Reliable, Trustworthy Reporting, Capturing The Heartbeat Of Our Community
Reliable, Trustworthy Reporting, Capturing The Heartbeat Of Our Community
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Third District representative Adrian Smith met with area residents, Aug. 18, at the Neligh Public Library. He told constituents it is "refreshing to meet with folks faceto- face, rather than by Zoom." Smith spoke on a variety of topics, primarily driven by questions from audience members. Taxes As a member of the tax writing committee, Smith said he is concerned about current tax proposals under consideration. "It's a huge money grab." He said the capital gains taxes threaten multi-generation...
About 10 days ago, I started watching “One Day in America,” a National Geographic series about what I consider the darkest day in our nation’s history: the September 11 attacks. Watching the show has been an emotional journey, and even though the tears roll as I view an episode, I highly recommend the series. Scenes from the show brought back a deluge of memories. Like many of you, every detail of that day stands out, a slow-motion vignette filled with chaos, frustration, anger and despa...
The kidneys may be called the Rodney Dangerfield of the body, as they often "don't get no respect." The National Kidney Foundation estimates that one in three adult Americans are at risk for kidney disease, yet these organs are mostly ignored unless they develop stones or stop working. When healthy, kidneys work continuously at their main job of filtering blood to remove unwanted products and help produce urine. Kidneys clean approximately 200 liters of blood each day, removing up to two liters...
Representatives moved forward the $1 trillion Bipartisan Infrastructure and Jobs Act, which includes investments in roads, bridges, other major public infrastructure projects and broadband. One of the most significant funding allotments in the bill is in the realm of digital infrastructure. Some 30 million Americans, mostly rural, are still without the infrastructure for standard internet access speeds. In Nebraska, for example, 26% of residents do not have adequate access to high speed...
I'm not sure who deserves credit for this line, but I want it emblazoned on a T-shirt: "I just love seeing people live their best lie-f on social media." Much like tabloid journalism, you can spin a lie into your own warped version of reality. Post away. Some people will rush to hit the like button or type a half-hearted response without contemplating the validity of the original statement. A quick scroll through social media proves this point. It doesn't matter if it's a half-truth, little...
BRETT WESNER Chair of the National Newspaper Association, a community newspaper organization and president of Wesner Publications, Cordell, Oklahoma A little-noticed initiative by Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Washington, and six other senators would boost local jobs, accelerate sales and improve economies. The Local Journalism Sustainability Act, S. 2434, is designed to help local news media support their newsgathering missions. One provision goes far beyond offering aid to community newspapers,...
This summer I attended the celebration of life service for Dr. Rick Holm, the original Prairie Doc who founded this newspaper column, a radio show and a television show now entering its 20th season. He died from pancreatic cancer in March 2020 during the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic and thus, there was no public service at the time. Many friends and family gathered to celebrate Rick. We sat on lawn chairs, shared tales and sang songs in a beautiful park on a gorgeous evening. We recalled...
Any farmer or rancher who is interested in conservation programs through the Natural Resources Conservation Service is required to have a farm number for the application process. Farm numbers are issued for free and allow access to key U.S. Department of Agriculture programs including working lands conservation, farm loans and others that require farm records to be shared as part of the application process. There is no minimum acreage requirement to register as a farm. Having a farm number also...
An interesting question posed in church a few weeks ago has been on my mind lately. What do you want? It’s a simple question, but the answer isn’t. At age 20, I wanted it all: law school, a job on printer’s row in Chicago, a husband and children, the white picket fence surrounding the house. At age 60, wants look a lot different. Good health, family time, good friends, quality sleep time and a positive outlook seem satisfying. Somehow, I think pastor was seeking a different response, a more spir...
While I was reading Abby Ellin's New York Times piece, "I Was Powerless Over Diet Coke," I caught a glimpse of my life from nearly 20 years ago. Ellin outlines how she chugged three or four cans a day, for nearly 40 years, until she reached a point when nothing felt right. CT scans and ultrasounds led to a colonoscopy, which all came back clear. Still, Ellin had this nagging feeling her daily addiction to Diet Coke was making her ill. For years, my daily routine started with a glass of water, fo...
I'm in survival mode. I made it through fair week, personally and professionally, and am gearing up for week two of fair coverage. The Holt County Fair will be in full swing when this edition hits your mailbox. Some people may look forward to evening entertainment and think it makes or breaks the fair experience. Don't get me wrong - it's a lot of fun and I've seen a multitude of quality fair concerts, stock car races and rodeos that are memorable. As a former 4-H member, the fair experience alw...
Did you realize that there are flowers that evoke different emotions? Looking out my kitchen window, I usually smile as I look at my flower bed. When walking in the garden, I smile too, unless a weed catches my eye. Early in the mornings is my time to clip a bouquet to bring inside and keep that flowery smile going throughout the day. Currently, I have a bouquet in a vase with the printed verse, "Friend You Make Me Smile. "I have clipped and placed in it what I think of as the happiest of...
