Reliable, Trustworthy Reporting, Capturing The Heartbeat Of Our Community
Reliable, Trustworthy Reporting, Capturing The Heartbeat Of Our Community
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As if propping up the school aid formula to historic proportions wasn't enough, the new governor appears to be getting his way in the Legislature with a package of tax changes that could cost the state more than $3 billion over the next six years. The plan would increase Nebraska's two property tax credit programs, cap school property tax growth and eliminate almost all community college property taxes. Oh, and this bill works in concert with one that would cut the state's top income tax rate...
A Nebraska family has plowed more than $1.6 million into the Lincoln mayor's race, an unprecedented sum and latest burst in a multi-year deluge that, at the federal level, rivals the political spending by a famed Las Vegas casino magnate and a Silicon Valley titan. It's not the Nebraska family you think. It's the Peed family and its business, Sandhills Global – not the Ricketts family – that have eclipsed all other donors while trying to help former State Sen. Suzanne Geist, a Republican, ous...
The Legislature has completed Day 50 of this 90-day legislative session and is in the middle of debate on bills that have been designated as a priority by senators, committees and the speaker. This past week, the Legislature gave initial first-round approval to LB 574 which would adopt the Let Them Grow Act and prohibit the performance of gender-altering procedures on minors. This legislation has been the focus of discussions and filibusters in the past few weeks as opponents of the bill raised...
The consumption tax, or the transaction tax, or maybe it's the EPIC tax, has reared its ugly, shortsighted head again. Call it what you will, but elimination of the highly sustainable three-pronged tax system that has been on the books since 1976 and cost Governor Norbert Tieman his political future, is simply not a good idea. First introduced in the 1990s as the so-called brainchild of a McCook businessman, the "transaction tax" never got out of committee. A couple years ago it came back as...
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...
A foundation supporting Summerland School is one step closer to fruition following a February meeting of the Summerland Board of Education. Board member Ed Nordby, working with district patron Laura Ferguson, presented options to the board, Feb. 15. Nordby said a foundation can be formed in one of two ways: A separate entity or as part of the school district. “I think (a separate entity) is going to be the best thing for us,” Nordby said. Ferguson said the idea of forming a foundation ori...
NORFOLK – One of the last bus drivers in Norfolk begins his day by taking Nancy Stehlik to work. Wrapped in a purple coat and earmuffs, Stehlik inches her walker onto the small bus’s wheelchair lift. Driver Neil Schlecht pushes a button and the lift whirs down, placing Stehlik outside of work. For the rest of the day, he takes seven people to clinics, church and the grocery store. He jokes with riders just as he’s long done as a driver for North Fork Area Transit, the bus service which, until recently, used 35 buses and vans to give as many...
WEEPING WATER – Superintendent Kevin Reiman had a problem. He couldn’t find new teachers. So, in spring 2022, Reiman took an idea to the school board of Weeping Water Public Schools. What about a four-day school week? Reiman expected the board to take a year to study the possibility. Instead, it voted, unanimously: Yes. This fall, Weeping Water became at least the sixth Nebraska school district to adopt a four-day week. It’s a move that thrilled the school’s teachers, burnt out after teaching through a pandemic. And it’s worked better than expe...
Hershey, Pennsylvania, native Warren Zeiders will bring his high-energy country music to Main Street in Clearwater this June. He, along with Trey Lewis, will perform at the 2023 Clearwater Rodeo Concert, Saturday, June 24. Clearwater favorite, Full Choke, will open the Saturday evening show at 8 p.m. Zeiders gained popularity during the COVID-19 lockdowns, when he started posting cover videos on TikTok. Suddenly, his videos gained millions of views on the social media site and drew attention...
It's unlikely Alex Thiele will forget the significance of Saturday. The senior wrestler became the first Bobcat to record 100 career wins. The record was set in the third-place match at the Wakefield Trojan Wrestling Invite, when Thiele pinned Edwin Carey, a Millard South junior varsity team member, in 2:59. "It is super exciting to be the first Bobcat wrestler to get 100 wins," Thiele said. "Ever since I started wrestling, it has been a goal of mine. It especially means a lot because I have...
The new governor says his proposed tax cuts are historic. Critics say they are not sustainable. Rookie mistake by the pig farmer politician who is backed by his Republican party and most of the 32 Republicans in the Nebraska Legislature. Maybe it’s all of them, I haven’t taken a poll. Somebody forgot to explain to Governor Jim Pillen that the $1.9 billion excess funds he claims will make all this work are “projected” to be in the state coffers. That means the so-called strong tax receipt...
Garrett Dwyer runs about 500 head of Hereford and Angus cattle on his Bartlett ranch on the east edge of the Sandhills. The land he's on today has been in his family since 1894, when his great-great grandfather homesteaded it. Dwyer, who grew up there, is now the fifth generation in his family to ranch this land. But Dwyer didn't take over the family ranch until he did something far from home. For five years, he served in the U.S. Marine Corps, including two combat tours in Iraq. Now he's...
