Reliable, Trustworthy Reporting, Capturing The Heartbeat Of Our Community
Reliable, Trustworthy Reporting, Capturing The Heartbeat Of Our Community
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This holiday season, pitching in to support a small business may be easier than you think. Many small towns are proud to feature a vibrant main street, and rightfully so. Busy storefronts are a sign of activity and growth. They also indicate strong community support. But not every small business gets it start in a brick-and-mortar location. With the popularity of online shopping, more small entrepreneurs are learning that their dream of selling locally-produced food, artwork and handmade items...
Local journalism is a cornerstone of democracy and a vital source of information for communities across the country, with newsrooms covering local politics, high school sports, local business openings, cultural events, and other matters that help a community remain vibrant and connected. But the industry is facing an existential crisis because of the unyielding power of Big Tech platforms, such as Google and Facebook. With less than four weeks left in this Congress, now is the time for the Senate to pass the Journalism Competition and...
Three in a row. Clearwater's Big Rodeo, sponsored by the Clearwater Chamber of Commerce, received it's third consecutive nod as the top large purse rodeo by members of the Mid-States Rodeo Association. The award was announced Monday, via MSRA's social media channels. Rodeo co-chairman Gene Snodgrass said it's the 13th time Clearwater's event has claimed the top award. The chamber was tabbed as the top rodeo in 1978, 1979, 1980, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987 and 1988. In 2020, the rodeo was...
Polls open at 8 a.m., Tuesday, Nov. 8, for voters to cast ballots in the 2022 general election. Summerland-area precincts include the American Legion, Clearwater precinct; city hall, Ewing precinct; fire hall, Orchard precinct; fire hall, Page precinct and Royal Auditorium, Royal precinct. Races on the midterm ballot include local and state offices. On the state level, area voters will select a representative for the third district, governor and lieutenant governor, secretary of state,...
Do you remember what it was like to not be able to get the answer to an elusive question as soon as you asked it? Like how long sea turtles live? Or how far away is the sun? Or the name of that actor from that one movie? Before the omni-present Google and smartphone, these answers were likely missing (or required a lot of work to find). So when these questions came up in the past, conversation would stop. That's because the language of America is our common understanding of the facts of the...
Discussion and debate has always been a part of rural America. From coffee shops to the local co-op, rural residents aren’t afraid to show their loyalty for one candidate or another, share their thoughts on the issues of the day and voice their distrust of the government. Sometimes opinions can spur disagreement and raise tensions. But, in the end, most of us will agree to disagree, shake hands and go about our day. Lately, this seems to have changed. The divisive politics of Washington have mad...
It’s tempting to blame the pandemic for the dizzying rates of mental health concerns among American teens. We are all familiar with the impact Covid is having on our lives and the disruption it continues to cause in the lives of young people. Kids witnessed vehement disagreements between neighbors, friends and family over the decisions that had to be made in response to the pandemic, and felt the stress at home as parents faced economic and work changes, all without many of their usual s...
It's back. Yik Yak, a social media app shut down in 2017 following incidents of bullying on high school and college campuses, has reinvented itself and is blowing up once again. Created in November 2013, Yik Yak was the brainchild of two college students in South Carolina who intended the app to be beneficial for college students. After changes were made to limit anonymous postings, use significantly dropped off. Essentially, the app allows any user to create "Yaks," or anonymous threads. App...
Interesting question our office has received on more than one occasion: Why does SAM sometimes run articles from other areas of Nebraska? The answer is relatively simple. We are Nebraska. I like to think our readers want to learn more about this place we call home. When we share articles from Flatwater Free Press or Nebraska Examiner or Nebraska News Service, our goal is to offer coverage that is not only interesting, but may have an impact on our lives. For example, on Page 3 in this week’s edi...
After a visit about aches, pains and various medical issues, a patient was commenting on getting older. Similar to other patients, I expected him to say something like, “It’s no fun getting older.” To my surprise, the patient said, “I’m 85. That means I have a lot to be thankful for.” Some people are almost always positive, and some are usually negative. Those who are positive have been found to have better outcomes and seem to enjoy themselves more while unfortunately, those who tend to be...
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...
The Department of Health and Human Services Division of Children and Family Services has been made aware of a scam targeting Nebraskans that involves Social Services Block Grant funds. The scam involves a scammer calling a person claiming that they won a Social Services Block Grant award yet must pay a transaction fee to receive the award. The Administration for Children and Families outlined the details of this scam in this public notice to states and territories. According to the ACF Office...
By the time this edition lands in your mailbox, I imagine our office will be a bit quieter. Our summer reporters either will have returned to high school or be headed to Wayne for college. Both will be seniors at their respective schools. It has been a joy working with Faith King and Erin Schwager this summer. Erin joined the paper the day before our first edition debuted in 2019. She had recently graduated high school and was leaving soon for her first year at Wayne. She’s written stories f...
