Reliable, Trustworthy Reporting, Capturing The Heartbeat Of Our Community
Reliable, Trustworthy Reporting, Capturing The Heartbeat Of Our Community
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When the clock struck midnight on New Year's Day, several new laws, as well as ballot initiative proclamations signed by Governor Jim Pillen, went into effective. The one exception: the paid sick leave initiative. It will go into effect Oct. 1. Minimum wage increases to $13.50 per hour. The increase was part of the scheduled increases outlined in the Nebraska Minimum Wage Statute Initiative, passed by voters in 2022. The first increase bumped the state's minimum wage from $9 per hour to $10.50...
In the summer of 2002, Margaret Stamp returned home to Sarpy County from college four weeks after her 74-year-old grandmother, Phyllis Behm, had died from a short battle with colorectal cancer. Stamp found her dad, Mark Behm, a former northeast Nebraska county attorney and private practice lawyer, wincing in pain on the living room floor. Stamp described him as in shape and thin. She said he looked healthy and didn't drink or smoke. But that weekend, Stamp's father was doubled over, and he told...
Most of my family dreads the thought of going to a museum with me. It really doesn't matter what the museum is, or how interested they might be in the subject, they'd prefer to do something, perhaps anything, else. I recognize that I am the problem. I love museums. One of my early memories is of exploring the King Tut exhibition at the Chicago Field Museum and being drug out by my exasperated parents long before I was ready to leave. I wasn't done reading all that fascinating information....
PROCEEDINGS VILLAGE OF PAGE BOARD OF TRUSTEES The regular monthly meeting of the Village Board of Page was held Monday, Dec. 9, 2024, at the village office. Notice was published in the Summerland Advocate and was posted at three public places within the Village of Page. This meeting was conducted in compliance with the Nebraska Open Meetings Act and Open Meeting Laws posted at the village office. Chair Linquist opened the meeting at 7 p.m. Trustees VanEvery, Tyrrell, Leichleiter and Campbell present. Also present: Dan Sobotka, Jen Cunningham,...
I first want to start this week’s update by expressing my gratitude to our state’s congressional delegation with regards to the recent passage of Senate Bill 1478 in Congress. This bill would designate U.S. Hwy 20 in the states of Oregon, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Nebraska, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York and Massachusetts as the “National Medal of Honor Highway.” While then-Governor Ricketts approved the renaming of U.S. Hwy 20 in Nebraska as the “Nebraska Medal of Honor Hi...
With the rapid rise in internet use among children, the dangers of online exploitation have grown alarmingly. Children’s access to the internet has become nearly ubiquitous, especially following the COVID-19 pandemic. Remote learning, online gaming, and social media are now integral to daily life, meaning more children, even preschool-age children, are regularly online, often unsupervised and unprotected. This new reality demands that we consider not only physical safety for our children, but also the dangers they are facing online. The S...
REQUESTS FOR PROPOSAL VILLAGE OF CLEARWATER Old Ambulance Bay HVAC The Village of Clearwater is seeking Requests for Proposal from experienced and well-qualified contractors to install an HVAC system in the old ambulance bay at 626 Main St., Clearwater. A qualified professional contractor shall have experience in projects of similar scope and size as described in the scope of services section. A contractor may bid all or part of the project. The selected contractor(s) shall furnish all equipment and materials to the specifications of the...
REQUESTS FOR PROPOSAL FOR VILLAGE OF CLEARWATER Exterior wall, office door, overhang The Village of Clearwater is seeking Requests for Proposal from experienced and well-qualified contractors to replace the front exterior wall of the library, village office door and overhang at 626 Main St., Clearwater. A qualified professional contractor shall have experience in projects of similar scope and size as described in the scope of services section. A contractor may bid all or part of the project but shall bid each phase separately. The selected...
I would first like to express my gratitude to the first responders who quickly handled the explosion and fire at St. Patrick’s Parish in O’Neill earlier this week. I am thankful that there were no catastrophic injuries or loss of life and am hopeful that the parish, Avera St. Anthony’s Hospital and St. Mary’s School can quickly recover. I have been in contact with other state officials to help coordinate state resources to ease the recovery of Avera St. Anthony’s, which sustained damage. I...
In October 1988, the Cold War was still simmering. World War II was just a generation ago, fresh in many veterans’ minds and in the hearts of families who lost their parents and grandparents in the conflict. More recently, many Americans had fought in the Korean and Vietnam Wars, and many returned home in need of health care and in search of employment. October 1988 was the month President Ronald Reagan signed the Department of Veterans Affairs Act, which transformed the independent Veterans A...
PROCEEDINGS VILLAGE OF PAGE BOARD MEETING Sept. 16, 2024 The regular monthly meeting of the Village Board of Page was held Monday, Sept. 16, 2024, at the village office. Notice was published in the Summerland Advocate-Messenger on the 11th day of September, 2024, and was also posted at three public places within the Village of Page. This meeting was conducted in compliance with the Nebraska Open Meetings Act and the Open Meeting Laws are posted at the village office. Chair Linquist called the regular meeting of the board of trustees to order...
Eugene Koenig 1938 - 2024 Funeral services for Eugene Koenig, 85, were 10:30 a.m., Tuesday, July 30, at St. Peter’s Catholic Church in Ewing, with Father Frank Baumert officiating. Burial was in St. Peter’s Catholic Cemetery. Snider Memorial Funeral Home handled the arrangements. Gene died July 21, 2024, at Arbor Care Center in O’Neill. Condolences may be directed the family at http://www.snidermemorial.com. ~~~~~ Eugene Louis Koenig was born Dec. 17, 1938, to Adolph and Audrey (Tomjack) Koenig at Ewing. He graduated from Ewing High Schoo...
