Reliable, Trustworthy Reporting, Capturing The Heartbeat Of Our Community
Reliable, Trustworthy Reporting, Capturing The Heartbeat Of Our Community
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Independent U.S. Senate candidate Dan Osborn told Clearwater residents that Washington policies are putting increasing pressure on rural Nebraska during a July 10, meet-and-greet. During the event, Osborn outlined his campaign priorities, focusing on support for family farms, congressional reform and protecting rural communities. Osborn, of Omaha, is challenging U.S. Sen. Pete Ricketts, and is traveling Nebraska, meeting with voters about issues affecting rural communities. Osborn said...
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...
When did dinosaurs and aliens become Christmas decorations? I ask because I'm kind of stunned (my natural condition) at some of the strange, weird and downright odd things you see in people's yards this time of year. A lime-green Santa-saurus in our neighborhood caught my eye, and somewhere, I've seen a Santa alien wishing "humans" a Merry Christmas. Just today, I drove by a place that featured an inflatable Santa riding a motorboat in the front yard. (Maybe I missed a line in " 'Twas a Night...
So much for cutting federal spending. Just recently, President Trump announced a new $12 billion payout to American farmers. It's not a reward for great work – farmers produced another record crop this year. No, it's a bailout for a failed tariff war with China, that largest customer for our agricultural crops. President Trump loves tariffs, no doubt about that, despite the fact that when you place an additional tax on foreign goods, it gets passed on eventually to us at the cash register. B...
Nebraska is cattle country. We used to be known as "The Beef State" – a nickname I always liked. But recently, cattle producers have raised a beef with the president over his ideas to reduce the cost of beef at the grocery store. Every media has covered the cattle kerfuffle: President Trump proposed to quadruple beef imports from Argentina, so that record-high prices in our country might come down. (He also sent a $40 billion bailout to the struggling South American country – a country that is...
Alarm bells are sounding over the lack of robust job growth in the state's two largest cities. A recent study commissioned by the Omaha-based Aksarben Foundation indicated that job growth in Omaha and Lincoln lagged behind its peer cities, such as Sioux Falls, Des Moines and Oklahoma City. An analysis by old buddy Henry Cordes in the Omaha World-Herald found that the number of jobs in Nebraska's top cities grew by 0.3% and 0.4%, respectively, from 2020-24. That's quite a bit less than the 1.8%...
Brace yourself Nebraskans for another year without meaningful property tax relief. That's because the "One Big Beautiful Bill" means that Nebraska will have to do without about $216 million in state income tax revenue over the next two years, and $406 million less over the next four years. That's a Big Gulp of funding for a state budget that lawmakers had already cut by nearly $400 million to balance the state budget. As you recall, during the last session of the Nebraska Legislature,...
Driving down the road the other day, I was startled to hear one of our congressional representatives tell NPR that both Nebraska and Iowa were experiencing "basically a recession economy." Both states have agriculture-based economies, for the most part, and rely on foreign trade. Plus, low crop prices have dogged farmers in recent years. The new tariffs being imposed, here and there, by President Trump have disrupted export markets for American goods, such as corn and soybeans, and caused a lot...
How often do you spend $2.50 on a 20-ounce pop or $2.59 to satisfy a sweet tooth? So why hesitate to pay just over $1 for quality local news? It costs about $2 to produce a single copy of SAM each week-a true bargain in today's economy. Since the Advocate-Messenger launched in July 2019, printing and mailing costs have soared. That doesn't include time spent covering events, writing articles, designing ads, or meeting with advertisers. On average, each issue includes 10 pages, with four in full...
Despite record-high wind and solar generation, the U.S. renewable energy sector faces uncertainty. Tariffs and potential repeals of federal funding are creating roadblocks to the further buildout of energy projects. Wind, solar, and other renewable energy projects have helped revitalize rural communities by creating jobs, generating new tax revenues, and providing lease payments to landowners. However, energy projects rely on globally sourced components due to the U.S. supply chain's inability...
As entrepreneurs face uncertainty because of the defunding of state grant programs and worries over global tariffs, Nebraska state leaders and organizations continue to voice strong support for small businesses. Earlier this month, Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen issued a proclamation for Nebraska Small Business Week 2025 in conjunction with National Small Business Week. The May 20 event at the Capitol was an opportunity to highlight small businesses' contributions to their communities and the work of...
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...
I thoroughly enjoy Paul Hammel’s column in this paper and wanted to add a few thoughts of my own to his piece about the lack of civility in our political discourse. Upon President Trump's inauguration, I decided to approach this term differently in comparison to 2016. I promised myself I would listen, try to be open to different approaches, be less judgmental of opinions that were different than my own, and look for positive ways to impact the political discourse. I have prayed daily for peace, in the world and in our country. Prayed that d...
The other day, I got a text from my uncle in California. He'd just watched a news report about the tumultuous, March 18 town hall held by U.S. Rep. Mike Flood, a Republican, in which shouts and boos dominated. "I thought Nebraskans were above this stuff," texted my uncle, who grew up across the river in northwest Iowa. Gotta admit, it wasn't a great look for "Nebraska Nice." But also gotta admit, I wasn't surprised - it wasn't the first time I'd seen an angry crowd in Nebraska confront a...
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...
This week, Governor Pete Ricketts is leading a trade mission to Japan to promote Nebraska's quality ag products and to pitch Nebraska as a top destination for international investment. The governor and trade delegation will meet with government officials, promote Nebraska beef, pork, ethanol and other ag products and encourage Japanese businesses to invest in Nebraska. Delegates on the mission include representatives from ag businesses, state commodity organizations, Nebraska Farm Bureau, the De...
Over the last four years, we have updated our trade relationships and trade agreements at a historic pace. We secured updated comprehensive trade agreements with Canada, Mexico and South Korea; entered into Phase One agreements with China and Japan that address many significant impediments to U.S. exporters in these major markets; and achieved important progress to remove trade barriers faced by particular sectors in several other countries. Together, these nations purchase almost 50% of the United States’ current exports. These agreements f...
