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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Letter to the Editor: This School Choice Week, It’s Time to Prove We Care It’s been a difficult year for everyone, and many K-12 students across Nebraska have developed gaps in their learning. Now more than ever, parents of all income levels need a wider array of educational options for their children. Wealthy families can afford tutoring or private school tuition if their children have fallen behind. But most parents are stuck with the closest government school. For years, state legislators have neglected to extend to our kids the kinds of...
As my cowboy and I have been spending time together outside working calves, I have pondered the amazing lessons that can be learned at the gate. On our particular outfit, there are too many gates to count and a variety of them at that. Why don’t these cowboys buy the same type of gate for every hole and just change the dimensions? But nooooo…. This gate has a flip latch. This gate needs tugged to the right. This gate needs lifted up A LOT before you can even open it. This one won’t open unles...
A protest turned riot and almost in the same breath social media platforms showed how private they truly are. Twitter and Facebook banned Trump and most anything that supported him or his ideas. This might be a short-lived grandstanding as Twitter’s stock fell by at least 10 percent within the first few days of the decision. Maybe society needs to look at this strategically. What happens when a storm hits and cell service is suspended? After the shock and frustration wears off, there’s the boo...
Before I address today’s topic, sincere and heartfelt thanks for the overwhelming show of support for these columns. Your calls, letters and personal comments to me and the paper in the last week were humbling, appreciated and, for the moment, have secured this column’s space in the Sidney Sun-Telegraph. I also thank those who wrote or called wanting this column’s cancelation and had the courage to sign or give your name. The Bible tells us the correct way to address conflict is to take a griev...
Four outgoing Presidents have boycotted the incoming President’s inauguration: John Adams, his son John Quincy Adams, Martin Van Buren, and Andrew Johnson. The second President, John Adams, was first elected in 1796, by defeating Thomas Jefferson 71 electoral votes to 68. Four years later, in 1800, Jefferson won the election by defeating Adams 73 electoral votes to 65. A bitter Adams refused to attend Jefferson’s inauguration on March 4, 1801. Four men ran for President in 1824: Andrew Jac...
The storming of the nation’s capitol was not only illegal and reprehensible, but the extent of damage done to the maintenance of a viable democracy is not yet known. That afternoon did more to reinforce the negative stereotypes already held by half the country about republicans and conservatives than the political left could have dreamed of, and the resulting footage of barbarians storming the gates will be seen in campaign commercials for the next decade. Never mind that those who actually t...
On Wednesday, Jan. 6, the American people should have heard reports of the Electoral College votes being verified and shouts of excitement and probably protest. Let’s face it. No matter who won. The other side would not be happy and probably would explain why the election was stolen. Was it? The better question might be can it be proven such that a court and the American people will accept it. Burden of proof is a challenge. Yes, there are videos of people being denied access to the polling plac...
The 107th Legislative Session has now begun. I will continue to serve on the Appropriations Committee, and strive to bring common sense to how we spend your money. This year I will be introducing a total of 12 bills, and today I would like to tell you about a few of them that I consider to be very important for our state. Ever since I came to Lincoln four years ago to serve as a State Senator my number one priority has been to lower property taxes. Since this time very little has been done to...
My cowpokes and I have been reading a book called For You They Signed: The Spiritual Heritage of Those Who Shaped Our Nation by Marilyn Boyer for our character study. The day after the electoral college votes were cast we read these incredibly thought-provoking words and questions: “Does God really use individual people to effect the course of nations? God wants to use YOU to help bring America back to her godly foundation.” We were specifically studying Samuel Adams and the book continued to as...
After months of misleading or outright lying to the American people about the COVID-19 virus, public officials and the media are expressing alarm and concern about the number of Americans who say they will not be getting any of the new vaccines that supposedly protect against infection by the virus. Reports are surfacing from around the country that as many as half of those eligible for first-round vaccinations are refusing them. These are mostly front-line medical professionals and staff and...
About a year ago, press conferences and news reports were grabbing everyone’s attention. Politicians and health experts were lining up to explain a crisis. A new virus was detected. It was quickly defined as contagious and deadly. It was also defined as preventable by washing your hands, covering your mouth when coughing or sneezing and stay home when sick. The advice was simple. Remember what you were taught in kindergarten and you will be fine. As time moved on, so did the restrictions. It b...
It is summer-time in Australia. While scrolling though YouTube in recent days, I came across a most unusual character from “Down Under.” Story-teller extraordinaire, adventurer, and filmmaker, Beau Miles sports a bright orange beard, a mop of wavy dark hair, an infectious smile, and speaks in Australian-accented English. “He has traveled to all corners of the globe on a shoestring budget, always in search of backwaters and backstories.” Beau achieved a PhD in Outdoor Education at Melbourne’s Uni...
We’re about to put 2020 in the rearview mirror. Most seem eager to do so as it’s been a year of significant challenges. A year ago we had record-low unemployment, a flourishing economy, relative peace abroad and a bright future. Then came Covid-19, George Floyd, BLM, Antifa, and the most bitter presidential election of my lifetime. Anyone who tells you 2021 will be any better should be regarded with suspicion. I think 2021 will be the year of important choices, both for the nation and for us...
