Columns

On the final day of September this year the retina of my right eye just decided to come loose. The retina is that part in the back of the eye that contains the nerve endings sensitive to light. There are two kinds of nerve endings, the ‘rods’ and the ‘cones’. The rods are sensitive to low light and peripheral vision, and the cones have three kinds of receptors for detecting red, green and blue wavelengths of light. They are also responsible for sharp details. If the retina becomes detached…you have no vision! Trust me I speak from experience!

This week, the Judiciary Committee held hearings on LB817 and LB818, two bills I am carrying to strengthen Nebraska law on issues affecting public safety. Fentanyl use results in far more overdose deaths than all other drugs combined; however, under current law, fentanyl dealers are subject to lesser sentences than those for dealing methamphetamine, cocaine and heroin.

1. The fattest knight at King Arthur’s round table was Sir Cumference.

Born in the 1930s and early 40s, we exist as a very special age cohort. We are the Silent Generation.

Fire departments from Oconto, Callaway, and Eddyville were called to a house fire south and east of Oconto on Jan. 6.

Amidst the focus on the looming budget shortfall, there is some good news to share. Nebraska recently received notification that we have been awarded $218.5 million through the federal Rural Health Transformation Program, the eighth largest state allocation nationwide! This five-year national initiative aims to modernize rural health care delivery across America. Governor Jim Pillen has called it a once in a generation opportunity to Make Rural Nebraska Healthy Again, with implementation beginning in 2026 through the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services. The program addresses challenges including provider shortages, geographic distances, food insecurity, and an aging population in a state where nearly 95 percent of counties are classified as rural or frontier.

I have a dream. Chances are, when you hear or read those words, you think of the famous speech given by Martin Luther King, Jr. But the truth is, we all have dreams. And as you read this, I am preparing to see one of my biggest ones come true.

As a kid we always talked about digging down straight through the earth to China. Well, China isn’t exactly on the opposite side of the earth from where we live. We are at 40.9* north latitude and 100.16* west longitude. If we were to burrow straight through the earth, we would come up in the Indian Ocean about 2,000 miles south and east of Perth, Australia.

New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day are holidays that have changed a lot for me over the years. Back in my 20s and early 30s, New Year’s Eve was a time to party - which usually meant I spent most of New Year’s Day not feeling so hot.

Why I Love Nebraska When it’s Christmas time in Nebraska, and the gentle breezes blow, About 70 miles an hour and it’s 52 below. You can tell you’re in Nebraska, ‘cause the snow’s up to your butt, and you take a breath of Christmas air and your nose holes both freeze shut.