and Viola R. Rank on December 15, 1940 on the family farm southeast of Exeter, Nebraska and passed away December 19, 2025 at the Holmes Lake Nursing Facility in Lincoln, Nebraska at the age of 85. She was the eldest of two daughters.

Throughout her life, Janice was passionate about many things including her love of animals, trees, and all things in nature as well as Elvis. It was that love of Elvis that inspired her persuit to perform as The Lady Elvis. As a young girl, she and her sister sang together as a duo "Jan and Fran" and enjoyed entertaining around local communities. When in high school, Janice was encouraged to perform as Elvis in a school production and loved the energy of that performance. It was then that she began her career of entertaining as The Lady Elvis.

Her singing career spanned more than 40 years in which she covered many songs in the likeness of Elvis both locally and in other areas of the country, as well as songs from her own record Janice K and the Phantom Band: Hard Rock in the Heartland. While chasing her dream, it led to her having a variety of careers including a secretary at Exeter Public Schools, waitressing positions, cashier and keno runner in Las Angeles. Her career also included small parts in several movies while living in Los Angeles, appearing in the book "I am Elvis" as well as appearances on the Oprah Winfrey and Joan Rivers shows. In 1999 she was inducted into the Nebraska Music Hall of Fame, an honor for which she was ever grateful. She decided to step away from performing following the loss of her parents and a series of health issues. She credited her love of performing and ability to channel a likeness of Elvis to her interactions with him in both Las Vegas and Memphis as well as the opportunity to attend 39 live performances and the befriending of his Uncle Vester while living in Memphis with her parents. 

Janice's other love was wildlife and nature. She was a fierce proponent of conservation and chose to support and donate to organizations like Defenders of Wildlife and Saving the Redwoods. She spent many hours out on the family farm enjoying the peace and quiet as well as local sites where she would take a thermos of coffee and sit quietly waiting for a deer, a raccoon, or a bobcat to walk by. Many of those trips involved her daddie Charlie and they would sit for hours enjoying the solace. 

Janice was preceded in death by her father Charles Kucera, her mother Viola Rank Kucera, and her sister Fran Kucera Hendrych.

She is survived by her niece Wendy Heath and husband Clayton Heath, great niece Charli Heath and great nephews Jami Nguyen and husband Peter Nguyen, as well as many cousins in California.

What's New on the Library Shelves? | Fiction, Contemporary, Short Story Edition

The Irish Goodbye by Heather Aimee O'Neill

In this emotionally resonant and gripping novel, three adult sisters struggle with the past as they reunite for a Thanksgiving weekend on the East End of Long Island.

It’s been years since the three Ryan sisters were all together at their beloved family home. Two decades ago, their lives were upended by a fatal accident on their brother Topher’s boat. Now the Ryan women are back for Thanksgiving, eager to reconnect, but each carries a heavy secret. The eldest, Cait, still holding guilt for the role no one knows she played in the boat accident, rekindles a flame with her high school crush. Middle sister Alice has been thrown a curveball that threatens the career she’s restarting and faces a difficult decision that may doom her marriage. And the youngest, Maggie, is finally taking the risk of bringing the woman she loves home to meet her devoutly Catholic mother.

When Cait invites a guest from their shared past to Thanksgiving dinner, old tensions boil over and new truths surface, nearly overpowering the flickering light of their family bond. Far more than a family holiday will be ruined unless the sisters can find a way to forgive one another—and themselves.

A River Runs Through It and Other Short Stories by Norman Maclean

When Norman Maclean sent the manuscript of A River Runs through It and Other Stories to New York publishers, he received a slew of rejections. One editor, so the story goes, replied, “it has trees in it.” Forty years later, the title novella is recognized as one of the great American tales of the twentieth century, and Maclean as one of the most beloved writers of our time. The finely distilled product of a long life of often surprising rapture—for fly-fishing, for the woods, for the interlocked beauty of life and art—A River Runs through It has established itself as a classic of the American West. This new edition will introduce a fresh audience to Maclean’s beautiful prose and understated emotional insights.

