Reliable, Trustworthy Reporting, Capturing The Heartbeat Of Our Community
Reliable, Trustworthy Reporting, Capturing The Heartbeat Of Our Community
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Antelope County Commissioners learned heard from two speakers, Dec. 5, about concerns with a potential carbon-capture pipeline projected to run through the northern tier of the county. Doyle Turner, of Moville, Iowa, and Trent Loos, a central Nebraska rancher also presented similar information at an informational forum, Dec. 4, in Neligh. Turner said years ago, he had invested in a company that sold carbon dioxide for "any kind of purpose you can imagine." "I knew CO2 had a lot of value. What I...
Attorney General Mike Hilgers is now fighting prison reform measures he supported not too long ago as a state senator. That's politics. In the Attorney General 's office. Imagine that! Not hard to believe if you've been paying attention. The last AG walked in lockstep with the governor as did the guy before him, and ... Let's not forget Don Stenberg, the AG who wanted to be anything else, mostly US Senator (he took a shot and failed a couple times) and finally wound up as State Treasurer before...
A free press has been always a common denominator in this country’s history. Since the origin of the “Federalist” papers, which offered the ideas which became the U.S. Constitution, the press has played an active role in being the watchdogs - or fourth state - ensuring American citizens, and their civil liberties, are protected. The free press serves as the voice of the people, providing transparency and challenging government abuse of power. In several states, including Nebraska, lawma...
At a time when people's trust in government is waning, Nebraska Attorney General Mike Hilgers issued an opinion that the Legislature's Office of the Public Counsel, better known as the Ombudsman's office, is unconstitutional. The office exists to promote accountability in government by independently and impartially investigating issues related to state agencies and employees. The departments of Health and Human Services and Corrections, which are subject to this oversight and often make...
If you thought that the mostly one-sided filibuster-driven debate on transgender issues and abortion was the thing that dragged the 2023 Nebraska Legislature to a near standstill, steel yourself for what could lie ahead. State Senator Dave Murman of Glenvil, the chair of the Legislature's Education Committee, says he wants to study the use of critical race theory and other controversial subjects in the classroom. Innocently enough, the studies stem from a request to investigate the Nebraska...
Technocrats are voicing concern about the safety of artificial intelligence. Should we let them take charge of figuring out how to regulate it? Alarmism in online articles generates sensational news and keeps the marketing machine running. The more hype, the more clicks, the more visits, the more money. Unfortunately, online news surrounding artificial intelligence has not been spared by this trend. Artificial intelligence refers to the ability of machines to perform tasks that would typically...
PROCEEDINGS VILLAGE OF PAGE July 10, 2023 The regular monthly meeting of the Village Board of Page was held Monday, July 10, 2023, 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 7:04 p.m. Trustees VanEvery and Leichleiter present. Also present: Mike Christensen and Cora Calkins. Absent: Tyrrell and Bartak. Motion by VanEvery, second by Leichleiter, to approve minutes of the June 12,...
The new governor says, jubilantly, the honeymoon cruise with the Nebraska Legislature was a huge success. Sorry governor, I'm seeing flags. Red flags. The cheering I hear is, "See you in court!" So, let's wait until the lawsuits are filed and the petition drives are all launched before we get too excited. In a "report card" from his office, Governor Jim Pillen said he was elected to office "with a clear mandate to make transformational change in the areas most important to our future: our kids;...
HASTINGS - On a windy Saturday morning, a woman stood onstage at the Hastings City Auditorium. Her hair was a plume of fiery red, and she wore a jean jacket and pants with matching embroidery. As she moved, the dozens of silver rings on her fingers clacked against the microphone. She wore a silver belt buckle, and carved into the middle of it was a symbol that appeared thousands of times across the event hall: on t-shirts, mugs, hats, jackets, backpacks, books and more. Bigfoot. Meet Harriet McFeely, the Bigfoot Lady of Nebraska. For the last...
It is the last week of March and the Legislature has moved on to all-day debate. At this point in time in the prior 2021 90-day long session, the Legislature had passed 31 bills with 16 signed into law by the governor. This year, a grand total of zero bills have been passed into law and only one resolution - my resolution LR 13 - affirming the Legislature’s support for including the names of the Sage brothers and other 71 sailors of the USS Frank E. Evans on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial W...
Antelope County Commissioners listened to comments from opponents of a proposed carbon-capture pipeline earlier this month. Jane Kleeb, founder of Bold Nebraska, was scheduled to meet with Holt County Supervisors, Feb. 16, but a Central Nebraska snowstorm kept her from making the trek from her home in Hastings to O'Neill. Before Antelope County leaders, Kleeb outlined her organization's fight against the Keystone XL pipeline and how she worked with area landowners to protect property rights. She...
The farmer was growing impatient. He and dozens of other central Nebraska farmers had gathered for mandatory training in Columbus a few weeks before last Christmas. In response to high nitrate levels, the Lower Loup Natural Resources District had designated a "Phase 3 area." That led to new requirements – like this training to help farmers manage their nitrogen fertilizer use. The farmer didn't like this. He told NRD leaders he had been drinking water containing nitrate at 40 parts per m...
