Reliable, Trustworthy Reporting, Capturing The Heartbeat Of Our Community
Reliable, Trustworthy Reporting, Capturing The Heartbeat Of Our Community
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Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen said Monday that Nebraska secured the eighth-highest funding total in first-year rural health care improvement plan dollars from Congress’ tax and spending law President Donald Trump calls “big and beautiful.” In Nebraska, the Pillen administration said in a statement it is aiming the funds announced by the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services at a sustainable model for rural care that embraces chronic disease prevention and applied technology. “The partnerships we have built throughout President Trump’s...
Every day, Laura Gamble sees the importance of Pender Community Hospital in the lives of her neighbors. The woman who drove an hour to deliver her first baby. The man in a mental health crisis. They rely on her northeast Nebraska hospital. "It's like an oasis on the hill," said Gamble, who grew up in the area and practiced as a nurse before becoming the hospital's CEO. The hospital is one of the largest employers in the 1,115-person town of Pender, Gamble said. It delivers more than 120 babies...
Gov. Jim Pillen and the Nebraska Department of Banking and Finance gave final approval Nov. 12 to the final charter for the launch of Telcoin Digital Asset Bank in Norfolk. As a result, Telcoin will manage the first regulated digital asset depository in the United States, with leadership expecting operations to begin in December. State experts said the burgeoning market of digital assets means more economic opportunities for entrepreneurs and developers of fintech and crypto in Nebraska. It...
Brace yourself Nebraskans for another year without meaningful property tax relief. That's because the "One Big Beautiful Bill" means that Nebraska will have to do without about $216 million in state income tax revenue over the next two years, and $406 million less over the next four years. That's a Big Gulp of funding for a state budget that lawmakers had already cut by nearly $400 million to balance the state budget. As you recall, during the last session of the Nebraska Legislature,...
Michael's Cantina has been serving Tex-Mex food to the residents here for more than 30 years. It feels timeless, except for an unwelcome newcomer: the stench. For the past two years, the restaurant and nearby residents have been bothered by the stink, which owner Heath Henery describes as a "sewer smell with almost a vomit smell." He blames the odor on the dairy processing plant across the street, a company long known as Milk Specialties Global that recently rebranded as Actus Nutrition. The...
The other day, I got a text from my uncle in California. He'd just watched a news report about the tumultuous, March 18 town hall held by U.S. Rep. Mike Flood, a Republican, in which shouts and boos dominated. "I thought Nebraskans were above this stuff," texted my uncle, who grew up across the river in northwest Iowa. Gotta admit, it wasn't a great look for "Nebraska Nice." But also gotta admit, I wasn't surprised - it wasn't the first time I'd seen an angry crowd in Nebraska confront a...
Mele Mason recalls the days when the newsroom at Omaha TV station KMTV had journalists covering city hall, the county courthouse, the statehouse and the “cop shop.” Reporters attended multiple other governmental meetings and community gatherings, said Mason, who worked as a news videographer at the station in the 1980s. But those days are gone, she said, with her old newsroom now about one-third the size. So when Mason saw that an effort was underway to address shrinking newsrooms by enl...
For more than 15 years, the brick building in south Lincoln has served as a local hub for the U.S. Department of Agriculture - a place where farmers meet face-to-face with federal workers overseeing complex conservation projects on their land. But last month the Department of Government Efficiency, a cost-cutting initiative led by billionaire Elon Musk, moved to cancel the building's lease months early and claimed it saved taxpayers more than $62,000. DOGE reports on its "Wall of Receipts" to...
It's daylight savings time, so let's turn back the clock ... to four years ago when the state was still contending with the COVID-19 pandemic. There was a silver lining of sorts to those awful days – a huge influx of federal funds to keep the economy going. And state senators met on how to spend that glut of money with plans to finally make Nebraska a more attractive destination for new residents, and a place where more tourists will spend their vacation cash. Lawmakers even had a flashy name f...
Like a comet that swings by the earth every few years, there's been talk now and then about placing some huge development between Omaha and Lincoln along the Platte River. Between the state's two largest cities would be an ideal location for a new football stadium for the Cornhuskers, the reasoning goes. An airport there would attract more flights to and from our state. And wouldn't a huge lake look great along Interstate 80 in that spot? Back in the day, the idea was to dam up the Platte River...
Alonzo Denney sets his phone on the conference table, pulls up a family photo and starts counting. There are 11 living relatives, including him, now sharing ownership of 80 acres along the Bazile Creek in Knox County, land originally allotted to their ancestor by the federal government. Then Denney does some quick math. He might, he says, be paid around $25,000 if this land, now mostly flooded and unusable, was placed into a flowage easement with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Denney,...
Nebraska doesn't get many national headlines about politics, but a recent, last-minute push by major Republicans to get the state to ditch its unique system of awarding electoral votes for president did just that. Former President Donald Trump and leading GOP Sen. Lindsey Graham were among those applying the pressure recently to return to a "winner-take-all" system. Only Nebraska and Maine don't give all of its electoral votes to the statewide winner of the popular vote for president. Instead, N...
