Reliable, Trustworthy Reporting, Capturing The Heartbeat Of Our Community
Reliable, Trustworthy Reporting, Capturing The Heartbeat Of Our Community
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Even though the Legislature stands adjourned for the year, senators and committees are already laying the groundwork for the next legislative session. One way this groundwork is laid is by the holding of interim study hearings by the various legislative committees. Interim study resolutions are typically introduced by senators or committees in the regular session in order to examine public policy issues in-depth during the time the Legislature is adjourned. This past week, the Natural Resources...
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,...
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...
This past week, more than 100 new laws took effect. Under Article III, Section 27 of the Nebraska Constitution, no law shall take effect until three calendar months after the adjournment of the legislative session at which it passed, though the Legislature can move up the effective date of a law by a two-thirds of all the members elected. Since this year’s legislative session adjourned on June 3, this means over 100 new laws took effect on Wednesday, Sept. 3, in accordance with our state’s con...
Over the years, I covered more than one effort by the Nebraska Legislature to redraw the boundaries of districts for state legislators and U.S. congressional representatives, among others, due to shifts in the state's population. Those efforts, according to the State Constitution, always follow the latest U.S. Census, which happens at the beginning of each decade. There's a lot of data to pour through, and the process, in my opinion, becomes the most partisan exercise in the mostly nonpartisan...
Are you ready for Christmas? Me, either. I ask because I recently discovered it takes 10 months for the average Nebraska household to save enough greenbacks to afford the winter holiday season. Oh crap. My family is in trouble. In a perfect world, I would select gifts throughout the year, hole them away in a closet, and bring the pile out to place under the tree in December. Except, this isn’t a perfect world, and I’m usually 10 steps behind when it comes to the holidays. Last year, I han...
As electricity demand in the U.S. continues to grow, modernizing the transmission system is critical to ensure long-term grid reliability while expanding access to low-cost energy resources like wind, solar, and storage. In December 2024, the Midcontinent Independent System Operator, a regional electric grid manager, approved Tranche 2.1-a $21.8 billion investment in 24 new transmission projects across the upper Midwest. The projects are part of a plan MISO develops annually to identify...
eek, I ran into a few Husker ex-pats. All commented on how great the summer weather was in the mountains. No corn sweat! No 100 degree days! Not one former Husker mentioned high property taxes – which blamed by several politicians as the reason people move from the state. But I digress. We probably need to discuss the latest move to vilify and punish hard-working immigrants in our own backyard. We're talking about the "Cornhusker Clink," the takeover of a state prison camp in McCook by the f...
A couple of months ago, I outlined two 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 Cap Annual Property Valuation Assessments Constitutional Amendment and (2) the Reduce Taxable Property Valuation Initiative. The Cap Annual Property Valuation Assessments Constitutional Amendment p...
Hopes and tensions were high in Arrowhead Stadium Thursday night as Cincinnati was driving down the field in the final moments, only trailing three points. On their last drive, the Huskers Malcolm Hartzog gave up a catch on a critical fourth-down conversion. Four plays later, Hartzog was penalized for defensive holding, placing the ball at the Nebraska 33 yard line. Husker fans feared yet another close game was slipping away. However, on the next play, Cincinnati took a shot into the end zone where Hartzog sprinted under the route and...
“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...
For the past few weeks, I have continued a series where I highlight several of the priority bills and resolutions that are pending and could be scheduled early next session. This week’s newsletter will provide an overview of several more carryover priority bills and resolutions which could be potentially debated sometime early next year. LB632, by Sen. Hansen, would require healthcare facilities to dispose of fetal tissue following an elective abortion via cremation, interment by burial, or a...
Gov. Pillen and state lawmakers are taking another run at reducing the much despised, high property taxes in our state, this time via a commission on reforming the way we fund K-12 schools. You gotta admire the governor for keeping on trying. It was one of his top campaign pledges – to cut property taxes. But, we seem to have gotten deeper cuts in state income taxes in recent years than real property tax relief. I know, I’m veering off track. Back to property taxes. “Reforming” the way we fund...