During this season of Hanukkah and Christmas, friends and acquaintances have asked me to explain Hanukkah to them. I’m happy to help them understand the holiday. A recent, highly publicized interview with U. S. Senator Kamala Harris raised questions and negative comments about her understanding of and explanation for the significance of Hanukkah. The Hebrew word Hanukkah means “rededication”. Rededicating the Temple through purification acts and oneself to practice traditional Judaism. It has a...
Almost 12 months ago, when I flipped the calendar to 2020, I had visions of getting better at what I do, finding time for some things I don’t do enough and, as I told a friend as a goal or resolution, ride more. I saw myself retracing the Tour de Nebraska ride through the Panhandle. I saw myself doing a few more weekenders, seeing people I miss and scheduling excuses to let the mind and body relax. Instead, I like most of us, spent the year moving from thinking I was a normal hard-working guy t...
Christmas and New Year’s Day are welcome opportunities to slow down, connect with loved ones, and look forward to 2021. As we approach the year’s end, I am thankful for the many sacrifices Nebraskans have made in 2020. Despite many difficulties, our state’s residents have displayed inspiring strength and compassion during the pandemic. Healthcare workers have done heroic work this year to keep people healthy. Families have adjusted their routines to protect elderly or at-risk loved ones in th...
As the world gets more complex, many question the relevance of Jesus Christ to our world. After all, he was born more than 2,000 years ago, they point out. His world and life experiences were nothing like ours. Really? Jesus was born into a world of conflicting ideologies. For 300 years, the Holy Land had been dominated by Greek culture, one that emphasized philosophy, education and the arts. In 140 B.C. the Jews rebelled against the Greeks in the famous Maccabean Revolt, which established the...
There was a time we would already be hiding presents, guarding the tree from the family pet and double-checking our list of guests and what they will be bringing to the feast of all feasts. We would be worried about having enough ham for the number of guests, and if Uncle Tony will make a fool of himself again There was a time movies like “Jingle All the Way” were more of a docudrama than a funny story of misplaced values. There was a time in the not-so-distant past when employees hurried home C...
The Kolyma Highway begins at the port of Magadan on Russia’s Pacific Ocean, heads north some distance, but then veers to the west, and ends at Yakutsk, a city of 311,000 people, deep in a Siberian wilderness called the taiga. Travelers see only spruce and fir trees in every direction. All together, this highway of gravel, mud, ice, and pavement that cuts through the endless forest extends across 2012 kilometers, or 1260 miles, of the Russian landscape. Early in the twentieth-century, the S...
America is fortunate to have an excellent higher education system, and is home to many of the world’s greatest and most prestigious universities. During any given year, nearly 20 million Americans are enrolled in public and private colleges studying topics ranging from engineering to business to science. Nebraska in particular is proudly home to many world-class universities educating thousands of our young people. It is no wonder that Nebraska consistently ranks among the best states for h...
I absolutely love making homemade Christmas gifts. I enjoy praying over the person who will receive the gift. This year I jumped on the crazy train and decided I was going to give my family a present from the past. Genealogical study has always ranked high on my list of fairly nostalgic (albeit kind of nerdy) endeavors, but it has always fascinated me to see where I came from and the rich history of men and women coming together to produce my ancestors. I bought one of these huge fan charts...
Christmas is our nation’s first federal holiday. Christmas was first declared as a national holiday back in 1789. Since this time there has been an unbroken history of official acknowledgement of the holiday by all three branches of our federal government. So, when the city of Pawtucket, Rhode Island was sued for displaying a nativity scene, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in the case of Lynch v. Donelly (1985) that the Constitution does not require a complete separation of church and state. I...
Nebraskans are known for common sense, tenacity, and grit. When faced with a major challenge, we don’t panic or abandon core principles and long-standing traditions. Instead, we pull together to do what’s best for our communities. Whether it’s a pandemic or historic flooding, Nebraskans have shown the world that we can overcome incredible challenges. In mid-November, Nebraska’s coronavirus hospitalizations had reached a critical point. With nearly 1,000 coronavirus patients, hospitals across...
This is my last column about globalist agendas unless readers request more. To review, this is NOT conspiracy theory. Most of what I describe is out in the open for anyone to read on the World Economic Forum’s website. There you can read what the elite, wealthy and powerful from business, politics, academia, entertainment, media and religion have as goals. They are laid out in discussions about the Great Reset, Agenda 21, Agenda 2030 and Agenda 2050. Here are some of them. Economics – Bec...
“Whoever shall introduce into public affairs the principles of primitive Christianity will change the face of the world.” “As to Jesus of Nazareth, my opinion of who you particularly desire, I think the system of morals and His religion as He left them to us, is the best the world ever saw, or is likely to see.” — Benjamin Franklin A few years ago, it feels like longer, then-President Barack Obama gained attention when he told a crowd America is not a Christian nation, nor has it ever claimed t...
