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  • Fort Report: Are Our Drugs Safe?

    Jeff Fortenberry, NE-01|Mar 17, 2021

    Drug Administration (FDA) gets on inspection of our drugs, according to the director of health care at the Government Accountability Office (GAO). The GAO recently conducted an extensive study on the safety of our drug supply and discovered that FDA is failing to inspect drug manufacturing facilities overseas. Some facilities have not been inspected for five years or more. Some have never been inspected. “This is fascinatingly scary,” one Nebraskan told me after my questions as Ranking Member of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Agr...

  • Celebrating Passover

    Steve Lissner, Guest Columnist|Mar 17, 2021

    Jews around the world will elaborate Passover (Pesach in Hebrew) 2021 starting on the evening of Saturday, March 27th, and ending at sunset on Sunday, April 4th, in the Civil Calendar. In the Hebrew Calendar, Passover every year begins on 15 Nisan and ends on 22 Nisan. Passover celebrates the Jews Exodus from Egypt, when the descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob liberated themselves from slavery and became a new and unique nation under God. Jews had lived peaceably and friendly in Egypt for...

  • The Ides of March

    Bill Benson, Columnist|Mar 17, 2021

    In the first scene of William Shakespeare’s play “Julius Caesar,” a military official named Flavius reveals his disgust with a dashing military and political official named Julius Caesar, by asking, “Who else would soar above the view of men, And keep us all in servile fearfulness?” In the second scene, on a crowded street filled with people cheering for Julius Caesar as he passes by, he hears a single voice above the din, and asks, “Who is it in the press that calls on me? I hear a tongue shri...

  • A Grey-Haired Point of View Part 3

    Mike Sunderland, Thoughts from a Grey-Haired Point of View|Mar 10, 2021

    I can visualize readers shaking their heads and asking, “What in the world is T.A.N.S.T.A.A.F.L.? It would be great if I could take credit for this attention-compelling device, but it comes from a science fiction story written by Robert Heinlein titled “The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress.” It pops ups frequently throughout the story and serves to emphasize a very vital message the author presents in this work of fiction. So you won’t have to buy the book to decode the message, here it is in plain l...

  • Dualism

    Bill Benson, Columnist|Mar 10, 2021

    A 17th century philosopher named René Descartes struggled to make sense of the mind-body problem. He understood that thoughts originate in the brain, but he observed that mental activity is ephemeral, without physical substance. How can this be? he wondered. Ever since, philosophers have called Descartes’s philosophy “dualism.” They concur that what occurs within the mind exists in a separate reality from what occurs in the physical world. The 16th century writer Michel de Montaigne tried...

  • You Have a Story

    Dan Carlson, Columnist Prairie Ponderings|Mar 10, 2021

    I’ve written two books. Non-fiction “Trophy Bucks in Any Weather” on how weather affects animals in 2008 through a major publisher of outdoors-themed books, and my self-published novel “Species Unknown” in 2019 using tools provided by Kindle Direct Publishing (KPP) through Amazon. One of the most common questions I’m asked by people wanting to publish a book is, “Should I self-publish or go the traditional route?” Here’s how I answer. Traditional publishing is great if you can break into it. All...

  • Hartzler Family Thanks Community

    Mar 10, 2021

    The Hartzler Family wishes to thank the many friends, organizations, businesses and the entire Sidney community for supporting this project. It never seems to amaze us that in tough times the citizens of Sidney come together to support each other and projects like this one. Special thanks to the following entities, companies and foundations that are helping to make Alan’s vision a reality: Cheyenne County Commissioners, City of Sidney, Thompson-Foundation, and Oregon Trail Community Foundation. Numerous friends, acquaintances and businesses s...

  • Where Are Our Freedoms Going?

    David Bryan, Guest Columnist|Mar 10, 2021

    My name is David Bryan. I am an American born citizen, born in 1949 in Baylor County, Texas. I have lived my entire life in America except for a year I spent in Turkey serving my country in the United States Army. I have always been told that America was the home of the brave and the land of the free. That I have as one of its citizens the rights of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. I have the right and freedom to my choice of religion and the right to worship God as I please. No one h...

