Reliable, Trustworthy Reporting, Capturing The Heartbeat Of Our Community
Reliable, Trustworthy Reporting, Capturing The Heartbeat Of Our Community
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As we celebrate Veterans Day, we should all take the time to acknowledge and thank the Huskers across our community who've chosen a path of service and self-sacrifice. For Morgan Erhardt, this was a path that she knew she would take since she was a kid. "At a really young age, I knew that the military was something I wanted to do," says Morgan. "It just always felt like a calling." Morgan says she enlisted in the National Guard "the second I turned 17." After graduating high school, Morgan...
It’s time to go bowling ... and I’m not talking about rolling an eight-pound Columbia 300. I haven’t been to a bowl game since 1981. That’s a 43-year drought where I’ve had to watch bowl games from afar or, gasp, suffer without a post-season game for the ‘Skers. So stop complaining because it has been eight years since our boys of fall last competed in late December. Forty-three is almost half a century. That’s ... old. Saturday’s Husker win over the stinkin’ Wiscy Badgers secured a bowl bi...
Was driving home from a fishing trip the other day when I heard the news – Pete Rose, probably the best hitter in the history of baseball, had died. When I played in high school, I used a "Pete Rose" Louisville Slugger bat. It was as thick as a telephone pole, and almost as heavy. But I was like a lot of people – we loved the way Rose played the game. All-out. Sliding head-first into the bases. Knocking down catchers in plays at home plate. And best of all, slamming hit after hit, and spr...
A few years back, a lucky tip came my way about an impending immigration raid in O'Neill. I don't recall a lot of details about what was expected to happen, but the tip was "you'd better be there tomorrow morning." As I drove up Highway 281 toward the north-central Nebraska town, I settled in behind what seemed like an endless line of SUVs with blackened windows also driving northward. It turned out they were mostly agents with the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement who were headed to...
At peace. That's how Jordan Larson felt back in Lincoln after her fourth, and likely final, Olympic Games this summer. Her journey to tranquility started well before Paris, before capping an unprecedented career with the U.S. national team by winning silver, even before returning to her alma mater to help coach a championship contender. "This last two years really has been a journey of pure reflection ... of healing," Larson said at an August press conference. "I'm soaking in the essence of...
My Uncle Paul left this earth about 10 days ago. He was an entertaining character who loved his family and always had a knack for making people laugh. I was asked to speak at his funeral. My Aunt Deanna tells me he loved this column. He told me that, too. Uncle, this one’s about you. I read two statements this week that hit home. The first one said, “An auntie and her first-born niece will always have an unbreakable bond. I know it’s true. Ask my aunties, I’m their favorite “Hey, will you run t...
Last week, I watched ESPN E60: No Place Like Nebraska. It wove several storylines into one, showing why Husker volleyball continues to be the program to emulate. The show included snippets of the program’s humble beginnings, a fair amount about the attendance record at volleyball day and a glimpse into Harper Murray’s successes on the court and downfalls outside of Devaney. It’s a lot to wrap into a 50-minute video. Maybe too much. One storyline needed more. If you’re a volleyball enthusi...
Back in the day, the Omaha World-Herald provided me with a company car and the instructions: "Drive across the state and find some stories." It was obviously a more formal command than that, something like, "If you like your job, you'll write something interesting." It was an incredible adventure in various vintages of Ford Taurus'. On the road, you realize that there are fascinating stories – sometimes tragic and sad, sometimes heart-warming and uplifting – in every corner of the state. You rec...
When the Nebraska Huskers kick off the football season, Saturday at 2:30 p.m., fans will note several changes at Memorial Stadium. The biggest change will be how to pay for concession items, programs, stadium seats and merchandise. Keep the cash stashed. "All Husker athletic venues have now moved to cashless operations," Nebraska Athletic Department personnel reported. Volleyball and women's soccer, played at the Devaney Center and Hibner Stadium, respectively, will also move to cashless...
As we all know, state legislators have been called back to Lincoln for a special session this summer to tackle the state's high property taxes. As has been written here before, good luck with that. It's easy to gripe about property taxes being too high; much more difficult to lower them without shifting the tax load onto someone else. But we need to talk about something that we also all gripe about – gasoline prices. I'm one of those guys who scans the countryside for the cheapest gas p...
Summer is usually a relaxing time in Lincoln. College students have left, state lawmakers have gone home, the weather gets hot, the backyard tomatoes get ripe, and the biggest debate around town is whether this is the year the Huskers become relevant again in football. Optimism always abounds in the pre-season, before the first kickoff. But not sure the same optimism accompanies the special session Gov. Jim Pillen has convened to address the state's traditionally high property taxes. Every...
By the time this issue of SAM hits readers’ mailboxes, they will know the fate of the Summerland Bobcat boys’ basketball team. Brett Kaczor’s squad, the four seed, is scheduled to play the fifth seed, Cross County, at 10:45 a.m., Wednesday, at the Devaney Center in Lincoln in the opening round of the Class C2 Nebraska State Activities Association Boys’ Basketball Tournament. A Wednesday win will give the Bobcats a one-day break from competition, as classes B, C1 and D1 play Thursday. And, it...
Volleyball is set to start a new chapter in Nebraska and at the helm is a woman who quietly helped establish the game's stronghold in the state. Few own the imprint on Nebraska volleyball that Diane Mendenhall does. The Ogallala native has held just about every role – player, coach, analyst, administrator. When she was named president of the new Nebraska pro volleyball franchise, it gave the brand-new Omaha Supernovas instant credibility, said former Husker volleyball coach Terry Pettit. "She's...