Elegantly redesigned, A River Runs through It includes a new foreword by Robert Redford, director of the Academy Award-winning 1992 film adaptation of River. Based on Maclean’s own experiences as a young man, the book’s two novellas and short story are set in the small towns and mountains of western Montana. It is a world populated with drunks, loggers, card sharks, and whores, but also one rich in the pleasures of fly-fishing, logging, cribbage, and family. By turns raunchy and elegiac, these superb tales express, in Maclean’s own words, “a little of the love I have for the earth as it goes by.”

The Correspondent by Virginia Evans

"Imagine, the letters one has sent out into the world, the letters received back in turn, are like the pieces of a magnificent puzzle. . . . Isn’t there something wonderful in that, to think that a story of one’s life is preserved in some way, that this very letter may one day mean something, even if it is a very small thing, to someone?”

Filled with knowledge that only comes from a life fully lived, The Correspondent is a gem of a novel about the power of finding solace in literature and connection with people we might never meet in person. It is about the hubris of youth and the wisdom of old age, and the mistakes and acts of kindness that occur during a lifetime.

Sybil Van Antwerp has throughout her life used letters to make sense of the world and her place in it. Most mornings, around half past ten, Sybil sits down to write letters—to her brother, to her best friend, to the president of the university who will not allow her to audit a class she desperately wants to take, to Joan Didion and Larry McMurtry to tell them what she thinks of their latest books, and to one person to whom she writes often yet never sends the letter.

Sybil expects her world to go on as it always has—a mother, grandmother, wife, divorcee, distinguished lawyer, she has lived a very full life. But when letters from someone in her past force her to examine one of the most painful periods of her life, she realizes that the letter she has been writing over the years needs to be read and that she cannot move forward until she finds it in her heart to offer forgiveness.

Sybil Van Antwerp’s life of letters might be “a very small thing,” but she also might be one of the most memorable characters you will ever read.

The Satisfaction Cafe by Kathy Wang 

How do we live so that we are satisfied? How can people connect during moments of loneliness? This is the story of Joan Liang, a woman who moves across the world to America, and in trying to answer these questions builds a wildly original life.

Joan’s life is a series of unexpected events: she never thought she would live in California, nor did she expect her first marriage to implode—especially as quickly and spectacularly as it did. She definitely did not expect to fall in love with an older, wealthy American man and become his fourth wife and mother to his youngest children.

Joan and her children grow older, and one day she makes a drastic change: she opens the Satisfaction Café, a place where customers can find connection through conversation. With humor and grace, Joan creates a space for meaningful relationships and constructs a lasting legacy.

Vivid, comic, and profoundly moving, The Satisfaction Café is a novel about found family, the joy and loneliness that come with age, andhow we can seek satisfaction at any stage of life. This is a novel of tremendous pleasures:sentences that teem with rich observations, wonderful plotting, and, in Joan, a protagonist for the ages.

Death Notice: Ronald J. "Ron" Ruhl

 A Mass of Christian Burial for Ron will be Friday, January 2, 2026 at 10:30am at St. Stephens Catholic Church in Exeter, Nebraska. A Rosary will be prayed at 10:00am at the Church, prior to the Mass.

A Graveside service will be held in the Exeter Public Cemetery.

Public Visitation will be from 9:00am-10:00am on Friday, January 2, 2026 at St. Stephens Catholic Church. 

Memorials are suggested to the Fillmore County Cancer Conquerors.

Death Notice: Janice V. "Lady Elvis" Kucera

A funeral service for Janice will be 2pm Tuesday, December 23, 2025 at Farmer Funeral Home in Exeter. A Graveside Service will be in the Exeter Cemetery immediately following the Funeral Service. 

Public Visitation will be Monday, December 22, 2025 from 4:00-8:00pm at the Farmer Funeral Home in Exeter, Nebraska. 

Memorials are suggested to the family for future designation.