Thomas Fuller, an African slave and mathematician, said, “Memory is the treasure house of the mind wherein the monuments thereof are kept and preserved.” If you were unable to attend Sunday’s history lesson about Ewing, with Butch Rotherham, you missed an opportunity to hear abundant treasures about Ewing, it’s people and places. Let me tell you, Butch’s memories are well preserved. And funny. Often times poignant. Extremely educational. Sunday’s event, held at St. Dominic’s Hall, came about af...
Wow, we at SAM are embarking on our fourth year of publishing a weekly newspaper. Seems like only yesterday when a group of us huddled around our dining room table to put together the inaugural edition of the Advocate-Messenger. The next day, Scott and I stood outside The Office, took a deep breath, waited for the first edition’s arrival and opened the door to a major opportunity. We knew it would be a life-changing experience. Trust me, we haven’t been disappointed. That was an exciting - and...
In 1937, the Nebraska Safety Patrol was formed to address the rising problem of crashes on our state's roads. Eighty-five years later, that organization still stands-now known as the Nebraska State Patrol. Its mission to help keep our communities and citizens safe hasn't wavered. But they continue to adapt the ways they carry out that mission to meet the needs of Nebraskans. As we celebrate 85 years of the NSP, let's recognize all they do for our state. They keep us safe on the roads, protect...
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...
This past weekend is a blur. After wrapping up last week’s paper and making sure everything was organized for the rodeo, Scott and I headed north, to Fargo, where I was a finalist (and eventually named the winner) of the National Federation of Press Women’s Communicator of Achievement. We decided to take the less-traveled path and support small-town businesses. Word to the wise: call ahead, especially if you need to make a reservation. After driving around a South Dakota town for 20 min...
As we gather to celebrate Independence Day, it's a good time to reflect on how our most fundamental freedoms have served this nation well. It's an even better time to think about what would happen if those liberties were taken away. Sadly, the latter doesn't take much imagination in 2022. Your closest video screen will show you scenes of Russian troops pummeling Ukraine with the support of a majority of the Russian people. The Russian public has been told that their country is doing noble work...
Even though weather changes daily (and sometimes, minute to minute), it is a constant discussion point. It’s usually one of the few television channels I will tune into while working. Weather has been in the news a lot lately: the May 12 dust and rain storm that caused damage in the area, the nearly month-long days of strong winds this spring, the weekend storms. Sometimes, it feels like I am constantly checking weather notices and sharing updates on the SAM website and our social media c...
Since its inception in 1972, Nebraska’s Natural Resources Districts have been planting conservation trees and shrubs for windbreaks, erosion control, wildlife habitat and other conservation purposes. This spring, the NRD Conservation Tree Program plants its 100 millionth tree – that’s approximately 50 trees for each Nebraskan. “Nebraska has a proud history of planting trees, and putting the 100 millionth tree in the ground reflects Nebraskans’ willingness to invest in the future,” said Dr. Orval Gigstad, Nebraska Association of Resources D...
Nebraska football's rich history is intertwined alongside that of college football, and its home stadium is, too. Ground broke on the first iteration of Memorial Stadium April 26, 1923, about 33 years after Nebraska football played its first game. The 31,080-seat stadium was ready in time for the following season, hosting Nebraska's 24-0 victory over Oklahoma in the stadium's inaugural contest in October 1923. The rest is history. Nebraska has sold out 382 consecutive games at Memorial Stadium,...
Owners of microbusinesses, sole proprietors, and farmers spend many hours developing plans and attending training sessions to educate themselves on operating a business and what to do in the face of adversity. A key component of their planning should include being prepared for a major weather event. As the seasons change, flooding becomes a concern in many parts of the country. The most common and costly natural disaster in the U.S., according to The Pew Charitable Trusts, flood-related...
Grandpa Larson has been on my mind lately. I'm not sure if it's due to binge watching "Peaky Blinders," set in Birmingham, England, in 1919, and the show's references to World War I and newsboy caps. Or, maybe I'm simply waxing nostalgic lately. Grandpa served in World War I. I still possess a felt banner, complete with embroidered Army insignia and the words "Somewhere in France," that hung in the window of his family home while he served this country. He never talked about his time overseas....
The other day, a young person asked what words I would use to describe success. Great question. I asked for more context, wondering if they were trying to correlate success - an accomplishment - with reward, primarily monetary. After deliberation, I’ve narrowed my list to three words. First, is mindset. This may seem cliche, but you, alone, control your attitude. When you wake up, you set the tone for your day. You choose whether you will have a good or bad day. Sure, you may encounter r...
