Reliable, Trustworthy Reporting, Capturing The Heartbeat Of Our Community
Reliable, Trustworthy Reporting, Capturing The Heartbeat Of Our Community
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Governor Jim Pillen issued the following statement in the aftermath of severe thunderstorms and tornadoes that resulted in damage across eastern Nebraska Friday: "Suzanne and I extend our deepest prayers to all those impacted by today's storms. I have ordered that state resources be made available to assist with the emergency response and to support local first responders as they assess the damage. Nebraskans are tough, resilient people, and our neighbors and communities will rally around...
This weekend, Congress narrowly avoided a government shutdown. After a turbulent week, the House of Representatives passed a short-term bipartisan spending bill. The Senate approved the bill hours before the deadline of Oct. 1. From 2005 to 2013, I served as a member of the Nebraska Legislature. During that time, we ran into a major budget shortfall. All of us in the Unicameral worked together and compromised to find solutions to that fiscal crisis. We were legislators, so we legislated. In the...
In a rare move, seven months into the Jim Pillen reign, I'm going to suggest we cut the new guy some slack. Seems that a social media tweet raised concerns about First Amendment rights and dredged up the decades-long discussion on brain drain. Pillen tweeted from the governor's official account that he hoped the 31 Nebraska high school graduates who had perfect scores on the ACT would "return and utilize your talents here" after college. Remember, it was Twitter and other social media that...
Each year, dozens of American farmers are injured or killed after they climb into a grain bin. A father-son duo from Aurora founded their one-of-a-kind company with one mission: No more boots in that grain. Chad Johnson and son Ben Johnson have created a robot, the Grain Weevil, meant to do most of the necessary – and oft-dangerous – tasks that farmers do inside their bins. The pair started developing their robot in 2020, after a farmer friend asked them to build a robot so the farmer would nev...
It’s amazing (and maybe a bit sad) how a simple conversation, or in this case, a Twitter post, can send you down a rabbit hole. That’s how I spent an hour, Sunday, after reading a friend’s post and the responses. His tweet - this week’s poll question below - is this: What is the best song that has Nebraska in either the title or lyrics? Many songs were familiar, but there were a few I needed to investigate. I compiled a brief list and listened to a few unfamiliar tunes. Scrolling through...
If you don't like the weather in Nebraska, wait. It'll change in a few minutes. From wildfires and derechos to blizzards and tornadoes, the weather in Nebraska can change quickly. Being prepared for impending storms is key. Nebraska Severe Weather Awareness Week is recognized from March 27 to 31. A statewide tornado drill was scheduled for 10 a.m., Wednesday, March 30, depending on weather conditions. A National Weather Service spokesperson said, "We encourage everyone to take time to review and...
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...
Random thoughts on a Monday (and Tuesday): • Ego tries to mask itself with confidence and, usually, comes up short. Isn’t it better to show your real self and admit failures and be gracious when you find success? • Procrastination is a fickle friend.She keeps promising to assist with a few projects and then she pulls me aside and commands all my attention elsewhere. • I should have meal prepped today’s lunch. A German chocolate cupcake doesn’t contain a lot of nutritional value, even if it has c...
NFPW Communicator of Achievement director Karen Stensrud and NPW COA director Ruth Brown contributed to this article. LuAnn Schindler of Clearwater received the 2022 Communicator of Achievement Award from the National Federation of Press Women. This prestigious award has been given for 65 years. Schindler received the honor during a celebration at the organization's annual conference, held June 23 to 25, in Fargo, North Dakota. Now in its 85th year, NFPW is a nationwide organization of...
More than 200 high school juniors and seniors, sharing an interest in agriculture, will gather in Lincoln this July to develop leadership skills, explore career opportunities and learn more about the state’s number one industry. Lizett Marino, of Orchard, and Madison Melcher and Tucker Stagemeyer, of Page, have been selected as participants. In its 51st year, the Nebraska Agricultural Youth Institute is the longest-running program of its kind in the nation. Sponsored in part by the Nebraska Department of Agriculture, NAYI will be held July 1...
My first Crockpot - a three-quart avocado green model with a non-removable crock - came to me in the early 1980s when a friend who had recently gotten married regifted one of her five new Crockpots to me. It wasn't in its original box (so it couldn't be returned) and we suspected at the time someone had regifted it to the newlyweds. I didn't care where it came from, I was just happy to have one. And the apartment in Lincoln where I was living at the time sported decades-old avocado green...
Retired social studies teacher Laura Nelson is used to seeing her small town send its children, and its dollars, off to bigger cities. "We tend to go that way," to Lincoln and the Omaha metro, where her nieces and many former students live and shop. But lately, from her seat at the cafe table where she meets friends most mornings for coffee and an omelette, she's witnessed a reversal of fortune. City folks are spending their money in her hometown. "The cafe has managed to bring them up here,"...
