A Step Ahead

Information may not be reliable

WHATS NEW IN SPRINGFIELD, NE

OCTOBER 27, 2010

Springfield Proposed Urban Park
The Springfield Community Foundation is seeking assistance for this proposed asset for the Springfield Downtown area, located on the vacant lot at the NE corner of 2nd & Main. The city council has agreed to purchase the lot. $20,000 is needed to bring this project to the next level. An anonymous donor will donate the first $5000. Any and all monetary contributions are appreciated. Suggested categories of giving include:
1. $1000 Visionary Businessman or Woman

7. In honor of:
The Springfield Community Foundation is a 501 C # non-profit organization. The goal is to raise funds for this project by November 15, 2010. Please help this vision for Springfield happen by:
Making your check out to the Springfield Community Foundation and mailing to:

Nebraska All-State Music Choir
Meagan Fowler was chosen to attend the Nebraska All-State Music Choir for the 3rd year in a row. The concert takes place at the Lied Center for the Performing Arts in Lincoln on Saturday November 20th. The Chorus and Jazz portion of the concert will begin at 4:30 p.m. Congratulations, Meagan!!!

GO TROJANS!!!!

Substance Abuse Awareness Poster Contest
Heres a chance to win a Tom Osborne/Bo Pelini autographed football! The Springfield Knights of Columbus are sponsoring a Substance Abuse Awareness Poster Contest for any student in grades 3 through 6 who live in the South Sarpy School District #46 or who attend St. Joseph Catholic Church in Springfield. We hope everyone eligible will enter! Every entry received by November 16th will get a chance to win the football. The judging and drawing will be held at the Springfield Elementary School gym on November 16th at 6:45 p.m. Entry forms and 11x17 paper can be picked up at Springfield Elementary School, Westmont Elementary School, St. Joseph Church and Springfield Library.

Springfield VFW Post 9558 extends an invitation to join them for the monthly community breakfast. Held at the Legion Hall in Springfield, breakfast is served from 8:00 a.m. until 12:30 p.m. the last Sunday of the month from October through April. The cost is $6.50 ($5 for breakfast and a donation of $1.50) for adults and kids aged 5 to 12 eat for $3.00. The breakfast includes pancakes, french toast, scrambled eggs, hash browns, ham and sausage (links and patties. Also included is coffee, orange juice and milk.

Springfield At Heart Cummunity Dinner organizers are looking for donations of turkeys (12-15 lbs.), hams, ready-made stuffing, corn, gravy, cake, nuts, mints, candy corn, coffee, tea, paper dinner ware, decorations and door prizes. The dinner will be held on December 11th at the First united Methosdist Church from 5:00 8:00 p.m. Contact Amy Green at 990-9933.

GALE OFFERS VOTER GUIDELINES FOR ELECTION DAY
LINCOLN Secretary of State John Gale offered guidelines for Nebraska voters to prepare for the Nov. 2 general election.
Going to the polls in Nebraska is easy and convenient, Gale said. But there are some simple steps you can take to make sure your voting experience goes smoothly.
Gale offered the following guidelines for Election Day:
--Check your voter registration and polling place. People can check the status of their voter registration and location of their polling place by contacting their county election office or accessing https://www.votercheck.necvr.ne.gov/.

--Be prepared. Before going to the polls, the voter should become informed about the candidates and issues on the ballot. Sample ballots are printed in newspapers and posted on county websites. Mark and take the sample ballot with you to the polling place.
--Conduct at the polls. To maintain proper decorum at the polls, it is requested that people turn off their cell phones.
--Campaigning prohibited. Campaign items such as buttons, stickers and T-shirts are not allowed in a polling place. It is illegal to campaign within 200 feet of a polling site.

Polls are open on Election Day from 8 a.m. CDT (7 a.m. MDT) to 8 p.m. CDT (7 p.m. MDT).

