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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Change is a constant in life, and I have news of a big change in mine. But first, some backstory is in order. In 1990, my lovely new bride and I fled Minnesota to start a life together in the Black Hills of South Dakota. In seeking a new church to attend, we found Christian Life Center, a nondenominational fellowship in Belle Fourche pastored by Rev. Paul Howard. It became our church home and we made many new and wonderful friends there. Two years ago, I received word that Pastor Paul’s h...
On a trip to Central America several years ago, the group I was with was encouraged to be careful giving money to panhandlers and beggars. A little background. For as dysfunctional as American society is becoming, there are places we are still as a Shangri-la. I remember leaving the terminal and being greeted, almost accosted, by children trying to sell what looked like origami from plants. “Only a dollar,” still rings in my memory. One of our group shooed them away like stray dogs. That was...
News outlets – newspapers, radio and TV – sometimes use a rather fancy and greatly misunderstood word when they speak of the presentation of evidence. That word is “forensics.” We’ve heard and read it used in the reporting of the Kyle Rittenhouse trial. Forensics is a great word to use when writing or speaking to people who have no real understanding of the word’s meaning! Especially if you are trying to bulldoze them into agreeing with you! I first became acquainted with forensics in high sch...
Hello, Sidney Sun Readers! Looking for new this New Year? Deltas are triangular. This one has equal sides. Proverbs 4:7 tells us to get wisdom, get knowledge, and with all our getting get understanding. We may think this is pretty self-explanatory, but if it were, we’d all be operating in understanding. Understanding “dawns” on us. We ‘catch on’. We ‘get it’. We possess a new thought. Let’s say you are a young person taking a bat in your hands for the first time. Knowledge tells us that when we...
The second session of the 107th Legislature has already begun and new bills are now being introduced. Although new bills may only be introduced within the first ten legislative days of the session, I expect approximately 500 new bills to be introduced this year. Many of these bills will likely venture outside of the scope of what good government ought to do. Therefore, today I would like to remind my readers about what good government is supposed to do. Milton Friedman once famously said that...
We live in a time of incredible hostility. Hatred can be expressed openly without consequences, provided such animosity is directed at the right group or person. The internet and social media have made expressing opinions to a large audience fast and easy. Sadly, many choose to hide in the shadows of anonymity while directing all kinds of filth, threats, lies and profanity at those with whom they disagree. This must stop, and I know a good way to do it. The founders envisioned a nation in which...
It’s that time of year when trash cans have digested their diet of Christmas wrapping paper, and now is the time for poets to write the soothing rhymes of what we want in a perfect world. The very idea of New Year’s Resolutions invites image of cliche beauty contests. “I wish for world peace, and ending poverty.” The artificial smile reflects the spotlights but doesn’t go very far reaching toward the heart. I was recently asked what I wanted for Christmas. I frequently ask myself how I should...
Recently, selected members of the Leyton School Community received a letter concerning the upcoming recall vote of Rol Rushman & Suzy Ernest titled “Know Before You Vote.” Although the letter was unsigned and had no return address, it bears a very similar format to documents and speeches presented at Leyton School Board meetings from certain individuals! I’ve always thought opinions in an unsigned letter are worthless!! The anonymous letter states that this “mess” started when Suzy and Rol came on as new Board members. It started much earlier t...
We have surpassed our matching grant goal of $20,000 by almost $35,000! We would like to thank the following businesses and all the individuals, too numerous to list, for your donations to the Table of Grace. May God bless you all in 2022! Aflac- Jenn Powell, Andrews Trains, Anthem/Healthy Blue of Nebraska, Avon (Julie Matthews), Best Plumbing, Heating & Cooling, Bell Pole & Lumber, Bush Family Trust, Eagle Chevrolet Buick - Chadron, Fairfield Inn & Suites, Frat Order of the Eagles- Oshkosh, Golden Real Estate, JDNA Farm – Oshkosh, KK I...
Donald Trump lost the 2020 election on November 3, 2020. Although some 74.2 million voters voted for him, 81.2 voted for Biden, a difference of over 7.0 million. Then, Biden won 306 electoral votes to Trump’s 232. Despite those facts, Donald Trump vowed he would never concede. Instead of acting as a gracious political contender who had lost an election, he acted otherwise. Trump claimed that the election was stolen, that ineligible voters had mailed in ballots. He rallied his supporters with, “S...
In my July 10, 2020 article I wrote about the use of certain therapeutic re-purposed prescription drugs for the treatment of COVID-19 symptoms. I especially talked about the potential benefits of inhaled budesonide and hydroxychloroquine. After I published that article, I received some harsh criticism from several folks who accused me of not following the science. Well, it turns out 18 months later that I was right all along. Treating the symptoms of original COVID-19, along with its delta and...
If you’ve read my weekly columns, tuned into a press conference, or heard me speak before, you are no stranger to my guiding vision for the state: growing Nebraska. It’s been the mission of my Administration, and each year we have achieved success towards that goal. This year has been no different. In fact, Nebraska has made plenty of progress in 2021 worth celebrating. Last week, Politico ranked Nebraska number one in the country for our pandemic response in its State Pandemic Scorecard. Eco...
