Nebraska

Village clerk of tiny Nebraska town resigns amid probe by state auditor's team • Nebraska Examiner

Published

1 year ago

August 28, 2024

Village clerk of tiny Nebraska town resigns amid probe by state auditor's team • Nebraska Examiner

LINCOLN — The village of Litchfield in central Nebraska “boasts a whopping 280 people,” according to its website, which goes on to say that the small-town atmosphere contributes to a high quality of life.

But a Nebraska State Auditor’s Office probe into village operations has disrupted the calm, revealing apparent misappropriation of public funds, inaccurate utility billings and lack of documentation.

State Auditor Mike Foley. (Rebecca S. Gratz for the Nebraska Examiner)

An upshot was the resignation a week ago of the village clerk, whose “improper pecuniary benefits” were a focus of the report released Wednesday.

Auditor Mike Foley, when releasing results, zeroed in on fiduciary responsibilities despite the size of a municipality. He said that “for various reasons” proper financial controls can sometimes be “less vigorous” among smaller political subdivisions.

“But the consequences of such insufficient fiscal oversight may be just as devastating, if not more so, to those less-populous communities and their local taxpayers as to their larger counterparts,” Foley said in a media release.

Clerk and hair salon owner

A 21-page letter to the Litchfield village board detailed findings of the state auditor’s team, which looked into the village’s finances following complaints of alleged financial improprieties by the village clerk, identified in the report as Julie Miller.

Hired as clerk in November 2022, Miller was empowered with oversight and control over village financial and utility billing processes, including processing payroll payments for herself and other employees of the village.

The report said Miller also owns a hair salon next to the village office. She was hired initially to work 20 hours a week as clerk but was authorized two months later to begin working additional hours, which were recorded as “overtime” for which she received twice her regular $15-an-hour wage.

The audit team said that change was made after Miller said her clerk duties were taking more than the agreed upon 20 hours a week and causing her to lose wages at her salon business. To account for those lost wages, the village board voted to pay her twice the normal rate for time worked past 20 hours.

It was meant to be temporary until she had received training, according to the report. But, the auditors said she was still getting the overtime rate some eight months later, even after an assistant clerk was hired.

Miller reportedly received $18,524 in “overtime” pay in eight months. One check showed she was paid $525 for one hour of overtime, the report said, noting that she did not provide an explanation.

Though troubling, the problems found with the Village’s purchasing card could have been much worse, but they serve as a cautionary tale nonetheless.

– Mike Foley, Nebraska State Auditor

The team reported that Miller submitted conflicting timesheets, leaving the team unable to determine when she was working and if she was paid the correct amount.

For the period examined, the Litchfield municipality was unable to provide all timesheets or other documentation to support all hours “supposedly” worked by its employees, including Miller, the team said.

The village board did not appear to be approving payroll wages during its monthly meetings, the report said.

“Much of the blame for these problematic expenditures,” Foley said, “lies with the failure of the Village to implement proper payroll procedures.…”

Walmart purchase

The audit team also was critical of Miller’s $97.89 purchase at a Walmart on July 4, 2023, with a city purchasing card. The audit team was able to obtain, through a “receipt lookup” website, a listing of items purchased (including clothing, charcoal and a kiddie pool) that did not jibe with what she said she had bought.

According to the report, that situation pointed to apparent unauthorized expenditure of village funds for personal benefit. The audit team said the village lacked a written policy regarding purchasing cards.

“Though troubling, the problems found with the Village’s purchasing card could have been much worse, but they serve as a cautionary tale nonetheless,” Foley said.

The report noted additional deficiencies in village operations, including a lack of supporting documentation for other expenses, inaccurate utility customer billings, payment of late fees and failure to provide timely responses to the auditor’s requests for information.

A response by the Village Board, included in the audit letter, said that in addition to accepting Miller’s resignation, the governing board proposed to implement a host of changes that respond to the auditor team’s findings.

Those include a time clock to better track employee hours, a different review process for payroll, a more stringent oversight of purchasing cards and reimbursement of expenses and more.

