Today is a national holiday – either Presidents’ Day or George Washington’s Birthday, depending on the state – with federal, state, and county offices closed.
There’s no mail delivery, and banks and other financial institutions are closed. Some cities and school districts observe the holiday, others do not.
Because today is the third Monday of the month, the Chadron City Council is meeting in regular session at 6:00 in city hall.
While the official federal designation for the holiday is Washington’s Birthday, most calendars refer to it as Presidents’ Day to honor all the men who’ve held the office.
Congress moved Washington’s Birthday in 1971 from his actual birthdate of Feb 22nd to the 3rd Monday of the month to always fall between Washington’s birthday and Abraham Lincoln’s on the 12th.
While public school students in the Panhandle are off today, this is in-service day for teachers with the 37th annual Educational Service Unit 13 Mid-Winter Conference, offering a combination of in-person and virtual sessions.
      The Conference holds sessions in multiple locations because of the distances between schools, with Chadron one of the sites. Chadron Superintendent Ginger Meyer says it’s a welcome option for northern Panhandle teachers and administrators.
The sessions at the ESU are on the theme Visionary Thinkers, Reflective Learners, and Servant Leaders but Meyer says the Chadron topic focuses on a different issue.
There is one relatively large group of Northern Panhandle teachers headed down to Scottsbluff – head coaches. That’s because the Coaches Association has started holding its own gatherings in conjunction with the ESU conference.