USAFs Heartland of America Band, The Noteables will perform a free Veterans Day concert at the Lofte Community Theatre on Sunday, November 7th at 2pm.
FREE VETERANS DAY SALUTE AT THE LOFTE
The Lofte Community Theatre near Manley announces that for the fourth consecutive year, it will hold a free public concert in honor of Veterans Day. On Sunday, November 7th at 2pm, the United States Air Forces Heartland of America Band group, The Noteables will take the stage.
With their extensive repertoire of specially tailored standards, energetic favorites and Big Band classics, highlighted by instrumental and vocal soloists, The Noteables is sure to please audiences of any age. The seventeen-member group has appeared in concert and on national television with Bob Hope, jazz trumpeter Bobby Shew, composer/arranger Frank Mantooth, former Tonight Show band leader Doc Severinsen, pop singer Lee Greenwood and trombonist Wycliffe Gordon.
The Noteables honorably represent more than 325,000 Air Force professionals around the world who diligently watch over the skies protecting and defending all those who cherish freedom. We hope you afford us the opportunity to share the messages of excellence, sacrifice, courage and commitment of our brave men and women...the deployed Airmen of the United States Air Force.
This concert is free and open to the public. The Lofte is located near the intersection of Hwy 1 and Hwy 50 near the town of Manley. For driving directions and more information about the theater, please visit their website, www.Lofte.com.

Lofte cast of Unnecessary Farce front row Anna Strobel, Joshua Smith, Kyle Lorenz, Anne Pope. Back row Kevin Holdorf, Dawn Holdorf, Ken Patry.
Performance dates are October 28-31 for Lofte Theatres Unnecessary Farce. Curtain times are 7:30pm on Thursday-Saturday and 2pm matinees on Sundays. General admission tickets are $16. Reservations can be made by calling the Lofte ticket office at (402) 234-2553.
The Lofte is located near the intersection of Hwy 1 and Hwy 50 near the town of Manley. For driving directions and more information about the theater, please visittheirwebsite,www.Lofte.com.
IMPORTANT NEWS FROM CASS COUNTY EXTENSION OFFICE

Diabetes Awareness Helps with Prevention, Treatment
In the United States, 23.6 million children and adults have diabetes. Of people age 20 and older, 1.6 million new cases of diabetes are diagnosed every year.
Diabetes is a group of diseases characterized by high blood glucose levels as result from defects in the body's ability to produce and use insulin, the hormone needed to produce energy from sugar, starches and other food.
There are three common types of diabetes: type 1, type 2 and Gestational diabetes. There is also Pre-Diabetes, a common precursor to type 2 diabetes.
Type 1, when the body doesn't produce insulin, usually appears in children and young adults, but 5 to 10 percent of those with diabetes have this type. Symptoms include:
-- frequent urination

-- extreme fatigue and irritability
Some ways to manage type 1 diabetes are by taking insulin, exercising and maintaining a healthy weight, eating healthy foods and monitoring blood sugar.
The most common type of diabetes is type 2, when the body doesn't produce enough insulin so the cells ignore the insulin and glucose builds up in the blood instead of entering cells. Millions of Americans are diagnosed with this type, and many more don't know they are at high risk of getting type 2 Diabetes. Here are type 2 symptoms:
-- any type 1 symptoms