There has been no formal request, but speculation runs high that the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Athletic Department may ask for funds to help with the planned $450 million renovation of Memorial Stadium. Earlier this year the Legislature directed $30 million in state funds to Creighton University in Omaha, including millions to help the private school build new baseball and softball stadiums to accommodate needs for the annual College World Series. School officials said the baseball stadium...
An open letter to Colorado. It's fitting that I am writing this on the 22nd Anniversary of the 9/11 attacks on America, the day that hatred manifested itself openly on American soil. I am writing about a now-past football game and the comments made by the showboat coach of the University of Colorado and his son the star quarterback who said to more than one media outlet "We don't like Nebraska." That comment is somewhat toned down from Saturday evening reports that he uttered that he "hated" Neb...
Oh, what a night! I've been at Memorial Stadium for some of the sweetest victories (and saddest defeats) in history. I was there in 1978 when the Huskers and Tom Osborne defeated Oklahoma. I've watched multiple Nebraska vs. Colorado games play out. I witnessed Ron Kellogg III throw a Hail Mary to the endzone and saw Jordan Westerkamp grab it out of thin air, securing a win. I sang "Let Me Clear My Throat" with 89,000 other Husker loyalists when they upset Michigan State. But, on a night when...
Frank J. Schaaf 1927 - 2023 Funeral services for Frank J. Schaaf, 96, of Atkinson, were Tuesday, April 25, at St. Joseph's Catholic Church in Atkinson, with Fr. Ross Burkhalter officiating. Burial was in St. Joseph's Catholic Cemetery in Atkinson, with military graveside rites conducted by Atkinson American Legion Farley/Tushla Post No. 86 and American Legion Riders. Frank died April 20, 2023, in Atkinson. Seger Funeral Home was in Atkinson will be in charge of arrangements. Condolences may be...
My dreams of Nebrasketball landing a spot in the National Invitational Tournament shattered into a million intricate threads, faster than a glass photo frame dropped on a tiled surface breaks into multiple shards. Sunday’s news that Fred Hoiberg’s crew did not make the cut and have an opportunity to bounce back from an unnecessary - and costly - loss in the first round of the Big 10 Conference tournament leaves me feeling, well, broken. You cannot fall to a less-than-mediocre drove of Min...
After a 76-day search on the coaching trail, Nebraska officially introduced its 31st head coach, Monday. Matt Rhule, a former walk-on Big 10 linebacker at Penn State and former coach in collegiate and NFL ranks, will make $72 million for an eight-year stint. Nebraska Athletic Director Trev Alberts told the crowd assembled in the Hawks Championship Center, he interacted with 13 coaches throughout the search process. "Candidate 1A, for me and the University of Nebraska, was always Matt Rhule,"...
“Fall sports bring back good memories for me,” said Dr. Josh Thoendel of Antelope Memorial Hospital. “Growing up in Nebraska built up a love of football, even if the Huskers have spent 20 years trying to stamp it back out. However, despite football being safer than it used to be – it still has one of the highest risks of concussion. We now have new tools to recognize concussions and new treatments and protocols to help ensure the safe return-to-play.” What is a concussion? Thoendel said, “It is a bruise of the brain. Like body bruises, there ca...
After a week off, the Husker football team returns to action at Memorial Stadium and Nebraska state troopers will be on patrol to keep the action off the roadways as fans travel to the game. The Nebraska State Patrol works closely with partner agencies on several aspects of gameday operations. Troopers partner with the Lincoln Police Department, Lancaster County Sheriff's Office, UNL Police Department and the Nebraska Department of Transportation to keep fans safe as they travel to and from the...
I’m on vacation this week. At least that’s what I’m telling myself. It’s not like I procrastinated and waited until 3:30, Tuesday afternoon, to write this week’s column. It isn’t like I had other events to cover and didn’t find the time. And, it’s not like I didn’t take some me time this weekend and enjoy football with daughter Courtney and grandson Jorden. I tried to introduce him to all the things I loved about going to LNK with my parents for a football game when I was his age. I’m not sure...
Fifty years ago, women’s volleyball wasn’t even a varsity sport at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Fast forward a half century and Nebraska volleyball is must-see entertainment. Matches at the Devaney Center are standing room only. The Huskers again led the nation in home attendance last year with crowds averaging over 8,200 per match. And their national championship match against Wisconsin in December broke collegiate volleyball records for both in-person attendance (18,755) and TV vie...
Are Nebraska diehards the worst fans in college football or do they live up to the perceived hype of being the greatest? After Saturday, I’m embarrassed by the actions of multiple so-called armchair quarterbacks who hide behind a keyboard and, on social channels, chastise an entire coaching staff and a team of 18-20-something-year-olds who play a game. Calling for the coaching staff to be fired immediately? Pointing out players’ mistakes on social media? Everyone has an opinion on how to coa...
Bonnie Welke 1945 - 2022 Funeral services for Bonnie Welke, 76, of Ainsworth, formerly of Ewing, were Saturday, March 12, at the United Methodist-Presbyterian Church in Ewing. Pastor Janene Reynolds officiated. Burial followed in the Ewing City Cemetery. Welke died Monday, March 7, at the Brown County Hospital in Ainsworth. Memorials may be directed to her family for future designation. Arrangements are entrusted to Biglin’s Mortuary in O’Neill. ~~~ Bonita Claire “Bonnie” Welke, the younges...
