Reliable, Trustworthy Reporting, Capturing The Heartbeat Of Our Community
Reliable, Trustworthy Reporting, Capturing The Heartbeat Of Our Community
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Recently, many of you received your new property valuation notices. Once again, many of you saw increases in your property value, even if you made no improvements to your property. This is not surprising given the high-demand for housing, farm, and ranch land. It is rare that a home or land is sold for less than the tax assessed value. When the market value of real estate rises, county assessors are required by law to adjust tax valuations to reflect those current market prices. In determining...
GENERAL ELECTION NOTICE & OFFICES TO BE FILLED BY ELECTION AND FILING DEADLINES, ANTELOPE COUNTY, NEBRASKA I, Lisa Payne, Antelope County Clerk/Election Commissioner, hereby give notice of the offices to be filled by election that will appear on the 2026 General Election Ballot to be held Nov. 3, 2026, in Antelope County, Nebraska, as per State Statute 32-601. Notice is also given that the filing deadlines for such offices are July 15, 2026, for incumbents and Aug. 3, 2026, for non-incumbents. An incumbent is anyone serving in an elective...
Gov. Jim Pillen has always insisted that he’s “not a politician,” but more of a regular guy. “Speech-i-fying” isn’t his cup of rhetorical tea. I’m sure he’d admit that. But every so often, we get evidence of, shall we say, a misstep of the vocal variety. Most recently, it was when he was signing an executive order intended to “further eradicate” antisemitism, a worthy goal. Pillen had already ordered state agencies to use a definition of antisemitism developed by an organization, the I...
Elections often bring surprises, but the upset victory of retired Omaha businessman Scott Petersen in the Republican primary for Secretary of State wasn’t that surprising. Sure, he defeated an incumbent, Lincoln attorney Bob Evnen, who was seeking a third, four-year term. His office runs our state elections and handles several different tasks, like registering corporations. More than a couple of things were working in Petersen’s favor. First off, Petersen appeared to mount a more aggressive camp...
Voter turnout in last Tuesday's primary election exceeded the statewide average of 27%, according to data from the Nebraska Secretary of State's office. In Antelope County, 1,808 of the county's 4,329 registered voters - or 42% - visited the polls. Approximately 35% of Holt County voters cast ballots. Polling data shows that 285 registered Republicans requested early voting ballots in Holt County, while 45 Democratic voters made the same request. That trend continued in Antelope County, as 92 re...
Last year, I highlighted several ballot initiatives that have been approved by the Secretary of State for circulation ahead of this year's November General Election. This week, I would like to provide another overview of those measures that may still be seeking signatures. Although I provide information about these initiative petitions, this newsletter series is meant to be informative and neither represents an endorsement FOR nor AGAINST any particular measure. The Choose Life Now Amendment...
Registered voters not affiliated with a political party - Nonpartisan - who plan to vote in the May 12 primary election may request a partisan primary ballot for any one of the State-recognized political parties, pursuant to Nebraska Revised Statute 32-912. Additionally, Nebraska Democratic Party and the Nebraska Libertarian Party opened their ballots to nonpartisan voters, allowing nonpartisan voters to request a Nonpartisan Partisan ballot from one of these parties with all of that party's...
After a legislative bill giving county assessors immunity from trespassing during valuations failed to advance to the floor, Holt County Assessor Tim Wallinger queried supervisors how to handle assessments during the April 16 supervisors' meeting in O'Neill. According to Wallinger, a 1977 Nebraska Attorney General opinion is at odds with an opinion issued a year ago, which determined assessors could be liable for trespassing. "What do we do now? Every county's law is different," he said. The...
Almost every time I head over to the local work-out joint, there's some petition circulators waiting. They scurry up and ask for my signature on a proposed ballot initiative that would make it harder for state legislators to change laws that voters have passed at the ballot box. Nebraska is one of only 26 states that allow voters – if they collect enough signatures to put something on the ballot – to directly pass laws and constitutional amendments, or to repeal such measures via a ref...
The 109th Legislature’s second session has adjourned sine die. As of the day of adjournment, the Legislature had passed 150 bills, excluding “A” (Appropriation) bills. Of the 107 priority bills designated this session, 75 bills were passed as standalone measures. Many priority bills were passed: LB525 to create first-of-its-kind agricultural data privacy protections for agricultural producers, LB958 to require Nebraska to pay the maximum amount of coverage for which Medicaid recipients are r...
Some State Capitol watchers say they can't relax until state legislators go home for the year. As a reporter who chased the occupants of the "Hall of Hot Winds" for too many decades, I can attest that the fire drill-like finish to legislative sessions leaves you ready for something different. Or a stiff drink. Late-night sessions – which used to be a rarity – are par for the course these days, with debates extending 12 hours or more in the waning days of a legislative session. Filibusters also u...
