Serving proudly since 1873 as the beautiful Nebraska Panhandle's first newspaper
Serving proudly since 1873 as the beautiful Nebraska Panhandle's first newspaper
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All of the signs are indicating that the U.S. economy is entering into a long-term recession. Last Wednesday the Federal Reserve raised the key interest rate by three quarters of a point and raised the short-term interest rate from 3 percent to 3.25 percent, the highest level since 2008. Add to this the Biden Administration’s plan for student loan forgiveness plus $13.7 billion in assistance to Ukraine, $22.4 billion to fight COVID-19, $4.5 billion for a Monkeypox vaccine, and $6.5 billion f...
As a retired educator and supervisor of student teachers in the western part of NE. I have been in many public and private school classrooms and I’m very proud of the teachers and administrators who are educating our students. I have not witnessed in district 7 schools the teaching or grooming of (CSE) Comprehensive Sexual Education, or about CRT Critical Race Theory. I’m very concerned for those supporting Elizabeth Tegtmeier running for a seat on the State School Board and her so called dream team spreading lies about how Nebraska sch...
As a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, I believe it’s critical we ask ourselves the following the questions: Is the United States fully prepared to respond to the changing threat environment of the 21st century? And if we are not, what actions do we need to take? There is no one-size fits all solution, but one immediate action we can take to boost our preparedness is to strengthen U.S. munitions manufacturing. Unfortunately for years, we’ve underinvested in our munitions production....
By Calvin K. Sunderland Edited by Michael K. Sunderland The following is a short excerpt from the Family History my father worked on until Alzheimer’s progressively destroyed his memory. The nation, and the world, found itself beginning the slide into The Great Depression by 1930. The unprecedented economic disaster began with the stock market crash of October and November 1929. It can hardly be argued the crash caused the depression, but it was the curtain raiser. The Great Depression is s...
“For by your words you will be justified and by your words you will be condemned.” Matthew 12:35-37 Every word we speak leads to a life-or-death decision. “Death and life are in the power of the tongue and those who love [using their tongue] will eat the fruit of it.” Proverbs 18:21. God simply speaks truth. Satan knows the legal meaning of every word and will hold us to that legal meaning. Father God says, “Do not take (carry) My Name in vain (futility, fruitlessness, emptiness)” Commandment...
A few years ago, my wife and I saw a movie called “Words.” It is labeled as a romance story, but it goes much deeper. Yes, there are two primary characters in a relationship. After that, there is a moral dilemma brewing. He is an aspiring writer, as the reviews call him. I sort of take issue with the phrase since attending a writing workshop years before. A speaker and published author made it clear that many people overthink the process, or better said the identity. Who is a writer, or art...
This week I participated in a Ways and Means Committee hearing on the future of our trade relationship with Taiwan. The hearing explored opportunities provided by ongoing trade talks between the U.S. and Taiwan. In the midst of increased pressure from China through dialed-up military exercises and heavier tariffs, Taiwan is eager to strengthen ties with the U.S. and our democratic values. Done right, expanding our trade relationship could be a win for American businesses and consumers, and a win...
Over the years, Nebraskans have built thousands of miles of trails, rails, power lines, and highways to connect our state. This connectivity has helped our urban and rural communities thrive. Yet as more of our lives have gone online, we’ve seen a digital divide develop. It’s easier and less expensive to deliver high-speed internet to houses close together in cities than it is to reach ranch homes spaced miles apart. For this reason, broadband infrastructure in rural Nebraska has lagged beh...
I often talk about the importance of investing in our core infrastructure. That’s things like our roads, bridges, railways, airports, drinking water systems, and ports. But in today’s digital age, internet connectivity is just as integral to modern life as any other more “traditional” form of physical infrastructure. Many small businesses need reliable access to broadband services to function. Family farmers and ranchers, who are increasingly integrating digital sensors, “smart” devices, and oth...
It started in the work environment. I had a routine every morning. Young in the trade, routine was even more important than it is now. I would make four to five stops before getting to the office in the morning. At one of those stops, I met a night crew of nurses. They had the look of professionals who finished a long and hard night. Among that crew stood one who had a twinkle in her eye like even with her occupation she didn’t take life too seriously. She also had the look of someone I had a...
God created us a spirit exactly like Himself. He gave us a soul and manufactured an earth-suit for our journey here. We are a triune being but unlike God, earth dwelling brings up a fourth dimension of reckoning: Culture’s Learned Responses. A comedian once noted, “Getting through life is like running through a pasture without stepping in something.” John Denver sang, “Life is a funny, funny riddle.” Apostle Paul lamented, “What am I doing? What I want to do, I don’t do. What I don’t want to do,...
With the on set of warmer temps I invite you to come with me on a short trip to 1968 and visit a couple of “cool” events in my past. As related in an earlier story, “The Blizzard of 1968”, Fairbanks, Alaska was visited with one of the largest snowfalls seen in recorded history for the state. So far as I know the 16 feet of new snow deposited by one storm was the most ever recorded since the Ice Age. Another first was soon to follow. The coldest time of the year in Fairbanks usually comes i...