Nick Herringer claps along with a metronome. He draws lines on a big screen, repeating patterns drawn by the computer. He identifies icons of cars when they flash before his eyes. This is the 22-year-old's speech and cognitive therapy, which he has been doing at least twice a week. Every week. For three years. Nick's thick brown hair hides a massive, ear-to-ear scar from his four brain surgeries for glioblastoma, an aggressive brain cancer he has battled since he was a teenager. His mom, Tammy Herringer, drives Nick to therapy and back. She...
Approximately 50 individuals attended a public hearing about local property taxes, Friday, in Neligh. Presentations from representatives of Antelope County, Elgin Public and Summerland schools read statements about tax requests. Citizens weren't shy about increased costs. The hearing, required by a new law - LB644 as amended by LB1250 - was passed by the Nebraska Legislature in 2021 and known as the Property Tax Request Act. Some call it truth in taxation. Based on legislation, each political...
Should ballots cast in Antelope County elections be counted by hand instead of by machine? Members of the Antelope County Patriots filled the Antelope County commissioners' meeting room, Aug 9, to discuss those questions and other election procedures. Sheryl Baker approached the board and yielded her time to Professor David Clements, of New Mexico, and Connie Reinke with the Nebraska Voter Accuracy Project. Clements introduced himself as a former law professor at New Mexico State University, a...
We change our clocks twice a year, switching from standard time to daylight saving time and back again, even though we may not like it. This could soon change. The Legislature gave first-round approval to LB 283, which would keep daylight saving time year-round, if given approval on the federal level and three adjacent states adopt similar laws. To date, Wyoming has passed this legislation and the proposal is pending in Colorado, Iowa and Missouri. In total, 18 states have passed bills to...
After a three-month break, the Legislature convened Wednesday, Jan. 5, to begin the 107th legislative session, second session. Senators were called into special session in September to complete the redistricting process, based on new census data. Legislative District #40 no longer contains Boyd or Rock counties. Rock and Boyd counties are now part of Legislative District #43, represented by Sen. Tom Brewer. Legislative District #40 also lost the southern portion of Dixon County, which will be...
JILL KRUSE, D.O. The holiday season is here, and many wonderful activities are happening. As you hustle and bustle, be aware that accidents and injuries can occur. When you see a doctor, they record a diagnosis code explaining the purpose of the appointment. Some codes describe the actual injury and others describe what happened during the injury. For example, Y93.2 is the code for “activities involving snow and ice”. So, if you went sledding, crashed into a tree and broke your left femur or thigh bone, your medical chart would show these codes...
“Someone is going to die.” Naturally, this sentence piqued my attention. I wasn’t eavesdropping on the conversation where the above-mentioned line was uttered. Oh, contrare. It was said during a public gathering, by an individual sitting next to Scott and me. In fact, several comments from this person and the group he/she was with caught my attention. I was making a mental note to speak with them privately about their concerns, when one of the group members told about an incident they witne...
BROOKE WRAGE Nebraska News Service As of March 31, Gov. Pete Ricketts approved 16 bills to become state laws. The bills include topics varying from transportation and health care to government and military affairs. An overview of the new state laws follows. View the full list of bills that received approval on the Nebraska Legislature at https://nebraskalegislature.gov/calendar/agenda.php?day=2021-03-25. LB 14: Adopt the Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology Interstate Compact Sen. Carol Blood of Bellevue introduced LB 14, which will allow...
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...
BROOKE WRAGE, CELENA SHEPHERD and MADELEINE GRANT Nebraska News Service The first week of floor debates kicked off the second week in March. Senators debated and advanced a handful of bills in the Nebraska Legislature. A recap of the week. LB255: Provide compensation to families of deceased first responders Sen. Matt Hansen, of Lincoln, introduced LB255, which would establish the In the Line of Duty Compensation Act to provide a one-time death benefit for a family member of a first responder who dies while on the line of duty. “I believe it i...
Madeleine Grant and Brooke Wrage Nebraska News Service LINCOLN--Nebraska lawmakers continue to push for marijuana legislation this session. On Feb. 19, the Nebraska Legislature Judiciary Committee heard six bills relating to the legalization and decriminalization of marijuana. Substance possession penalties State senators are considering a bill to change the penalty for controlled substance possession. LB 287, was introduced by Sen. Justin Wayne of Omaha to lessen penalties for possession of unusable amounts of controlled substances under the...
The 107th Legislature, first session, began Wednesday, Jan.6 under different circumstances from other years. Due to the pandemic, families of the newly-elected and re-elected senators were not allowed to sit on the floor but had to be seated in the balcony. The chief justice of the Supreme Court administered the oath to the newly-elected and re-elected senators, who remained at their seats instead of gathering up front for the swearing-in ceremony. Eight new senators took their oath, of which, t...
The last two weeks in the Legislature have seen a flurry of activity, as senators worked hard to get a great number of bills passed in a short number of days. There were some heated debates on the floor and emotions ran very hot for a few days, with contentious issues turning into some personal squabbles between senators on either side of those issues. With so much to accomplish in such a short time, perhaps this should be expected, but I am always hopeful that cooler heads will prevail and we...
