Reliable, Trustworthy Reporting, Capturing The Heartbeat Of Our Community
Reliable, Trustworthy Reporting, Capturing The Heartbeat Of Our Community
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Regina Sullivan’s phone kept ringing as she worked from home on June 23, 2020, but she didn’t look, because she was on the clock. Then the knocking on her door started. She walked up the stairs just before 11 a.m. and looked outside to see officers from the Lincoln Police Department. Immediately, she had a sick feeling that she knew what they would say: Marvin Lee Sullivan, her son, had died. “I was no good,” Regina said. She broke down in the doorway. Her daughter, who was sleeping upstair...
Join the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission in marking America's 250th anniversary by participating in the Outdoor Nebraska 250-Mile Challenge. This free, year-long initiative encourages Nebraskans to complete 250 miles of outdoor activity to promote physical and mental well-being through fun, noncompetitive adventure outdoors. Starting Jan. 1, residents can begin accumulating miles by walking, hiking, biking, kayaking, and more. The challenge is designed to be flexible, allowing miles to be...
To borrow a line from “Seasons of Love” from Rent, “How do measure, measure a year?” The next verse of the song seems pretty accurate for a journalist: “In daylights, in sunsets, in midnights, in cups of coffee (or tea in my case), in inches, in miles, in laughter, in strife. In 525,600 minutes, how do you measure a year in the life.” In the case of SAM, how do you measure which story or articles written throughout the year were simply the best? Should website page views be the determining...
The Nebraska Public Service Commission is a five-member elected board responsible for oversight of several essential infrastructure sectors and services affecting all Nebraskans. The Commission’s jurisdiction includes broadband and telecommunications, the statewide 911 system contract, natural gas regulation and pipeline routing, railroad safety, commercial grain storage, commercial ground transportation, and modular and manufactured housing safety. This winter quarter has been active across a...
Heartbroken. Almost 24 hours have passed since Husker volleyball’s season ended a week earlier than hoped for. I still feel the sting today, especially for the players and coaches who dedicate their time and talents to our state’s cherished treasure. On any given day, an undefeated team may lose. The loss hurts -- it requires peeking into windows dotted with unanswered questions -- but it does not diminish the spark and grit we fans have witnessed throughout the season. I’ve listened to comme...
If you’ve read this column in the past, you know I have a love-hate relationship with social media, especially Meta-owned products. The company’s lack of responsible fact checking alone is enough to make me cringe every time I scroll. The fact that the company fails to review advertising shouldn’t come as a surprise. Yet, when I read a recent report from Reuters, I was shocked by the company’s willful disregard for consumers, especially when it comes to those advertisements you find popping...
If you’re reading this column, thank you. More than likely, you value community newspapers and understand the role a newspaper plays in defining and reporting on daily happenings, capturing a snapshot of what makes a community click. This week, we celebrate National Newspaper Week. The theme - Embracing Local Journalism for a Better Future - sets a foundation. First and foremost, we’re a print product that examines what does and does not work within a community, a camera focusing on the hea...
Strong communities don’t just happen. They rely on connection—residents knowing what’s going on, businesses reaching the customers who keep them open, and citizens having the facts to make good decisions. Local newspapers provide that connection in ways no other source can. In today’s fractured media environment, trust is the rarest commodity. Confidence in “the media” is low. Only 18% of Americans say they trust news on social platforms, and fewer than one in four trust cable networks. But nearly two-thirds say they trust their local newsp...
"You should be allowed to say outrageous things." "There's ugly speech. There's gross speech. There's evil speech. And all of it is protected by the First Amendment." Both of the above quotes are attributable to Charlie Kirk, a political activist, media personality and evangelical Christian who was recently murdered, allegedly by a young man angered by Kirk's views on homosexuality and gender transitions. It was a sickening crime, witnessed by hundreds of students attending a Kirk event at a Uta...
Julie Montpetit didn't see it coming. Not her newfound passion for criminal justice reform, and certainly not her current predicament: blocked from talking to the man she loves, a man locked in prison thousands of miles away. Her husband, Nicholas Ely, is suing several employees in the Nebraska Department of Correctional Services, alleging that the department cut off their means of contact after Montpetit launched a podcast that aims to destigmatize relationships like theirs. She interviewed...
When Humphrey Bogart quipped, “A hotdog at the ballgame beats roast beef at the Ritz,” he didn’t stand in line for nearly an hour at Saturday’s Husker home opener against Akron. To be transparent, Scott and I didn’t either. But, if Saturday is any indication, the updated concession stands are either a hit or a miss. I’ve read several accounts of disgruntled fans opining about missing the Tunnel Walk or wading through an overcrowded concourse because of the number of fans wanting food and/or...
“What happens on social media stays on Google forever.” It’s a lesson I reinforced during a conversation with a 20-something-year-old recently. The individual said he/she was concerned about how a post they were in was being perceived, and was unhappy how friends and some not-so-friendlies were reacting. If you think your content is only being shared with friends, think again. Even if an account is private, it’s easy for someone to screenshot a post or image and share it with others. The fir...
