Serving proudly since 1873 as the beautiful Nebraska Panhandle's first newspaper
Serving proudly since 1873 as the beautiful Nebraska Panhandle's first newspaper
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The 2022 Legislative Session will go down in history as one of the Nebraska Unicameral’s finest. In just 60 days, the Legislature passed record tax relief, made critical public safety enhancements, and invested in generational water resource projects. As if this wasn’t enough, Senators also allocated $1.04 billion of federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding. Here are some of the highlights of this historic session. Tax Relief The crowning achievement was tax relief. Heading into this sess...
In Nebraska, we know the importance of good stewardship. Our farmers and ranchers responsibly cultivate the land so future generations of Nebraskans can continue enjoying the Good Life for years to come. It’s why, nearly one hundred years before Earth Day even began, J. Sterling Morton founded Arbor Day right here in Nebraska City. Our farmers and ranchers are the original conservationists. Ag producers play a major role in our responsible stewardship of land and water. They use innovative p...
As we approach the final days of the 2022 legislative session, the Nebraska Unicameral has the opportunity to deliver smart criminal justice reforms that will enhance public safety and benefit all Nebraskans. These changes will allow us to better manage our inmate population and provide modern resources to prepare offenders for life after time served—without compromising public safety. However, there are a small subset of soft-on-crime reforms that would have a large, negative impact. Senator S...
In the remaining days of the 2022 Legislative Session, we must work together to strike the appropriate balance between managing government spending and returning excess revenue to the people. That is how we responsibly steward taxpayer money. True to our collective character, Nebraskans have powered through the COVID-19 pandemic. In its wake, our hardworking citizens and businesses have leveraged that momentum to accelerate our growth and show the world the strength of the Nebraska Way. While mu...
The Nebraska Legislature has reached a critical juncture. In the coming weeks, Senators will make important votes on a budget that will shape the future of our state. On March 11th, the Legislature’s Appropriations Committee released its amendments to my proposed budget. This week, Senators will begin debating what to do with billions of taxpayer dollars. Specifically, they will decide whether surplus State revenues should be used for more government spending or returned to Nebraskans through t...
As Nebraskans, we value resourcefulness and self-reliance. We also care for our neighbors. We recognize that extraordinary times—like a natural disaster or a global pandemic—warrant extra assistance. During the height of the coronavirus pandemic, Nebraskans stepped up to help those in need. At the federal and state level, we did the same. The State has received and distributed an unprecedented amount of federal funding to help Nebraskans weather the storm over these past two years. But at a cer...
Russia’s attack on Ukraine is an assault on freedom everywhere. As leader of the free world, the United States must issue a strong response that will isolate Russia – and the world must follow suit. Direct oil and gas sanctions make it clear that the world will not tolerate global aggressors. The Biden Administration can strengthen energy sanctions against Russia by revitalizing our domestic energy production to supply America and our allies. Oil and gas exports are a key driver of Rus...
Nebraskans know every drop of water is precious. Agriculture is our top industry. It makes up 20% of our economy, and it generates one in four jobs in our state. Access to water makes this possible. We have the most irrigated acres of cropland in the country. Three of eight acres of farmland in Nebraska are irrigated. Fifty years ago, far-sighted Nebraskans set up a system of water management, including our Natural Resources Districts (NRDs), that has allowed us to manage our water based on...
Don’t let Nebraska’s location in the middle of America fool you. Our state touches every corner of the globe with the crops we grow, livestock we raise, and products we manufacture. Each year, Nebraska exports around $10 billion of goods and services worldwide. Over 95% of consumers live outside of our borders. To grow Nebraska, we must continue to proactively reach out to international partners and share all the Good Life has to offer. This August 20-28, I am leading a trade mission to the Uni...
Here in the Good Life, we must not take our public safety for granted. We’ve seen other states fail to support law enforcement and underinvest in their corrections. News stories with video footage of rampant theft and outbreaks of violence have become the unfortunate norm in cities like San Francisco and Washington, DC. Residents of these areas feel unsafe, and they’re fleeing to find a better place for their families. More than half of the San Francisco Bay area population plans to leave per...
The most heinous crimes often target vulnerable members of our society. To protect our innocent, Nebraska is hard at work to expose human trafficking and root it out of the Good Life. Human trafficking is a despicable crime. It inflicts severe trauma on its victims and shows a sickening disregard for human dignity. It’s important that we recognize that human trafficking exists in Nebraska. It may not be visible in your neighborhood, but it happens across the state and is a scourge in our s...
If you’ve read my weekly columns, tuned into a press conference, or heard me speak before, you are no stranger to my guiding vision for the state: growing Nebraska. It’s been the mission of my Administration, and each year we have achieved success towards that goal. This year has been no different. In fact, Nebraska has made plenty of progress in 2021 worth celebrating. Last week, Politico ranked Nebraska number one in the country for our pandemic response in its State Pandemic Scorecard. Eco...
Agriculture is the heart and soul of Nebraska. Through the years, our farmers and ranchers have built a reputation for producing crops and livestock that are second to none. Among U.S. states, Nebraska ranks: #1 in agricultural cash receipts per capita #2 in ethanol production, cattle on feed, all cattle and calves, beef exports, and commercial red meat production #3 in corn for grain production, corn exports, and total ag cash receipts #4 for land in farms and ranches #5 for soybean exports, so...
