MUDECAS Volleyball

 Pictures courtesy of Leesa Bartu.

New Faces at EMF

 EMF Public Schools welcomed 10 new staff members this year.

Front Row L-R: Morgan Jess, Jennifer Katuls, Megan Weber, Simone Marget, and Cortney Novak. Back Row L-R: Hannah Merrick, Kirsten Fike, Mallory Gregory, Josiee Sobotka, and Katherine White.

Kitchen Staff

Jennifer Katuls - Dishwasher

Morgan Jess - Head Cook, Exeter 

Elementary

Megan Weber - Paraprofessional

Josiee Sobotka - 3rd Grade Teacher

Hannah Merrick - Preschool Paraprofessional

Cortney Novak - Preschool Teacher, Friend

Simone Marget - Preschool Teacher, Exeter

Junior High/High School

Katherine White - Math

Mallory Gregory - FCS

Kirsten Fike - Social Studies

Bobcat XC Races at Ravenna

25 schools were represented at the meet on hilly Ravenna Golf course on Thursday, September 18! Medaling for the Bobcats was sophomore, Emily Bartels, finishing 20th place out of 81 varsity runners.  

The boys race had 130 runners and the Bobcats finished 11th out of 20 teams. Making the biggest impression was Beau Becker, running a 20:57.1 on the toughest course he has ran so far this year. Titus Petersen finished 29th and improved his time on this course by 50 seconds with a 20:06.7.

Photo credits go to Hope Bartels who runs 4+ miles every meet to capture the amazing photos!

Bobcats Win Against Southern

 The Bobcat football team had a rainy win against Southern, 64-18. Photo courtesy of Leesa Bartu.

What's New on the Library Shelves | Thriller Edition

 Check out these new novels at the Exeter Public Library.

An Inside Job by Daniel Silva

Gabriel Allon has been awarded a commission to restore one of the most important paintings in Venice. But when he discovers the body of a mysterious woman floating in the waters of the Venetian Lagoon, he finds himself in a desperate race to recover a lost masterpiece by Leonardo da Vinci.

The painting, a portrait of a beautiful young girl, has been gathering dust in a storeroom at the Vatican Museums for more than a century, misattributed and hidden beneath a worthless picture by an unknown artist. Because no one knows that the Leonardo is there, no one notices when it disappears one night during a suspicious power outage. No one but the ruthless mobsters and moneymen behind the theft -- and the mysterious woman whom Gabriel found in a watery grave in Venice. A woman without a name. A woman without a face.

The action moves at breakneck speed from the galleries and auction houses of London to an enclave of unimaginable wealth on the French Riviera -- and, finally, to a shocking climax in St. Peter's Square, where the life of a pope hangs in the balance. An elegant and stylish journey through the dark side of the art world and the Vatican's murky finances.

The Crash by Freida McFadden

Tegan is eight months pregnant, alone, and desperately wants to put her crumbling life in the rearview mirror. So she hits the road, planning to stay with her brother until she can figure out her next move. But she doesn't realize she's heading straight into a blizzard.

She never arrives at her destination.

Stranded in rural Maine with a dead car and broken ankle, Tegan worries she's made a terrible mistake. Then a miracle occurs: she is rescued by a couple who offers her a room in their warm cabin until the snow clears.

But something isn't right. Tegan believed she was waiting out the storm, but as time ticks by, she comes to realize she is in grave danger. This safe haven isn't what she thought it was, and staying here may have been her most deadly mistake yet.

And now she must do whatever it takes to save herself—and her unborn child.

Obituary: Lanny E. Ackerman

 Lanny's family will have a Celebration of Life will be held at the Senior Center in Exeter, Nebraska on Sunday, September 21, 2025 from 2:00 to 4:00pm, open to all family and friends. In respect of his wishes burial will be private. The family requests no flowers. All memorials may be directed to Exeter Fire and Rescue in Exeter, Nebraska.

It was Lanny's wishes to be cremated.

Lanny Edmond Ackerman was born to Edmond Ackerman and Geniza Irene (Albro) Ackerman on May 27, 1947 in York, Nebraska and passed away on August 19, 2025 at his home in Exeter, Nebraska.

