Reliable, Trustworthy Reporting, Capturing The Heartbeat Of Our Community
Reliable, Trustworthy Reporting, Capturing The Heartbeat Of Our Community
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Another disappointing close loss. The streak now stands at 29 consecutive losses to ranked teams for Nebraska. It stretches across four coaches. It is what it is. I’m not a fan of focusing on the past and that’s not why this game was disappointing. It was disappointing because of the environment of the game, the opportunity Nebraska had if they won, and the opportunities they had to win the game. The night game environment was electric for the blackout. Nebraska had the opportunity to keep the season alive and become a dark horse candidate for...
When your children aren’t children anymore, when they’re almost 40, you still pray for their safety, for health and happiness, maybe even a better life than the one you provided. For the past six weeks, the number of prayers for daughter Amanda’s health - physical and mental - has increased. Since Sept. 19, Amanda has been in the hospital 35 days. Somewhere in that span, she ventured home for 36 hours, but her condition deteriorated and the doctor prescribed a return trip to the hospital. Originally, she was diagnosed with bronchitis. When she...
There's an old saying about government – "what is said isn't so, it's what is so isn't said." So that means that someone – maybe a state auditor, maybe a whistleblower, but often a news reporter – needs to dig in and find out what is really happening with our tax dollars. That's why it was so disgusting to read recently about our "Secretary of War's" crackdown on access by reporters to the Pentagon. Pete Hegseth, a former Fox News weekend host, is the U.S. Secretary of Defense. And it's his opin...
In the past few months, I outlined six initiative petitions that have been filed with the Nebraska Secretary of State’s Office and are currently in circulation for the 2026 General Election. Since then, two additional initiative petitions have been submitted to the Secretary of State: (1) the Winner Take All Electors Constitutional Amendment and (2) the Hand Count Ballots for Elections Constitutional Amendment. Both initiatives were brought by the group Advocates for All Nebraskans. Although I p...
If at the start of the season, we were told Nebraska had the chance to be relevant in the month of November, we would take that every time. Never mind how ugly some of the wins have been. Never mind the what ifs against Michigan. Never mind the disappointing effort on the road against Minnesota. Nebraska is 6-2, sitting just outside the top 25, with #23 USC coming to Lincoln Saturday night, with an opportunity to reclaim and maximize this season. Now I’m not saying this team is going to make a run through the playoffs. But it’s not out of the...
Lately, I’ve been thinking about the scene in Yellowstone, when Beth calls the Four Sixes Ranch in Texas and discovers they sell their own beef. No middle man. When she tells her dad, John Dutton, what she’s learned he responds, “No one can figure out the packer.” Maybe now is the time for cattle producers to figure out the packer - or the problem - in this case and eliminate the middle man. My husband, after reading this, will more than likely tell me I shouldn’t talk about selling beef or rais...
That wasn’t the result we wanted or expected. The Huskers seemed to come out flat last Friday night, and Minnesota was the more physical and disciplined team. A disappointing game in more ways than one. After the Michigan loss earlier this season, I wrote that we should look forward to Nebraska going undefeated through the month of October to take the next step forward as a program. Obviously, this team was not ready to take that next step. The same issues we’ve seen most of the year - poor pass protection, leaky run defense, lack of est...
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...
I hope on Wednesday, when this week’s edition hits the mail, this column has aged well. Matt Rhule isn’t going to Penn State. Now, he may get a call from the Nittany Lions’ athletic director, but I do not see him fleeing Lincoln for the likes of State College. Sure, he’s a former walk-on linebacker and a PSU grad, but the grass isn’t always greener near the Rothrock State Forest. Ask the current Central Florida coach how well it works to return as head coach of your alma mater. I listened...
This past week, the Agriculture Committee held a public hearing for LR280 introduced by the Agriculture Committee. The hearing was held at the University of Nebraska at Kearney. LR280 was introduced to examine a number of questions surrounding the Brand Law, including issues surrounding the continued value and utility of mandatory brand inspection. In recent years, the Legislature has considered legislation that would fundamentally change how brand inspection is implemented, including...
A state senator – who will remain unnamed – once told me that "we're all mammals" in reference to a sex scandal at the State Capitol. Another senator had been caught using a state computer to, shall we say, do something naughty while watching a woman do something naughty online. That comment, I suppose, referred to our human frailties and that we can fail to resist temptation and do the inappropriate and even the illegal. Gotta say, after thinking about the "mammals" comment later, I won...