By the time you read this, state senators are expected to be trudging back to Lincoln for a special session on property tax relief. The word "trudging" reflects the general distaste senators have for special sessions, which disrupts the lives of these part-time, underpaid ($12,000 a year plus all you can eat and drink) lawmakers. Generally, special sessions are called to address emergencies, such as a court ruling that renders laws or taxes untenable, or an economic downturn that requires...
PROCEEDINGS VILLAGE OF PAGE, NEBRASKA The regular monthly meeting of the Village Board of Page was held Monday, July 8, 2024, at the village office. This meeting was conducted in compliance with the Nebraska Open Meetings Act and the Open Meeting Laws are posted at the village office. Chair Linquist called the meeting to order at 7:02 p.m. Trustees VanEvery, Tyrrell, Leichleiter and Campbell present. Also present: Bill Fox, Doug Cunningham, Heath Wilson and Cora Calkins. Absent: None. Motion by Tyrrell, second by Campbell: Approve minutes of...
Data breaches are on track for a record year in 2024 as cybercriminals increasingly hunt for valuable information. On average, a data breach exposing sensitive information, such as Social Security numbers, has around 172,000 victims, according to a ConsumerAffairs analysis of the Identity Theft Resource Center's database from 2018 to the first quarter of 2024. These breaches cause headaches for consumers, who then need to check if their information is secure elsewhere because they are now more...
Have you been to the grocery store or courthouse lately and been approached in the parking lot by not one, but two people seeking signatures on initiative petitions concerning abortion rights? Confused? You’re not alone. For what appears to be the first time in history, Nebraskans are being asked to sign not one, not two, but three petitions seeking to determine if and when a woman can have an abortion. And, according to Secretary of State Bob Evnen, if more than one petition makes the ballot, t...
Let's face it, Nebraska has high property taxes, the seventh highest in the country according to the Tax Foundation, which tracks such things. "Lots of land, not a lot of people," has always been the catchphrase, which translates into a higher burden of property taxes. But I almost fell out of my chair when Gov. Jim Pillen proposed, initially, to raise the state's sales taxes by two cents to achieve property tax relief. Never did I imagine that a conservative Republican governor would propose a...
As is its wont to do, U.S. News and World Report recently released its Best States "rankings," a list on which Nebraska placed third, up one spot from 2023. Only Utah and New Hampshire bested our fair environs in the best states standings. So, yes, go ahead. Yay, us! The magazine's methodology included rankings in eight primary categories: fiscal stability, opportunity, infrastructure, crime and corrections, economy, education, health care and natural environment. Each of those were subdivided...
Nebraska residents should have easier access to public records under a bill that, in effect, overrules a recent Nebraska Supreme Court decision allowing the state to charge high amounts for retrieving public records. Gov. Jim Pillen signed Legislative Bill 43, adopting the First Freedom Act and new public record provisions, on Wednesday, March 27, after it unanimously passed in the Legislature, 39-0. The bill went into immediate effect due to an emergency clause. The emergency clause was added to an amendment inspired by Lincoln Sen. Danielle...
We are now two-thirds of the way through the 60-day session and have completed public hearings for the year. Senators will now meet in full-day sessions for floor debate. Discussion will focus on bills that have been given priority status either by a senator, a committee, or the speaker. The Legislature is scheduled to adjourn April 18. LB1087 by Sen. Jacobson would adopt the Hospital Quality Assurance and Access Assessment Act. This bill would have Nebraska join 44 other states in obtaining...
Sunshine Week is March 10 through 16, and this year, there's an even greater need for you to get involved.Sunshine Week annually celebrates freedom of information laws in every state. It also salutes efforts by good government advocates and journalists to use and ensure the effectiveness of those laws to get the information we need as self-governing citizens. The name is a play on the commonsense words spoken more than a century ago by U.S. Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis, that "Sunlight...
An Elgin man, who had moved from Arizona last fall, has learned about icy road conditions and Nebraska law regarding vehicle and driver’s licenses. Tyler S. Zawacky, 30, of Elgin appeared in front of the Honorable Donna Taylor in the Antelope County courtroom in Neligh on March 6 for pretrial hearing on Count I, leaving scene of property-damage accident, a Class 2 misdemeanor; Count II, no proof of financial responsibility, a Class 2 misdemeanor; and Count III, fictitious plates, a Class 3 misdemeanor. Pursuant to a plea agreement with a...
PROCEEDINGS VILLAGE OF PAGE, NEBRASKA Feb. 12, 2024 The regular monthly meeting of the Village Board of Page was held Monday, Feb. 12, 2024, at the village office. This meeting was conducted in compliance with the Nebraska Open Meetings Act and the Open Meeting Laws are posted at the Village Office. Chair Linquist called the meeting to order at 7 p.m. Trustees VanEvery, Tyrrell, Campbell and Leichleiter present. Also present: Matt Kellum and Cora Calkins. Absent: None. Motion by Tyrrell, second by Campbell: approve minutes of the Jan. 19, 2024,...
Dozens of Nebraskans lined the rows and walls of Room 1525 at the Nebraska Capitol, waiting to testify during the Education Committee hearing Tuesday, Feb. 13. The hearing, lasting late into the night, saw more than 70 people testify in-person and more than 500 people submit online testimony about LB 1330, a bill aimed at eliminating some diversity, equity and inclusion – better known as DEI – programs for public educational institutions. “This ban is an erasure of the soul and essence of people from racially marginalized groups and other...
This week, I presented my priority bill for this year before members of the Agriculture Committee: LB1301. This bill would adopt the Foreign-owned Real Estate National Security Act and bring our antiquated foreign land ownership statutes up to date. Our statutes were first enacted in 1889 and many sections were last updated only in 1943. The bill would modernize these statutes by restricting federally-designated foreign adversaries from owning agricultural land, empowering the attorney general...
