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 786 - 810 of 1658
I’ve written about the subject of unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP) once before in this paper, and I don’t want to give the impression it’s a subject I’m obsessed with. But I have become increasingly interested in UAPs since the flap of “drone” sightings we had in our area a bit more than a year ago. I consume a lot of news each day from a wide range of sources. In doing so, I’ve seen the number of articles and interviews about UAPs increasing in recent weeks. Perhaps that’s because congres...
Whenever a controversial bill gets introduced into the Nebraska Legislature, Senators have the opportunity to ask the Nebraska Attorney General to answer specific questions about that bill. Because the Attorney General must be objective and unbiased, State Senators don’t always get the answer they want, and such was the case with Sen. Tom Brewer’s bill, LB 236, a bill that I had co-signed. LB 236 is an important bill because it allows 90 of Nebraska’s counties to opt out of the State’s conceal...
4-2021 has been a year we hope we never repeat. There is a saying that what doesn’t kill you can make you stronger. We think that has certainly been the case for Sidney Public Schools. Students have an increased respect for school, parents are so thankful they don’t have to teach their children, and our school community has a closeness and new appreciation for everyone’s talents and efforts. We feel that commendations are in order at the end of this school year: To the administrators, for their many hours of hard work constructing and tweak...
When the 30 x 30 concept hit the public, the initial impact in the rural areas such as Panhandle Nebraska was like the Old West had returned, and the money from the East came to tell the ranchers and farmers how to do things. The stories of water wars were returning, but with a tone of “future-speak” instead of quotes from a history book. Then was a time when the small operator could get squeezed out by someone with the ability to control natural resources. Cut off access to water and dry out...
Americans have described our nation since its beginning as ‘the land of the free and the home of the brave.” If there is one thing I know, it is that all of us Americans don’t see our freedoms alike. Our nation has been divided for quite some time and our politicians have quarrelled and debated from day one. James, the brother of Jesus, wrote two thousand years ago: “What is causing the quarrels and fights among you? Don’t they come from the evil desires at war within you? You want what you...
Sunday was confirmation day at one of the churches I co-pastor. Six young people stood before the congregation to denounce Satan, recite scripture, profess faith in Jesus Christ and join the church. As I looked at the teens standing in front of the church, I couldn’t help but reflect on the world they’ll be entering after high school. Similar thoughts were in my mind as I spoke to Leyton students at the Gurley Lions Club annual Junior/Senior banquet. The Lions invite students from the local hig...
In recent days, an editor at the New York Times asked readers to send in their wise words that they try to live by. The best responses appeared in two Sunday editions in April. A few examples follow. A Missouri resident named Dave Dillon said, “Always behave as if someone were watching.” Kristy McCray of Ohio, said she lives by the Platinum Rule. “Treat others as they wish to be treated.” Norma Douglas of Idaho, quoted her dad. “You are not better that anyone, but no one is better than you.” Ron...
Recently I was in a discussion on law enforcement and social morality as a general rule. It started with a sentence or two promoted on a social media platform, and took off in unexpected directions. It quickly felt like I was reliving a college philosophy class or retired and sipping a warm cup in a coffee house somewhere. To start with, unless we discuss a specific official contact with a police officer, we need to use generalities, which will always have exceptions. We can say doctors are in...
The day after my last editorial, I received an email from a couple who live in our city. They told me that they had read two of my editorials and that they thought that we were very much alike in our view of the current “goings on.” They also wanted to get in touch with me and others to discuss what we could do to help save our nation. I have done a lot of thinking about what is going on and a little writing about it. And I have asked myself numerous times if there was anything that I could do...
Last week my consumption tax resolution was debated on the floor of the Legislature. LR11CA is my priority resolution for a constitutional amendment to repeal the income tax, property tax, sales tax and inheritance tax and to replace these taxes with a consumption tax. Today I regret to inform you that the resolution failed to advance, but don’t lose heart. When I consider all that this constitutional amendment attempted to do, I am not so surprised that it failed. Change is hard. Change is espe...
Police are being scrutinized, vilified and persecuted with intensity I don’t recall seeing before in my lifetime. The media have crafted a narrative that would have us believe cops are on the hunt for people of color, resulting in increased calls for police reforms, accountability and oversight. Accountability and oversight have always been present in every police department I’ve associated with. I’ve hung out with cops, ridden on patrols with cops, been invited to shoot qualification round...
Recently, I have been tagged by someone who “knows me well,” as a conspiracy theorist. I’m not sure what that is but apparently it is someone who believes there is a conspiracy going on but he bases it on unproven theories, not facts or truth. Just thought that you might want to know my present state of being, before you read my article. “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth,” Genesis 1:1. The earth that God created then is the same earth we live on today, no real changes....
The rights guaranteed to us by the United States Constitution and the Nebraska State Constitution are currently under assault. A very factious and contentious spirit has arisen in our country and in our culture today which seeks to undermine our most basic rights as children of God and as American citizens. This attempt to undermine our constitutional rights emanates from both the legislative and executive branches of the federal government in Washington, D.C., and so it demands a response from...