Northeast Community College renewed and expanded partnerships as it celebrated the groundbreaking for its iHub technology and innovation center in downtown Norfolk. About 120 people attended the sunny, but chilly event at 707 and 713 W. Norfolk Ave., which took place Thursday, April 4. "I am so proud to be standing here with our community partners," said Leah Barrett, Northeast president. "This is a community effort." The new iHub, which has been called a "game changer," is expected to benefit...
Antelope County Commissioners had been at work for more than 65 minutes, May 2, when an individual performing a lewd act appeared on the Zoom call. The county board meets twice a month, in person, at the Antelope County Courthouse in Neligh. The meeting is also available via Zoom for individuals who chose to watch and/or participate via the online conferencing platform. While then-Gov. Pete Ricketts issued an executive order to temporarily waive certain requirements of the Nebraska Open Meeting...
I love the sound of a sprinkler on the garden. The spit, spit, spit of water lets me know the day will warm up, corn will continue to grow in the fields and my garden will also thrive and surprise me with new blooms. It’s summer in Nebraska. Looking out my kitchen window, I can’t help but gaze a bit longer at some head turners. Pops of flowers, when in full bloom, are head turners. As the month of June unfolds, there were not enough peonies in my life. The early head turners are done and it’s ti...
Governor Ricketts signed the budget bills this past week with no line-item vetoes. He praised the Legislature for passing a budget that limited spending growth and placed an emphasis on increased funding for property tax relief measures. The Legislature gave first-round approval to LB 64, which addresses the taxation of social security benefits. LB 64 was introduced by Omaha Senator Brett Lindstrom and prioritized by Seward Senator Mark Kolterman. Only 13 states tax social security benefits....
SEN. TIM GRAGERT The Legislature gave the budget bills second-round approval this past week, making only minor adjustments. After the budget is passed, the speaker plans to schedule taxation and spending measures. The session is more than two-thirds complete, but we still have many significant issues to discuss. As introduced, LB 406 focused on flood-control infrastructure projects along the lower Platte River. Senator Mike McDonnell, the primary sponsor of LB 406, has offered an amendment to...
Holt County Supervisors faced a Shakespearean-like conundrum during the group’s Aug. 31 meeting at the Holt County Courthouse. To include $2.5 million, monies promised by TC Energy for a road-use agreement, or not to include that amount in the upcoming road and bridge budget, dominated more than an hour of discussion. Without payment in hand, the proposed levy would cost taxpayers an additional eight pennies, jumping to 36.25 cents, a 31% increase. In the end, supervisors agreed to pursue a $...
The Holt County supervisors reviewed and set new parameters for daily meal reimbursement when they met at the courthouse in O’Neill last Tuesday, June 16. Staff working outside the county will be allowed $10 for breakfast, $12 for lunch and $16 for dinner/supper. The motion was made by supervisor Steve Boshart, seconded by supervisor Doug Frahm and carried on a 6-0 vote, with supervisor Don Hahlbeck absent. Mike Zakrzewski of O’Neill was appointed to the board of adjustments, with Jim Hubel of Ewing, Mark Rossman and Barb Steskal of Atk...
Antelope County Sheriff Robert Moore will no longer serve as the county's emergency manager. In a letter addressed to the Antelope County clerk, Moore said he felt he could no longer work under the "current conditions and feelings of the commissioners." The letter was dated May 7, two days after a meeting when two commissioners found fault with the manner a refrigerated semi-trailer was purchased to serve as a makeshift morgue for a worst-case scenario, when deaths from COVID-19 may exceed...
Four guest speakers will highlight the fifth annual Antelope County Ag and Home Expo, which begins Tuesday, March 3 and continues Wednesday, March 4, at the Antelope County Fairgrounds in Neligh. Al Dutcher, associate Nebraska state climatologist, will discuss climatology trends, Tuesday, at 11 a.m. Two Rivers Irrigation is sponsoring the presentation. At 2 p.m., State Farm-Melissa Smith will present Brad Griffin, a retirement income certified professional and financial advisor. Griffin will...
The O'Neill Volunteer Fire Department, its chief and two community members were recognized by Nebraska Governor Pete Ricketts last week for service performed during the March 2019 floods. Ricketts made a stop in Holt County on Friday to present fire chief Terry Miles and members of the fire department with a flood hero proclamation. The award commemorates the department's rescue of a rural resident who was stranded in his home by the flood waters, as well as the volunteers' efforts in helping...
How do we sustain rural America? The question was discussed Monday in Norfolk during a town hall meeting titled "Growing Together." The event, sponsored by the Aksarben Foundation, included speakers who addressed brain drain - students who leave the area following graduation and do not return home - and how to make the northeast region of the state a more desirable place to attract young professionals. Former state senator Mike Flood presented data regarding the ages of population in area... Full story