PROCEEDINGS VILLAGE OF CLEARWATER BOARD OF TRUSTEES Aug. 11, 2025 The Board of Trustees of the Village of Clearwater met for a regular meeting Mon., Aug. 11, in the fire hall meeting room. Meeting opened at 7 p.m. after budget workshop. Notice of meeting was given in advance by publication in Summerland Advocate-Messenger, was posted at US Post Office in Clearwater, Clearwater Market and Cornerstone Bank-Clearwater and was given to Board members prior to meeting. Public was informed of location of Open Meeting Act poster. Present: Kelly...
Austen Baack rediscovered his love of books while chopping fruits and vegetables at the back of a grocery store. As a young kid, Baack was a voracious reader. But that changed in his teens. "I was SparkNotes-ing everything," he recalled. "I hardly read anything in high school." Then, after graduation, Baack found himself working eight-hour shifts at Hy-Vee. He started listening to audio books to navigate the monotony of the job. "And that reignited my whole love for reading." He carried that...
When Gerri Peterson was wrapping up her college degree, she had no idea she'd soon be running a newspaper. "My dream job fell into my lap," she says. After graduating in December, she spent six months shadowing the retiring publisher of the Hooker County Tribune in Nebraska. By the time she was 22, she wasn't just reporting the news-she owned the paper. In Louisiana, Craig Franklin had a different path, but a similar sense of calling. He'd been connected to the Jena Times in Louisiana most of hi...
Arthur Miller wrote, “A good newspaper is a nation talking to itself.” I like the idea of conversation generating from the newspaper, especially from items on this page. In college, my journalism prof, Sharon Behl Brooks, stressed how editorial (or commentary or opinion ... whatever label you pin on it) presents a point of view, sparks discussion and, at its core, prompts critical thinking. The editorial page of the Advocate-Messenger does that and presents a wide range of thoughts. On the com...
This is probably speaking to the choir because if you're reading this, you already believe that maintaining a healthy media – with fact-checking editors instead of conspiracy spreading folks in pajama pants – is really important. It's even more important now because there's so much misinformation out there, and so much wrong information, mostly spread on social media. Recently, Congress – including every member of the Nebraska delegation – voted to claw back $1.1 billion in allocations over tw...
Well, it's that time of year – when the corn is rising in the fields, the calves are fattening on the pastures, and politicians aplenty are announcing their candidacy for elected office. Those announcements seem to come earlier than ever, as do the negative campaign ads. The next election is the primary in 2026, about a year away. But unfortunately, it's not too early to send out some mud-slinging ads condemning so-and-so for doing something horrible, like once traveling to China, or having s...
Orchard residents who want to stay connected to village happenings may want to check out the new Village of Orchard page on Facebook. Village officials made the decision to start the new page when they met in regular session last month. Trustees also discussed development of a new website to promote the village and local businesses. According to Village Clerk Mandi Weina, trustees discussed the use of LB840 funds for development. No decision was made and trustees are expected to consider the top...
Bayker Blankenship is hitting new highs and signing record deals, all while still being a young adult. At 20 years old, Livingston, Tennessee, native Blankenship went viral on social media with his song "Maxed Out." Blankenship will perform Saturday, June 28, at 8:45 p.m., on Clearwater's Main Street. In a short period, his viral tune was all over the music world and had more than 100 stitches on TikTok. This success led the artist to sign with Santa Anna Label Group, an accomplishment for such...
Cryptocurrency kiosks – also known as crypto ATMs – are proliferating nationwide. You see them in convenience stores, gas stations, shopping centers, and other high-traffic locations. At last check, there were nearly 200 crypto ATMs in Nebraska alone. While these machines offer a legitimate and convenient way to buy cryptocurrency, they are also a favored tool of scammers. Consumer losses tied to scams using crypto ATMs increased nearly tenfold from 2020 to 2023, and topped $65 million in jus...
This week, my family has been buzzing with excitement for our first trip to the College World Series in Omaha. With our new home-state Huskers out, we threw our support behind our previous home state team, the LSU Tigers, hoping they'd be playing in the game for which we had tickets. Early one morning before I had finished my first coffee, my wife, surprised at our luck, told me she saw online that LSU would indeed be in that game. Eager to confirm and view the bracket, I went straight to...
Many Nebraska cell phone owners were recipients of a targeted scam, on Saturday, reporting that an outstanding traffic ticket had gone unpaid and action would be taken to right the wrong. According to the Nebraska State Patrol, the scam involved a text message purportedly from the Nebraska Department of Motor Vehicles, claiming the recipient has unpaid traffic fines and that several penalties are possible unless the recipient clicks a link to pay the supposed fines. "None of these text messages...
Pain is a universal human experience, yet it remains one of the most misunderstood aspects of health. Traditional views often equate pain directly with physical injury, but modern pain science challenges this simplistic understanding. Pain is a multifaceted phenomenon involving sensory, emotional, and cognitive factors. This perspective advocates for a holistic approach to pain management, emphasizing the nervous system's role and empowering individuals to retrain their pain response. Pain and...
If the walls could talk at 250 East Second Street in Orchard, Nebraska, they'd have more than 100 years worth of stories to share. Built in 1910, the building has housed a cafe, a liquor store, a Gambles retail store, and many things in between. Most of its life, it's been a general/hardware store of some kind. With some help from friends, the previous owners, and the Center for Rural Affairs, Heather Blackmore opened Corner Hardware and More Orchard Fudge & Candy Shop in October 2022. Getting...
