Opinion

This argument has been raging forever. There is a perception that colleges are a hotbed of liberalism and any student who attends will be brainwashed from all sides to be liberal too. Although a popular perception, it’s one that isn’t true, although it has some caveats...

Retailers are the backbone of any community. Most people got their first jobs at a retail establishment, whether that was within the food industry or some other retail outlet. Retailers are the first ones we look to when garnering support for local charities or community events. Retailers make our communities vibrant and attractive for not only residents but also for visitors. In Nebraska, retailers account for 14 percent of our gross domestic product...

Earlier this year, we wrote about a trend in England that no doubt raises alarm among certain American parents, who we’ll discuss later. While our school playgrounds all contain UL-approved soft plastic equipment atop ground-rubber flooring, some British school have replaced that with stacks of two-by-fours, crates and loose bricks, mud pits, tire swing, log stumps and workbenches with hammers and saws...

The interim months are slowing down and session will soon be upon us. Over the last months, there has been plenty to update on as we accomplished things over the summer break. This week I would like to update everyone on a Memorandum of Understanding signed by the State of Nebraska that will help set Nebraska apart. ...

There are reporters who dream about receiving this kind of assignment. The assignment in question was one performed by Omaha World-Herald reporters this summer, after one of them noticed State Auditor Charlie Janssen leaving Brewsky’s, a popular Lincoln sports bar, about 3:15 p.m. Monday, June 4...

It was a total delight. Out of the blue Carol Schlegel, Red Willow County Tourism Director (Your tax dollars at work) called and asked if I could conduct a tour of the Old Stone Church. “Sure it will be a pleasure,” I replied. The Stone Church is big in the history of my family it is a structure dear to my heart...

If you’ve jumped onboard the fitness tracker fad, you probably know all about the 10,000-step rule. Your Fitbit, Apple Watch or another wearable device probably comes pre-set to cajole you into taking 10,000 steps — a number endorsed by the World Health Organization, the American Heart Foundation, and Health and Human Services as a good goal for better health...

I’ve been asked a version of the title of this week’s column by every Republican I know since they came out with the Fall ad campaign that features Colin Kaepernick. People in this part of the country, along with other locations, were shocked and dismayed at the news, not understanding at all what provoked Nike into doing it...

Nebraska, being number-one in Sports, and Fan Support. We want to now be known as number-one in the percentage of eligible residents (in all parties) voting in national elections. In elections starting with the 2018 national elections, we will show our percentage of voters showing up to the polls, will be the highest for our state, and will challenge other states and territories to try to beat us...

A friend likes to joke that he and his wife are going out to look at their phones while they have lunch together. Wait in line for more than a minute, and you’ll probably find your self and queuemates pulling out your smartphone to check Twitter or Facebook, check the news or your bank balance...

We’ve editorialized repeatedly about the importance of our local community college and the opportunity it offers for personal growth. With Andy Long making a lateral move to the McCook Economic Development Corp. — and already leaving his mark in positive growth — his successor as MCC Vice President, Kelly Rippen, is looking forward to hearing ideas from the public...

Using a dumpster paid for by a business to dispose of your personal trash is theft of services. For the last couple of months, someone has been using my business’s dumpster to dispose of their dirty diapers and spoiled food along with other residential trash...

Grannie Annie and I tripped to Fort McPherson to give compatriot and friend Steve McConnell a final send-off. We’d worked with great respect together he as a Sherriff’s Deputy and I as the Commish. Impressive dignified final respects with a military flavor 21-gun salute and a Navy Honor Guard. ...

The McCook Chamber of Commerce’s goal of making McCook a good place to live, work and play is a worthy one, and the state’s conditions give it a good head start, according to the latest study by a personal finance website. WalletHub ranks Nebraska as the 10th “Happiest State” in the U.S., using 31 key indicators of happiness, ranging from emotional health to income level to sports participation...

If you’re worried relaxing marijuana laws will lead to more use among youth, there’s probably good reason. Exposure to mind-altering drugs of any kind at a young age can have lifelong consequences. Some of the biggest changes in recent years, however, have occurred at the other end of the spectrum, according to a New York University study...

The lead story yesterday on practically every news broadcast was the searing column attacking President Trump that appeared in the New York Times editorial section. It was especially controversial because even though it claimed to be written by a senior administration official, the column was submitted anonymously...

Jeff Yost President and CEO Nebraska Community Foundation Over the past several years I have had the honor of working and sharing ideas with John McKnight, a renowned community development pioneer. He recently asked me what Nebraska Community Foundation has learned about how money helps communities to build enduring social capital...

Lewis Carroll’s book, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, contains a conversation between the Cheshire Cat and Alice: Alice asked the Cheshire Cat, who was sitting in a tree, “What road do I take?” The cat asked, “Where do you want to go?” “I don’t know,” Alice answered. “Then,” said the cat, “It really doesn’t matter, does it?”...

Just recently we lost two very great men. One, a Raleigh Haas and the other, a Sen. McCain. Both of these men had been remembered as the service they gave to all that was around them. Sen. McCain made his vote against the health bill that was presented by President Trump, and that alone took great courage. and being a Vietnam vet also took great courage...

Economics 101 courses usually include a discussion of “guns vs. butter,” i.e., whatever is spent on national defense can’t be spent on consumer goods. The formula is ignored on the national level — guns AND butter, thanks to deficit spending — but Nebraska can’t have its cake and eat it, too, thanks to the requirement for a balanced budget...

Nike pushed the “any news is good news” mantra to the limit with its decision to hire Colin Kaepernick for its latest “Just Do It” campaign. Some publicity-savvy public figures were known for telling reporters “just spell my name right” when questioned about stories that cast them in a less-than-favorable light...

Gee that was quite a production—Senator John McCain’s funeral. Those five and a half years as a “guest” of the North Vietnamese earned it for him. Even so, I thought it a bit overdone and was disappointed that he chose to snub Sarah Palin and President Trump. Nothing like holding a grudge to the bitter end. Now it is over and may his soul rest in peace...

We use the term “hero” way too often these days. You’re not a hero if you join the police department, or the fire department, or the military. You have to DO something besides being a member to earn that title. John McCain and his band of brothers certainly did that during his five-year stay at the infamous Hanoi Hilton during the Vietnam War. ...

“In those days, Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. And everyone went to their own town to register.” (Acts 2:1,3) Not every census has become part of a story repeated annually for 2,000 years, but that doesn’t mean every census isn’t important...

This week the committee I serve as chair of, Natural Resources, is hosting its first interim hearing of the fall. Committees hold interim hearings as a result of a legislative resolution that was passed during the previous session authorizing the committee to study an issue. ...