Reliable, Trustworthy Reporting, Capturing The Heartbeat Of Our Community
Reliable, Trustworthy Reporting, Capturing The Heartbeat Of Our Community
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Online learning seems new, but it’s older than you think. The field’s predecessor, distance education, can be traced back centuries. From Sir Isaac Pitman, who taught shorthand by correspondence in 1840, to lectures broadcast on the radio in the early 1920s, all the way through to the early 1990s when colleges and universities took advantage of the newly minted World Wide Web and began to offer online education programs, it has evolved alongside technological advances. In those early days of the internet, online learning was an adjustment for...
Half of U.S. children depend on government programs for health care, and in some states, they're beginning to lose that coverage at rates that have concerned the federal government. Foothold Technology analyzed data from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and state health departments collected by the Georgetown University Center for Children and Families to illustrate which states have allowed children to lose health care at an alarmingly fast pace. Passed in March 2020, the...
Nebraska News Service As Pat Mooney walked around the dugout, he overheard Kyle Kubat. “Never have and never will,” Kubat muttered. Kubat was pitching in the Nebraska Class A American Division State Legion baseball championship against Papillion La Vista South. Creighton Prep won the game 10-1 and Kubat did not disappoint. He pitched eight innings, struck out 12 and added a home run to boot. After the game, Creighton Prep head baseball coach Pat Mooney asked Kubat what his pregame phrase meant. “He told me this team has never beat me and never...
The 2020 census is an important tool for understanding population trends and demographic shifts in our greater Nebraska hometowns, but it doesn’t tell the whole story. Articles lamenting the shrinking population of rural areas abound, but we know better. Nebraska Community Foundation’s Youth Survey is taking a qualitative look at the reasons young Nebraskans choose to remain in, return to or leave their hometowns. Our work at NCF suggests there’s much to look forward to in greater Nebra...
North Central District Health Department has been made aware of 59 new COVID-19 cases in the district since last reporting period on Aug. 16. Case count update as of 3 p.m., Monday, Aug. 23, includes: 4,723 total cases, 4,500 recoveries and 76 deaths, to date; and 101 total cases reported in the last 14 days. NCDHD is no longer ableto release county-based data in our districts due to HIPAA standards. Previously, the health depaprtment was granted special privileges to release the county- based...
North Central District Health Department has set times for walk-ins during vaccination clinics. Individuals who already have a scheduled appointment time should arrive at that time. Clinics will dispense Pfizer, Johnson and Johnson and/or Moderna vaccines. Walk-in locations and times include: Aug. 31: Greater Sandhills Family Healthcare - Atkinson, 9 to 11:30 a.m. and 1 to 4:30 p.m., Moderna and Pfizer; Avera Creighton Hospital, 1 to 3 p.m., Moderna; Rock County Clinic, 1 to 4:15 p.m., Moderna;...
North Central District Health Department personnel have announced walk-in clinic dates and times at sites throughout the district. NCDHD will now require insurance card information prior to administering a COVID-19 vaccine. A photocopy of the front and back of the insurance card is necessary. Individuals without insurance are still eligible to receive the vaccine. Anyone who has questions is urged to contact the HCDHD office at 402-446-2406. Walk-in clinics will be available at the following sites: Aug. 20: NCDHD office, 422 E. Douglas St.,...
North Central District Health Department personnel have announced walk-in clinic dates and times at sites throughout the district. NCDHD will now require insurance card information prior to administering a COVID-19 vaccine. A photocopy of the front and back of the insurance card is necessary. INdividuals without insurance are still eligible to receive the vaccine. Anyone who has questions is urged to contact the HCDHD office at 402-446-2406. Walking-in clinics will be available at the following...
The Appropriations Committee advanced their finalized recommendations for the Fiscal Year 2021-22 and 2022-23 biennial budget to the full Legislature. First-round debate took place this past week and all bills were advanced unanimously except LB383, dealing with capital construction. Under the $9.7 billion biennial budget proposal, the two-year average estimated revenue growth is 3.0%, whereas the two-year average growth in spending is just 1.6%. The committee was able to control the growth of spending due to a higher federal match for...
How do you measure a year? According to “Seasons of Love,” from the Broadway hit “Rent,” in 525,600 minutes, you measure life “in daylights, in sunsets, in midnights, in cups of coffee, in inches, in miles, in laughter, in strife. You measure life, “In truths that she learned, or in times that he cried. In bridges he burned, or the way that she died.” In the past year, many of us have, undoubtedly, measured life in a few of these ways. One day, life is smooth (or perhaps a little bumpy) sailin...
I’ve got a spring in my step because the time of year has arrived for college basketball’s big dance. There was plenty of March mayhem during the early rounds of the 2021 NCAA Division I men’s tournament. Many teams were upset by other squads they were favored to beat, which I’m sure upset the fans of the losing programs. The Creighton Bluejays, however, defeated their first two opponents to make the sweet 16 for the first time since 1974. I’m a fan of the Nebraska Cornhuskers first, especiall...
Three students will represent the Summerland speech team at the 2021 Nebraska School Activities Association State Speech Contest, Friday, March 19, in Kearney. Kyra Nilson, Emily Nordby and Adrienne Parker advance from the Class C2-3 district contest, held March 9, in Atkinson. Coach Julie Harley said students qualified for district finals in three events. Nilson and Nordby earned the gold medal in duet acting, while Parker brought home silver in persuasive speaking. The oral interpretation of d...