The sign on the backpack explains it all. Walking across America. Stephen Ashworth, a Terrell, Texas, native, estimates he's traveled more than 26,000 miles by foot. "I'm a traveler," he said. Ashworth ventured through the Summerland region last week, stopping in Clearwater, Wednesday. He dropped his gear at the village's park, pulled out his super cat stove - a well-worn cat food can - added fuel - HEET gas-line antifreeze works best - and placed a titanium pot on it to heat water for a Cup of...
The Nebraska Nurses Foundation awards the 2022 NNF Project Grant to Savannah Henn, BSN, RN, of Antelope Memorial Hospital. The grant will be used for the rejuvenation of the nurses' break room in promoting nurse wellness and resiliency at Antelope Memorial Hospital. "Over the last two and one-half years, COVID-19 and other day-to-day tasks for nurses have created burnout and stress and I saw this as an opportunity to give back to the staff nurses at AMH," said Henn. The hospital is currently...
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...
A month from now, we will welcome a new year and a new Congress with a new majority. For the 118th Congress, House Republicans have put forward our Commitment to America agenda. In the new Republican majority, we will work to rein in reckless government spending, strengthen and make permanent the tax relief included in the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, maximize take-home pay for all Americans and build an economy that’s strong. TCJA’s success in raising wages shows how strengthening wages for wor...
Three in a row. Clearwater's Big Rodeo, sponsored by the Clearwater Chamber of Commerce, received it's third consecutive nod as the top large purse rodeo by members of the Mid-States Rodeo Association. The award was announced Monday, via MSRA's social media channels. Rodeo co-chairman Gene Snodgrass said it's the 13th time Clearwater's event has claimed the top award. The chamber was tabbed as the top rodeo in 1978, 1979, 1980, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987 and 1988. In 2020, the rodeo was...
It’s tempting to blame the pandemic for the dizzying rates of mental health concerns among American teens. We are all familiar with the impact Covid is having on our lives and the disruption it continues to cause in the lives of young people. Kids witnessed vehement disagreements between neighbors, friends and family over the decisions that had to be made in response to the pandemic, and felt the stress at home as parents faced economic and work changes, all without many of their usual s...
ANDREW ELLSWORTH, M.D. One late summer day, fresh out of residency and seeing patients for the first time as a full-fledged family physician, I examined a young man who had a fever, fatigue and a bad headache. Considering the time of year, influenza was low on the list of possibilities, and COVID-19 did not yet exist. After a physical exam and listening to his story, I ordered some tests, which resulted in a diagnosis of West Nile virus. Now that we are entering the later half of the summer, the weather and environment are prime for West Nile...
The Center for Rural Affairs recently announced the following events: • Albion - Explore Farming: Agritourism (bilingual), Sunday, Aug. 14, 1 to 2 p.m., Valley View Flowers (U-Pick Flowers), 2671 Nebraska Highway 91.The following questions about agritourismwill be addressed at the workshop: What is it? How can it be promoted? What are the pros and cons? • Tilden - Explore Farming Tour and Business Planning discussion (bilingual), Saturday, Aug. 20, 10 to 11:30 a.m, O'Brien Angus Farms, 83340 Nebraska Highway 45. During this event, par...
Nebraskans have achieved a great deal despite extraordinary challenges over the past few years. Looking around the country, I have no doubt our state is in a stronger position than most as we move past the pandemic. I’m proud to say the University of Nebraska System is part of that success story. When Covid-19 hit, we acted decisively for the benefit of the state. We created the Nebraska Promise, providing tuition-free education to qualifying Nebraskans. We launched a plan to partner with s...
Wow, we at SAM are embarking on our fourth year of publishing a weekly newspaper. Seems like only yesterday when a group of us huddled around our dining room table to put together the inaugural edition of the Advocate-Messenger. The next day, Scott and I stood outside The Office, took a deep breath, waited for the first edition’s arrival and opened the door to a major opportunity. We knew it would be a life-changing experience. Trust me, we haven’t been disappointed. That was an exciting - and...
Summer is in full swing and with that comes cookouts and gatherings where food is featured. As you plan your menu, keep local farmers in mind. Buying locally-produced food strengthens the local economy. According to the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, on average, every $100 spent at a locally-owned business results in $45 flowing back into the local community. This is much higher than the $14 that stays in the community when we spend our $100 at a business that isn’t locally owned. More c...
This day and age, it is challenging for people to go "unplugged" to live life to the fullest. Holly Schacht, of Orchard, saw the challenge and met it head on. Schacht spent a month in South Africa on a study-abroad trip through the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, to gain experience for her fisheries and wildlife major and to fully live in the moment. "I've always wanted to study abroad, but after Covid hit halfway through my freshmen year and then into my sophomore year, there wasn't a...
NFPW Communicator of Achievement director Karen Stensrud and NPW COA director Ruth Brown contributed to this article. LuAnn Schindler of Clearwater received the 2022 Communicator of Achievement Award from the National Federation of Press Women. This prestigious award has been given for 65 years. Schindler received the honor during a celebration at the organization's annual conference, held June 23 to 25, in Fargo, North Dakota. Now in its 85th year, NFPW is a nationwide organization of... Full story