The publisher of one of the state's newest weekly newspapers has been named the Nebraska Press Women Communicator of Achievement, according to Ruth Brown, NPW COA director. LuAnn Schindler, who publishes the Summerland Advocate Messenger in northeast Nebraska, received the award at the NPW fall conference, Saturday, Oct. 9, in Grand Island. The award recognizes achievement in the communications profession, service to the community and industry and leadership in the organization. A native of Clay...
The Nebraska State Patrol is joining law enforcement agencies throughout the country for another year of the Pink Patch Project, designed to honor and support those fighting breast cancer. The effort coincides with Breast Cancer Awareness Month in October. The Pink Patch Project is a national effort in which many law enforcement officers wear a pink version of their agency's shoulder patch. This is the fourth year that NSP has participated. "We are proud to participate once again in this...
Most individuals have heard about service dogs that help individuals with physical or mental disabilities. But, have you ever heard of comfort dogs? Unlike service dogs, comfort dogs are trained to serve the needs of multiple people, not just one. They travel across different states and provide comfort to those who have been through tough situations, are terminally ill, have never seen a dog in real life or even just come to libraries and teach others about comfort dogs. On July 23, Katie Comfor...
Andy Hoffman, of Atkinson, co-founder of the Team Jack Foundation for pediatric brain cancer research, lost his own battle with brain cancer Monday. He was 42. Team Jack Foundation released a statement about Hoffman's death via Twitter, Monday afternoon. "We are deeply saddened to share that our co-founder, @andrewjhoffman, passed away this morning from glioblastoma. Andy was our fearless leader who loved his family with all his heart. Andy, we love you & we promise to honor your legacy by...
The Bazile Groundwater Management Area has launched a new website for the new year. The BGMA's new online presence debuted in early January at bgma.nebraska.gov in a move to separate itself from the Lewis & Clark Natural Resources District's website. "We decided to get a new website so we would have our own stand-alone website," said Jeremy Milander, the management area's Nebraska Extension cropping systems educator. "We felt that this would avoid some confusion as our old site was a tab on the...
Good friends are difficult to find. That's why I'm thankful to have a friend in my life like Ty Rushing, a former co-worker of mine at Iowa Information Publishers and Printers. I started working in January 2014 for the Sheldon, Iowa-based publishing company while Ty joined the business during November of that same year. We've been friends from the first day we met and become so close that our other friends tease us about our bromance. Being such good friends with Ty made the decision to move awa...
Nebraska’s annual First Day Hikes are a chance to explore trails, watch wildlife, snap photos and create a lifetime of memories. This year, Nebraska Game and Parks Commission encourages families to take self-guided hikes between Jan. 1 and 3 at a Nebraska state park, state historical park or state recreation area. Though parks usually offer guided tours, hot chocolate and more, this year’s First Day Hikes have been adjusted to account for the current public health situation. Select parks are planning on giving the event their own unique spi...
I’ve read quite a few gratitude posts on social media lately, the ones where people share what they’re grateful for. Always reminds me of the scene from the movie “Arthur 2, “where Dudley Moore’s character is asked what he’s thankful for. His response, as he stares at full dinner plate made by his middle-class wife, played by Liza Minelli: I’m thankful I’ve got the smallest piece of meatloaf. Daughter Amanda likes to pull that line during our holiday gatherings. Never gets old. I count my bles...
d it to make informed decisions as we navigate life. But, we must challenge ourselves to think deeper about the media we consume. Misinformation and disinformation campaigns are increasingly everywhere and we must be prepared to identify falsehoods, verify truths and protect ourselves from too much news. As a media maker and content consumer, I know firsthand how fatiguing the news cycle can be. From the endless comments, push notifications, social feeds, emails and more. Yet, it is important...
Since Breonna Taylor’s death in March and George Floyd’s death in May, I have heard people from all walks proclaim racism does not exist in our country, let alone in the great state in which we live. Yet, an incident Saturday, in Lincoln, shows that belief is alive in Nebraska. It’s unfortunate because I want to believe the underlying message displayed on the back window of a pickup does not represent the majority of residents of the state I love. I realize we don’t reside in a Pollyan...
Don and Rachel Linquist invite people to be curious about their cattle company. The couple own and operate DH Longhorn, a Page-based business that provides pasture-raised Texas Longhorn beef from their ranch to people’s tables. “The ranch-to-table process is just that – right from our ranch/pasture to our customers’ tables,” Rachel said. The beef is dry aged for three weeks at Wausa Lockers and inspected by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. “Our beef goes into the locker right from our pa...
Last week, many high-profile accounts on Twitter were hacked. After this happened, thousands of verified accounts were put on lockdown so Twitter officials could figure out their next move. Hackers targeted 130 verified accounts and reset passwords for 45 of those. They managed to download information from eight unverified accounts. Twitter officials realized accounts were being hacked when the hackers posted the exact same message and link on each account. The tweet said "I have decided to give...
Recently, TikTok has come under fire by the United States government. The owner of TikTok is ByteDance, a Chinese company based in Beijing. Many officials are raising concern about how China is using information collected from the app. Just last month, India banned the app, along with several other Chinese apps. Some of the reasoning has to do with political and military tension between the two countries. The Australian government is also considering a ban as its own tensions with China...