Do you have a great idea for a business? Or already own a business and are looking for ways to take it to the next level? A loan could provide the extra boost your small business needs. However, before applying for a loan, ask yourself these questions. Why do you need the money? What is that money going to help you accomplish? What is the purpose of this loan? Itemize how you're going to spend every dollar that you're going to be requesting. It's really important that you've put some thought in...
Since the Advocate-Messenger's first edition hit your mailboxes on July 25, 2019, our newspaper has had a single mission: Bring community stories to the forefront. We've shared our region's success stories and we've covered the moments when we all have faced struggles. We share photos from sporting events, document engagements and weddings, promote area businesses and record community history. One of the biggest challenges we collectively have faced is the COVID-19 pandemic. As a small...
Madeline Tiger, a poet, wrote, "The instant of birth is exquisite. Pain and joy are one at this moment. Ever after, the dim recollection is so sweet that we speak to our children with a gratitude they never understand." After reading Leslie Jamison's "A Personal History of the C-Section," I contemplated Tiger's quote about the exact moment we usher a new life into the world and how the experience shapes our views. Jamison drives the point home while talking about undergoing a caesarean section,...
Small business development is important in rural areas of our nation, where access to employment opportunities are limited and where jobs pay less. Microbusinesses (businesses with 10 or fewer employees) provide all or most of the income for many rural households. In our home state of Nebraska, self-employment provides up to 90% of all jobs in most rural counties. For others, it is part of a patching strategy to make ends meet. However, access to capital is a challenge for many rural business...
Volume three, number one. Man, woman and child: It felt good to type those numbers in the flag of this week's edition. Two years ago, Scott and I turned a vision into reality and founded the Advocate-Messenger and ColdType Publishing, LLC. It started like a whirlwind, and some days, it still feels like we're being carried from place to place via the wind, whether it's covering a community celebration, school event or a monthly board meeting. We look forward to telling the stories important to...
Early on this summer, I was faced with one of the most difficult decisions of my young adult life thus far. For the past two years, while at college, I was employed by an organization that essentially provided for my basic needs while at school. The employment was a great deal that provided me with a generous amount of financial compensation in return for my labor and efforts. And, in complete honesty, I loved what I did for my job. The organization continually told me how much I was valued and...
One of my favorite summer events - popping up like a leap year - begins in just over 10 days. Watching the summer Olympics, the pure joy of viewing the best of the best, has been a mainstay since I was young. I'll admit, the Olympic world feels a tad bit tilted this year, since the games are a year off, due to last year's cancellation because of the pandemic. I may have been only seven years old, but I still remember sitting in the living room with the 'rents, watching track and field...
Governor’s Misinformation Campaign on ‘30 x 30 Plan’ To the editor: Not long ago the secretary of agriculture announced a bold initiative that would cut the environmental footprint of US agriculture in half by the year 2050. The date was Feb. 20, 2020. The cabinet official was the Trump administration’s Sonny Perdue. Governor Pete Ricketts had little, if anything, to say about the ambitious “New Innovation Initiative for USDA” at the time, even though its objectives included radical goals for “conserving sensitive and marginal lands to enha...
This summer, the U.S. Department of Agriculture has begun accepting applications for two important programs for rural development. The first is the Rural Placemaking Innovation Challenge, which has seen a $2 million increase in funding after its initial set of grants met with a great deal of enthusiasm. This program is available to tribal entities, non-profits, local governments, universities and small businesses for the purpose of rural placemaking, which is a collaborative process to...
Looking out my kitchen window, it's bloom time in the garden and I want it to continue all year round. The only way to do that in Nebraska is by getting out the camera. It also means being patient as you sit in the garden on your favorite bench. You have to wait for when there isn't a breeze, when the sun goes under a cloud and then, move and move fast to get that perfect picture of that gorgeous bloom. Snapping those photos is a challenge as who doesn't want the perfect photo? I head to the...
There's something about a bad boy. For instance, my favorite literary character is MacBeth, Shakespeare's good-boy-gone-bad. In the beginning, MacBeth is kind, maybe even an overachiever. But once he tastes sweet success, the passion for power and ambition culminate in his undoing. My favorite character from a TV show is Tony Soprano, whose storyline in the David Chase-inspired show mirrors MacBeth. There's something lovable about Tony, but you wouldn't want to cross him or you may find...
When the Declaration of Independence was signed on July 4, 1776, the American colonies still needed to win the Revolutionary War to truly gain their independence from the British Empire. The war continued another seven years until Sept. 3, 1783. One of the deadliest threats to the Continental Army, however, was not the British Army, it was disease, especially smallpox. Boston had an outbreak of smallpox in 1775 from British Redcoats arriving to fight the rebellion. George Washington knew very...
The search for the truth should be a top priority for a journalist. It’s a journalist’s responsibility to present factual information in a clear and precise manner. Even when the reporter is nine years old. I’m intrigued with Apple TV’s series, “Home Before Dark.” It’s a fictionalized take of real-life reporter, Hilde Lysiak, who, at nine years old, broke a local murder case in her self-published newspaper. The show - part-mystery, part-drama, with a dose of comedy - shows Lysiak’s determination...