Foley said he believes Litchfield can “right the ship,”

“I have no doubt that it can be done, much to the benefit of the municipality as a whole and the taxpayers who pay for its operations.…”

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Nebraska

Nebraska Football Offers In-State Legacy Offensive Lineman

Published

9 hours ago

January 11, 2026

Press Room

Nebraska Football Offers In-State Legacy Offensive Lineman

New Husker offensive line coach Geep Wade has stayed busy in his first few weeks on the recruiting trail for Nebraska football.

Nebraska extended a scholarship offer Saturday to in-state offensive lineman Barrett Kitrell. The 6-foot-4, 270-pound Class of 2027 interior lineman from Ashland confirmed the offer on social media. Iowa offered him earlier in the week, and he has other Division I offers from South Dakota State, Kansas and Iowa State.

Kitrell has visited a number of schools through his junior season, stopping at South Dakota State, Wyoming, Iowa State, Kansas, Iowa and Nebraska.

God is so good! After a great conversation with coach @GeepWade I am blessed to receive my 6th D1 offer from Nebraska! @HuskerFootball @AGBluejayFball pic.twitter.com/h3ciXeG727
— Barrett Kitrell (@BarrettK54) January 10, 2026

Kitrell has family ties to Nebraska football across two generations. His father, Barry, was a fullback for the Huskers from 1984-88. His brother Bo was a Husker fullback and tight end 2014 to 2018.

In addition, Barrett’s brother Blake was a Tulsa wide receiver, while brothers Brett and Bryce played at Ohio, having been recruited by Frank Solich.

Barrett Kitrell is a three-sport athlete for Ashland-Greenwood, competing in football, basketball, and track and field for the Bluejays. He has seen varsity action in all three seasons of his football career, playing in 33 games. The Bluejays have won a playoff game each of the past three seasons, advancing to the Class C1 semifinals this past year.

Kitrell becomes the third offensive line prospect offered by Wade and the Huskers this week, joining Grinnell, Iowa, prospect Will Slagle and 2028 prospect Wyatt VanBoening from Mundelein, Illinois. VanBoening also is the son of a former Husker, Simon VanBoening, a linebacker on the Huskers’ 1997 roster.

Nebraska offensive line coach Geep Wade | Nebraska Athletics

The Huskers are aiming for a massive overhaul of their offensive line, starting with replacing Donovan Raiola as the position coach. Wade, who came to Nebraska from Georgia Tech, has been retooling his line in early 2026 with transfer portal additions, bringing in Iowa State’s Brendan Black and South Carolina’s Tree Babalade. Nebraska has seen three linemen choose to exit via the portal: Brian Tapu, Houston Kaahaaina-Torres and Jason Maciejczak.

Kitrell could add athleticism to the offensive line, as he finished second in the Class B discus as a sophomore with a personal-best throw of 172’2 while finishing fourth in the shot put. Kitrell averaged four points and four rebounds per game for the Ashland-Greenwood basketball program as the Bluejays claimed the Class C1 championship in 2025.

Kitrell becomes the 16th interior offensive line offer for Nebraska’s 2027 class. The class is headlined by four-star quarterback Trae Taylor and in-state rising stars Tory Pittman III and Matt Erickson.

IU dominated but then ‘it was just turnovers’ to blow 16-point lead vs Nebraska

Published

21 hours ago

January 10, 2026

Press Room

IU dominated but then ‘it was just turnovers’ to blow 16-point lead vs Nebraska

Indiana men’s basketball lost to Nebraska 83-77 after leading by as many as 16 points.
Coach Darian DeVries cited a bad stretch, including key fouls on Tucker DeVries and turnovers, as the turning point.
The Hoosiers have three more opportunities for a Quad 1 win in their upcoming games.

BLOOMINGTON — Indiana men’s basketball coach Darian DeVries thought his team played well for about 28 minutes Saturday afternoon.

In those 28 minutes, IU built up as much as a 16-point lead against undefeated Nebraska. The Hoosiers went on a 12-2 run to end the first half, then extended that lead early in the second half.

Then, the defense started crumbling. Tucker DeVries picked up two fouls in the course of 21 seconds, forcing him to the bench. The Hoosiers started turning the ball over.

And Indiana’s upset bid fell apart, as the Hoosiers dropped an 83-77 decision to the Cornhuskers (16-0, 5-0 Big Ten).

