Opinion

I was very honored to be recognized by the Nebraska Statewide Arboretum recently for the work on the Norris Institute's Prairie Arboretum. There were many agencies and Norris Board members who put countless hours into this project that need to be publicly thanked. The problem is not offending someone by overlooking them. Please forgive me if I have forgotten anyone...

We’ve already celebrated Thanksgiving, but Thursday’s events provide more reasons to be thankful. Gratitude that kids were safe despite being evacuated from our elementary school, as well as thankful we have the right people in place to respond to emergencies like the collision that tied up a major intersection all afternoon...

As you might expect — as I have been a newsman for more than half a century — I don’t agree with President Trump when he uses the term, “Fake News,” to describe the written, voiced and televised reports on political and topical happenings in the United States of America...

Hard-core James Bond fans might be shaken to be told their hero has a problem, and perhaps stirred to make some changes in their own drinking habits. Analyzing six decades of 007 films, a study (http://bit.ly/2PxJo0u), “License to Swill,” published in the Medical Journal of Australia, concluded that Bond, James Bond, indeed has a drinking problem...

Critics are decrying the Environmental Protection Agency’s proposal to change the definition of the “Waters of the United States” as leaving “vast amounts of wetlands and thousands of miles of U.S. waterways” without federal protection. What’s not often mentioned is that the definition has only been in effect for three years and if tightly enforced, could cripple states like Nebraska, where a majority of the population lives in areas where many activities could require permission from Washington.. ...

I had a call, cell phone, from a good friend stating that he was in the Emergency Room. He had broken his leg and was awaiting transport to the hospital in North Platte. “Could I come out?” Well what would you do if a friend called you? Posthaste. My friend wanted to tell me what happened. He had arisen about 4:30 AM and somehow had tripped over his dog and broke his femur in four places. The ambulance crew had transported him to the emergency room...

Deaths resulting from overdoses from opioids and other drugs are the leading cause of poisoning fatalities in the U.S., and deserve the attention they have been receiving. The death of a New Orleans couple in an AirBNB in Mexico put the spotlight on another deadly poison — carbon monoxide...

If a tree falls in the forest and no one’s around to hear it, does it make a noise? If a school serves healthier lunches, but kids don’t eat them, are the meals really healthier? No, according to Ag Secretary Sonny Perdue, who eased school lunch rules as part of the Trump Administration’s push to cut back regulations across the board...

On Sunday, various churches in Southwest Nebraska come to El Dorado Manor in Trenton and conduct brief inter-faith church services. Dec. 2, 2018, Elmer and Tallie Case of the Christian Union Church came. Elmer sang a brief arrangement of Handel’s Messiah. (I found myself singing along with him.) In years past, I was involved in singing in the Community Choir in McCook and I reflected on that experience...

RUSSELLVILLE, Ark. — The climate experts agree that the earth underwent a cooling down period from the 1940s through the 1970s. Part of that period was when I was in public schools in Atkins, Ark., and during that time, I remember several snowfalls each winter with some of them being significant. The kids always loved those because not only was school canceled, we got to play in the snow all day long as well as having snow ice cream to eat during our breaks...

I hope you all enjoyed your Thanksgiving weekend spent with family and friends. Now that it is December, things in Lincoln are beginning to gear up quickly. I have spent the last week meeting with people about future legislative work and finishing some interim hearings for the committees I serve. I would like to give a short update on some things I will be finishing up before the 2019 session starts on January 9th...

Dr. John Cullen of Valdez, Alaska, felt like something was a little off with one of his patients. Cullen, who has 25 years of experience, was about to take a patient to the operating room to remove his appendix when he asked one last question: “We’re about to cut you open here. Are you sure you don’t want to tell me anything else?”...

EDITOR’S NOTE: The following was an open letter to State Sen. Dan Hughes: _ Sen. Hughes, _ I would like to express my concern that the University of Nebraska-Lincoln is hiring its first diversity vice chancellor for two reasons. 1. From what I understand this man will be paid $250,000. ...

Politics and political correctness have wormed their way into “the most wonderful time of the year.” It’s almost impossible to avoid taking sides when deciding whether to say “Merry Christmas!” or “Happy Holidays!” Someone attuned to the #MeToo movement noticed enough hint of sexual assault in the classic yuletide tune “Baby, It’s Cold Outside,” (“Hey, what’s in this drink?”) that some radio stations now refuse to play it...

‘Tis the season. Santa Claus came to the airport Saturday. A passel of children appeared to sit on his lap and tell him their fondest wishes. Usually, the jolly old gent arrives by airplane but this year in the snow storm the Gazette reported that he flew in a day early and was delivered by car to the grand meeting of children and proud parents...

If you’re still Christmas shopping for kids, there’s one detail you might want to consider when buying a gift. What kind of box does it come in? That’s because the young one on your list might be better off playing with the box the toy comes in. While advertising pushes educational and brain-stimulating toys, often based on tablets, kids are better off playing with traditional toys like blocks, puzzles — and even cardboard boxes...

The fact that George H.W. Bush, who died at 94 on Friday, was the youngest pilot in the Navy in World War II illustrates just how rare veterans of that war are becoming. Their wisdom and experience has served us well and will be sorely missed. It’s no stretch to say Bush was “born with a silver spoon in his mouth,” but the way he used that opportunity should be an inspiration for us all...

Sorry, Payless, anyone who spends much time on their feet knows you can’t scrimp when it comes to footwear. A few extra dollars pays off in spades if it means the difference between comfort or misery at the end of a long day. However, the company did make a good point about perceptions in a recent publicity stunt that resulted in a lot of ... publicity...

On Nov. 8 nearly 500 Nebraskans gathered at Norfolk’s DeVent Center and Divots Conference Center to talk about the future. They represented dozens of the 257 hometowns that make up a growing community of communities, better known as the Nebraska Community Foundation network. They are volunteers, there on their own volition because they care deeply about their hometowns. They are building stronger communities in their own places and together, a Greater Nebraska...

Well, it’s time to go to Arkansas again to see my boys. I go several times a year but I always go around Christmas time because that’s when both their birthdays are. In fact, when Linda and I were married, December was a month we both looked forward to and dreaded at the same time because of all the special days in it...

County-owned Hillcrest Nursing Home is keeping its head above water for now, but a financial tidal wave is on its way. Nebraska voters’ decision to expand Medicaid, coupled with vows by the governor and like-minded lawmakers to avoid tax increases at all costs mean that the dwindling number of private-pay nursing home residents see their resources drained further...

Again I say THANK YOU for supporting my Adopt a Chaplain project. It was an exciting 2 months getting ready for this event. Items and money kept coming in then Dick and I would go shopping for more items. Setting up times with people to come and help pack. Schools and churches were busy writing cards. So much to do and it seems I’m not as fast as I used to be!...

Memories come flooding back as we unpack the Christmas decorations each year — a couple’s first holiday together, baby’s first Christmas, gaudy Kindergarten creations too precious to discard. It’s also tempting to pull Grandma’s antique colored lights out of storage and plug them in, for old time’s sake...

Happy Thanksgiving! I hope you are all staying warm this holiday season and that these next few weeks are filled with joy and family. I would like to give a little update on my legislative work as the year comes to a close. I will be spending more time in Lincoln as I prepare to start my second term serving the people of the 44th District. I would like to thank you all for trusting me and voting for me to serve you once again...

Stories about GM’s decision to lay off 14,000 employees and possibly close five factories sometimes included the statement that the action was taken so the company could concentrate on new electric and self-driving cars. That’s despite the news that the all-electric Volt was one of the models the company planned to stop producing...