Here in the Cornhusker State, agriculture and conservation go hand in hand. Nebraska’s farmers and ranchers are the original conservationists. Agricultural families in our state have been growing crops and tending livestock for generations. They know their land and animals better than anyone else and care deeply about them. Their livelihood depends on ensuring the land remains fertile — that’s why they are always working to improve it so that the next generation can continue their way of life....
President Joe Biden last week announced America will cut carbon emissions in the U.S. By 50 percent before the end of 2030. His comments drew thunderous applause from globalist leaders attending a climate summit, leftist “progressives” in the U.S., and even louder cheers from America’s enemies. Why? Because the result will be the death of red-state rural America. How, you ask? A big target of the initiative is agriculture, especially livestock producers. Advocates of the Biden plan say in order...
William Shakespeare passed away on April 23, 1616, at the age of 53, leaving behind some 39 plays that he wrote alone or assisted in writing, for his acting company, the Kings’ Men. Two others in that company, John Heminges and Henry Condell, published in 1623, 36 of his plays in the First Folio. Of the 750 copies of the First Folio, only 235 remain in existence today. Heminges and Condell’s heroic editorial work preserved and saved from extinction the better of Shakespeare’s plays. We all w...
LR 14 is Sen. Steve Halloran’s resolution calling for a convention of the states. Article V of the U.S. Constitution allows for states to call for a constitutional convention whenever two-thirds of the state Legislatures file applications with Congress calling for a constitutional convention. LR 14 would serve as Nebraska’s application for a convention of the states. Currently 15 states have filed their applications with Congress, while 23 other states, including Nebraska, have legislation pen...
“These are the times that try men’s souls; the summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of his country; but he that stands it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman.” — Thomas Paine from “The American Crisis.” These words were written during a time of crisis. The colonists would either be patriots or rebels. According to History.com, Paine wrote this during a time when Gen. Washington was experiencing defeat after defeat, thousands o...
Until recently, to even mention you had seen a U.F.O. got you public and private ridicule and branded as some tinfoil-hat-wearing lunatic who read too many comic books and watched too many science fiction movies. But now, suddenly, not only are such reports being taken seriously, but agencies of the federal government are preparing to release (at the direction of congress) what they know about Unidentified Aerial Phenomenon (UAP-with plural Phenomena interchangeable). Yes, the subject is so...
My priority bill for this year has made its way out of committee and onto General File. LR 11CA is my resolution for a constitutional amendment to repeal the State income tax, the property tax, the State sales tax and the inheritance tax and to replace these taxes with a consumption tax. Last week Speaker Hilgers announced that he would begin floor debates on taxation bills beginning the week of April 26. LR 11CA will likely be put on the agenda sometime that week. We have been making great...
“When I was fifteen years old, I traveled the country giving speeches about the Constitution at American Legion halls for prize money. This was a scheme invented by my mom, a debate coach, to help pay for college. I would travel to big cities like Denver and Fresno, and win a bunch of money.” Those are the words of Heidi Schreck, a fast-talking, loud actress, at the beginning of her 2019 smash Broadway play, “What the Constitution Means to Me,” that she wrote and stars in. She re-enacts that te...
What does the federal government’s 30X30 plan actually do? Today I would like to clarify what the 30X30 plan actually does and tell you why it is a very bad idea. On January 27, 2021 President Biden signed Executive Order #14008 entitled, “Tackling the Climate Crisis at Home and Abroad”. In Section 216 of that Executive Order, President Biden directed the Secretary of the Interior along with the Secretary of Agriculture, and other senior officials, to develop a plan to conserve at least 30 percent of the lands and waterways in the United State...
I am writing as a point of needed clarification. Over the preceding months, there have been repeated stories and letters to editors with incorrect understanding. Nebraska did not join the Texas election lawsuit last December. Nebraska joined an amicus brief highlighting important separation-of-powers issues under Article II of the U.S. Constitution for the Court to consider. The Supreme Court voted 7-2 in choosing not to hear the matter, and the issue is closed. Douglas J. Peterson Nebraska Attorney General...
The local community, and Western Nebraska Community College’s Sidney aviation program specifically, was struck hard recently. Make no mistake. This will be a difficult journey. The aviation program is a tight-knit crew of students fascinated with the many skills associated with flight. Visiting one of their fly-in breakfasts for pilots, I felt like I was invited to a community gathering, something almost family-like. Even those who bordered on “dysfunctional” put fun in the word. They were...
In 1976, I graduated from high school and was getting ready to go to a Christian college in Oklahoma. I grew up believing in God, church and the Bible and wanted to be a preacher and teacher of the Word. I had a few months to go before I left for college and so I got a job working at McDonalds. One day I was standing at the counter taking and handing out orders and the lobby was full of customers. As I was waiting on one customer, I noticed an elderly lady enter and began working her way up to t...
