Serving proudly since 1873 as the beautiful Nebraska Panhandle's first newspaper
Serving proudly since 1873 as the beautiful Nebraska Panhandle's first newspaper
Sorted by date Results 1151 - 1175 of 1718
Christmas feels a little different this year. I’ve spent more time on two wheels in the last few weeks than I have most of the summer, welcomed by unseasonable weather. The weather adjusted recently, welcoming the Santa, sleigh, and Frosty the Snowman concept of Christmas. In the spirit of traditional or classic storylines, what causes a heart to be “two sizes too small,” or to choose an island adventure over family and friends? What causes a person who enjoys life to abruptly become withd...
Our children are our future. In Nebraska and across the country, families are working hard and doing all they can to keep their kids happy and healthy. When a child is sick, caretakers want to know their children will receive the care necessary to get better. During my time in the Senate, I have worked hard to support effective programs to do just that. The Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) helps to ensure all of our nation’s children have access to health insurance coverage, and it...
People want politics to be simple. Left vs. right. Clinton vs. Trump. My side vs. your side. Elect the right guy, and things will be good! The truth is more complicated. Influential political philosophies created the mess we live with today, not just a political "left" and "right." There's socialism, conservatism, populism, progressivism, liberalism, scientism (eugenics), Marxism, totalitarianism, nationalism, fascism, Islamo-fascism, Nazism and probably others I missed. But only two "isms" work well for ordinary people. More on them in a...
This is the season of good news, and the economic potential we are currently seeing in our country is no exception. The unemployment rate has fallen to a 17-year low, a signal of rising opportunity in America. The Trump administration’s commitment to rolling back much of the Obama administration’s red tape has loosened the regulatory stranglehold on the economy and set the stage for more extensive growth through tax reform. As former Ways and Means Chairman Dave Camp used to say, “The tax code is 10 times the size of the Bible with none of th...
As 2017 draws to a close, I sit by the fire with pen and paper in hand, reflecting on all that has transpired since I first took office back in January 2017. It has truly been an honor and a privilege to represent the good people of District 47 in the Nebraska Legislature. So, I thank you for providing me with this very exciting and wonderful adventure in Nebraska politics. Nebraska really is the good life. So, I went to Lincoln with the understanding that my job is to somehow make the good...
Every successful organization and household has to manage a budget. Our farmers and ranchers work to control the cost of inputs so that they operate profitably when it comes time to market their crop. Families watch their spending so that they can meet their household needs. Our Main Street job creators monitor their bottom line so they can deliver value to their customers, attract quality talent to their organizations, and grow opportunities. Just like Nebraska’s ag producers, households, a...
The news out of Korea is a mix of bad and good, but perhaps more lopsided on the side of bad. President Donald Trump continues to accelerate his war of words with North Korea, by calling the rogue nation’s dictator, Kim Jong Un, “Little Rocket Man,” and promising him “fire and fury.” Late in November, Trump re-designated North Korea as “a state sponsor of terrorism,” an action that unleashed a slew of additional U. S. financial sanctions that will hit hard the already starved and desperate Nor...
Here at the State of Nebraska, we’re working every day to build a government which is more effective and more efficient. When I took office, I identified the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) as a priority for operational improvements. It’s one of our state’s biggest agencies with over $1.5 billion in state funding flowing through it annually. It’s no secret that the agency has faced challenges, but they’ve been focused on putting those in the past and running a new kind of operat...
Nebraskans pay too much in property taxes. According to the Tax Foundation, Nebraskans pay the seventh highest property taxes in the nation. Nebraskans pay 1.65 percent of their home’s value in property taxes every year. The best state in the country for property taxes is Hawaii, where homeowners pay only 0.28 percent of their home’s value. Most importantly, though, we pay more in property taxes than any of our neighboring states. In Wyoming, for example, homeowners pay only 0.51 percent and in...
Empowering people to achieve independence and productivity is our mission on the Ways and Means Human Resources Subcommittee, of which I serve as chairman. President Trump is urging Congress to focus on welfare reform after we finish our tax code overhaul, and I am eager to dive into this effort to help more Americans reach self-sufficiency. In the fight against poverty, four main principles in House Republicans’ “A Better Way” plan serve as guideposts for the task ahead. First, we must promote human dignity by expecting able-bodied recipients...
Shortly after the founding of our nation, American citizens engaged in a debate about what kind of country they and later generations would live in. No one understood the value of rural Americans more than Thomas Jefferson. Writing in a letter to John Jay, the author of the Declaration of Independence stated, “Cultivators of the earth are the most valuable citizens. They are the most vigorous, the most independent, the most virtuous, and they are tied to their country and wedded to its l...
A casual observation of advertising indicates success is in selling the experience, not the product. Think about it. How many ads honestly admit “We got a pretty good product. Come buy some and find out.” Not many. Instead, there is the vision of a hiker who has conquered a rugged peak and has settled down to an ice cold beverage he had in his pack, or the co-ed softball team who opened the cooler after winning the championship. The scene is descriptive enough the reader can almost feel the muscle aches from climbing the mountain and smell the...
Each spring, Nebraska farmers head to their fields to plant and prepare for their fall harvest. Their individual success depends on many factors and is a key part of our state’s overall economic success. Our farm and ranch families are the foundation of our state’s number one industry. To grow Nebraska, we have to continue to grow opportunities for those families. In 2017, I’ve continued to make growing agriculture a top priority for my administration by expanding trade, encouraging lives...
On Thursday Nov. 16 Sen. Brewer (LD43), Sen. Halloran (LD33), and I, Sen. Steve Erdman (LD47), had a two hour meeting with University of Nebraska President, Hank Bounds, and Chancellor Ronnie Green. During that meeting we reminded these two University administrators that the University of Nebraska is a land grant university. Because the University of Nebraska is a land grant university, its values ought to reflect the same values as the people living in the State. This cannot be the case when co...
The House passage of the tax reform bill is an important milestone, but there is still a lot of work to be done. The Senate is currently considering its version of the bill, and then the two chambers will come together and settle the differences through a conference committee. Our goal is to reduce the tax burden for all Americans. For individuals and families, the House bill simplifies the rate structure, doubles the standard deduction, and allows nine out of 10 filers to submit their tax returns on a postcard. It also lowers rates on small bu...
Thanksgiving is a wonderful time of year. We love visiting with family and friends, sharing a meal and catching up with relatives—some whom we may not have seen since last year. After the plates have been washed and the turkey put away for this weekend’s leftovers, many Americans do one more thing: go shopping. For weeks, advertisers have publicized deals for Black Friday or Cyber Monday. These shopping holidays help consumers check off Christmas gift lists and save money at the same time. It’s...
I’m really starting to get a little confused about all these sexual harassment charges by females being brought up against men when in fact all male sexual enhancement and stimulating drug advertisements on radio, TV and in magazines are done by women. Kind of mind boggling, someone help me on this one. Mike Hartzler, Sidney...
About fifty years ago, my dad lost his wallet while driving his tractor in a field. From a neighbor named Sam, he borrowed a metal detector, because he had some dimes and quarters in the coin purse in the wallet, but the field was too big. Twenty five years ago, on November 16, 1992, in Hoxne, England, Suffolk county, a tenant farmer named Peter Whatling lost his hammer. He called his neighbor Eric Lawes, and he brought over his metal detector. Instead of Whatling’s hammer though, Eric found b...
In a few days, the ovens will be heated, smokers will be flaming and last-minute errands for forgotten ingredients underway. The sports channels are double-checked for the football lineup. The grand Thanksgiving family dinner is almost ready. I have to smile when I hear people dissecting the holiday. It is not a religious, Christian, holiday as society is lead to believe. This food wasn’t there. That food shouldn't have been. Then there is the second-guessing of the political motivation for E...
The Nebraska Forecasting Advisory Board meets periodically to forecast (or guess) how much money they think will be coming into the State’s general fund. Lawmakers use these projections to craft the State’s biennial budget. On October 27 the Nebraska Economic Forecasting Advisory Board met at the State Capitol and voted to lower its revenue projections. This is not good news for our State. The revenue projections were lowered because the board members believe that individual incomes are dec...
VETERAN'S HISTORY PROJECT At about 20 years of age, Herbert Clark (Herb) was on a student deferment that enabled him and others to continue college studies. Each evening, the newscasts reported young men of his age being killed or wounded. Herb felt that it was time to do his part in this war as well. He called his Selective Service board and asked them to cancel his student deferment – essentially volunteering for the draft. In less than one week, he was taken to Denver, subjected to a physical examination, took other tests, and was quickly o...
Brad A. Craig, 58 of Sidney, passed away at the University of Colorado Hospital in Aurora, CO, Thursday, September 22, 2016. Memorial services will be at 9 a.m., Thursday, September 29th in the Holy Trinity Lutheran Church with Pastor Dave Hall officiating. Private family inurnment will be in the Greenwood Cemetery. Cremation has been held. Friends may stop at the Gehrig-Stitt Chapel on Wednesday to sign Brad’s register book and drop off condolences for the family. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made in Brad’s name to the...
larry Nelson Veteran’s History Project Cheryl L. Koski was in college at the University of Connecticut. She learned of a scholarship program offered by the US Navy. The Navy would fund a student’s year in college and would expect two years payback in return. By 1973, she had an wobligation of service to fulfill. In the end, she served forty years. On graduation from college, she reported to a Navy boot camp for Officers at Newport, Rhode Island. Here, she and other new officers were trained like recruits in the basics of the military and the...
Just before graduating from high school, Erwin Lee Kuling (Lee) and other seniors took a week off from school and likely did some things they weren’t supposed to do. It significantly irritated the administrators of the school who told Lee and group that they would have to go through their senior year again if they wanted to graduate. Lee talked it over with his Dad. The options were to get a job or join the Army. His father drove him to Casper, Wyo. His father signed the papers approving early admission, and Lee was enlisted. Next was a trip t...
In 1962, there weren’t many jobs to be had. A young man who had quit school might not get a job if there was one to be had. Walter Cummings (Walt) had wanted to help out at his Grandparent’s farm and didn’t consider school so important so he went to the farm at about age 14. He did learn how to work and applied himself. As he grew a couple of years older, he made a deal with his Grandfather. “If you’ll sign the papers for me to get in the Navy, I’ll get a GED diploma.” Walt went to the recruiting station and once all the admin details were...