A new political action group has been formed in our state known as Nebraska First. As you may have guessed, the name closely resembles former president Donald Trump’s political slogan, Make America Great Again (MAGA), except that this one is specific to the State of Nebraska. The founder of Nebraska First is former gubernatorial candidate, Charles W. Herbster. Nebraska First has asked all State Senators as well as candidates for the State Legislature to sign a pledge for greater transparency i...
Every August, I always enjoy travelling the state to visit directly with Nebraskans. Taking a moment to speak with constituents, listen to their concerns, and talk about how we can best serve them is an important part of my job. This year, I had the opportunity to travel through the western portion of our state and visit with folks in ten different communities. We started our travels in Gordon, where I visited the First National Bank of Gordon. The bank, like many other community banks across...
Queen Elizabeth passed away last week, Thursday, September 8, 2022, at 96. She was born on April 21, 1926, and had one sibling, a younger sister named Margaret, born August 21, 1930. When ten, Elizabeth discovered she was next in line to inherit England’s throne, whenever her father, King George VI, would pass away. Eight-year-old Margaret asked Elizabeth, “Does this mean you have to be the next Queen?” Elizabeth replied, “Someday.” Margaret said, “Poor you.” When a child, Elizabeth und...
Fifty years ago, women’s volleyball wasn’t even a varsity sport at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL). Fast forward a half century, and Nebraska volleyball is must-see entertainment. Matches at the Devaney Center are standing room only. The Huskers again led the nation in home attendance last year with crowds averaging over 8,200 per match. And their national championship match against Wisconsin in December broke collegiate volleyball records for both in-person attendance (18,755) and TV v...
Ah! September!! It is just like Father to start a new year with a bountiful harvest and a time of rest and rejoicing. As a youngster, I loved September. Haying was finished. Stacks were set aside for winter feeding and the baled hay was ready for sale. Snow fences were shored up for winter snows. Cattle were brought home from summer pasture. Bulls were penned, older cows culled and steers separated for October shipping. A choice steer was selected for butchering. I would be off into Dick & Jane...
The ability to tell stories is among the traits I inherited from my dad, Calvin Kenneth Sunderland. Among his many skills was the ability to communicate with both the written and spoken word. I asked him how and where he learned to communicate so well. He laughed and said, “It’s a family trait. My dad, his dad and as far back as we can trace were all story tellers. At family gatherings they would try to out do each other. Don’t worry son, as you grow and mature you’ll be just like the rest of th...
My wife and I did something recently that we’ve never done before. It was my niece’s wedding. I haven’t seen her for about 16 years, since losing my daughter. We connected over time with similar interests in other places and people. Mission experiences have a way of changing a person. And she did, as did I. In the nearly 29 years we’ve been married, we’ve traveled here and there, mostly regional locations — day trips stretched into a few days at a time — but we’ve never flown together. Now,...
Two weeks ago, I addressed the reset at the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) due to their failure to adequately guide the American public through the COVID-19 outbreak, and last week I addressed how the military has failed to adjust their policies to the facts about the COVID-19 vaccinations and natural immunity. So, today I would like to focus my attention on the Federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which approved a new booster shot last week. Because of this latest...
“For God honors a man according to his work, and makes man to find a reward according to his way.” Job 34:11; Psalm 62:12; Hebrews 11:6 Honor is a character trait found hidden in the hearts of true patriots; those who value something bigger than themselves and willingly work for it, demonstrate it and even die for it. These United States of America were founded on honoring God, solving people problems and hard, innovative, creative work. Let us take this moment to give honor where honor is due...
We take computers for granted. We text, talk, do research and spend too much time sitting on our duffs in front of them. It wasn’t always like that. In 1966 a major change in the way newspapers are produced was previewed. The first computerized typesetting machine was field tested at the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner. C.W. Sneddon, the owner, was always eager to try new technology and IBM accepted his offer. IBM combined a keystroke capture system with a Selectric typewriter and added a punch tape...
I often say one of Nebraska’s most precious resources is our children. They represent the next generation of great entrepreneurs, family farmers, doctors, police officers – you name it – that make our state the incredible place that it is. For this, they deserve our full support and care. This is especially true for foster kids, who unfortunately face significant hardships. It’s estimated on any given day, there are 3,000 children in foster care in Nebraska alone. In many circumstances, childre...
Vaclav Smil was born in 1943, during World War II, in Czechoslovakia, in the German Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia. As a teenager, Smil's parents expected him to chop wood, every four hours, to keep the fires burning in the house's three stoves, “one downstairs and two up.” One writer suspected that Smil may have thought then that “this is hardly an efficient way to live.” A bright student, with a strong work ethic, Smil left his small hometown in the Bohemian forest and made his way to...
“Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings You have ordained praise (strength),” Psalm 8. See also wisdom Proverbs 8. Three to five year-old children are like little sponges, soaking up every bit of information around them. Sorting out proper responses may cause their psychology and intellectual information to collide in social situations. However, their emotions (coping devices) are rock solid. A Sunday School teacher asked her class, “What is a lie?” Instantly a little boy replied in a confident...
