Reliable, Trustworthy Reporting, Capturing The Heartbeat Of Our Community
Reliable, Trustworthy Reporting, Capturing The Heartbeat Of Our Community
Sorted by date Results 1 - 20 of 20
It's easy to understand but hard to remember that the one task of the Nebraska Legislature is to pass a balanced budget during the 90-day session and to make adjustments to and pass that budget again in the 60-day session. Mission accomplished again by the 2024 Legislature, which has a little more than a week of session left. The simple task often gets lost in the shadow of high-profile issues, such as this year's struggle to find a solution for skyrocketing property taxes. With all eyes on...
"If you can't say something nice, don't say nothing at all." – Thumper "The tongue of the wise makes knowledge attractive, but the mouth of fools blurts out foolishness." Proverbs 15:2 CSB Nebraska's unique one-house Legislature is back in the national spotlight again, for all the wrong reasons again. Last year it was a session-slowing filibuster accomplished by a couple senators who were upset with a bill restricting access to medical services for transgender youth. This year, it's a move seeki...
Let's talk about that big day coming up this weekend, Easter. Some of you, like me, consider it a holy day. To others, it's just a holiday. It's also a family day, a time to gather around the table and talk about the future, maybe let the young one's hunt Easter eggs. Eat some ham. Eat some chocolate. As a kid, it meant wearing your Sunday best. For me that was this little blue and white sailor suit, a cotton garment that required my mom to spend extra time ironing on Saturday night. Believe...
Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely is a proverbial saying reportedly coined by the English nobleman Lord Acton in 1857. How much power should be given to the executive branch of Nebraska state government is a topic for discussion by state lawmakers and political observers alike. Currently there are 18 code agencies, which answer to Governor Jim Pillen. The Legislature is considering measures addressing the situation. Sen Steve Erdman of Bayard wants History Nebraska (formerly...
There are a lot of ins and outs in party politics during an election year. Who's in the race and who's out? All eyes have been on the Legislature where the big surprise came from Republican Julie Slama – rhymes with drama – announced she wouldn't seek a second term representing southeast Nebraska's District One because she was going to take her recently earned law degree another direction. But before the appointee of then Governor Pete Ricketts could relish the attention one more time, the ven...
Omaha Senator Justin Wayne, chair of the Judiciary Committee, has offered a bill that would put Nebraska's Legislature in charge of the state's prison system, which is currently under the purview of the executive branch. Given the way things have been going with the Department of Correctional Services, especially the selection of a site for a new prison in northeast Lincoln that was changed to an allegedly more acceptable site at the last minute, I like Wayne's proposal. If made law, it would pu...
The chickens are coming home to roost. Several tax watchdog groups say the Legislature, at the behest of the governor, has gone overboard in depleting state revenue by earmarking too much for property tax relief. But Governor Jim Pillen debunks the reports. He said they came up with different numbers than he did. Here's the rub. He hasn't read the reports. Let that sink in for a minute. Not unlike the reports on higher than acceptable levels of nitrates in the groundwater near his pig farms. He...
Quick, somebody give the governor a shovel, I want to see how much deeper he can dig the hole. Weeks after he insulted a reporter who questioned the high nitrate levels on his pig farm, Governor Jim Pillen has yet to apologize for his xenophobic remarks. The reporter, born in China, has been working in this country since 2017. She wrote about the nitrate issue for "Flatwater Free Press," her employer for the past two years. On an Omaha radio call-in program, Pillen said he hadn't read the...
There are plenty of distractions. Ukraine vs Russia, Israel vs the Palestinians, Republicans vs other Republicans. The list is endless. But let’s turn our attention to a couple of Nebraska issues about which we can possibly do something. I’m talking about civility and transparency, or the lack thereof. Civility was cited in the recently-released Nebraska Rural Poll. A number of court filings for public records and a pending legislative bill speak to the transparency issue. Most rural Nebraskans see the lack of civil discourse in the pol...
Attorney General Mike Hilgers is now fighting prison reform measures he supported not too long ago as a state senator. That's politics. In the Attorney General 's office. Imagine that! Not hard to believe if you've been paying attention. The last AG walked in lockstep with the governor as did the guy before him, and ... Let's not forget Don Stenberg, the AG who wanted to be anything else, mostly US Senator (he took a shot and failed a couple times) and finally wound up as State Treasurer before...