-- tingling or numbness in the hands or feet
However, people with type 2 diabetes often have no symptoms. In order to manage type 2 diabetes, monitor blood sugar, eat healthy, exercise regularly and possibly take diabetes medication or have insulin therapy.
Gestational diabetes is when the pancreas works overtime to produce insulin, but the insulin doesn't lower blood glucose levels. This type can be diagnosed 28 weeks into pregnancy or later, but that doesn't mean a woman had diabetes before she conceived, nor does it mean she will have it after. When a woman has gestational diabetes, extra blood glucose is sent through the placenta and gives the baby high blood glucose levels. The baby's pancreas makes extra insulin and stores the extra energy as fat, which can lead to macrosomia or "fat" baby. Treatments include keeping blood glucose levels equal to those of pregnant women without gestational diabetes, having special meal plans, scheduling physical activity, testing blood glucose daily and injecting insulin daily. These treatments help lower the risk of C-sections that large babies may require.
Fifty-seven million people have pre-diabetes, when the blood glucose levels are higher than normal, but not high enough to be diagnosed as diabetes. It is a serious medical condition that may cause some long-term damage to the body, especially to the heart and circulatory system, but it can be treated. Most people have pre-diabetes before they develop type 2. Doctors can use tests to determine if someone has pre-diabetes. Tests include:
-- Fasting Plasma Glucose test
-- Oral Glucose Tolerance test
Blood glucose levels are then measured after tests to determine whether the person has a normal metabolism, pre-diabetes or diabetes.
The Diabetes Prevention Program's studies have shown people with pre-diabetes can prevent type 2 diabetes by changing eating habits and increasing physical activity. Studies show 150 minutes of physical activity per week helped prevent or delay type 2. Also, by making changes in eating habits, people lost 10 to 20 pounds. Making these changes may return blood glucose levels to normal ranges. Also, studies showed some medications delayed the onset of diabetes, but diet and exercise worked better.
In 2006, diabetes was the seventh leading cause of death. Those with diabetes are prone to heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, blindness, kidney disease, neuropathy and amputation. Prevent diabetes by making healthy food choices and exercising regularly.
Eat lots of fruits, vegetables, whole grain foods, lean meats and non-fat dairy. Use liquid oils for cooking, cut back on high calorie snack foods and desserts and watch portion sizes. Smaller portions are better. Visualizing the plate, half should be filled with fruits and veggies, a quarter should be filled with whole grains and the other quarter should be meat.
Adults should exercise a minimum of 30 minutes most days, doing anything that increases the heart rate and causes a light sweat. This can be walking, gardening, doing yard work or cleaning the house. Children and teens should aim for 60 minutes or more daily or on most days.
Assess Costs, Benefits Before Using Corn, Milo Stalks as Winter Feed

After harvest, many may wonder if baling stalks for winter feed is worth the time and effort. One way to look at it is from the cost stand point. Nutrients removed by stalk bales may need to be replaced with extra fertilizer. Using fall 2010 prices, stalks contain about $12 to $13 worth of nitrogen, phosphate, sulfur and lime per ton.
Corn stalk removal also can reduce soil organic matter, increase erosion risk, and increase soil water evaporation. Nebraska research shows that dryland corn yield declines about two bushels for each ton of residue removed while irrigation costs increase similarly to maintain corn yield.
Labor and equipment costs average $20 to $25 per ton and baling stalks tends to cause more wear and tear on equipment than other baling operations. Totaled together, these costs amount to $50 to $55 per ton of corn stalks removed.
When assessing corn stalks worth as feed, one rule of thumb suggests the dollar feeding value is midway between that of straw and prairie hay. However, feed value of stalks varies greatly. For example, if everything is baled you may only have 3 to 4 percent protein and less than 50 percent total digestible nutrients. If you harvest just the tailings and two or three rows behind the combine the total digestible nutrients increases to the lower 50s percent and protein to about 5 percent. Be sure to test to make sure.
To assess if baled corn stalks are worthwhile, you should be able to sell them for over $60 or buy them for less than $40 ton. In between, its going to depend a lot on your individual ability to either cut costs or feed efficiently.
For more information, consult UNL Extension publications G1846, Harvesting Crop Residues and EC278 Grazing Crop Residues with Beef Cattle.

~I believe in the imagination. What I cannot see is infinitely more important than what I can see.

Thanks to all Springfield E- Newsletter readers. Have a great week!

PLEASE HELP THE EDITOR!
Announce your news in the Springfield electronic newsletter. Send birthday or anniversary greetings. Post a special event, news or pictures of school or sporting events. Your help would be greatly appreciated. Get the word out to everyone in Springfield and beyond. Call 253 -2015 (leave a message) or email all news and photos to: