There is still hope that we can work out our differences

If you’re like me, you probably have tuned in the latest, excellent documentary by Ken Burns, “The American Revolution.”If there was only one reason to donate to public television, it would be to help Burns produce more historical documentaries like “The American Revolution,” and those on the Civil...

Nebraska’s Carhenge not the only Stonehenge copy cat

I like to drive, and Nebraska gives you plenty of opportunities.The state’s best road trip might be up the old Oregon Trail, past Chimney Rock to Scotts Bluff. Scenic. Historic.In the fall, you can’t beat wandering the hills around Indian Cave State Park.

We deserve transparency, not ‘no comment’

There’s an old saying about government — “it’s not that ‘what is said isn’t so,’ it’s what is so isn’t said.”So that means that someone — maybe a state auditor, maybe a whistleblower, but often a news reporter — needs to dig in and find out what is really happening with our tax dollars and state...

State climate report says it’s getting hotter

As I sit down to write this column, my tomatoes have finally met with a hard freeze and the cannas we plant in the local park are giving up their red-topped glory.It was one, long fall in my section of southeast Nebraska, with lots of warm days and only recently, a couple of cold snaps.

Tax cheats ‘hit the jackpot’ with layoff of agents

None of us like paying taxes.But even the Bible says we’re supposed to (“Give unto Caesar what is Caesar’s” is how I remember it).Anyway, I about fell out of my chair the other day when reading a probing article by the Lincoln Journal-Star’s Andrew Wegley about the state’s lackadaisical collection...

Broadband grants fall far short of what some expected

We live in a world where having adequate high-speed internet service is not just a luxury, but a necessity.With proper broadband, you can use a computer to run a business, manage a good website, work remotely and operate the new generation of precision agriculture equipment.But here’s the problem –...

Lagging job growth in Omaha and Lincoln sparks concern

Alarm bells are sounding over the lack of robust job growth in the state’s two largest cities.A recent study commissioned by the Omaha-based Aksarben Foundation indicated that job growth in Omaha and Lincoln lagged behind its peer cities, such as Sioux Falls, Des Moines and Oklahoma City.An...

Redistricting battle promotes chaos, a tit for tat chess match

Over the years, I covered more than one effort by the Nebraska Legislature to redraw the boundaries of districts for state legislators and U.S. congressional representatives, among others, due to shifts in the state’s population.Those efforts, according to the State Constitution, always follow the...

‘Cornhusker Clink’ is a clunker for many Nebraskans

On vacation in Colorado last week, I ran into a few Husker ex-pats.All commented on how great the summer weather was in the mountains. No corn sweat!

A new commission is latest effort to find property tax relief

Gov. Pillen and state lawmakers are taking another run at reducing the much despised, high property taxes in our state, this time via a commission on reforming the way we fund K-12 schools.You gotta admire the governor for keeping on trying.