Reliable, Trustworthy Reporting, Capturing The Heartbeat Of Our Community
Reliable, Trustworthy Reporting, Capturing The Heartbeat Of Our Community
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Three thoughts ... Among the tasks waiting for the Nebraska Legislature when it reassembles after the first of the year will be a budget shortfall, the perennial pitch for lower property taxes and a roster of issues from education to fulfilling the wishes of the electorate ... finally. State senators also will be dealing with a couple personnel issues during the 60-day session, a pair of stinkers that have already occupied a considerable amount of time not simply for lawmakers but for the...
As a Nebraskan, I’m confident in saying that we here like a good origin story. Perhaps it’s because we put considerable stock in the idea that where we’re from often guides where we’re going. Or perhaps it’s because we understand how the past connects to the present. Who knows? Maybe we’re just nosy about where our neighbors come from. Whatever the reason, I hope Nebraskans watched “The American Revolution,” the new film from Ken Burns, Sarah Botstein and David Schmidt. The 12-hour series,...
As the recent stench of war grew stronger, I noticed once again how much we love our machines, be they bunker-busting or surgical, life-saving or high-earning, analog, digital or artificially intelligent. But what happens when our doodads and thingamajigs act human … you know … err? To wit: Last week in this space, the modern marvel autocorrect changed one letter in one word (“defund” to “defend”) in one sentence, in one paragraph of an entire 750-word commentary. The “correction” altered the en...
So goes the school, so goes the newspaper, so goes the town. Such an observation is neither original nor germane to some of America, but in Nebraska it is a fact of life — sometimes a sad fact when a small town loses its newspaper. For further details on two Nebraska newspapers closing their doors, I recommend Paul Hammel’s excellent piece in the Nebraska Examiner. He puts into perspective what the loss of a newspaper means to communities such as Ainsworth and Valentine, the pair set to cea...
Nebraskans decided a couple weeks ago that public funds for education should fund public education … and only public education. You can skip the “well, duh.” Without two petition drives, a solid campaign and Nebraskans doing the right thing, the question in question — Legislative Bill 1402 — may very well have started using tax dollars for private school tuition next fall. The decision to repeal LB 1402, which provided public money for private school scholarships, was fairly loud and quite cle... Full story
As is its wont to do, U.S. News and World Report recently released its Best States "rankings," a list on which Nebraska placed third, up one spot from 2023. Only Utah and New Hampshire bested our fair environs in the best states standings. So, yes, go ahead. Yay, us! The magazine's methodology included rankings in eight primary categories: fiscal stability, opportunity, infrastructure, crime and corrections, economy, education, health care and natural environment. Each of those were subdivided...
I am curious as to what ever happened to scruples in public life. Anybody know? You remember scruples: Stand-up people, the do-the-right-thing-regardless crowd? Maybe my naivete is showing, but I swear scruples used to be a thing. They - or lack of them - came to mind when I read that Italian authorities found the young British tourist who carved "Ivan +Haley 23" into the wall of Rome's 2,000-year-old Colosseum. Pro tip, Ivan: Love may conquer all, make the world go round and find a way, but eve...