  • Straight Talk from Steve

    Steve Erdman, District 47 Senator|Mar 3, 2021

    The second amendment to the United States Constitution says, “A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.” That this right cannot be infringed upon means that no government entity may pass legislation encroaching upon this right, yet that is precisely what so many in the anti-gun lobby want legislators to do. Today there is an all-out assault on our most basic fundamental rights, especially thos...

  • Fatherhood, Part 2 (sort of)

    Forrest Hershberger, View From The Handlebars|Mar 3, 2021

    Last week I talked a little about the odd season, birthdays of my dad and my daughter, and the anniversary of my dad leaving this earth. I do need to clarify that even in the moments of remembering, sadness comes in moments, randomly, not in waves. What also happened recently is hearing of a friend, another father, who was struggling. Somewhere in the words spoken and implied was the quiet question of “am I doing enough?” It is a question that haunts a lot of parents, not just fathers. It is...

  • The Climate Fiasco - Part 2

    Dan Carlson, Columnist Prairie Ponderings|Mar 3, 2021

    As I said last week, I won’t dispute the global temperature has increased slightly in recent years. The climate has always changed and always will be. What is disputed by many atmospheric scientists shut out of the conversation by media is how much of a role human activity plays in global temperature change. In spite of this, we’re told sweeping overhauls of economic, government and social institutions are immediately required to avoid catastrophe. To promote this view, emotions are played upo...

  • Our View:

    Feb 24, 2021

    On Feb. 16, business owners and managers, City officials and the curious met at the Elks Lodge to discuss the possibility of a Downtown Business Association. The concept as presented is to promote growth and work together as a business community, supporting each other, sharing resources and experiences. Economic Development Director Melissa Norgard stressed the Downtown Business Association (DBA) is not to compete with or replace the Cheyenne County Chamber of Commerce. It is to further stimulate the downtown business community. It also needs t...

  • Stuck in Memories

    Forrest Hershberger, View From The Handlebars|Feb 24, 2021

    For whatever reason, this year is keeping some curtains open. Actually I’m in between days. February has become a month of emotions. I have birthdays, Valentines Day when guys are reminded to stay in touch with their emotions, and the day I had to say goodbye to my dad. By this time 15 years ago, he was in a hospital bed with a broken hip, and a list of other issues that made him look tired; the kind of tired I had never seen in him before. It is the kind of tired that stole his last breath t...

  • The Climate Fiasco - Part 1

    Dan Carlson, Columnist Prairie Ponderings|Feb 24, 2021

    Global temperatures are getting warmer. For that reason, a climate crisis has been declared. John Kerry, the Biden administration’s “climate tsar,” says we have only nine years to stop a global catastrophe. He’s a moron. The United Nations last week released a 168-page report titled “Making Peace with Nature” (anthropomorphizing nature is a pagan religion concept) in which the actions necessary to avoid irreversible damage to the planet include requiring governments to alter their tax structures...

  • Straight Talk from Steve: TERC

    Steve Erdman, District 47 Senator|Feb 24, 2021

    If it is true that every cowboy sings a sad, sad song, then in Nebraska they all sing the same sad song about protesting their property valuation. Protesting property values in Nebraska is like turning a lump of coal into a diamond. If you squeeze the same lump of coal in your hand all the days of your life, all you will end up with is a dirty hand, and if you protest your property valuation every year, all you will end up with is a pile of filing fee receipts. Getting a decision on a property...

  • The Fort Report

    Jeff Fortenberry, Congressman|Feb 24, 2021

    Here’s a tweet I wrote this week: “I’ve been in meetings with @BillGates. I respect his intellect and desire for social responsibility by the world’s wealthy. On this idea, though, maybe he should come to #Nebraska and learn a little more. #NoFakeMeat.” I was responding to an interview Gates did for the MIT Tech Review in which the Microsoft co-founder opined on climate change: “I do think all rich countries should move to 100 percent synthetic beef. You can get used to the taste difference, and the claim is they’re going to make it taste even...

  • Leading on Biofuels

    Adrian Smith, 3rd District U.S. Representative|Feb 24, 2021

    Nebraska is a biofuels powerhouse - the second and third largest producer of ethanol and corn, respectively, in the country. With 25 active ethanol plants and a capacity of more than 2.5 billion gallons, the importance of biofuels to our state economy cannot be understated. Biodiesel production in Nebraska has seen exponential growth as well. Thanks to innovation and technological developments, biodiesel production has grown from 25 million gallons in 2004 to 2.9 billion gallons in 2019. Ethanol...