That makes two games in a row where Nebraska jumps out to a lead, struggles in the middle of the game, only to pull it out in the end. Maybe this team is starting to find an identity. While it is not a perfect identity to have, it is one that shows progress, and one that is the opposite of what it has been for the past few years. Finally, Nebraska has a team that doesn’t quit, is scrappy, and finds ways to win. We may be finally at the point where we don’t have to take the good loss, oh-so-close stance. We can look for improvement in a win...
The good, the bad, and the ugly. That's how Nebraska's game versus Michigan State felt. So did the Cincinnati and Michigan games. It's a fair guess to say that a few of the games left this season will feel the same. But there is an important detail to notice. While the game was not pretty, the Huskers found a way to win. That is a trait a Husker team has not had in over a decade. And if it continues, Nebraska can accomplish everything it wants this season. Some of the good- special teams continu...
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...
We live in a world where having adequate high-speed internet service is not just a luxury, but a necessity. With proper broadband, you can use a computer to run a business, manage a good website, work remotely and operate the new generation of precision agriculture equipment. But here’s the problem – it’s expensive to hook up every home, farm and ranch to the best service, which is generally agreed to be fiber optic cables. When it came to electricity, the nation opted for a federal loan progr...
Sometimes, you need a good laugh. After last week - filled with school activities, work obligations, and family medical emergencies - I needed something to smooth the chaos and soothe the calm. I found it in a TV show, “The Paper,” a mockumentary spin-off from the creators of “The Office.” The show is available on Peacock, a streaming service. Most days I am the lone SAM staffer in Clearwater’s building, appropriately dubbed “The Office.” Yet, the mundane crises created during the show, like di...
This past week marked the transition from summer to fall, and as such, harvest season is almost here. Please be careful on the roads since more tractors, combines, and semi-trucks will be on the roads in the coming weeks. Activity at the Capitol is also picking up. Many committees hold public hearings related to study resolutions in the fall. The Agriculture Committee, of which I am the chairman, will be holding two interim public hearings this year. The first hearing will be on Tuesday, Oct. 7...
"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...
The upcoming month of October will be the true gauge for Nebraska’s season. We thought maybe this team could run before it could walk. As Nebraska fans, sometimes we may look at some teams in the Big 10 as guaranteed or should-be wins on the schedule. The truth is, over the past decade, Nebraska has not consistently beat these teams. If Nebraska wants to run and place itself atop of the Big 10, it needs to first walk and assert itself above the middle of the pack. Over the next four weeks the Huskers play Michigan State, Maryland, Minnesota, a...
During last week’s strategic planning committee meeting at Summerland Public Schools, a theme in the focus group I was part of centered around letting students know that returning home after the post-high school experience is a possibility worth considering. Give it the old college try. Maybe a technical career is in your future. Perfect, either way. Just remember, when you graduate, you’re welcome to come home and extend roots already established here. While I agree with young adults con...
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%...
This past week, the Natural Resources Committee held an interim hearing to review current laws that relate to the approval process, personnel involved, and costs associated with controlled burn permits. Controlled burns are planned fires intentionally set to manage ecosystems or prevent future larger, uncontrolled wildfires. These planned burns help reduce hazardous fuels like dead vegetation, promote the growth of native species, and help control problematic species like the eastern redcedar tr...
It's almost like a bad movie that gives the story away in the previews with no plot twist. The whole offseason and the first three weeks of the season there were two main questions with this team. Are they talented and deep enough at running back and at defensive line? The result of this game shouldn't really be shocking to anyone, no matter how hard we willed ourselves to believe certain things would get better. Now that sounds a bit harsh to these position groups, and it wasn't just them that...
What’s the best thing about a reunion? The wait in between. (Ba dum tss!) Okay, maybe not. But this summer was full of reunions—mini and mega. First up: a gathering with my mom’s siblings and cousins in Tilden. Then a Schindler shindig back at the farm. And most recently, the Class of 2005 from Lutheran High Northeast pulled me into their get-together. At the Fields family gathering, the food table groaned under the weight of sweet treats. Ten desserts—overkill or perfection? Depends how str...
