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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"'For I know the thoughts I have toward you', says the Lord, 'thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope (expected end).'" Jeremiah 29:11 Find the right church for you, even if it is across the hemisphere, and there, God will fulfill the desires of your heart. Step forward to serve, in that church, and Father will provide His best to you, every time. Homer loved his job! Tom Hill, Kimray CEO, trained Homer on the console that painted every Kimray pressure valve Kimray...
We have read, been told and heard through the grapevine that our local government entities are nefariously "keeping stuff secret." For the most part, they're not. One of the last great freedoms people have is access to information, you just have to know where to look. Social media throttles content and the algorithms show you what it "thinks" you want to see. Government websites can be difficult to navigate and aren't always user friendly. Newspapers, however, are the tried and true method of de...
This year I was elected chair of the Rules Committee. At the beginning of each biennial session of the Nebraska Legislature new rule changes get proposed by State Senators and so it becomes the job of the Rules Committee to sift through their proposed rule changes and decide which ones to advance up to the floor of Legislature for a full debate. This year we received an extraordinary number of proposed rule changes. We received a total of 58 proposed rule changes this year. By way of...
John F. Kennedy served in the U. S. Congress for fourteen years, from 1947 until 1960. Born in Brookline, Massachusetts, JFK was first elected to the House of Representatives in 1946, and he stayed there until 1952, a total of six years. In 1952, he ran for Senate, won the election and stayed there from 1953 to 1960, a total of eight years. He was elected President of the United States in November 1960, and in January of 1961, he and his wife Jackie, and their two children, Caroline and John, Jr...
"Where two or three are gathered in My Name, there I am in the midst of you." Matthew 18:19. No matter the question or circumstance, the answer is in the Bible. Make it first and final Authority! Tom, Nola and Pastor Bill met to do just that. Pastor Bill noted that Kimray was not gleaning the right fruit (attributes) from its employees. He quoted Matthew 7:18-20. "A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit." Then he cited Proverbs 18:9, "He who is slothful in his...
The 108th Legislature has begun. The legislative session began on January 4 and will extend through the month of May. This will be the longer 90-day session. The reason for the longer session has to do with passing the Statewide budget. On the first day of the session in odd numbered years we always elect a speaker and the chairmen of the standing committees. Out of the 14 committee chairs elected there were only three positions that had more than one candidate. 11 of the 14 committee...
I beg you, Brethren, by the mercies of God, that you not be conformed to the world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable will of God (in what you do). Romans 12:2 Lacking all perspective, Tom was at his wit's end. Matthew 18:19 kept going through his mind. "If two of you agree together, there I am in your midst." Would Pastor Bill agree with him? Tom needed Jesus' help! And a friend. Pastor Bill had never worked through such a...
Do you remember the TV show this quote is from: "Push the button, Max!" It was invariably followed with, "That's the wrong button!" instantly followed by chaos. No fair peeking at the answer. After watching the recent elections and the national news pundits I was reminded of the TV show that frequently used that verbiage in it's scripts. For the most part the show was one comedy foul up after another as the main character tried to accomplish his assignment. The recent elections reminded me of...
Great article on the HVAC! I just finished reading the headline article on your paper today about the HVAC system. It was nice to read an article that gave the facts for both sides, without bias! Or, maybe I'm biased, but you named both sides equally, which is as it should be. I was cringing before reading the article, but I came away from it with a smile on my face! Thank you for all you do, Carla Lutz Disservice to our Veterans Dear Editor: Our disabled veterans are grossly undercompensated. This travesty of justice is causing enlistments to...
One of the bills that I will introduce next year is the result of an interim study that I conducted with our State's Natural Resources Districts (NRD's) back in 2021. LR23 was a Legislative Resolution I introduced in 2021 to investigate some of the practices of our NRD's. While the interim study surveyed all 23 NRD's, one particular issue especially stood out for needed legislation. That issue involved land being held by N-CORPE. Few Nebraskans have ever heard of N-CORPE. N-CORPE stands for the...
Jesus speaks, "Behold! (Wow! Look at this!) I make all things new!" Revelation 21:5 "No one puts new wine into old wineskins; else the new wine bursts the wineskin. Wine is spilled and the wineskins ruined. New wine must be put into new wineskins." Mark 2:22Switching the calendar from December 31 to January 1, does not cast away all our old sins and shortcomings. Receiving Jesus as Lord of our lives is the only thing which can do that! We become new creations (wineskins). "I say, then, "Walk in...
How does a player cheat at chess? When playing on-line chess at home, on his or her computer, a cheater receives instructions, hints, and directions from a second computer, standing beside the first, that contains chess analysis software. But how does a player cheat at chess over-the-board, or in-person? Often, the cheater will work with an associate, who will access that same software on a hand-held device and will then signal to the player the better moves. Or a cheater hides a cellphone in...
Last week, we celebrated the arrival of Nebraska's 2022 Silver Shovel. This prestigious national award recognizes states that have successfully attracted major economic development projects. And it's no coincidence that three out of the four Silver Shovels Nebraska has ever received came in the last four years alone. That's because, since 2015, our state government has operated under four pillars aimed at growing Nebraska: To develop our workforce, make it easier to do business in the state, con...
