Reliable, Trustworthy Reporting, Capturing The Heartbeat Of Our Community
Reliable, Trustworthy Reporting, Capturing The Heartbeat Of Our Community
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State officials said Nebraska-specific plans to mark the nation's semiquincentennial will highlight history and contributions from many, including Indigenous people. The Spanish soldiers did not stand a chance. As they hastily broke camp to continue their southward retreat, arrows began raining down from the sky. When it was done, 45 Spaniards and allied Native Americans lay dead in the grass near present-day Columbus. The slaughter, carried out by Pawnee and Otoe warriors, became known as the...
This week, I would like to highlight a number of the proposals that have been introduced this session that have the intent of reducing property taxes. Both the Education Committee and the Revenue Committee have begun to hold public hearings on these measures now that there has been some time for agencies and groups to analyze many of the different measures. LB1182 and LB1183 represent the two components of the so-called Apple Tax Plan that is sponsored by the group known as Advocates for All...
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...
What is it about Nebraskans and the slab of aluminum we bolt onto the back of our cars, the license plate? For some reason, we Cornhuskers get emotional over the design of the state's plates. There are gripes aplenty. "It's too boring." "You can't see the graphic." "It doesn't represent our state." "It doesn't inspire people to visit or live there." Nebraskans' opinions about license plates are almost as strong as those about the second-string quarterback for the Huskers. Why isn't that guy...
NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING 1 & 6 YEAR ROAD IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM HOLT COUNTY, NEBRASKA The Holt County Board of Supervisors has scheduled a public hearing for the One- and Six-Year Road Improvement Program for Holt County. The hearing will be held at the Holt County Courthouse, in the County Board Meeting Room, in O'Neill, Nebraska, on Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2026, at 11:15 a.m. Legislation enacted by a prior session of the Legislature requires each county and municipality to develop a one-year program...
This past week, the Legislature continued to hold public hearings on bills. Three bills by Sen. Kauth, relating to social issues, garnered significant interest from across the state. LB730 would require schools and state agencies to designate restrooms and locker rooms based on sex. LB731 would adopt the Gender Transition Malpractice Accountability Act and allow for civil actions relating to gender-altering procedures. LB732 would prohibit health care practitioners from providing cross-sex...
NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING 1 & 6 YEAR ROAD IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM HOLT COUNTY, NEBRASKA The Holt County Board of Supervisors has scheduled a public hearing for the One- and Six-Year Road Improvement Program for Holt County. The hearing will be held at the Holt County Courthouse, in the County Board Meeting Room, in O'Neill, Nebraska, on Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2026, at 11:15 a.m. Legislation enacted by a prior session of the Legislature requires each county and municipality to develop a one-year program...
This past week, the Legislature concluded bill introduction for the year and began the committee hearing process. In Nebraska, all bills and constitutional amendment resolutions are referred to a legislative committee for a public hearing. Senators will continue to meet in the mornings for floor debate and attend committee hearings in the afternoons until the end of February. Full-day floor debate is tentatively scheduled to begin on March 3. So far this year, I introduced 15 bills and one...
PRIMARY ELECTION NOTICE & OFFICES TO BE FILLED BY ELECTION AND FILING DEADLINES 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 Primary Election Ballot to be held May 12, 2026, in Antelope County, Nebraska, as per State Statute 32-601. Notice is also given that the filing deadlines for such offices are 5 p.m on: Feb. 17, 2026, for incumbents and March 2, 2026, for non-incumbents. An incumbent is anyone serving in an elective office, even if they...
The second session of the 109th Legislature convened this past Wednesday, Jan. 7. Legislative sessions in even-numbered years last for just 60 days. Due to the shorter length of this session compared to last year, a good number of the bills introduced this year will likely not get to the floor or be debated due to a lack of time. Nonetheless, there is much work that needs to be done. This week, I would like to give a preview of three of the many issues that I anticipate the Legislature will be debating: the state budget, taxes, and...
The first time I walked into the State Capitol, I wondered "what is making all these people walk like Olympic racers down these halls?" I almost got run over by some walkers; the new guy needed to get out of the way. To be sure, the Capitol hallways extend in a square, making them ideal for a quick walk around the square for exercise or just to clear the brain. And if you hang around the Capitol long enough, you realize that people who work there – either as staffers or elected officials – nee...
A former Nebraska state senator, once again, is calling on the United States to do more to help Ukraine win its war with Russia. Tom Brewer, who served in the Legislature from 2017 to 2025 and earned two Purple Hearts during 36 years in the military, recently made his eighth trip to the front in Ukraine. The trips have been part of Brewer's personal crusade to show support for that war-torn country, and to help Americans realize that stopping Russia from overtaking Ukraine is a stand for...