From Panem to the Podium: A Look Inside a Dynamic High School Classroom

As the semester winds down, one of EMF’s high school classrooms is buzzing with reflection, collaboration, and performance. Sophomore English students, lead by Mrs. Brandi Perez, are putting the finishing touches of their study of The Hunger Games, while students in speech are transforming the room into a stage, showcasing the power of words in both written and spoken form.

In English class, students recently concluded their exploration of Suzanne Collin’s dystopian novel, The Hunger Games. Through close reading and discussion, classes examined enduring themes such as survival, the role of violence and reality television and the dangers of a dystopian society built on control and spectacle.  These conversations push students to think beyond the plot and consider how fiction mirrors real world issues, including media influence and moral responsibility.

Now students are channeling those discussions into analytical writing. Each sophomore has been crafting an essay that focuses on one character and one theme from the novel. Using textual evidence, students must identify and explain at least three character traits that connect directly to the chosen theme. The assignment challenges students to think critically, support claims with evidence, and articulate deeper connections between character development and larger ideas presented in the text.

In the same room, later on in the day, another learning is taking center stage. In high school speech, students are partnering up to rehearse and perform duet speeches. These short performances require precise timing, strong collaboration, and a shared commitment to engaging the audience.

The topics range from humorous to heartfelt, reflecting both creativity and courage. Some duets explore lighthearted scenarios, such as being “ allergic to idiots”  or navigating the awkward realities of learning about boys and letting them down gently. Others tackle heavier, more serious situations, including the tension and fear of being stuck in a closet during a school shooting.  Regardless of the subject matter, students are challenged to work together to captivate their audience and deliver a unified message.

Across both classes, a common thread emerged: communication matters. Whether students are analyzing a dystopian heroine's resilience or standing shoulder to shoulder with a partner on stage, they are learning how words shape understanding, emotion, and connection.

As novels close and performances approach, this classroom reflects more than just the end of unit assignments; it highlights the growth of young thinkers finding their voices, one page and one performance at a time. 

EMF GBB at Sterling

 Photos courtesy of EMF Yearbook.

What's New on the Library Shelves? | Romance Edition

 For Richer For Poorer by Danielle Steel

After working as head designer for Oscar de la Renta, Eugenia Ward started her own company when she turned forty, fourteen years ago. She is now a major name in evening gowns and wedding gowns, ready-to-wear and haute couture. But with the fashion business in major downturn, she has recently suffered heavy losses, and Eugenia desperately needs new investors—and new ideas.

At the same time, she is the matriarch and guiding light for her five adult children, a single mother for more than a decade, since her divorce from the spendthrift Italian prince she’d married young. As the family gathers for a summer vacation at a beach house, wedding plans for her daughter Gloria are ballooning in expense even as the loutish behavior of Gloria’s fiancé causes Eugenia to question her daughter’s judgment. Meanwhile, Gloria’s sister Daphne is due to deliver twins right around the wedding date . . . which is also very close make or break New York Fashion Week.

The silver lining in it all may be meeting Patrick Hughes, a successful real estate developer who’s also going through a rough patch. A brilliant and creative businessman, Patrick gives her valuable advice about her business challenges. Eugenia finds friendship with Patrick sailing on his yacht and starts to imagine a new beginning, independent of her roles as mother and entrepreneur. But as the family gathers for the big wedding, tensions are running high, money may be running out, and a hurricane is looming on the horizon.

Danielle Steel’s glamorous and gripping novel offers an inspiring portrait of a strong and determined woman who rises to meet life’s challenges with fortitude, creativity, and love.

Finding Grace by Loretta Rothschild

Honor seems to have everything: she adores her bright and beautiful daughter, Chloe, and her charming, handsome husband, Tom, even if he works one hundred hours a week. Yet Honor’s longing for another baby threatens to eclipse all of it―until a shocking event changes their lives forever.

Years later, Tom makes a decision that ripples through their families' lives in ways he could never have foreseen. As the consequences of that fateful choice unfold, two women's paths become irrevocably intertwined. But when old love clashes with new, who will be left standing? And what happens when your secrets come back to haunt you?

