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 999 - 1023 of 1718
As pandemic restrictions loosen, Nebraska is growing again. While some states continue to struggle through the current coronavirus impacted economy, Nebraska now has the lowest unemployment rate of any state in the country. We have struck a balance between slowing the spread of the virus to preserve our hospital capacity and letting people return to a more normal life. In doing so, we have avoided the major budget shortfalls that are being faced by many states. Our financial position was so...
I spent nearly half my life working in TV and radio newsrooms. Much of that time was spent working as a weatherman, but often I was tasked with double duty. Over the years I worked as a producer, news anchor, news reporter and news director in addition to weather responsibilities. This shows you I’m qualified to evaluate and comment about news broadcasting in America. My journalism professor at the University of Minnesota taught us as the last of a dying breed. He defined the role of a j...
There are some experiences in life that never fully get filed away in the caverns of memory. They have a way of always staying near to the top. Compare them to the worn-out hiking boots or jeans your wife wants you to throw away. That event is so deep in the past you should be blowing dust off the book cover. Nevertheless, it is a memory that brings back a smile like it happened this morning. Dads have a way of stockpiling those memories. Some of those memories are reflections of previous...
In June of 1967, Israel’s army captured the Sinai and Gaza Strip from Egypt, the Golan Heights from Syria, and East Jerusalem and the West Bank from the Jordanians. Although Israel returned the Sinai to Egypt in 1982, after brokering a deal with Egypt’s Anwar Sadat, “its occupation of the rest of the territory seized in 1967 is ongoing.” The West Bank is a landlocked strip of land, 2,263 square miles, sandwiched between Jordan to the east, and Israel to the north, west, and south. It is the geog...
There is open talk of civil war in America. The Washington Examiner last week published results of a poll showing 61 percent of Americans say the U.S. is on the verge of a civil war, and 52 percent of respondents said they’re taking steps to prepare for one. Why is this happening? Dr. John MacArthur, one of America’s most well-known pastors and an expert in biblical exposition, penned an op-ed piece for “The Daily Wire” last week in which he basically echoed what I wrote in these pages on Sept...
I admit I didn’t see the debate last week. I had a higher calling. Quite honestly, the fifth quarter reviews were enough. The stage was set with two men who, by their life experiences, should have been able to sit down over lunch and have a productive discussion. They should have been able to say “Now, Don, we can’t do it that way because…” and “Joe, just look at what I’m presenting.” But that’s not what happened. That level of communication seldom happens before the public. Instead, at least...
As you may know, each week I have been writing about what I am calling the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights. Last week I discussed what is wrong with taxing incomes. This week I will expose what is wrong with taxing property. Property taxes come in two forms, personal property taxes and real estate taxes. In Nebraska personal property taxes are imposed on all business equipment, whereas real estate taxes are imposed on commercial, residential, and agricultural real estate. The third right contained in...
The death of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg (RGB) earlier this month and President Trump’s subsequent nomination of Amy Coney Barrett (ACB) to fill her seat has set in motion a chain of events some speculate could lead to another American civil war. The level of hatred being flung at ACB before she even has a chance to field questions from concerned citizens and senators is yet another example of collectivist wrath and judgment in a “guilt by association” context. ACB isn’t Catholic i...
Mark Twain once said, “The difference between the right word and the wrong word is really a large matter. ‘Tis the difference between the lightning bug and the lightning.” Some writers choose big words to fill up a typewritten page. For example, William F. Buckley, Jr. built an extensive vocabulary and pulled it out often to impress his readers. He once wrote, “I react against declamatory rudeness that is coercive in intent.” Now what did he mean? I think he meant to say that when he hears ano...
“Without a vision, the people perish.” That might sound a little preachy, critical, or condemning even. It might even sound a little egotistical. Go my way or you’re wrong. Well, actually that isn’t the point. Even in my age, I never thought I would sit in a newsroom or have a conversation with another news hound in the region who is equally concerned about stories packaged as news but even we have to admit are on the edge of “fake news.” It isn’t because we do or don’t agree with the writer...
With a houseful of cowpokes it feels like there is always a civil war erupting – there are guns going off, military pursuits, friendly fire and an array of combat situations. "Mama, he hit me on the head!" "Mooooom, he just whacked my nose." "Moooooaaaahhhhhm, he just ________." Fill in the blank. It doesn't really matter what you put there because they have all happened in my home. These are the same brothers that can pick up the baby and snuggle him and give him peace. These are the same b...
The ideological war we’re witnessing in America is as old as civilization. We’ve see the pattern played out over and over throughout history. Prosperous and powerful nations become corrupt and detached from principled moorings. The people become complacent and restless. The disaffected rebel and rise up. Totalitarianism follows in a crackdown usually welcomed by those demanding an end to the chaos. There’s a period of darkness and evil, followed by spiritual renewal and renaissance. Then the p...
I ran across a book a few years ago called “Not A Fan.” The storyline is about getting up and being involved, not contently sitting in the bleachers. But to apply the words a little differently, we are fans. All but the chosen few know sports from the screen, the numbered seats in the stadium or arena, maybe even a box seat. We are not arriving hours before the start of the game, stretching and putting on the pads. We are not the ones running lines on the court to get the muscles nice and warm b...
The Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights that I will begin outlining today will be included in legislation I will introduce in January for the consumption tax. The Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights consists of ten rights or protections which ought to be afforded every taxpayer in the State of Nebraska. The first right in the Taxpayer Bill of Rights states, “The citizens of Nebraska are entitled to a fair tax system, one which favors neither the poor nor the rich, neither rural dwellers nor urban dwellers, neith...
In Nebraska, our goal is to be the most welcoming state in the country for veterans and military families. Our servicemen and women make tremendous sacrifices to protect our freedoms. While we can never fully repay their service, we can shape state law and policy to better serve their needs. When they return to civilian life, veterans continue to give and serve to benefit their communities. We’ve seen that spirit of volunteerism on display once again in 2020. American Legions across the state ha...
I was deeply saddened to learn that Investigator Mario Herrera, a 23-year veteran of the Lincoln Police Department, had passed away after being shot in the line of duty on August 26. He was helping the Metro Area Fugitive Task Force and Gang Unit serve a high-risk warrant in Lincoln when he was critically wounded. Investigator Herrera leaves behind his wife, Carrie, and their four children. Before his 23 years of service to the Lincoln community, Investigator Herrera served his country in the...
DAV (Disabled American Veterans) is a nonprofit veterans service organization composed of more than 1 million wartime service-disabled veterans that is dedicated to a single purpose: empowering veterans to lead high-quality lives with respect and dignity. This year, DAV will celebrate a major milestone in our history on Sept. 25, 2020, marking 100 years of service to the nation’s service-disabled veterans, their families and survivors. In honor of this occasion, we are asking you to officially recognize Sept. 25, 2020, as Disabled American V...
My household canceled our Netflix subscription months ago. We’d been grumbling for some time about the increase in programming that mocked our values and was either borderline pornographic or certainly blasphemous toward our faith. I really wasn’t surprised when I first saw promotions for the film “Cuties” a few weeks back because I’d been telling people to expect a cultural push toward acceptance of pedophilia, bestiality and other deviant practices for some time. “Cuties” is a movie that fo...
In even the best experience, high school has a way of making a student feel like he’s passing through a blender. Don’t get me wrong. High School can be a fun experience. It is a fun and learning experience academically and socially. The books and now the tablets and iPads are only part of the bigger lessons, the social lessons. I call it a blender because students pass in and out of classes, some thinking of the next class, others stressed about the quiz they just bombed and others who can...
Ian Fleming divided his 7th James Bond novel, Goldfinger, into three parts: “Happenstance,” “Coincidence,” and “Enemy Action.” Three times Bond intervened in Auric Goldfinger’s diabolical plans to enrich himself, and after the third time, Goldfinger had had enough. He seized 007. “Mr. Bond,” Goldfinger said, “they have a saying in Chicago: ‘Once is happenstance. Twice is coincidence. The third time it’s enemy action.’” Coincidences startle us. Two people discover that they have the same bir...
The great American experiment set about answering whether free people could govern themselves or not. If things progress as I fear they will, the answer will be no. Why? Because, as our second president John Adams said, “Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.” I invite readers to make the case for me that our nation is made up of a moral and religious people. Morality is the agreed upon code a society relies on...
Several years ago, sometimes it feels like yesterday, my wife and I found ourselves in a script we didn’t write, we didn’t want and we couldn’t escape. In what seemed like a heartbeat of time, we went from parents of a teenager to parents who had lost a child. These are memories that cannot be erased from the mind’s memory. Sometimes all it takes is quietness in the far side of the room, the sound of a motorcycle on the highway, a clear night on the prairie. There are fond memories, but admitte...
The Nebraska Legislature’s “short session” went much longer than usual this year due to coronavirus. While the session didn’t wrap up until August, it was worth the wait for Nebraskans. From property tax relief to career scholarships, several key priorities were achieved to help grow our state both now and for future generations. Property Tax Relief: LB 1107 not only delivered significant property tax relief to Nebraskans, but it also reformed our business incentives and puts Nebraska in the...
Just before noon on Thursday, August 27th, a fire was observed in northern Banner County near the Hubbard gap road. Due to extremely dry conditions, it expanded rapidly. The fire started on the Terry Brown ranch and moved west. The fire burned a significant portion of the Brown ranch. A fence repair fund for the Brown’s has been established at Z M Lumber Company in Scottsbluff. All donations are deeply appreciated. The Banner County Commissioners signed an emergency declaration, asking the G...
On a calm summer day in 1823, in northwest South Dakota, a mountain man named Hugh Glass experienced absolute terror when he stumbled across a she-grizzly bear and her two cubs. He was alone. She stood on her hind legs, swatted his rifle away, then his pistol, but he held tight to his knife. Few of us will ever experience first-hand a fright of this magnitude, a life-and-death wrestle with a hot, mad mother grizzly bear. The author Frederick Manfred described in his book Lord Grizzly how at...
