Reliable, Trustworthy Reporting, Capturing The Heartbeat Of Our Community
Reliable, Trustworthy Reporting, Capturing The Heartbeat Of Our Community
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In this most recent legislative session, I introduced a total of sixteen bills and one constitutional amendment resolution. Additionally, the Agriculture Committee, of which I chair, introduced two committee bills. Last week, I covered seven of these bills which became law. This week, I would like to outline the other seven of these bills which became law. My bill LB869 expands the number of local newspapers that publish the notice of unclaimed property and provides the State Treasurer’s O...
In this most recent legislative session, I introduced a total of sixteen bills and one constitutional amendment resolution. Additionally, the Agriculture Committee, of which I chair, introduced two so-called committee bills. Fourteen of those measures passed. This week, I would like to outline seven of my bills which became law. LB769 authorizes the Department of Motor Vehicles to create and issue up to three University of Nebraska State Museum License Plate designs. Alphanumeric plates will...
The Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services announced last week that it is submitting a request to the U.S. Department of Agriculture to expand the state's Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Healthy Choice Waiver to include candy as an ineligible purchase. Once approved, the restriction will take effect Nov. 1. "DHHS continues to strengthen our Healthy Choice Waiver by adding candy to the list of items ineligible for purchase with SNAP benefits," said Shannon Grotrian, director...
A new Flatwater analysis shows the state has fallen behind its neighbors. Business leaders are diagnosing why - and hoping new efforts will reverse the troubling trend. Not long ago, Nebraska's growth was quite literally a national cover story. Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts soared through the air wearing skis and goggles on the Olympic-themed March 2018 cover of Site Selection, an economic development industry magazine. The cartoon image illustrated Nebraska's high-flying, three-year run as...
This week, I would like to provide a broader overview of the proposed changes to the state's Brand Law. This session, I introduced LB1187 to allow the ability for the Brand Committee to adjust its inspection fee to help the Brand Committee manage a difficult budget situation. Due to the closure of the Tyson plant in Lexington earlier this year, as well as other factors, the Brand Committee's cash fund has depleted in recent years. Although the Brand Committee has indicated that it could...
This story is made possible through a partnership between Flatwater Free Press and Grist, a nonprofit environmental media organization. Mike Wintz was nearly four miles away and in the thick of fighting the Morrill Fire when he heard over the radio that the flames were headed for his home. "A couple of the other outfits were headed to the house to kind of head it off ... I just put my trust in the neighbors and the other firefighters," he said. The group stopped the fire near Wintz's front...
Regenerative agriculture is gaining real momentum in Nebraska as producers search for ways to stay profitable in a very tough economic environment. Farmers are facing a significant financial squeeze in 2025–2026, driven by high production costs, low commodity prices, and rising debt. At the same time, a growing number of ag producers and rural communities are recognizing another urgent priority: protecting the soil and water beneath our feet. Across the state, what was once considered a niche i...
STATEMENT OF NONDISCRIMINATION Northeast Nebraska Telephone Company In accordance with Federal civil rights law and U.S. Department of Agriculture civil rights regulations and policies, the USDA, its agencies, offices, and employees, and institutions participating in or administering USDA programs are prohibited from discriminating based on race, color, national origin, religion, sex, gender identity (including gender expression), sexual orientation, disability, age, marital status, family/parental status, income derived from a public...
The Nebraska Department of Agriculture is accepting applications from high school juniors and seniors for the Nebraska Agricultural Youth Institute. NAYI is one of Nebraska's largest agricultural youth outreach events. This five-day program brings students together, offering networking, opportunities with ag leaders, and a chance to learn more about the industry, discover careers and make new friends NDA helps sponsor and coordinate NAYI every year. This year's theme is "Passion Meets Purpose."...
This past week, the Agriculture Committee heard two bills at a public hearing: LB1187 and LB1258. Both bills propose changes to the state’s livestock branding law. The Nebraska Livestock Brand Act requires cattle owners in the western two-thirds of the state to comply with mandatory brand inspections. These inspections are overseen by the Nebraska Brand Committee and are meant to safeguard against cattle theft. Last year, the Agriculture Committee held an interim hearing to examine the L...
A U.S. Department of Agriculture program is helping producers turn raw commodities into value-added products, allowing more of the income to remain in rural communities. The Value-Added Producer Grant program, administered by USDA Rural Development, supports agricultural producers, as well as farmer and rancher cooperatives, that want to start or expand value-added activities. Producers can apply for up to $50,000 in planning grants or up to $200,000 in working capital grants. Applications are...
Valmont represents a home-grown Nebraska success story, the 80-year-old company that pioneered the center pivot that helps corn grow in the Cornhusker State. The Fortune 1000 company still operates facilities in its Valley birthplace as well as in Columbus, West Point, Grand Island and McCook. It oversees global operations spanning five continents from a gleaming $50 million headquarters in west Omaha. But under a new law Gov. Jim Pillen pushed to passage last year, that stalwart Nebraska...
SILICON PRAIRIE NEWS Stone Pillar International is a software and intelligence company that uses drone-acquired data for actionable decision making. The company's official launch comes as Nebraskans face the threat of invasive eastern redcedar and the opportunities of new drone rules and advancements. Nebraska is on the front lines of both tech innovation and woody encroachment. As pilots and entrepreneurs look to the skies with new uses of drone technology, researchers and ranchers are looking...
