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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The United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit is widely considered the second most powerful court in the land because, among other things, it is the court that reviews decisions of key government agencies, from the Federal Trade Commission to the Federal Communications Commission. It is the court where key challenges to federal law are often brought and where knotty issues of executive privilege and constitutional law are decided. And among judges, it has long been the “feeder” court to the United States Supreme Court....
Everyone wants to be loved for who they are, right? If that’s so, then why do so many people portray different sides of themselves depending upon who they are with? It would be more accurate to say people want to be loved for who they show the world – which ever part of society they are trying to emulate. Everyone at some time in their life wears a mask, whether it is to protect them from hurt; while feeling out people and new situations; to shield themselves from detection so they are more accepted into society; or so they are more acc...
At the risk of sounding like someone who “can’t let it go” — a feminist’s badge of honor if ever there were one — I’d like to offer a few tips on how to write obituaries about accomplished women in America. It’s a short list really. 1) Take a moment to read the March 30 New York Times’ obituary for rocket scientist Yvonne Brill, in which she is celebrated first and foremost for her cooking and years of tagging along with her husband. 2) Vow never, ever to do that. That pretty much covers it. Otherwise, you’re going to be on the receiving end o...
Few Americans will ever forget being told Congress had to first pass the healthcare law “to find out what is in it.” Well, almost exactly three years ago, the bill was passed and now we know the secret ingredient: 20,000 pages of new federal regulations, amounting to a towering stack of paper 7 feet 3 inches tall. This is just one example of the endless amount of red tape coming out of Washington. Though some regulation is necessary to ensure health and safety, overregulation places unn...
The Nebraska National Guard had earned several significant national awards in recent months and I would like to talk more about these awards as well as several other significant events involving the men and women of our Nebraska National Guard. Members of the Nebraska National Guard’s Joint Force Headquarters air staff learned they had been awarded their second-consecutive U.S. Air Force Organizational Excellence Award while the Nebraska Air National Guard’s 155th Air Refueling Wing had been awarded its 11th Outstanding Unit Award since its...
We are all born with our own special and unique strengths and weaknesses that we will uncover later on in life. Whether we are born male, female, destined to be tall or short, born with hair or without it – we are all different. Some see our more struggling “differences” as flaws, while others may see them as gifts. But to me, what some consider flaws can be eccentric, and in there own ways, beautiful. Some of us our born with what are considered “physical and mental disorders.” Whether someone is born without a limb or with a confused... Full story
One of the best parts of my job is visiting different communities across Nebraska when the Senate breaks as I did last week. I am always greeted with warm welcomes. Our state’s great sense of community is on magnificent display in town after town, whether it is neighbors pitching in to help comfort firefighters battling grass fires, or volunteers hosting a fundraiser for the local food bank. Nebraska truly is “the good life.” We’ve always known this, but recently, our way of life has gained national recognition. Communities across the state h...
Let’s see … I’m at an age when just lifting myself off the couch can cause injury, my cat keeps strolling across the keyboard and my first day on the job just happened – through no preconceived notion of the bosses, I’m sure – to fall on April Fool’s day. So much for introductions. Over the next few weeks I expect to learn something of this town’s interests, people and streets. Despite my new guy status, however, I’ve already contributed greatly to Sidney’s economy. That’s right, for the past two years I served as editor down the road in Kimb...
This is the second part to my column from last Saturday. In part one, I recalled the events and the journey leading up to my first trip to Nebraska that began on September 10, 2001. During the bus trip to Los Angeles, one poor lady had an “episode;” her daughter explained that she was afflicted with Alzheimer’s. This was sad, but a few passengers didn’t understand and they proceeded to call her crazy. Upon arriving in LA, I rented another vehicle and saw as much of the California coast as my few days would allow. I marveled at the tall palm tr... Full story
Being wronged by a corporation is painful enough, but just try getting your day in court. Most Americans don’t realize it, but our Seventh Amendment right to a fair jury trial against corporate wrongdoers has quietly been stripped from us. Instead, we are now shunted into a stacked-deck game called “Binding Mandatory Arbitration.” Proponents of the process hail it as superior to the courts — “faster, cheaper and more efficient!” they exclaim. But does it deliver justice? It could, for the original concept of voluntary, face-to-face resolution...
First, here’s the smart money (or at least my money): 6-3, with Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Anthony Kennedy joining Justices Ginsburg, Breyer, Sotomayor and Kagan. Second, narrow or broad: Most likely, narrow (much easier to get six votes), with at least four justices saying they would go further, but I’m not counting out the broad decision. Third, why now? Most important factor: political change in America. _ We like to think (and many students are taught) that the federal courts, with life tenure for judges, operate outside the pol...
“To keep the body in good health is a duty; otherwise we shall not be able to keep our minds strong and clear” ~ Buddha. No words spoken about the connection between body and mind- and soul if you want to get down to it - could be truer. Our bodies are the temples where our heart and soul resides, and when our bodies are not feeling well neither will what makes up the health of heart and soul, our minds. When you get to know yourself the ability to find a way to take care of your body on a daily basis will follow inline as well. And quite oft...
My friendship with Jackie Cassara began over lunch in 1992, after she announced that she was gay as if it were a warning. We had spoken over the phone a few times for a story about one of her colleagues. Jackie and I were both working mothers with young children. Our conversations were lively and fun and constantly veering off topic. After my story ran, we agreed to meet in person. What I didn’t know at the time was that Jackie had only recently started coming out to friends and families. Reactions had been mixed, sometimes painful, and she d...