Three thoughts ... Among the tasks waiting for the Nebraska Legislature when it reassembles after the first of the year will be a budget shortfall, the perennial pitch for lower property taxes and a roster of issues from education to fulfilling the wishes of the electorate ... finally. State senators also will be dealing with a couple personnel issues during the 60-day session, a pair of stinkers that have already occupied a considerable amount of time not simply for lawmakers but for the...
When Nebraska's Department of Health and Human Services announced its plan to divvy up millions in opioid settlement money, one recipient stood out: The Central Wyoming Counseling Center. The Wyoming nonprofit is the only out-of-state organization slated to receive some of Nebraska's Opioid Treatment Infrastructure Cash Fund, receiving $3.4 million to build a crisis stabilization center in Kimball County, which borders Wyoming. The Central Wyoming Counseling Center's former acting CEO: Steve...
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...
With the holidays now fast approaching, final preparations are being made ahead of next year’s regular legislative session. Pursuant to the Nebraska Constitution, the Legislature will convene its shortened 60-day legislative session at 10 a.m., on Wednesday, Jan. 7. In the latest memo provided by Speaker of the Legislature John Arch to senators and staff, public hearings on bills and resolutions will begin on Tuesday, Jan. 20 and continue through the month of February. Full-day floor debate w...
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...
On Wednesday, November 12, the Nebraska Examiner reported that the Executive Board of the Legislature is considering new security upgrades in the Nebraska State Capitol building. This announcement comes in light of recent acts of political violence across the country and a growing recognition by state and national lawmakers to reconsider existing security measures. Currently, the Capitol Security Division of the Nebraska State Patrol is charged with the safety and security of the Nebraska State...
As I sit down to write this column, my tomatoes have finally met with a hard freeze and the cannas we plant in the local park are giving up their red-topped glory. It was one, long fall in my section of southeast Nebraska, with lots of warm days and only recently, a couple of cold snaps. After a killing frost finally arrived here, temperatures in mid-November again rebounded into the 60s and lower 70s. It all makes you wonder: what is going on? The recent update of the State Climate Assessment g...
There's a game of musical chairs going on at the State Capitol, and who gets a chair is in question. Last week, former State Sen. Tom Briese of Albion announced his resignation as State Treasurer. It's not often that someone gives up such a politically safe constitutional office to go back to the farm; usually, it's to take a better job. I think back to 2001 when then-State Treasurer Dave Heineman gave up that job to be appointed lieutenant governor under then Gov. Mike Johanns after Johann's...
Hunters are reminded they may donate whole field-dressed deer to the Hunters Helping the Hungry program at 10 processor locations in Nebraska. Participating meat processors are: Amherst – Belschner Custom Meats Elmwood – Elmwood Meat Plant Lindsay – Melcher Locker & Produce Minden – Midwest Meat Company Norfolk – R&M Meats North Platte – Kelley's Custom Pack Plattsmouth – Meat Garden Butchery Table Rock – Den's Country Meats Ulysses – The Butchery Wahoo – Wahoo Locker LLC Hunters pay no processi...
A decade ago, Nebraska's corrections department allowed hundreds of inmates to leave prison early through a program that few - including judges, lawmakers and the public - knew existed. Corrections leaders eventually scrapped the early-release scheme shortly after probing lawmakers revealed it. Now, as the Nebraska Department of Correctional Services continues to grapple with overcrowding and converts one prison into an immigration detention center, it is trying to create a similar program....
In 2000, state funding made up a third of the University of Nebraska's operating budget. Today, it has shrunk to 19%. Earlier this year, less-than-requested state funding led the NU Board of Regents to adopt $20 million in cuts across the university's five campuses. The University of Nebraska-Lincoln faces another $27.5 million in cuts to pull itself out of a yearslong structural deficit. NU Regents also approved an average 5% tuition increase on campuses to try to make up for the rising costs...
None of us like paying taxes. But even the Bible says we're supposed to ("Give unto Caesar what is Caesar's" is how I remember it). Anyway, I about fell out of my chair the other day when reading a probing article by the Lincoln Journal-Star's Andrew Wegley about the state's lackadaisical collection of taxes. When I pay my taxes, I'm expecting everyone else to do the same. But that's not happening in Nebraska (really it never has) but the number of tax scofflaws is growing. The story detailed... Full story
This past week, the Executive Board held a public hearing on LR198 to study whether to make changes to the structure of standing committees in the Legislature. Specifically, the resolution proposes to create a Technology Committee as a new standing committee and combine the Agriculture Committee and the Natural Resources Committee. In the past, the Legislature has at various times considered merging the Agriculture Committee and the Natural Resources Committee. Such proposals have been brought...
