Close encounters of the zoning kind

The Nebraska Legislature began talking about “exterrestrials” the other day, and well, who could pass up writing about that?I have a buddy who insists that an alien craft hovered over his acreage outside of Ashland.

Simple ways to close the state budget gap dismissed

If you’re like me, you were sickened to read about the wildfires running amok across sections of Nebraska in mid March.

Simple ways to close the state budget gap dismissed

Way back in the day, when I was in high school, I had a summer job of mopping floors at a local hospital.Being a janitor was a really satisfying job because when you were done, you could easily see what you had accomplished, unlike a lot of other occupations.

‘SAVE America Act’ is a solution in search of a problem

One of my favorite political slogans of all time is “a solution in search of a problem.”It’s used frequently in debates at the Nebraska Legislature to describe a proposal or idea that imposes new rules and restrictions to address a problem that doesn’t exist.

Mentoring programs are great, but what about reading skills

Mentoring programs are a great thing.They help kids — mostly kids in single-parent families — gain confidence, and learn leadership and life skills from adults.

In a rush to deport, there have been deadly consequences

Can we all agree on one thing?Seeing Americans shot and killed on American streets by fellow Americans is not at all good.I’ve purposely waited to write about the killing of two people on the streets of Minneapolis by agents of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and U.S.

State lawmakers have a $471-million budget shortfall to close, and an expulsion effort to consider

The first time I walked into the State Capitol, I wondered “what is making all these people walk like Olympic racers down these halls?”I almost got run over by some walkers; the new guy needed to get out of the way.

Former state senator tries again to help Ukraine win war

A former Nebraska state senator, once again, is calling on the United States to do more to help Ukraine win its war with Russia.

‘Cornhusker Clink’ doesn’t help state’s image

No matter your opinion of immigrants, I think we can agree on one thing – having a federal detention center in Nebraska is not a good look for our state.

Trade war pinches farmers leading to $12 billion bailout

So much for cutting federal spending.Just recently, President Trump announced a new $12 billion payout to American farmers.It’s not a reward for great work – farmers produced another record crop this year.