One of the bills I will introduce in 2023 is a bill to move the headquarters for the Game and Parks Commission to Sidney. I believe moving the headquarters to Sidney would be advantageous for Western Nebraska and it would put the Commission right where they need to be. Current state law says that the headquarters for the Game and Parks Commission has to be in Lincoln, but having the headquarters in Lincoln makes little sense, especially when it comes to wildlife. There is very little wildlife in... Full story
"Give me Your Word. Make it plain and clear to me. Give me Your Word. It's a light that I might see. Give me Your Word for my total victory! In every situation, give me Your word." Song by Nancy Harman, sung by Ray Gene Wilson I began reading the Bible through, every year, at age 11. The Revised Standard Bible had just been released. I began on page 1. Since then, I have owned, and worn out, many Bibles, read many translations, and teach from the New King James Version. I 'cut my teeth' on King... Full story
Aside from using a Kodak Brownie (which I doubt few today even recognize the name!) and borrowing dad's old 35mm Argus a couple of times in high school, I didn't know much about taking pictures, much less developing film and making prints. After joining the family newspaper in Winamac, Indiana Dad assigned me the job of taking pictures at a local basketball game. He hauled out this old 4"x5" sheet film Crown Speed Graphic. You see them in the old, old movies. They weigh about 4 lbs. Add another... Full story
The holiday season is full of examples of Nebraskans taking the time to help one another. Just think of the bells we hear and the red Salvation Army buckets we see at the entrances of the stores where we run our daily errands. The toy drives and free meals offered by organizations like People's City Mission in Lincoln to Nebraskans who've fallen on hard times. Or the clothing donations and the outreach to the lonely and shut-ins that are put on by the diverse communities of faith across our... Full story
The crooner Bing Crosby first sang "White Christmas" live on the "Kraft Music Hall" radio show on December 26, 1941, nineteen days after the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. It was a frightening time, one of our country's darkest moments. The nation felt wounded, violated, and every living American knew that a tough fight would follow. Holiday spirit was at a low. Yet, Bing's song set aside the worry for a moment, and because of its "nostalgia around the holidays, regardless of religion," it...
One of the bills that I will introduce next year is a bill to put posters displaying our national motto, "In God We Trust" in all of Nebraska's public schools just like we have in all of our courthouses. Actually, I will be re-introducing this bill. I have introduced this bill in each biennial legislative session ever since I became a State Senator six years ago, but the bill has never advanced out of the Education Committee. The bill is a simple bill. All that it says is that each public...
Week 50 Christmas; The Art of Reconciliation God's Master Plan started in the Garden of Eden to legally reverse the curse on mankind. Genesis 3. Adam chose to put all God created under satan's authority. Banished from the Garden, Man lost his God-given authority in the earth, but never, ever, lost God's favor and love. The Lord's Eyes sought a faithful man to reconcile Man to Him, again. Noah was first, then Abraham, Isaac, Jacob. Thanks to Abraham and Sarah, the nation of Israel was born....
One of the bills I will introduce in January will affect the way properties get valuated once an appeal has been filed with the Tax Equalization and Review Commission. The current process is a mess and always leaves property owners holding the short end of the stick. So, before I reveal my solution, let me first explain what the problems are. The first problem relates to time. The appeal process takes too much time. Once an appeal is filed with the Tax Equalization and Review Commission, it can... Full story
In Nebraska, the crops we grow, livestock we raise, goods we manufacture, and innovations we develop make an impact far beyond our borders. Nebraskans have long known that. Increasingly, the world does too. Growing Nebraska's international presence has been a pillar of my administration. Since I took office, we've made trade missions to eleven different countries to forge new partnerships and increase investments in the Good Life. As a result of these missions, our state has become its own... Full story
There are those who are so scornful, or maybe afraid, of the past history of the United States of America they want to remove the study of American history and our nation's system of government from our schools. Among the reasons given it is claimed that there are more important things to learn. It is asserted that it is more vital our children learn how to live in today's digital world. Some base this argument on their belief that the past is not relevant to the present. Others contend the... Full story
"Behold how good and pleasant it is for brethren to dwell in unity. It is like precious anointing oil on the head; like the dew descending, for it is there the Lord commands a blessing - Life forevermore!" Psalm 133 Rejoicing, giving thanks and expectation creates the perfect atmosphere for miracles to occur. Harvest is over, thankfully. There's money for Christmas giving, time for family, friends and food. The heart smiles and the soul sings. "Whatever you ask in prayer, believing, you shall... Full story
The family unit plays a crucial role in shaping a child's life. A loving home is a tremendous blessing –it's easy for many of us to take that for granted. But there are nearly 500 children in Nebraska still waiting on a forever family. At the State, we are working diligently to find every one of these children a safe, loving home. I encourage you to consider what you can do to play a part in changing a child's life through adoption or foster care. Many of us entered the world greeted by the warm... Full story