Chancellor Ronnie Green believes the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL) is racist. Under his leadership, UNL recently released a plan to address “institutional racism” as part of its “Journey for Anti-Racism and Racial Equity.” From racially motivated hiring practices to divisive trainings, the plan would inject Critical Race Theory (CRT) into every corner of campus. At the foundation of UNL’s plan are the writings of Ibram Kendi, who has openly called for discrimination on the basis of skin c...
“A nation reveals itself not only by the men it produces but also by the men it honors, the men it remembers.” – President John F. Kennedy America is the greatest country in the world because our Constitution recognizes God-given human rights and protects individual liberties. Our Republic has endured for nearly two-and-a-half centuries due to the blood, sweat, and sacrifice of our military veterans. Veterans Day is an opportunity for Nebraskans to thank the veterans who’ve heeded the call of...
The last 18 months have been a roller coaster for the entire world. While many places have struggled, even in America, Nebraskans have come together to power through the pandemic. Our healthcare professionals have worked with compassion and skill to care for Nebraskans. Communities have supported their local businesses throughout the pandemic. Employers have overcome market disruptions to preserve and create jobs. Parents and schools worked to get kids back in the classroom. Our ag producers onc...
October is Manufacturing Month here in Nebraska. It is a great opportunity to celebrate the innovators and makers creating jobs across the Cornhusker State. Our state has a rich tradition of inventing and manufacturing premium products. Over the years, the imaginations of Nebraskans gave birth to ski lifts, center pivots, vise grip pliers, Kool-Aid, and Dorothy Lynch salad dressing. Today, companies in our state manufacture everything from subway cars, to combines, to the syringes used to...
Twenty years ago, the United States suffered the terrorist attacks of 9/11. No one old enough to remember that day will ever forget it. It was surreal to watch the Twin Towers collapse and heartbreaking to see images of first responders covered head to toe in dust, searching through the debris in Manhattan. The 9/11 attacks claimed 2,977 innocent lives. The casualties included a number of individuals with ties to Nebraska. Jennifer Dorsey-Howley, a graduate of Lincoln Southeast, worked at Aon...
Energy reliability and independence are pillars of our country’s national security. A reliable power grid has helped our nation build the world’s largest economy, and our focus on developing domestic sources of energy has made our country’s fleet of automobiles and airplanes less dependent on overseas oil. Earlier this year, U.S. News and World Report ranked Nebraska #3 nationally for power grid reliability and #8 overall in their energy category which “tracks the reliability of power grids, ren...
In the next year, the U.S. Supreme Court is expected to make its most important decision regarding abortion law and states’ rights in over a quarter-century. The Court’s ruling could overturn Roe v. Wade and give states more latitude in passing pro-life initiatives, including legislation limiting abortion in the early stages of pregnancy. In 1973, the U.S. Supreme Court’s Roe v. Wade decision deprived Nebraska and other states of the authority to prohibit abortions before a baby can viabl...
In 2021, communism seems like a distant threat to many. Generations of Americans have learned about the atrocities committed by Stalin and Lenin in Russia. Many are familiar with Mao’s Great Leap Forward, which led to the Great Chinese Famine and starvation and death for millions. Sadly, communism isn’t something that’s just studied in history books. There’s growing awareness across our state and country that it’s reinventing itself right here at home under the label of Critical Race Theory (CRT...
We’re only a month away from one of the most important annual events for our state—the Nebraska State Fair in Grand Island. This year, the fair will run from August 27th through September 6th. It’s a great way to celebrate Nebraska agriculture, cap off the summer with family-friendly entertainment, enjoy amazing food, and connect with our rich heritage. Over the last year-and-a-half, Nebraska agriculture once again proved it could feed the world in the midst of the toughest circumstances. Our f...
On January 27, 2021, President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. signed his “Executive Order on Tackling the Climate Crisis at Home and Abroad.” In this order, President Biden set a “goal of conserving at least 30 percent of our lands and waters by 2030.” At the time of the signing, very little information was released by the Biden-Harris Administration. We only had the few paragraphs of text in the order and a short fact sheet from the Department of Interior stating “that only 12 percent of lands are perma...
Over the past year, Nebraska has been enjoying rapid growth, creating lots of great-paying job opportunities here in the Good Life. We have the second lowest unemployment rate in the nation at 2.6%. That’s the lowest rate our state has seen since 1999. Right now, we have over 40,000 jobs available on the State of Nebraska’s jobs site: NEworks.nebraska.gov. These are some of the reasons why WalletHub recently ranked Nebraska as the #2 state in the U.S. to find a job. As we grow Nebraska for the...
As America emerges from the Fourth of July weekend, there’s another important reminder this month of why we should cherish our freedom and liberty. July marks the 100th anniversary of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). CCP officials have already been holding celebrations to paint a positive image of their work on the world stage. While the CCP pushes propaganda on the anniversary of its founding, it’s important that Americans understand how the communist regime operates. To this end, I sig...
