Reliable, Trustworthy Reporting, Capturing The Heartbeat Of Our Community
Reliable, Trustworthy Reporting, Capturing The Heartbeat Of Our Community
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Even in the best of times, farming is a precarious enterprise. There's drought, floods, hail, wind storms and pests of all kinds to deal with. The cost of fertilizers and pesticides always seems to be on the rise, equipment always seems to break down at the worst moment, and now, prices paid for the crops are below the expected break-even point. And then, in Nebraska, there's property taxes. But now the state's farmers are being thrown a nasty curveball - again - as part of President Trump's...
What happens in Vegas isn’t staying in Vegas. Hallelujah! The Husker basketball boys are bringing home the crown. On Sunday, they ended the 2024-25 season with a ‘W’ over the University of Central Florida in the inaugural College Basketball Crown. While Fred Hoiberg’s squad experienced highs and low throughout the year, including two multi-game stretches that ended their NCAA tournament hopes, they played some of their best basketball this past week. Claiming the Crown comes with perks, like $3...
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...
St. Patrick's Day has come and gone, but as always, you probably saw buttons reading "Kiss me, I'm Irish" from all sorts of people, Irish or not. We are all Irish on St. Paddy's Day, they say. But according to U.S. News & World Report, only about 9.4% of Americans are of Irish descent, yet 61% of us planned to celebrate on March 17. It all got me wondering, how Irish are Nebraskans? Back in the day, I did a story on this topic and found that, be gosh and begorrah, the "Irish Capital of...
The legal bills have been piling up in Richardson County. Since 2022, this southeast Nebraska county of fewer than 8,000 people has poured at least $143,000 into fighting a lengthy and contentious legal battle – not with an out-of-state business, or problem property owners. Richardson County is at odds with its own employees. For nearly two years, the 16-person county road department has been locked in a union battle with the county over a new contract and wage increases. The union, r...
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...
More than 60 high school seniors will begin their studies at the University of Nebraska at Kearney this fall as members of a prestigious health science program, including Jaycee Reynolds, of Ewing. She has been selected for the KHOP pharmacy program. Representing communities across the state, the students selected for the Kearney Health Opportunities Program demonstrate both academic excellence and a commitment to serving rural areas as future health care professionals. "Improving access to...
Funeral services for Barbara E. Schilousky, 77, of Laurel, formerly of Ewing, will be 10 a.m., Tuesday March 18, at Church of Christ in Ewing. Burial will be in Ewing City Cemetery. Visitation will be 5 to 7 p.m., Monday, March 17, at Snider Memorial Funeral Home in Clearwater, with prayer service at 7 p.m. Barbara died March 11, 2025, at Hillcrest Care Center in Laurel. Snider Memorial Funeral Home is handling the arrangements. Condolences may be directed to the family at ww...
Entrepreneurs interested in starting or improving their child care businesses are invited to attend a free conference presented in Spanish. “Growing Together: Spanish Child Care Educators Conference” is scheduled for Saturday, April 5, from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., at Central Community College in Grand Island. English interpretation is available upon request. “This year's conference has been carefully curated to provide valuable insights and resources for early child care professionals,” said Brissa Borjas Esparza, senior business develop...
It's hard to overstate the impact agriculture has on the State of Nebraska. The production of crops contributes $25 billion a year to the state's economy, according to the University of Nebraska, and the impact extends to the cities, where suppliers, bankers and consultants make a living providing goods and services to farmers and ranchers. Few states are as dependent on agriculture as ours, a state that has farming in its title, the "Cornhusker State." About a third of farm income comes from fo...
Greg Sharpe, the voice of Husker Radio, died Friday, from pancreatic cancer, at age 61. The recent 2024 Nebraska Sportscaster of the Year recipient wass diagnosed with cancer in 2024. Sharpe provided play-by-play action for Husker football since November 2007, when he finished the final three games of the season and permanently took over in 2008. He also led the Nebraska baseball broadcast team since 2008. Sharpe is survived by his wife, Amy, and daughters Emily, Campbell and Taylor. Dr....
The University of Nebraska would do less cutting-edge medical research, lay off employees and lose top scientists if deep federal cuts backed by President Donald Trump’s administration take effect, say university leaders. In interviews, NU President Dr. Jeffrey Gold and leaders at the University of Nebraska Medical Center portrayed the proposed cuts as a dark cloud hanging over local researchers and noted they would prove even more painful if coupled with potential state budget cuts. “As sad as it is to say, if this is sustained over a long per...
Nebraska, I'll bet, is the only state in the union where the retirement of the volleyball coach is front-page news. And where the installation of a new coach is covered live on television with the governor in attendance. But that's what happened after legendary coach and cowboy John Cook announced recently that he was riding into the sunset and leaving a team that he'd guided to four national titles over 25 years. "It's better to burn out than fade out," Cook said at his retirement press...