He group up in Fairmont, Nebraska, graduating from Fairmont High School in 1966. After graduating high school, he proudly served his country. Lanny entered the Marine Corps where he attained the rank of sergeant and earned his rifle expert badge and Marine of the Month award for July 1968 before receiving an honorable discharge in August of 1968.

After the Marine Corps, Lanny returned to Nebraska where he enrolled in Fairbury Junior College, eventually transferring to the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and married. While attending the University, he began working at Goodyear and continued there for over 32 years until retiring. During school, Lanny met his lifelong friend, Mike Jensen. Mike, along with Mike's wife, Jan, and their daughters, were a second family for Lanny. 

Lanny enjoyed employing his carpentry and construction skills to undertake many home improvements; including finishing the basement of his family home, and building a shed and clubhouse for his boys. Later, he developed a cycling interest, participating in several years of BRAN and the inaugural, and many subsequent, "Tour de Nebraska" rides.

Upon retirement, he moved to Exeter, Nebraska and renewed an earlier passion for hunting and reloading. His sons will attest that competition for his "favorite" likely belonged either to his retriever "Red," from his early years; or "Dutch" his chocolate labrador companion later in life.

While living in Exeter, Lanny devoted his time and knowledge to the local Boy Scout Troop, joined the Fairmont American Legion and served as the county zoning officer for Exeter.

Lanny is preceded in death by his parents; his sister and brother-in-law, Nancy and Gayle Calusha; and his sister, Nadine. He is survived by his sons, Nicholas Ackerman of Kansas City, Missouri and Gregory Ackerman of Exeter; his sister and brother-in-law, Nina and Robert Bartu of Exeter; his nephews, Tom Galusha and Thad Galusha; his nieces Tricia Galusha Chapman and Darci Bartu McCarter; great nephews, cousins, and several lifelong friends.

Bobcat Girls Golf Team Defended Title at JCC

The Lady Bobcats defended their title at the JCC Invite on Thursday, September 18 despite battling the rain.   

Individual medalists:

Abby Klooz (2nd)

Kate Pribyl (4th)

Hadley Sladek (6th)

Bristol Sladek (10th)

JV Division

Sydney Engert (1st)

Sadie Brandt (4th)

Pictured L-R Sydney Engert, Kate Pribyl, Abby Klooz
Dylen Collier, Hadley Sladek, Bristol Sladek, Sadie Brandt
and Hannah Petersen

Classroom Update | Matt Nicholas

Grant Bartels, Michael Brehm, and Theodore Park
are investigating water's cohesive property 

Written by Matt Nicholas | Change is… insert whatever word you would like: good, necessary, hard, inevitable. Change can be incremental or it can be sweeping. Change can be scary or be welcomed. However you want to look at it, change just is. 

I am a creature of habit, like most midwestern men, I suppose. I have the same coffee, same morning routine, same style of clothes, same beard, etc. So when the unstoppable force of change meets the immovable object of a stubborn 37 year old father of two, something has to give. 

Luckily, I have dozens of wonderful role models in accepting change. The students of the newly consolidated Exeter-Milligan-Friend Public Schools have been through a lot of change in the last few months, and have shown what we knew all along, that they are capable, adaptable young people willing to accept a challenge. 

Something that sticks out to me is the teamwork exhibited during sophomore biology. We have been studying some basic chemistry topics and looking at the properties of water. Last week we spent a couple of class periods in the lab doing a series of experiments and observing various phenomena. 

How many paperclips can you float on a glass of water? How many drops of water will sit on top of a penny without spilling over the sides? The answers to these questions are, more than you might think! We looked at capillary action in action, we investigated evaporation rates, solubility, and how the shape of water causes so many of its unique properties. 

We did all of this with a 1st period group of 11(no big deal) and a 7th period group of 19! I haven’t had 19 students in a class maybe ever, and definitely not in a laboratory setting, but the EMF students let their curiosity shine and made my job a breeze. I was so impressed to see them work together seamlessly like they had been going to school together for years, all the while, asking great questions and accomplishing their tasks efficiently and effectively. 