“It’s disappointing, for sure,” Darian DeVries said. “We played well for a good 25, 27, 28 minutes, whatever, and then just had a bad stretch in there, and the game flipped. That’s why the turnovers are a big piece of that. We had, (a 16-point lead) and Tucker picked up his third and fourth foul on back-to-back possessions. Then they went on a 10-0 run right after that. That was a big turning point in the game, I thought, when he picked those two up.”

It seemed like the coaching staff (and fans) didn’t agree with those fouls, either.

Tucker DeVries’ third foul came as he fell on the ground while trying to defend Berke Buyuktuncel’s shot. Buyuktuncel continued to attempt a shot after the fall, and he got tangled in DeVries’ legs, falling himself, and officials called a foul on DeVries. Both Tucker and Darian DeVries, along with the crowd of 13,000 fans, didn’t agree with that foul.

Tucker DeVries’ fourth foul, which forced him to the bench for eight minutes, came just 21 seconds after his third. On the Hoosiers’ next offensive possession, DeVries attempted to shoulder his defender to get more space, and got called for the offensive foul and the turnover.

Indiana (12-4, 3-2) turned the ball over on four of its next five possessions, Darian DeVries said, and Nebraska capitalized for a 12-2 run to tie the game.

“I just think we didn’t have the type of possessions we needed after (Tucker DeVries) went out again, and most of them, it was just turnovers,” Darian DeVries said. “We didn’t get shots at the goal. I thought there might’ve been one or two in there where I think Lamar (Wilkerson) drove it hard and tried going through contact, and we didn’t get one there, but outside of that, we just didn’t get very good possessions. Our movement wasn’t as good.”

After Nebraska went on that run, all the momentum shifted to the Cornhuskers. In ways, the Hoosiers couldn’t get out of their own head, and the mistakes kept coming.

“We’ve talked to them a lot about that next play mentality,” Darian DeVries said. “Win that next play, and not compound mistakes. I thought tonight, again, for a stretch there was a period where we let one mistake turn into two. Then, instead of digging in and really making sure we get a quality possession the next time, we compounded it with another turnover. It led to back-to-back-to-back. All of a sudden your lead is gone, and momentum is real. It shifted pretty quickly there.”

This game, especially taking into account the 16-point lead Indiana once had, was a crucial opportunity for the Hoosiers to get their first Quad 1 win of the season.

But the Hoosiers, sitting at No. 30 in the NET rankings, still have three straight Quad 1 opportunities coming up in two road tilts at Michigan State and Michigan and a home game against Iowa in the next two weeks.

Those games, much like Nebraska, will be tall tasks. But, DeVries said, if the Hoosiers can execute for a full game like they did in those 28 minutes on Saturday, they’ll have a chance at them.

“When they’re executing the way that they did the first 25 minutes, it looks really good,” DeVries said. “And they’re doing a great job, and they’re defending and getting movement and things.”

Want more Hoosiers coverage? Sign up for IndyStar’s Hoosiers newsletter. Listen to Mind Your Banners, our IU Athletics-centric podcast, on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. Watch the latest on IndyStar TV: Hoosiers.

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Nebraska

$3,125 Nebraska Pick 4 winning ticket sold in York

Published

1 day ago

January 10, 2026

Press Room

,125 Nebraska Pick 4 winning ticket sold in York

LINCOLN, Neb. (KSNB) – One lucky player who bought a Nebraska Pick 4 ticket for the Thursday drawing is holding a ticket worth $3,125.

The ticket was sold at Pump & Pantry #16, 109 Lincoln Avenue, in York. The winning numbers from Thursday’s Nebraska Pick 4 draw were 09, 06, 01, 02.

Winning Nebraska Lottery Lotto tickets expire 180 days after the drawing. Tickets with total prize amounts of $501 to $19,999 must be claimed by mail or at a Regional Lottery Claim Center. Additional information about claiming prizes can be found at the Nebraska Lottery website, nelottery.com, or by calling 800-587-5200.

Nebraska Pick 4 is a daily Lotto game from the Nebraska Lottery. Players select four numbers, each from a separate set of digits 0 through 9, for a chance to win up to $6,000. Players decide what type of play style and potential prizes to play for by choosing from one of six bet types. The odds of winning the $3,125 prize in Nebraska Pick 4 are 1 in 10,000.

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