The biggest story of the year in Washington County is the one that's still unfolding.
The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted everyone's life in some shape or form in 2020 — from the shutdown of schools and businesses to the increased stress on healthcare workers and those we've lost due to the virus.
The first case of the illness in Nebraska was reported March 8, identified as a woman who participated in a Special Olympics basketball event on Feb. 29 at the Fremont Family YMCA.
In the days that followed, Washington County started to see the effects as concerns led to event cancellations and area nursing homes were closed to visitors.
Arlington, Blair and Fort Calhoun schools closed — at first for a week, then for the rest of the school year — relying on remote learning.
Some restaurants closed while others remained open with limited dining capacity and many offering take out and delivery.
The Blair Family YMCA closed.
The Blair Public Library closed.
Churches moved to outdoor or online services.
On March 23, the first two cases of COVID-19 in Washington County were identified as a couple who had traveled to New York.
Three days later, an outbreak at Carter Place, an assisted living facility in Blair, was announced. In total, 19 cases were linked to the facility.
A Blair resident was the first reported death from COVID-19 in Washington County.
Darrell Dibben, a resident of Carter Place, died April 12. He was 90.
Dibben was a retired Dana College professor who began his 30-year tenure at the Blair institution in 1965. He taught communications, language arts and education classes.
In May, Fort Calhoun and Arlington held virtual graduations and parades for the Class of 2020. Blair delayed its ceremony, which was held on Krantz Field, until August.
Washington County residents found ways to deal with the pandemic, hosting cruise nights in Blair, Fort Calhoun and across the county.
Hundreds of classic cars, trucks, roadsters, convertibles, motorcycles and even a fire truck took part in the first Blair Cruise Night in early May. Two other Blair Cruise Nights, a Fort Calhoun cruise and a traveling show and shine took place throughout the year.
As COVID-19 cases continued to rise, Memorial Community Hospital & Health System became a site for Test Nebraska. In June, a long line of cars wound through the parking lot as dozens of people waited to be tested.
In August, students returned to class, required to wear masks. Teachers balanced both remote learners and in-person students.
Blair faced its second outbreak at an assisted living facility in September. Three Rivers Public Health Department reported Crowell Home had 24 residents and eight staff members test positive.
This fall, the county also saw a surge in cases as did the state, prompting Gov. Pete Ricketts to issue tighter restrictions to protect hospital capacity.
The Blair City Council considered a mask mandate in early December. Those for and against the issue packed the meeting room at Blair Public Library and Technology Center. However, the council voted against the mandate.
And just as the number of hospitalizations fell in the last month, there was some hope as the Moderna vaccine made its way to Washington County.
Below, in no particular order, are some of the county's top stories of the year.
Due to the pandemic, many of the annual events held in Washington County were canceled, including Gateway to the West Days, MCH Auxiliary Rummage Sale, Heritage Days and the Sugarplum Festival.
Arlington's Summer Sizzle was reduced to one day, which only included a socially-distanced concert and fireworks.
The Washington County Fair continued as scheduled July 24-29, with notable changes, including the cancellation of the headline concert, featuring Granger Smith and Logan Mize, and the demolition derby.
While animals didn't stay in the barns, 4-H shows also went on as planned.
Fair Board President Jason Cloudt estimated attendance was at about 60 to 80% of a normal fair.
Dollar General announced in November its plan to build an $85 million combination dry and DG Fresh distribution center in Blair.
The 800,000-square-foot facility is expected to create approximately 400 new career opportunities and support more than 1,500 stores in the Midwest. Construction is expected to be completed in early 2022.
The dual facility, which will be located on an 85-acre site southeast of the intersection of 10th and Wilbur streets, will include approximately 650,000 square feet of dry goods and approximately 150,000 square feet of DG Fresh items.
An analysis shows that, when fully operational, the facility will add $106.1 million to the local economy each year, $53.5 million of which will be specific to Washington County.
In September, the City of Blair received notification from the U.S. Department of Transportation it had been awarded a $7.56 million BUILD grant for the Blair South Bypass project. This was the third time the city had applied for the grant.
The project will construct a new connection between U.S. Highway 30 and U.S. Highway 75. The south bypass road will be about one mile, with three lanes to provide for a passing lane on the uphill sections of the road. A bicycle and pedestrian trail will also run alongside the road.
The road would begin at South Highway 30 and Hollow Road, just north of Walmart, and stretch to the intersection of County Road P35 and U.S. Highway 75.
A Blair man was shot by police during a confrontation at his home in the 1100 block of Adam Street in April.
Leslie Flynn Jr., 39, died after he was shot 11 times, according to grand jury testimony and evidence, which was released in October.
Blair police and Washington County sheriff's deputies were called to the house due to a domestic disturbance in which Flynn threatened to kill his girlfriend.
The officers were attempting to arrest Flynn when he brandished an AR-15 rifle and pointed it at the officers.
No charges were filed after a grand jury issued a no true bill. Following two days of reviewing evidence and witness testimony and deliberations, the grand jury issued their report in which they did not find probable cause to believe a crime had been committed.