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 past week, the Legislature gave final approval to the two budget bills. During the long 90-day legislative session, the state’s biennial budget is crafted. During the short 60-day session, adjustments are made to the budget. Adjusting this session’s budget was a much more demanding task since senators had to weigh what agencies and programs would be cut. Combined, both budget bills contain a large collection of cuts, changes, and cash transfers which will bring the deficit down to abo...
"To the Arch by March." That was the scary slogan circulating throughout Omaha back in the 1980s when both Union Pacific and ConAgra were threatening to move their corporate headquarters out of the River City. (U.P. was said to be looking at St. Louis, home of the Gateway Arch.) That meant that hundreds of good paying jobs would be leaving Nebraska and that Omaha's status as a home of corporate headquarters would be diminished. Never fear, the Nebraska Legislature and then-Gov. Kay Orr... Full story
The Nebraska Legislature began talking about "exterrestrials" the other day, and well, who could pass up writing about that? I have a buddy who insists that an alien craft hovered over his acreage outside of Ashland. There's another buddy who is convinced that he was followed by an alien ship while driving down a remote western Nebraska highway. So I've heard some stories. Thanks to these new-fangled "prediction markets" like Kalshi and Polymarket, we can actually place bets on the chances that...
This past week, Senators gave first-round approval to LB525, a bill introduced by Sen. Jacobson to protect data collected by farmers’ equipment. This measure would create a first-of-its-kind ag data privacy protection for agricultural producers on subjects like soil conditions, weather, and crop yields. This ag data has completely changed the landscape of agriculture thanks to the growing use of precision technologies in agricultural equipment. Senators also advanced LB1165 to the next stage o...
Support conservation education with a new limited-edition ice cream created by (402) Creamery in collaboration with Nebraska Game and Parks. Since March 23, the Lincoln-based ice cream shop has been offering Fox Tracks, a custom pint inspired by Nebraska's clever red fox, with $2 from every pint sold benefiting conservation education programs across the state. Fox Tracks is a gluten-free butter pecan ice cream with maple-frosted corn cookies and rich caramel swirls. The pint will be available...
Way back in the day, when I was in high school, I had a summer job of mopping floors at a local hospital. Being a janitor was a really satisfying job because when you were done, you could easily see what you had accomplished, unlike a lot of other occupations. Anyway, one of my compatriots on the broom was a guy named Howard Johnson. Howard was as big as an actual Howard Johnson's and he had an axiom for work: "the simplest way is the best way." As I recently watched the Nebraska Legislature str...
This past week, the Legislature gave first-round approval to the two budget bills which propose adjustments to the biennial budget that was passed last year. As I mentioned last week, the Legislature creates a two-year, biennial budget in odd-numbered years, and that budget must be balanced. The spending approved must not exceed the amount of revenue projected by the Nebraska Economic Forecasting Advisory Board in their most recent meeting prior to the end of the session. This frequently...
On Friday, Feb. 27, the Nebraska Economic Forecasting Advisory Board met and revised its October revenue projections, adding another $175 million to the deficit. This board has nine members that are tasked with developing a consensus projection of economic activity in Nebraska. They provide an advisory forecast of the state’s General Fund revenue receipts. The consensus General Fund revenue forecast is used to set the operating budget for the State of Nebraska. Senators entered this l...
One of my favorite political slogans of all time is “a solution in search of a problem.” It’s used frequently in debates at the Nebraska Legislature to describe a proposal or idea that imposes new rules and restrictions to address a problem that doesn’t exist. You might call it “government overreach,” too. Anyway, the “solution in search of a problem” line is being used often today to describe President Trump’s efforts to change election laws via the dramatically labeled “SAVE America Act...
Incumbents and a few new faces have filed to run for office in the 2026 Primary Election in May. Holt County Clerk Cathy Pavel said races that will be on the Primary will be the State Partisan races, Legislature, State Board of Education. "Auto-advance races will be NRDs, PPDs, airports, community college, if they do not have more than double the number of seats plus one," Pavel said. Several Holt County and local races will be on the ballot. "In Holt County, I will have county clerk; county...
On March 4, Gov. Jim Pillen signed LB653 into law to improve classroom environments. The new law will provide school districts the flexibility to work with students and their families to address disruptive behaviors, ensuring that classrooms are a place for learning. “We’re investing in Nebraska’s kids while ensuring classrooms are safe and great learning environments,” said Pillen. “I signed LB653 into law and I’m grateful for the legislature’s work – especially Sen. Murman for carrying this legislation on my behalf – to get this to my desk t...
Mentoring programs are a great thing. They help kids – mostly kids in single-parent families – gain confidence, and learn leadership and life skills from adults. I've seen first-hand how beneficial they are, first as a "big brother" in the Big Brothers-Big Sisters program, and then as a participant in the TeamMates Mentoring program. My "little brother" was the first in his family to graduate from high school (imagine that!) and my TeamMate graduated from high school despite problems with att...