  • The Safe Connections Act

    Deb Fischer, US Senator|Feb 24, 2021

    COVID-19 brought with it many new challenges, including furloughs, unemployment, and hospitals struggling to keep up with surges of new patients. We all hear about those things every day. But you may not have heard about how the pandemic has made it much harder for victims of domestic violence to seek help. When you’re stuck in the same house as your abusive partner for months on end, technology can be your only lifeline to the outside world. Yet many of these victims share a cell phone plan w...

  • Lacking Consistency

    Forrest Hershberger, View From The Handlebars|Feb 17, 2021

    The second impeachment hearing of now former-President Trump is about a week old by now. I was immediately struck by a saying I heard many years ago from an attorney. It is so obvious most people don’t see it. “If you can’t pound the law, pound the table.” The message is clear, and being played out... with a difference. In Donald Trump’s five years in the political arena, counting the campaign leading to his election, he has been labeled or otherwise implied guilty on more issues than anyone in...

  • Here Comes Gun Control

    Dan Carlson, Columnist Prairie Ponderings|Feb 17, 2021
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    Representative Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX) has introduced legislation that could have a huge impact on gun owners. House Resolution 127 (HR 127), also known as the Sabika Sheikh Firearm Licensing and Registration Act, is named for a 17-year-old Pakistani foreign exchange student who was killed during a 2018 school shooting in Sante Fe, Texas, in which nine others also died. I’ve read the legislation (it’s free online), and here are some of the provisions it contains. Federal Firearm Reg...

  • The Festival of Purim

    Steve Lissner, Columnist|Feb 17, 2021

    Jews will soon celebrate, on 26 February 2021, the joyous festival of Purim which occurs every year on the 14th of the Hebrew month of Adar (late winter/early spring). It commemorates the (Divinely orchestrated) salvation of the Jewish people in the ancient Persian Empire from Haman’s plot “to destroy, kill and annihilate all the Jews, young, old, infants, and women, in a single day. The Book of Esther(Megillah) records this holiday. Purim remains unusual because it is the only book of the bib...

  • Lions and Tigers and Bears, OH MY!

    Mike Sunderland, Thoughts from a Grey-Haired Point of View|Feb 17, 2021

    How things have changed, and not necessarily for the better. Since retirement I’m trying to stay out of my wife Dorothy’s hair and not get on her nerves. (But that’s another story!) Like many in my age group I’ve accumulated boxes and boxes of stuff, aka priceless mementoes of days gone by. When I have nothing else to do, I drag out a box or two and rummage through them to see if I can force myself to get rid of an item or two… results to day: a few pieces of packing material pitched. The bigge...

  • Fiscal Notes

    Steve Erdman, District 47 Senator|Feb 17, 2021

    Every bill introduced in the Nebraska Legislature gets a fiscal note attached to it. Fiscal notes are usually boring and not much fun to read. Fiscal notes are usually written by budgetary experts working for relevant state agencies and are supposed to explain what kind of fiscal impact the bill would have on the State budget. Usually, fiscal notes are carefully calculated and accurately tell state legislators how much money a bill would cost to the State once it becomes a law. However, fiscal...

  • We Should Be Ashamed

    Brandee Gillham, The Cowboys Wife|Feb 10, 2021

    I am no stranger to grief and the many stages of it. Maybe I’m just staying stuck in the really, REALLY mad phase, but my father-in-law was recently locked away from us for 19 days, without a single family member being allowed to see him, before dying and I have a few things to say about this experience. The effects of the pandemic of fear and bureaucracy has knocked on my front door and I am now going to battle. The indoctrination program has succeeded. Evil is being called good and broken s...

  • What Can We Do

    Dan Carlson, Columnist Prairie Ponderings|Feb 10, 2021

    I know my columns haven’t been cheerful in recent weeks. It’s hard to see our country heading where we’d rather it not go. I was once in a mentoring relationship with an accomplished CEO who told me, “Don’t bring me problems unless you also have solutions to them.” And while I can’t lay out how to resist the Great Reset in just one column, today I bring ideas on where to start. While most Americans were busy with careers, raising kids and life in general, an insidious movement took over key...

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