Ken Paulson Director of the Free Speech Center at Middle Tennessee State University When government fails, it’s the rare public official who says, “Oops. My fault.” That’s human nature, particularly for officials in the public eye who may have to run for office again. No one wants to be held directly responsible for letting the public down. Case in point is the recent catastrophe in Texas, when unexpected winter storms left 4 million homes without power, ruptured pipes and tainted the water supply for many. Texas’ energy grid essential...
Nebraska is in the green, at least when it comes to directed health measures. Governor Pete Ricketts announced Jan. 29 the state would transition from the blue to green phase, effective Jan. 30. The state's pandemic response plan links DHM restrictions to the percentage of staffed hospital beds in Nebraska filled by coronavirus patients. As of Jan. 29, hospital capacity in the state is below 10%, allowing the move to the green phase of the pandemic plan. During Friday morning's press...
An online portal where Nebraskans may register for the coronavirus vaccination debuted recently. During a Monday press conference, Gov. Pete Ricketts announced the website launch for vaccinate.nebraska.gov. Ricketts emphasized the state will not administer vaccines on a first come, first serve basis. Instead, the state will follow a vaccination plan introduced Jan. 15. Despite brisk winter weather, vaccinations have been rolling out quickly, with more than 161,000 vaccinations being administered...
I constantly have to encourage myself to be positive and not paranoid during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. When I say positive, I don't mean testing positive for the coronavirus, of course, but rather having an optimistic outlook. It's been difficult for me now and then to not feel defeated by the world we live in, thanks to a disease that seems to be far from done doing damage. The COVID-19 vaccines have made me hopeful that victory over this virus will arrive sooner rather than later, but...
Foresight. Summerland senior Rafe Grebin relied on it prior to Friday's Central Valley Invite. "I knew I needed to pick up at least three wins without any losses to even up my record so that I am seed-able for subdistricts," he said. Once he saw the bracket for the 126-pound division, he realized he wasn't going to get as many matches. He looked at the eight-man bracket and that's when he knew what he needed to do. "At that moment, I realized that I needed to win the tournament. I had to go 3-0...
In late December, Congress passed the Emergency Coronavirus Relief Act of 2020. A lot has happened in the time since, but we believe this legislation deserves a second look. As a joint COVID-19 relief and fiscal year 2021 appropriations bill, funded at $2.3 trillion, this act has strong implications in rural America. Within the spending package, several U.S. Department of Agriculture programs advocated for by the Center for Rural Affairs were included and funded at requested levels. The Rural...
Governor Pete Ricketts' office issued a statement, Monday, following news that the governor had come into close contact with someone who tested positive for coronavirus. "Gov. Ricketts came into close contact with someone, on Saturday, who tested positive today for coronavirus," said Taylor Gage, director of strategic communications. "The exposure that occurred was work-related. The Ggvernor will complete the required seven-day quarantine. The governor is not showing any symptoms, and will get...
Governor Pete Ricketts delivered his State of the State address to the Legislature this past week. He highlighted 2021-23 state budget recommendations for senators. This will be his last biennial budget proposal, as his eight years in office will be completed at the end of next year. Ricketts recounted the devastating flood in 2019 and coronavirus pandemic that followed in 2020. He commended Nebraskans for responding in the Nebraska Way - by working together to overcome challenges. The...
If 2020 vision existed, the past year may have turned out differently. Or, maybe we needed this year to define our strengths and guide us toward a revision of what we deem as normal. The year 2020 caused us to slow down and realize what matters most. While coronavirus - and all its implications - dominated the news cycle, other news items drew attention: groundbreaking for the new school site, cruise nights honoring graduates, new businesses opening and surviving a pandemic, pumpkin patches spro...
JOHNATHAN HLADIK Policy director Center for Rural Affairs As they continue to face challenges caused by the coronavirus pandemic, rural small businesses and communities with loans through the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Rural Development program find themselves on the outside once again. Provisions of the Rural Equal Aid Act, a measure with bipartisan support in the House and Senate, were left out of the latest round of stimulus funding approved Monday by Congress. Our elected officials have again let these rural entrepreneurs down and h...
Despite a pandemic that saw life around us change, not everything in 2020 was bad. Advocate-Messenger employees share a personal glimpse of the hope they experienced in 2020 and offer a wish for the new year. ~~~ One of the biggest signs of hope for me was being able to attend in-person classes at Wayne State College. With all the uncertainty in the world, it was a huge relief to know that colleges were taking one of the first steps to give some sense of normalcy to their students. Wish for...
An economic development program, designed to assist Clearwater businesses through COVID-19, will end Dec. 31. The Village of Clearwater LB840 Emergency Commercial Grant Program was established this summer and offered grants of $750 to businesses affected by the pandemic. Businesses with a net income of less than $75,000, per 2019 income taxes, are eligible to apply. Grant applications are scored on four categories: closed/reduced service due to directed health measures; length of time in...
Nebraska’s latest directed health measures mirror Centers for Disease Control recommendations, shortening quarantine times for individuals who have been exposed to the coronavirus. Gov. Pete Ricketts made the announcement during a Friday press conference. Mandates went into effect at 5 p.m., Dec. 3 and will continue through Dec. 31. “Even with the good news we’ve had with regard to vaccines that are on their way, we do need people to continue to practice all the good methods we’ve learned...