On March 19, 2003, President George W. Bush ordered General Tommy Franks to invade Iraq. That day jets rained down bombs on military targets in Baghdad, and the next day the land troops marched into Iraq. Last week marked the invasion’s 10-year anniversary. In the war’s run-up, Bush had sought and received Congress’s vote of support, but, according to Kofi Annan, the U.S. president had “bypassed the UN Security Council and violated the United Nations founding charter.” The world’s nations opp...
This week, I am pleased to announce the grand opening of the new Nebraska Center China, located in the heart of the business district in Shanghai. The opening of Nebraska’s first trade office in China is exciting for many reasons. With soaring export growth and ever increasing opportunities for foreign direct investment, we are working to create new trade opportunities that benefit Nebraska. China is Nebraska’s fastest growing export market, and already Nebraska’s fourth largest export market. We want to enhance Nebraska’s opportu...
It didn’t take me long to realize that Sidney is a city of cliques. I’m not saying that as a bad thing by any means, but the younger crowd surely has divided themselves into groups of friends. Sometimes these groups cross into one another, but for the most part they disassociate. I tend to think the older crowd accepts everyone, as in most places, but you can also tell who likes someone and who doesn’t. I guess I was sort of a loner in the works, but unlike most, I was blessed to find a group of friends who were locals right off the bat. But f... Full story
The budget process is one of the most basic functions of government - to set priorities of how to best use tax dollars. Every year, Congress and the President are required by law to agree to a 10-year budget resolution to manage our nation’s long-term finances. However, for too long we have not used the budget process to improve the fiscal condition of our country. In recent years, the federal government has spent too much, borrowed too much, and promised too much. Trillion dollar deficits have pushed our national debt to nearly $17 t...
Four years. That’s how long it took Senate Democrats to pass a budget resolution. It’s also the amount of time it takes to get a degree in finance, economics or accounting. But after looking at their final product, it appears the Democrats didn’t use this time doing any of that. Their budget, which narrowly passed in the Senate late last week, turns a cold shoulder to the realities our country faces. Americans today are coping with higher taxes, fewer jobs, a fragile economy and important government programs on the brink of bankruptcy. So how d...
I mentioned in my first column for the Sun-Telegraph that I would relay the events that led up to my first trip to Nebraska a few years ago. This is from a “note” that I wrote on my Facebook page a year and a half ago. Due to the length of the story, this will be a two-part series. Well, here goes part one: September 10, 2001. I had resigned from my radio station job days earlier, and this was the eve of my last day at the Domino’s on Old Hammond Hwy in Baton Rouge. I went to Papa John’s to visit with my former Domino’s manager and a former co... Full story
In a recent senatorial dustup, Sen. John McCain called Republican colleague Rand Paul one of “the wacko birds” of Congress. McCain (who sometimes appears not too tightly wrapped himself) was giving Sen. Paul a tongue-lashing for having mounted a 13-hour, old-fashioned, stand-alone filibuster over the possibility that murderous drones could be used for targeted assassinations of Americans right here at home. McCain said that the Kentucky senator’s talk-a-thon had veered into the “realm of the ridiculous,” adding, “I don’t think (it) is helpf...
Two guys are at a conference, looking bored. On stage, there’s been talk about “dongles,” which, if you aren’t aware, are devices you plug in to laptops to get connectivity. Bigger ones are supposedly more powerful. Can you guess the joke? (Hint: about whether size matters.) Actually, I thought it was kinda funny. The women sitting in front of them didn’t. These guys weren’t on the stage. No one was making her listen to them. She could’ve turned and told them to shut up. She could’ve changed seats. She could’ve had her own conversation abou...
I have said one of the first methods in fighting depression is getting to truly know yourself, and that is undeniable truth. But what I can’t tell anyone is how to do that, because everyone is different and everyone may have a different way of understanding and accepting who they are – who they really are. For me it was many, many tests. As silly as it sounds I took as many tests as I could find that were considered reliable personality tests. I am not saying those tests offered by Facebook, but credible psychological tests that help peo...
There is something about helping others that I find addicting. Though I am sure there has to be some kind of way that someone could solely support themselves and their family by helping other people everyday, I have not found that career path yet. It’s extremely hard for me to see someone in need and not do something to help them - whether it be emotional, physical or monetary pain they are going through. They say one person can change the world, and looking at past powerful figures, good and bad, this appears to be true time and time again. B... Full story
During the week of March 17-23 people all over the nation will celebrate National Agriculture Week. I would like to remind all Nebraskans of this important week and encourage our citizens to take a moment to reflect on the importance of the agricultural industry in our state. Farming, ranching and related agribusiness activities are responsible for approximately a quarter of our state’s economic activity. Ninety-three percent of our state’s land is used for agricultural production, and Nebraska is one of the top states in the nation for interna...
Nebraska farmers are among the most efficient and productive in the world. Our producers have embraced new technologies and techniques to produce an abundance of crops, opening the door to increased trade and helping to feed the world. These advances have not only helped American agriculture thrive, but also play a critical role in meeting global food demands of the present and future. By 2050, the Earth’s population is expected to swell to more than nine billion people. To feed this growing population scientists believe we will need to produce...