"For it's a long, long while from May to December But the days grow short when you reach September And the autumn weather turns the leaves to flame..." -- September Song I decided it was time to get out of the office and go see Nebraska. It's been a post-pandemic while since I have done so. I jumped at the chance to ride to Chadron with a friend with numerous stops along the way. Call it a visual checkup to see how the Cornhusker State is holding up amid almost daily reports of increasing...
An open letter to Colorado. It's fitting that I am writing this on the 22nd Anniversary of the 9/11 attacks on America, the day that hatred manifested itself openly on American soil. I am writing about a now-past football game and the comments made by the showboat coach of the University of Colorado and his son the star quarterback who said to more than one media outlet "We don't like Nebraska." That comment is somewhat toned down from Saturday evening reports that he uttered that he "hated" Neb...
In May, 10 Nebraska State Patrol troopers went to Texas for two weeks to help with drone surveillance of the border with Mexico. Recently, 60 Nebraska National Guard members went to Texas for a month for a similar assignment. Is this a Nebraska problem? Or is this part of the national Republican Party agenda to allow Republican governors to take shots at the policies of President Joe Biden and blame Texas border woes on his administration. What's in it for Nebraska? Certainly not money. The...
Three proposals to cover the solution looking for a problem -- voter ID -- have proven to be about as confusing as the proponent’s explanation as to why the idea was necessary. After a lot of listening and a bunch of head scratching, I’m still not convinced. The only thing I know for sure, in Sen. Steve Erdman’s world there would be no mail-in ballots. Tell that to the 11 Nebraska counties that hold mail-only elections right now. Better yet, convince my 85-year -old neighbors that it’s a good idea. I’ve been voting by mail since Covid and...
It has been 35 years since members of the Nebraska Legislature had a pay raise and 17 years since term limits took effect. If lawmakers are wondering why, they simply need to check the actions of some of their colleagues. Omaha Sen. Machaela Cavanaugh told fellow senators and a TV audience she was “going to be mean” because a fellow Omaha senator introduced a bill, restricting transgender surgery, she doesn’t like. But it’s not just the one anti-transgender bill she doesn’t like, she’s going to oppose every one of that senator’s proposals. No...
“They’re trying to build a prison They’re trying to build a prison For you and me to live in Another prison system Another prison system For you and me.” --The Prison Song by System of a Down (2001) To the surprise of none and the consternation of many, me included, a new report says that before 2030, Nebraska will need another 1,500 prison beds, even after building a $350-million, 1,500-bed replacement for the aging State Penitentiary in Lincoln. We have been expecting the facility master plan for the Nebraska Department of Correct...
My observation from the opening days of the 108th Nebraska Legislature: “The fix is in!” Google it, information worth having as this highly partisan-influenced session stumbles on. In the 20s, when the term first surfaced, it meant the deal was done – probably in advance. There is also mention made of bribes or payoffs. I’m not suggesting that’s in play right now, or is it? Chairmanship races this year were cut and dried, not unlike five years ago when the majority party in the officially nonpartisan Legislature met before the session c...
There’s been a lot of talk about preserving the officially nonpartisan nature of the Nebraska Legislature. But there is another issue, occasionally discussed with similar zeal in years past, that’s creeping up again. (Gasp!) It’s the urban-rural split. While the focus has been on party loyalty – there are 32 Republicans and 17 Democrats in the officially nonpartisan Legislature – there are also 26 “urban” lawmakers (18 from Omaha and 8 from Lincoln) to just 23 “rural” senators. That reflects the shift of two rural districts, 49 and 36) to the O...
Welcome to 2023, a new year with a whole lotta new going on at the State Capitol. There’s a new governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general, auditor and 14 new state senators assuming leadership roles in the Republican-dominated Nebraska government. There will be a new U.S. senator from Nebraska to be appointed by the new governor. There are 33 Republicans and 16 Democrats in the officially nonpartisan Legislature. So, what does this mean to you and me? A new year marks a great chance to move one year further away from the Covid pandemic l...
Here we are sandwiched between Christmas and New Year. Time to take stock of what we've been through as it impacts what lies ahead. In case you were somehow fortunate enough to sleep through it, 2022 was an election year. A couple really rich guys and some others ran for the Republican nomination for governor to replace term-limited Deep Pockets Pete Ricketts who still managed to throw enough money around to have an influence. Before you get all upset by that, remember that I have said before it isn’t illegal to spend his own money or the f...