In what had been a trying year, Washington County Gives raised $109,824 on Dec. 1 for area nonprofit organizations. The day of giving, which is a joint venture between the Blair Area Community Foundation and the Washington County Chamber of Commerce, shattered the totals from its three previous years.
“I think anytime we can surpass what we did last year is great,” Washington County Gives committee member Ryan Palmer said. “To go over this kind of amount, especially in 2020 with the year it's been so to speak, it's just humbling. To know that people feel that sense of pride in their community.”
While construction was still ongoing on portions of the new jail, the Washington County Sheriff's Office moved into its new building in early September.
The new sheriff's facility includes additional offices for deputies, a video visitation room, three interview rooms, evidence intake and evidence rooms, fingerprinting room, a conference room, a weapon storage with safes, locker rooms and a training room.
The jail, which includes space for 18 maximum security inmates, will eventually hold 120 inmates.
County court officials moved into their new offices, including a much larger courtroom, in October.
Plans for a new hotel and convention center at Hayden Place on the south side of Blair cleared the final step to make the project eligible for tax increment financing in October.
The Blair City Council, acting as the Community Development Agency, approved a redevelopment contract with SAI Properties V, Inc. for the construction of a Holiday Inn Express, which is Phase 1 of the redevelopment plan.
The redevelopment plan includes the hotel and convention center, which would be constructed in two phases and located at the northeast corner of the intersection of South 20th Street and Kellie Drive, directly east of South Highway 30, near Walmart.
The plan calls for a total potential bond of $970,000 for the costs of improvements. Total improvements will be just over $1 million.
Developer Deven Patel said construction on the project could break ground as soon as March or April.
After more than a decade without a building of its own and months of preparation, Christ Lutheran Church moved in April into the former Durham Classroom Center and Trinity Chapel on the former Dana College campus.
The Blair church purchased the first floor of the building and the chapel, now known as New Life Center, from Angels Share, Inc., the nonprofit that owns the campus.
In November, Gabriel Schueth, 21, was the first tenant for a program, developed by Angels Share, to help youth aging out of foster care. Schueth signed his contract with Ed Shada, founder and president, and moved into his new apartment on campus.
In late 2019, Don Johnson announced his retirement as superintendent of Fort Calhoun Community Schools, a position he held for the last 10 years.
Johnson ended his 30-year career, which included 20 years as FCHS principal, on June 30.
But there was a familiar face at FCCS to take his place.
Jerry Green, who served the last 10 years as FCHS principal, was chosen as Johnson's successor.
Prior to its decision, the FCCS Board of Education interviewed six candidates for the position in February.
• 2020 election: Washington County voters turned out in record numbers for both the primary election in May and the general election in November.
• Wrongful death lawsuit against county dismissed: A judge dismissed a lawsuit against Washington County and the sheriff in September in the death of Jackson Potadle, 19, who was killed in an accident after fleeing a traffic stop in 2017.
• Fatal accidents in county: Three people were killed in collisions on Washington County Road in 2020.
Julian Alzate, 20, of Omaha died following a crash on U.S. Highway 75 south of Herman in August.
Christina Rodriguez, 41, died in a single-vehicle crash on County Road 39 south of Blair in October.
Shawn Kimbrough, 35, of Springdale, Ark., died in a two-vehicle collision on Highway 75 south of Blair in October. The second driver, Christopher Gorham, 37, was charged with motor vehicle homicide and DUI in December for that crash.
• Nebraska Supreme Court declines to rule on prosecution of CBD cases: The state's top court rules to dismiss charges against the owners of a Herman convenience store in September, but declined to provide direction on how to prosecute cases involving cannabidiol (CBD).
• Green leaves, Barrow appointed: Longtime Blair Assistant City Administrator Phil Green left his post in February for a similar position in Papillion. Aaron Barrow, a captain with the Blair Police Department since 2003, was appointed to fill the position.
• Emerald Ash Borer found in county: The invasive beetle was found in a tree in the county, although the Nebraska Department of Agriculture did not say where. It was the first detection of the insect in the county.
• Brick streets repairs begins: Crews from DMS, Inc. began repairing South Street between 17th and 18th streets in April. The crew completed repairs on several other streets. In December, the council approved a bid with DMS to repair Nebraska and 23rd streets.
• Longtime Blair public servant dies: Lyle Schjodt, who served on the BCS Board of of Education for 24 years and was a member of the Washington County Planning Commission, died June 26. He was 70.
• Calhoun cutoff completed: Paving of the remaining 3.2-mile stretch of County Road 32 was finished in December and open to traffic.
• Solar farms approved: Plans for two solar farms, located northeast of Arlington and west of Kennard, were approved by the Board of Supervisors in October.
• Roberts retires, new library director hired: Gayle Roberts, who served as director of the Blair Public Library for 10 years, retired in August. Her replacement, Brooke Zarco, started Oct. 26.
• Mallory hired as Bennington's first full-time fire chief: Dan Mallory, who served as chief for Fort Calhoun Volunteer Fire and Rescue and as an Omaha firefighter, was hired as the first full-time paid fire chief for the Bennington Volunteer Fire Department after it switched to a suburban fire district.
