LEADERSHIP KEARNEY CLASS #33 MARCH SESSION

Written By: Dana Welsh

Leadership Kearney Class #33 loaded a bus bright and early on March 4th to travel to Lincoln for State Government Day.  On the way to Lincoln, the class voted on chair positions for next year. Kristi Gargen and Kyla Bassett will serve as adult chair and co-chair, Ashton Baxa and Dana Welsh will serve as youth chair and co-chair and Leslie Keane will serve as Alumni chair.

Our first stop was at the Nebraska National Guard where we spent some time with members of the Army and Air National Guard learning about the many functions they serve both on a National and State level, including going to war, assisting with disaster relief, border support, refueling aircraft, civil unrest and other duties. We also had a little time to learn about the Blackhawk and Dakota helicopters before making our way to our next stop. 

Next we visited the Nebraska State Penitentiary where we toured the facility and learned about the different levels of security, jobs inmates have within the facility, and what a typical day is like. We also had the opportunity to hear two inmates' stories and ask them questions.  Currently, there are close to 1300 inmates at the State Pen.

Our next stop was the Nebraska State Patrol where we enjoyed lunch and listened to Lieutenant Colonel Jeff Roby who educated us on the various jobs the NSP does and how those jobs have evolved over the years.  Duties include roadway safety/management, criminal investigations, drug division, technical crimes unit, SWAT unit, police service dogs, Nebraska Information Analysis Center and assisting smaller agencies. The NSP also assists with Husker Game Day and they provide protection to our Governor, going wherever he goes, including out of state. We concluded our visit with a tour of the Nebraska State Patrol Headquarters. 

Our final stop was the State Capitol where we had the opportunity to visit with Kearney’s very own Senator Stan Clouse, Lt Governor Mike Kelly and also enjoyed a tour of our beautiful, historic Capitol with an exceptional tour guide. 

Due to our lovely Nebraska weather, we skipped our planned dinner outing to Misty’s and headed back home.  Unfortunately, the weather was not kind to us and our bus ended up in a ditch where we waited for six plus hours to be pulled out and make our way back to Kearney arriving at 3:00 am.  We are incredibly grateful for each other, Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office, and Lone Tree Towing company.