Republican nominee Deb Fischer says she is ready to take on former Democratic Sen. Bob Kerrey this fall in a closely watched Nebraska Senate race.

Reached at her celebration party in Lincoln, Fischer eschewed any suggestion that the win caught her by surprise. She says she knows how to work hard because she's a Nebraskan.  Fischer received 41% of the votes, compared to John Bruning's 36% and don Stenberg's 18%.

She acknowledged that the general election race could get bloody. She calls the race the "focus of the entire nation" and thinks it will get "interesting."

43rd Legislative District

John Ravenscroft  3205

Al Davis               1792

Cash Ostrander    1736

Valentine City Council- top six go to General Election on November 6th

Kyle Arganbright 383

Kallie Kieborz      322

Neil Wescott     312

Rowdy Kluender 285

Andrew Ward    272

Robert Joseph   242

Zach Dean        220

Mike Woodraska 151

Valentine Community School Board, top six go to general election.

Cort Dewing 722

Kent Lopez  655

Tom Davis   551

Will Fischer  549

Clint Assarsson     529

Kurt Arganbright 503

Wesley Hitchcock 258

T.C. Colvin         227

Cherry County Commissioner

Mark Adamson 891

Lila Churchill     799

The Sandhills Cattle Association will hold its 73rd Annual Convention on Thursday, May 24 at the Thomas County Fairgrounds near Thedford. Registration begins at 9:00 a.m. (CDT) and the convention is open to all interested cattle producers whether or not they are members of the Association.
Leading off the program at 10:00 a.m., will be Bethany Johnston and Jay Jenkins. These two UNL Extension Educators will demonstrate the “Chuck Roll Beef Value Cuts.”
At 11:00 a.m., Ty E. Lawrence, an Associate Professor of Animal Science at West Texas A&M University in Canyon, Texas, will present “Beef Production Beyond the Ranch and Feedlot.” His research activities focus on improving the yield and quality of red meat products.
Lunch will be served at 12:30 p.m. followed by the Association’s annual business meeting. Members will elect officers and for the 2012-13 year and five directors to serve on the Board of Directors.
Leading off the afternoon presentations at 2 p.m. will be Roy Schnell, DVM. He will demonstrate acupuncture and chiropractic techniques that can be used on horses and cattle.
Mike Kesselring wraps up the day’s presentations on a light note asking “Can You Work with Your Wife and Still Sleep with Her?” He is a co-owner of the family business, High Plains Homestead.
Registration fees for convention are $30 for SCA members and $45 for non-members. Rates increase after May 15.
The day before convention, Wednesday, May 23, the 15th Annual Sandhills Cattle Association Golf Classic will be held at the Thedford Golf Course. The 4-person scramble will tee off at 11:00 a.m. (CDT) with a shotgun start. The Sandhills Cattle Association’s Golf Classic is a fund raising event for the Association. Monies raised will be used for Sandhills Cattle Association’s promotional and educational programs.
A registration form with a detailed schedule is available by contacting the Sandhills Cattle Association office at 402-376-2310.

Annie Cheney of Cody Kilgore High School competed yesterday in the State Journalism contest in Lincoln. Annie placed 2^nd overall in Newspaper Layout and 5^th in Photo illustration. Annie competed again all classes from A to D at the UNL School of Journalism. The contest is sponsored by the Nebraska School Activities Association.

Kelli Bowlin, a 17 yr old ranch girl from Cody, has been invited to attend a 4 day music conference called the Objective Sessions in Nashville, TN. This conference is put on by the Extreme Tour, a nation-wide tour of music and extreme sports. She will be performed in front of music industry representatives on Sunday, May 6 and will be attending sessions on all aspects of the music industry and interviewing one-on-one with industry experts who will be helping her identify her strengths and advising her in areas that she needs to work on. Kelli has a new CD just out and will be performing at Youngs Western Wear on May 19th, Circle C Day in Cody on May 26th, and Dudek's Bookshelf in Gordon on June 2nd.