Nebraska Athletic Director Troy Dannen said in a press conference that roughly 66,000 tickets have been sold for Thursday night’s matchup. Of those, only 6,000 were sold from Kentucky and Ohio regions. That was on Aug. 8, about three weeks prior to kickoff. I’m sure a few more tickets have been sold since then as fans plan to make the drive to Kansas City. Yes, it should feel like a home game, a potentially sold-out crowd, when Nebraska takes on Cincinnati for the season opener at Arrowhead Stadium. This will be Nebraska’s first game at Arrow...
It’s a good thing I’m a clothing hoarder. Scott will definitely disagree with this statement, but since Y2K clothing is en vogue again, I’ve got it made. Camisoles with lace trim. Check. One dresser drawer full, in a rainbow of colors. Boot-cut jeans. Check. Four pairs in varying washes. Tiered skirts. Check. Several hanging in the closet. A certain pink skirt remains a favorite (even though I haven’t worn it for a hot minute) because it always brought good luck. Baby-doll tops and denim d...
I will continue a series where I highlight several of the priority bills and resolutions that are pending and could be scheduled early next session. This week’s newsletter will provide an overview of several carryover priority bills and resolutions whose fate, at least to me, is more uncertain going into next year. LB13, by Sen. Machaela Cavanaugh, would require that Nebraska file a state plan amendment for the Child Care Subsidy program to pay providers based on a child’s enrollment or aut...
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...
Thank you so much for sponsoring my award at the Antelope County Fair. It meant a lot to me, and I'm very proud to have received it. I reapply appreciate you supporting kids like me in the community. Your generosity makes a big difference and helps encourage us to keep working hard. Thanks again! Sincerely, Bentley Penne Entering 4th grade this fall at Elkhorn Valley...
“But we were so close”…. Just a phrase that we, as Nebraska fans have become all too familiar with as of late. But what if …What if we could change that? What if we change the outcome of at least one play, to change the outcome of one game; what impact would that have on today, on the legacy of the program, coaches, and players? There are too many options, especially recently, where the outcome of one play could have a drastic impact on a game and a season. But we need to look with a wider scope than affecting the outcome of a recent losing...
A week ago, six column ideas were whirling and, while I’m still working out the language kinks in some of them, this one has been on my mind. Husker football season is only a few weeks away, it’s one of my favorite times of the year. Someone asked me this question recently and I’ve been kicking it around, replaying games, hoping to select one key moment. I finally decided my answer to this question, and I’m wondering if die-hard Husker fans will agree. Let me know. So here’s the question:...
Forgive me if I'm feeling a little confused (regular readers of this column will probably say "what's new?") but aren't we in a national debt crisis? Our national debt has ballooned to nearly $37 trillion dollars in recent years, thanks in large part to spending during the COVID-19 pandemic to assure that businesses didn't close and workers could still feed their families and pay the bills. The debt is why, supposedly, that we allowed a team of 20-somethings with no government experience called...
This week’s newsletter will provide an overview of several bills and resolutions that are still held in their respective legislative committees but could conceivably be advanced to the floor subject to the outcome of any negotiations that happen during the interim. LR12CA, by Sen. Kauth, is a proposed constitutional amendment that seeks to cap property tax valuations. As introduced, LR12CA would dictate that the maximum amount of any property tax cannot not exceed 1.5% of the full-cash value o... Full story
Isn’t the mind a wonderful thing? Or is it a curse? Six column ideas have been occupying space in my mind since last Friday and none of them have surfaced with enough fodder to be meaningful. So, I’m going to keep letting those ideas brew for another week - and gather a few more facts - and get them sorted out for next week. Some days - or weeks - are like that ... a jumbled ball of thoughts that need organized. By next week, everything will be clear ... and in print....
Last week, I started a series where I would highlight several of the priority bills and resolutions that are pending and could be scheduled early in the next session. This week’s newsletter will provide an overview of several more of these bills and resolutions. LB455 by Senator Hallstrom would modify existing laws relating to worker’s compensation. Under current law, if an employee is injured on the job, employers are required to file a report of first injury with the Nebraska Workers’ Compe...
Anymore, having high-speed internet at your home, farm or business has become as important as having electricity. You run a business and have a website? You need high-speed internet. You use precision ag? You need high-speed internet. You wanna be examined by a doctor via video over the internet, something called "tele-health?" You need high-speed internet. You like playing video games or downloading movies? High-speed internet makes that all better. And just like electricity, it's been hard to...