So if you need anyone to give you the lowdown on why water does what it does, ask a sophomore! And if you need to teach an old dog(or wolf) new tricks, just look to any of your EMF Bobcats for inspiration! 

Village of Exeter Board Meeting | September 10, 2025

 A. Michl opened the special meeting reading for the Tax Request. Numbers looked fine per advisement of auditor. Budget Hearing was opened. Compared last years and this year's. Levy is going down about 5. Overall operating expenditures did increase 5%. Board members will learn more about everything at the conference in a few weeks. The Village Clerk highlighted some key items within the budget, including the new rescue unit. Hoping the new unit will get here by next summer. The One & Six Year Road Plan Hearing was opened. The board reviewed the same information and are waiting to hear back if the village is getting money from Senator Fischer's office. Exeter is a finalist to get $700,000 and should hear back by the end of the year. The regular board meeting was called to order. Those present were A. Michl, T. Salyer, B. Mueller, and J. Harre. Anderson was absent. Approval of Minutes from the last board meeting stood as presented. The board reviewed Approval of Invoices. Motioned by J. Harre and seconded by B. Mueller. Motion carried 4-0. Resolution 25-01 to Set the Tax Request was motioned by J. Harre and seconded by T. Salyer. Motion carried 4-0. Pass 2025-2026 Budget as Proposed was motioned by B. Mueller and seconded by J. Harre. Motion carried 4-0. Resolution 25-02 to Approve One & Six Year Road Plan as Proposed was motioned by J. Harre and seconded by B. Mueller. Motion carried 4-0. Discussion was had last meeting regarding changing village attorneys. The village would like to go with Bruning Law, specifically with Katie Spohn representing. Spohn attended the board meeting and mentioned that the firm is not the cheapest, but they work hard and fast. Spohn is the attorney for Milligan and Friend. She is more than happy to utilize resources of other communities, as needed. The board mentioned that nuisance properties is a struggle in Exeter. Spohn mentioned it's not an easy solution, but there are ways to figure it out. Vote to have Bruning Law represent the Village of Exeter as their attorney at law effective December 2025 was motioned by J. Harre and seconded by B. Mueller. Motioned carried 4-0. The standby generator at the Fire Hall died during the last storm. John Mueller looked at some alternatives and has two bids. one os the same people they use for the lift station. Rural board is going to meet next week to discuss how much they would get out of it. The board is leaning towards going with Nebraska Generator. They would like to get this taken care of before the end of the calendar year. The vote to go through Nebraska Generator was motioned by J. Harre and seconded by A. Michl. Carried 4-0. Village of Exeter board members went into executive session to review personnel pay review and issues at 7:25pm. Motioned by J. Harre and seconded by T. Salyer. Carried 4-0. The public and village clerk left the meeting. The board came out of executive session at 7:33pm. Motioned by J. Harre and seconded by T. Salyer. Carried 4-0. J. Harre motioned to approve the wage increases mentioned and T. Salyer seconded. Carried 4-0. A. Michl mentioned within the Marshal's Report that they did receive a contract and will review next month. There were some corrections that needed to be made. John Mueller gave the Maintenance Supervisor's Report. They ordered new posts for the baseball field since 14-16 broke off during the storm. They officially drained the pool. Wastewater inspection went well, but they need some updates on the plan. Looking at purchasing ground for a lagoon. Joe Miller will do a base water class in November, but he did pass Water Operator IV class. The old water tower lid, that is sitting behind the fire hall and senior center, needs to be removed before winter. There are two properties in town that need to be demolished. Each house would be $20,000. Clerk's Report: June Sales Tax - $14,980.83; July Keno Receipts - $142.71. Other noted items within the meeting included: a few citizens are not happy about the fiber going in; A citizen has been trying to get a green jeep off the main road; Need to get Fillmore County Sherrif's Office out here to take care of vehicles that are illegally parked; Vicky Klemm will help Becky Erdkamp get caught up on the storage room filing. Meeting was adjourned. The next Village of Exeter Meeting will be held on Tuesday, October 7 at 7:00pm.

EMF Football v. SRC

 Photos courtesy of Leesa Bartu.