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration are currently investigating a multistate outbreak of infant botulism linked to ByHeart Whole Nutrition Infant Formula sold during July 2025 to November 2025 in-store and online. Retailers with stores in Nebraska selling ByHeart Whole Nutrition Infant Formula include Walmart, Target, and Whole Foods Market. The Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services is closely monitoring updates in the investigation and...
On Oct. 31, the Agriculture Committee held its second and final interim public hearing for the year. This hearing was held for four interim study resolutions: LR153, LR168, LR257, and LR258. Additionally, the committee received a public briefing by Eugene Kowel, Special Agent in Charge, Omaha Field Office of the FBI, regarding threats to the agriculture sector by domestic and foreign actors from the FBI perspective. LR153 was introduced by Sen. Storer for the purpose of gathering information...
Programs for succession planning and other ag-related topics will take place in Norfolk, Nov. 7, and Valentine, Nov. 12. The clinics are for farm and ranch families and offer confidential, one-on-one sessions with an experienced ag law attorney and ag finance counselor. The hour-long clinics have been offered in Nebraska since 1989. In general, clinic discussions often involved estate and succession planning, financial and operational issues, beginning farmer programs, fence law, property rights, real estate and lease concerns, farm loans, and...
I am Eric Kamler, your Commissioner for the 4th District of the Nebraska Public Service Commission, covering 31 counties of Nebraska. The Nebraska Public Service Commission is a five-member elected statewide board that oversees several industries affecting everyday lives, including broadband internet and telecommunications, the 911 network contract, oil and natural gas pipeline routes and regulation, railroad lines, commercial grain storage licensing, commercial ground transportation licensing...
We appear to be done bombing Iran, and to be back to helping Ukraine repeal invaders from Russia. Plus, it looks like the trade war we started is going to raise our cost of buying coffee from Brazil and beer from Mexico. Great, huh? So maybe it's time to talk about something really important – corn sweat. We're entering the peak of corn sweat season, when the thick, green fields of corn that blanket eastern and central Nebraska start to emit their highest levels of moisture. It's called "evapotr...
Governor Jim Pillen was joined by Senator Barry DeKay and Nebraska Department of Agriculture Director Sherry Vinton at Shamrock Locker in O'Neill, July 17, to ceremonially sign LB246. The new law bans the manufacture, distribution and sale of lab-grown or cultivated meat in Nebraska. Passage of the measure during the most recent legislative session builds on the governor's executive order from last year, which prohibits agencies from purchasing lab-grown meat and requires state contractors to...
Today, agriculture, food, and related trades employ more than one in 10 American workers and contribute over $1.5 trillion to our annual Gross Domestic Product. In Nebraska, one in four jobs are related to agriculture. According to the latest data from the Nebraska Department of Agriculture, our state is ranked first in total beef exports, second in ethanol production, and fifth in overall agricultural exports among the 50 states. We live in a time when agriculture security is emerging as a key...
Over the past 25 years, Dollar General stores have become a fixture of the retail landscape in rural Nebraska. Now, there are 142 chain "dollar" stores - 115 of them Dollar Generals - in Nebraska towns with a population smaller than 10,000. OAKLAND - If you drive down U.S. Highway 77, you won't see the grocery store that has managed to keep afloat in this town for more than 100 years. It's five blocks off the highway, on Oakland's main drag. What you will see is a bright yellow sign, beckoning...
PROCEEDINGS HOLT COUNTY BOARD OF EQUALIZATION AND SUPERVISORS JUNE 16, 2025 Board Meetings are held on the first working day after the 15th and the last working day of the month. Meetings are held at the Holt County Courthouse meeting room. Board of Equalization at 9 a.m., and Board of Supervisors at 9:15 a.m. Notice of meeting given in advance thereof by publication in paper as shown by Affidavit of Publication on June 12, 2025, in the Summerland Advocate. The agenda for all meetings are kept continuously current and is available for public...
The Legislature has officially entered an interim period between the first and second regular sessions of the 109th Legislature. The interim provides time for senators and their staff to begin preparing for the next regular session, which is scheduled to begin on Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2026. Yet, Senators also remain busy with interim studies to research topics of interest in hopes of bringing stakeholders to the table. This year, I introduced three interim studies: LR178, LR179, and LR180. LR178...
Tuesday, June 10, the Antelope County Commissioners met with all commissioners present. County Sheriff Bob Moore gave on update on bids received for a new Dispatch Radio System for the county jail as the current system is over ten years old. Zetron, the supplier of the radio system currently in use, came in with a bid of $106,000. Mindshare, a Lincoln-based company, had a bid for $96,000. Moore stated that he has made no decision yet as maintenance/support issues were being discussed with both companies. Moore said a decision will be announced...
“Old soldiers don’t die, they just fade away.” Gen. Douglas MacArthur, a World War II hero, used that phrase in his farewell address to the U.S. Congress more than 70 years ago. But the comment doesn’t come within a country mile of describing one, old Nebraska soldier. Tom Brewer, a native of Gordon and a member of the Oglala Sioux Tribe, served six tours of duty in Afghanistan during his 36 years in the Army, earning a Bronze Star and two Purple Hearts. He served two terms in the Nebrask...