Blending a riveting moral dilemma with satisfying emotional poignancy, Finding Grace is a sweeping love story that explores the price of a new beginning, how the ghosts of our past shape our future, and whether redemption can be found in the wreckage of what we've lost.

A Mother's Love by Danielle Steel

On the occasion of her daughter Valerie’s wedding and her upcoming fiftieth birthday, bestselling author Halley Holbrook finds herself reflecting. Raising twins Valerie and Olivia is her proudest accomplishment. Halley has been able to give them the loving and safe home she never had, having survived a childhood so traumatic she’s never talked about it with her girls. Long ago, Halley decided to live in the sunlight of the present, not the dark shadows of the past.

After Valerie moves to Los Angeles with her producer husband, and Olivia follows to remain close to her sister, Halley is empty-nesting in her Fifth Avenue apartment. Facing her first holiday alone in years, she books a trip to Paris.

On the flight over, she meets charming Bart Warner, and the two become fast friends. Halley hasn’t dated since her partner died three years ago, yet she quickly begins to feel more like herself. But when a cunning thief makes off with her handbag and then begins to harass her, it reawakens old ghosts from her past. Vowing not to be a victim, and with Bart’s help, she chooses a bold course of action.

The moving story of a woman determined to give her daughters what she never had—a mother’s love—Danielle Steel’s gripping novel is a story of emotional resilience and truly letting go.

Holiday Magic on Main 2025

 

What's New on the Library Shelves? | Mystery, Thriller, Suspense Edition

A Child in the Storm by Emily Gunnis

1983. Pregnant at seventeen and turned out by her parents, Felicity finds refuge at the women's peace camp at Greenham Common. But when the camp is raided by police and Felicity goes into labour, her newborn baby is taken away.

2024. Emma is haunted by the night her careless actions caused a tragic accident and left her alone in the world. When a stranger shows her kindness, Emma doesn't think twice about sharing all her secrets, but who can she trust?

Adele steps into a nightmare when her daughter vanishes on her way home from school. When the police start to ask questions about her family, Adele is shocked to discover a hidden trail of lies. But can she unravel the secret that will lead to her missing daughter - before it's too late...

Three different women bound by a secret. Can the truth be found, and an old wrong made right?

Nash Falls by David Baldacci 

When Walter Nash is recruited by the FBI to help bring down a global crime network his life is turned completely upside down in this thriller from #1 New York Times bestselling author David Baldacci.

Nash is an intelligent man, tough but fair-minded. He has a wife and a daughter and a very high-level position at Sybaritic Investments, where his innate skills and dogged tenacity have carried him to the top of the pyramid in his business career. Despite never going on grand adventures, and always working too many hours, he has a happy and upscale life with his family.

However, following his estranged Vietnam-veteran father’s funeral, Nash is unexpectedly approached by the FBI in the middle of the night. They have an important request: become their inside man to expose an enterprise that is laundering large sums of money through Sybaritic. At the top of this illegal operation is Victoria Steers, an international criminal mastermind that the FBI has been trying to bring down for years.

Nash has little choice but to accept the FBI’s demands and try to bring Steers and her partners to justice. But when Steers discovers that Nash is working with the FBI, she turns the tables on him in a way he never could have contemplated. And that forces Nash to take the ultimate step both to survive and to take his revenge: He must become the exact opposite of who he has always been.
And even that may not be enough.

Denied Access by Vince Flynn

The Central Intelligence Agency is in crisis.

Following the collapse of the Soviet Union, Congress is questioning the organization’s necessity. Interim CIA director Thomas Stansfield must fight for his agency’s survival while explaining why the previous candidate for his job was found murdered in a French hotel—surrounded by booze, cash, and dead men. Worst yet, a brilliantly run sting operation in Moscow has resulted in the arrest of America’s most prized Russian asset and the expulsion of his CIA handler.