Let’s start the New Year by reaching into the past. As we look ahead into 2022 I’m reminded of a 1960’s Bob Dylan song: “The Times They Are A Changing.” Dylan tended to be a bit morbid with some of the lyrics he wrote for this song. Among them is this line from the first verse: “Then you’d better start swimmin’ or you’ll sink like a stone for the times they are a-changin’.” I’d like to quote the entire song, but space does not allow. I suggest you look ‘em up on line. I won’t call him a prophe...
This is the calm before the storm. The second session of the 107th Legislature is about to convene. This year the legislative session will start on January 5 and will go into the month of April. This year’s legislative session will be the shorter 60-day session. Because there will be fewer days on the legislative calendar, it will be even more difficult to get bills passed into law. Many of you would like to know what I have been working on for next year, so now I will tell you. The bills t...
There are certain stages in life that are tender, even extremely sensitive. Marriage, the birth of a child, tenderly caressing an infant as he sleeps on your chest, and saying goodbye when moving from this life to the next. The first time I recall attending a memorial, a funeral dinner, my attention was on the food, and probably a lot of questions of why are we here. I remember being quite young, and the concept of losing someone, especially someone I didn’t really know, didn’t add up. It was...
The First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States is under attack from the Socialist Marxist left wing of the political party currently in the majority in our national government. Our current national government, along with the leftist controlled news media, Internet, etc. have joined together to virtually negate and eliminate the freedoms granted to you and I by the First Amendment. Quoting verbatim from our U.S. Constitution, Amendment One states: “Congress shall make no law r...
A new year is almost upon us. The holiday affords time to reflect on the past year and contemplate what lies ahead. For me, I suspect like most, 2021 had both high and low points. My freelance writing business saw an increase in clients during the year, which was a blessing as I’d lost several that shut down due to Covid in 2020. In addition to Nexgen Outfitters, Benelli, Stoeger, Franchi, Uberti and Kent Cartridges, I added Scent Blocker and the BeAlive ad agency. This helped me supplement m...
The common people were oppressed. An authoritarian central government passed laws and levied taxes without regard for their impact on everyday working folks who were looked down on in disdain. Politicians and appointed officials in positions of power got there largely by bribes, being a member of an influential family, blackmail, or knowing someone higher up who owed them a favor. Corruption was rampant at all levels of government from the local level all the way to the highest office holders...
Christmas is just around the corner from the time this article hits the street. Hopefully this Christmas will be merry and bright for you and your family, in spite of the chaos that has hit our nation this year. This article will be my Christmas gift to each of you. Since I do not have unlimited funds, nor any government subsidies or grants, I wish to give you far more valuable gifts. First: To each of you I pray that our Lord Jesus will provide each member of your family with a sense of...
Christmas is the season for giving. Long ago when the magi came to visit the baby Jesus at that very first Christmas, they bestowed upon him gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. While these may seem like strange gifts to give to a baby, the magi were honoring Jesus as a king, as a priest, and as a savior. It is because of the magi that exchanging gifts eventually became a Christmas tradition. Many of us will strain ourselves this year to find that perfect gift for a loved one. Finding that...
Sometimes I wonder if the birth of Jesus occurred when it did because it was the best time to happen. Yes, I can hear the rumbling of generations of theologians citing why it happened then, starting with prophecies, and it is a valid point, and writing their hands with the perceived heresy, but that is not what I was referencing. Think about it. The king of all kings and there’s no call for days of festivities, no entering the capitol on a white horse and a legion of soldiers. The stress of s...
The ancient Greeks pointed to as many as 88 constellations spread across a night sky, and then they pinned names to them that they took from their religion of stories and myths. They wanted to see order in a night sky, because it seemed chaotic, a jumble, pinpoints of light splashed helter-skelter. The ancient Greeks gave mythological names to the zodiac’s twelve signs. They include: Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpius, Sagittarius, Capricornus, Aquarius and Pisces. The a...
On Saturday I was alarmed to read about Friday night’s deadly tornado outbreak. While tornadoes can and do take place every month of the year in the U.S., December is not a month we usually associate with large, long-track tornadoes. Yet, as I write this on Saturday afternoon, the death toll continues to climb as rescue and search teams clear away rubble looking for possible survivors. Officials expect a final death toll well in excess of 100 people. December is usually the slowest month for t...
We watched a version of “Scrooge” recently. It was interesting in the comical sense. This year I caught someone saying Scrooge didn’t have a problem with Christmas; he had a problem with people. Maybe the lesson is Dr. Seuss, in all of his human frailties, continues to teach. In the comic version of the previous generations, bitterness overruled the celebration. In the updated semi-human version, the outcast of the class grows into a hideous green monster, an easy reference. For whatever reaso...
My first newspaper route was acquired in 1962. I had it for about 2 years and it was a major reason why I ended up needing eyeglasses. My route began and ended at the Fairbanks Public Library. There I discovered the wonderful world of books that were within the walls of the public library (not the Internet). It became my habit to check out a book and read it while I was delivering my papers whenever the weather permitted, especially during the summer. By the time I was finished with my route I...
