Opinion
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-Isms: Views on life in rural America
Typically, at the end of the legal notices that run in the paper, I add the phrase, "The public has the right to know." You do. The premise is etched into our statehouse's north wall, "The Salvation...
Medical care funding discussed in session
We are now two-thirds of the way through the 60-day session and have completed public hearings for the year. Senators will now meet in full-day sessions for floor debate. Discussion will focus on...
Slama bowing out, Chambers launches comeback
There are a lot of ins and outs in party politics during an election year. Who's in the race and who's out? All eyes have been on the Legislature where the big surprise came from Republican Julie...
Sunshine Week: Support local journalism
Sunshine Week is March 10 through 16, and this year, there's an even greater need for you to get involved.Sunshine Week annually celebrates freedom of information laws in every state. It also salutes...
Isms: Original views on life from rural America
What a great time to be a Bobcat! Our students are shining in all activities. Backtrack to November when the volleyball team qualified for state competition and the football team played in two rounds...
Legislature holds public hearings on bills
This week saw the Legislature in session for only three days to conclude public hearings on more than 600 bills and resolutions introduced this year. It is also at this point in the legislative...
Happy 157th birthday Nebraska, My how you've grown
Three of the four kids in my family were born on the same day in December over a span of 14 years. The "other" one was born on March 1. To appease her, my older sister and brother and I told the...
Legislation would fund needed medical translation services
Effective communication between patients and health care providers is a key ingredient to ensuring all Nebraskans receive vital services. For some residents, establishing that relationship is...
Kamler shares update on service commission
It has been just over one year since I was sworn in as the public service commissioner for the 31 counties of District 4. I wanted to share another quarterly update on the work over the past three...
Isms: Original views on life from rural America
Thoughts that keep a news publisher awake at night: Would Benjamin Franklin cringe at the tardiness of mail delivery? Franklin, publisher of “The Pennsylvania Gazette,” first ran Philadelphia’s...
Legislature hits halfway point, looks at priority bills
This week marked the halfway point of the 2024 legislative session, meaning the remaining time will be spent on senator, committee and speaker priority bills. Given the time left in the session, I...
Handing out property tax cuts? I'll take one
With the short session of the Nebraska Legislature slightly more than half over, repeat after me: When it comes to taxation, it's all about whose ox is getting gored. The governor wants a 40%...
In the mailbag
Ed. Note: Sen. Dorn’s letter to the editor is in regards to an editorial by J.L. Schmidt, statehouse correspondent for the Nebraska Press Association. A recent editorial in this publication showed no understanding of the constraints on city...
Jobs are seeking people. Now what?
Recently, amid renewed concern about “the brain drain,” my thoughts returned to a particularly inspiring moment during Nebraska Community Foundation’s 2023 annual celebration. At the end of her...
Isms: Original views on life from rural America
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: Find you tribe and appreciate them. I (and even Scott) appreciate everything our freelance photographers do for our publication. Whether they’re...
Staying the course on broadband
Much of this week’s activity focused on broadband and the Nebraska Department of Transportation, along with some controversy relating to education policy. The Transportation and Telecommunications...
Keeping international land ports of entry open
In December, President Biden’s team shut down two border rail crossings in Eagle Pass and El Paso, Texas. The administration also falsely implied the closures were necessary for enforcement. In...
Wait, what? Governor reverses stand on aid for kids
Wait, what? Governor Jim Pillen has reversed his opposition to a federal summer grocery program that would aid around 150,000 children of low-income families. Pillen succumbed to a lot of outside...
Isms: Original views on life from rural America
One of my favorite movie lines I've been known utter to my children and grandkids originates from the movie "A League of Their Own," when Tom Hanks' character, Jimmy Dugan, tells a woman's league...
Foreign-owned land part of priority bill
This week, I presented my priority bill for this year before members of the Agriculture Committee: LB1301. This bill would adopt the Foreign-owned Real Estate National Security Act and bring our...
I'm not sure that I love this program
I'm sure that a year ago the Revitalize Rural Nebraska Grant Program proposed by Sen. Myron Dorn of Adams and passed by the Legislature sounded like a great deal. Administered by the Department of Env...
Center pleased to learn Nebraska will provide Summer-EBT for children
The Center for Rural Affairs welcomes this morning's news from Gov. Jim Pillen that Nebraska will participate in the Summer Electronic Benefit Transfer program. "Approximately 150,000 school-aged...
Isms: Original views on life from rural America
To quote Benjamin Franklin, “Our new Constitution is now established, and has an appearance that promises permanency; but in this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes....
Hearings, debate underway in legislature
We are now over a third of the way through this short session of the biennium. This week focused on hearings and debate on railroads, daylight saving time, kratom, hemp-derived THC and many other...
Winter storm demonstrates importance of diverse energy sources
Significant snow, wind, and brutally cold temperatures impacted Nebraska in January. Given the frequency of extreme weather events experienced across the U.S. during the past several years, preparing...