With the CIA’s Moscow Station now paralyzed by the catastrophic intelligence failure, Stansfield seeks help from Mitch Rapp, a newly minted assassin in the secretive Orion program. But Rapp has problems of his own: when his Swiss girlfriend Greta’s grandfather receives a box containing the head of a former Cold War comrade along with a note promising that Greta’s head will be next, Rapp finds himself on the frontlines in a war between the American and Russian intelligence services. To protect the woman he loves and save the CIA from destruction, Rapp must be willing to risk everything.

The Widow by John Grisham

Simon Latch is a lawyer in rural Virginia, making just enough to pay his bills while his marriage slowly falls apart. Then into his office walks Eleanor Barnett, an elderly widow in need of a new will. Apparently, her husband left her a small fortune, and no one knows about it.

Once he hooks the richest client of his career, Simon works quietly to keep her wealth under the radar. But soon her story begins to crack. When she is hospitalized after a car accident, Simon realizes that nothing is as it seems, and he finds himself on trial for a crime he swears he didn’t commit: murder.

Simon knows he’s innocent. But he also knows the circumstantial evidence is against him, and he could spend the rest of his life behind bars. To save himself, he must find the real killer….

The Proving Ground by Michael Connelly

Following his “resurrection walk” and need for a new direction, Mickey Haller turns to public interest litigation, filing a civil lawsuit against an artificial intelligence company whose chatbot told a sixteen-year-old boy that it was okay for him to kill his ex-girlfriend for her disloyalty.

Representing the victim’s family, Mickey’s case explores the mostly unregulated and exploding AI business and the lack of training guardrails. Along the way he joins up with a journalist named Jack McEvoy, who wants to be a fly on the wall during the trial in order to write a book about it. But Mickey puts him to work going through the mountain of printed discovery materials in the case. McEvoy’s digging ultimate delivers the key witness, a whistleblower who has been too afraid to speak up. The case is fraught with danger because billions are at stake.

It is said that machines became smarter than humans on the day in 1997 that IBM’s Deep Blue defeated chess master Garry Kasparov with a gambit called “the knight’s sacrifice.” Haller will take a similar gambit in court to defeat the mega forces of the AI industry lined up against him and his clients.

Exit Strategy by Lee Child

First—a Baltimore coffee shop. A seat in the corner, facing the door. Black coffee, two refills, no messing around. A minor interruption from two of the customers, but nothing he can’t deal with swiftly. As he leaves, a young guy brushes against him in the doorway. Instinctively Reacher checks the pocket holding his cash and passport. There’s no problem. Nothing is missing.

Second—a store to buy a coat. Nothing fancy. Something he can ditch when he heads to warmer climates. Large enough to fit a man the size of a bank vault. As he pulls out his cash, he finds something new in his pocket. A handwritten note. A desperate plea for help.

Third—wherever this bend in the road takes him. Impressed by the guy’s technique and intrigued by the message, Reacher makes it his mission to find out more . . .

We Are All Guilty Here by Karin Slaughter

Welcome to North Falls—a small town where everyone knows everyone. Or so they think.

Until the night of the fireworks. When two teenage girls vanish, and the town ignites.

For Officer Emmy Clifton, it’s personal. She turned away when her best friend's daughter needed help—and now she must bring her home.

But as Emmy combs through the puzzle the girls left behind, she realizes she never really knew them. Nobody did.

Every teenage girl has secrets. But who would kill for them? And what else is the town hiding?

Sharp Force by Patricia Cornwell

NO ONE IS SAFE FROM THE SERIAL KILLER 
 
NOT EVEN SCARPETTA… 
 
During the early hours of Christmas morning, chief medical examiner Dr. Kay Scarpetta receives a chilling call. The Phantom Slasher has struck again. 

The serial killer has terrorized Northern Virginia for months. His pattern is to stalk with a sophisticated technology that enables him to invade his victims' homes and watch their every move. They wake up to a ghost-like hologram before being murdered in their beds. 
 
Scarpetta is summoned to Mercy Island, the site of a notorious psychiatric hospital where two people have been brutalized, one of them from Scarpetta’s past. It soon becomes apparent that she could be next…