A legislative committee voted Thursday to advance a bill that could lead to increased teacher pay, setting beginning compensation as a fraction of superintendent pay. Education Committee members voted 6-0, with one member absent and another "present, not voting," to advance Legislative Bill 300, from State Sen. Dave Murman of Glenvil, the committee chair. The bill would require that beginning teachers be paid no less than 20% of what a school district pays its superintendent. School districts...
The Center for Agricultural Profitability at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln will present Returning to the Farm 2025, a workshop series for families who are in the transition process of bringing members back to the farm or ranch. It will begin with a two-day workshop in for multi-generational families on March 7 and 8, at Central Community College in Hastings, 550 S. Technical Blvd. The series also includes two follow-up workshops, to be held virtually after the in-person meetings. The workshop will assist families and agricultural...
University of Nebraska–Lincoln students have been named to the deans' list for the fall semester of the 2024-25 academic year. Qualification for the deans' list varies among the eight undergraduate colleges and the Explore Center. All qualifying grade-point averages are based on a four-point scale and a minimum number of graded semester hours. Area students named to the dean's list include: Rachel Dierks, senior, College of Education and Human Services, elementary education; Katie Hawk, g...
The Nebraska Department of Agriculture has opened the application process for high school juniors and seniors interested in attending the Nebraska Agricultural Youth Institute. NAYI is one of Nebraska's biggest agriculture youth outreach events. The five-day program brings together students to network with ag leaders, learn more about the industry, and discover careers available in agriculture. NDA helps sponsor and coordinate NAYI every year. This year's theme is "Agriculture: It's in our...
LINCOLN - The Nebraska Legislature wrapped up bill introductions and began committee hearings in the third week of its 2025 session, including proposals to display the Ten Commandments in public schools, end tenure for state university faculty and eliminate online voter registration. Lawmakers can introduce bills during the first 10 days of the legislative session, which ended Jan. 22. In total, senators introduced 715 bills and 29 resolutions. Bill introductions on Jan. 21 and 22 included legislation dealing with several controversial issues....
Nebraska USDA Farm Service Agency is partnering with the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s Center for Agricultural Profitability on a webinar designed to educate commodity crop producers on the 2025 Agriculture Risk Coverage and Price Loss Coverage programs election and enrollment process. The ARC/PLC signup period is open through April 15, and producers are encouraged to begin working with their USDA county Farm Service Agency office to complete the election and enrollment process. Producers can learn about the ARC and PLC options for 2025 duri...
Andrew Steskal, a 2018 graduate of Clearwater-Orchard Public Schools, will fill a math vacancy at Summerland Public Schools for the 2025-2026 school year. Steskal spent two years at Northeast Community College and received a degree in mathematics education from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Currently, he fills a similar position at Cross County High School. This is his third year in the district, located south of Stromsburg. Superintendent Molly Aschoff said, "We're very fortunate. He came...
I’ve been stuck in a “traditions” mindset lately. Last Wednesday, I couldn’t stop thinking about new year rituals. When the Huskers played in a Dec. 31 or Jan. 1 bowl game, Dad would place a 33LP on the record player and watch the needle land on a groove. The record: recordings from the University of Nebraska Marching Band. First song up: The Band Song. If you’ve ever followed the band to Memorial Stadium, you’ve probably heard it. It was one of Dad’s favorites. I can still hear him singing the...
In the summer of 2002, Margaret Stamp returned home to Sarpy County from college four weeks after her 74-year-old grandmother, Phyllis Behm, had died from a short battle with colorectal cancer. Stamp found her dad, Mark Behm, a former northeast Nebraska county attorney and private practice lawyer, wincing in pain on the living room floor. Stamp described him as in shape and thin. She said he looked healthy and didn't drink or smoke. But that weekend, Stamp's father was doubled over, and he told...
The University of Nebraska at Kearney announced students who earned a place on the dean's list for the fall 2024 semester. Students who are on the dean's list must have completed 12 credit hours or more of classes with a 3.5 grade-point average or better on a 4.0 scale. Area students named to the list include Adrienne Parker and Ryann Haburchak, of Ewing...
Nebraska Extension, in conjunction with Kansas State Research and Extension and Purdue University Extension will present a four-part succession planning series for Midwestern farm women. The series will be available in Neligh, at the Antelope County Ag Society Building, 709 E. Highway 275, on Jan. 21, Jan. 28, Feb. 4 and Feb. 11. The first session will focus on motivation for succession planning. The Jan. 28 meeting will include information about communicating about estate and transition...
The University of Nebraska–Lincoln conferred 1,149 degrees during commencement exercises Dec. 20 and 21 at Pinnacle Bank Arena. The degrees were earned by 1,132 graduates from 41 countries, 40 U.S. states and 150-plus Nebraska communities. Chancellor Rodney D. Bennett presided over the ceremonies. Two honorary degrees were awarded during the graduate and professional degree ceremony: Ken M. Bird, longtime educator and founder of the nonprofit Avenue Scholars, received a Doctor of Education; a...
