Contest for mayor of Loup City and several school boards are on the county ballot. Voters will also decide who serves in the Nebraska unicameral’s District 41 seat, and on races for congress, the senate, and the governor’s office.

Locally, both Mark Nabity and Doug Anderson are running to be the municipality’s next mayor. Currently, Andrew Iske is the interim mayor. Former mayor Laura Hart stepped away in September due to changes in her work situation. Scott Mroczek is running uncontested to represent District 1 on the county board; Darnell Janulewicz likewise for District 2. Other county offices on the ballot include assessor, attorney, clerk, sheriff and treasurer. All five of those positions are also uncontested. No candidate filed for county surveyor.

Village boards have contests in Hazard, Litchfield, and Rockville. In Hazard, Sherill Jorgensen, Rebecca Panowicz, and Pat Moore are running for two seats. In Litchfield, Jennifer Mostek, Aubrea Janssen, and Kaitlin Goff are also running for two seats. In Rockville, Tim Kusek, Michael Becker, Dustin Strode, Amber Price, Kody Sundermeier, and Dawn Vogt are running for three seats.

Contested school board races in the county include four candidates seeking three seats on the Loup City school board: Jeff Rademacher, Jamie Lewandowski, Eric L. Kowalski, and Roger Gallaway; and six candidates running for three seats on the Central Valley school board.

Sherman County voters will also choose between Joe Johnson and Jeremy Heneger in the Legislative District 41 race. The special election will fill the remainder of the term previously held by Dan McKeon, who resigned in January.

At the federal level, five candidates are running for senate, including Republican incumbent Pete Ricketts and Independent Dan Osborn. Congress’s 3rd Congressional District race includes Republican incumbent Adrian Smith and Democrat Becky Kelly Stille, along with three other candidates.

The governor’s race features Republican incumbent Jim Pillen, Democrat Lynne Walz, and candidates from the Legal Marijuana NOW and America First parties. Other statewide contests include races for secretary of state, state treasurer, attorney general, and auditor of public accounts.

Ballot measures include separate proposals to authorize and regulate online sports wagering, a constitutional amendment that would bar male students from participating on athletic teams designated for females, women or girls, and a constitutional amendment that would expand legislative term limits from two consecutive terms to three.

Polls will be open from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. on November 3rd. The county’s Loup City precincts vote at the Loup City Community Center at 803 O Street. The Ashton Precinct votes at the Ashton Legion/Community Center at 325 Center Avenue; the Rockville Precinct votes at the Rockville Gymnasium at 540 North Ley; and the Harrison Precinct votes at Winter’s Building at 204 North Main Street in Litchfield.

Voters can check their assigned polling place and ballot information through the Nebraska Secretary of State’s Voter Information Lookup at votercheck.necvr. ne.gov.

The Sherman County Election Commissioner’s Office, located in the courthouse in Loup City, is open from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday for election services and in-person early voting.

The deadline to register online, by mail or through other qualifying methods is October 16th. Voters registering or updating their registration in person at the county election office have until October 23rd at 6:00 p.m.

Voters must bring an acceptable form of photo identification to the polls. Nebraska voters approved the constitutional amendment requiring photo ID in 2022; the requirement first took effect during the May 2024 statewide primary election.

More information about voting, registration and the statewide ballot is available at sos. nebraska.gov/elections.

It’s been twenty-six years since Nebraskans voted to impose term limits on state senators.

But in November, voters have a chance to extend the state’s term limit—from two consecutive, four-year terms to three consecutive, four-year terms.

(Lawmakers can come back after being term limited and sitting out a four-year term. A handful have. The most famous case is Omaha State Senator Ernie Chambers, who served thirty-eight years in the Unicameral, was term limited in 2008, and then won election in 2012 and served eight more years.)

While term limits have allowed more people to serve, it’s also ended the service of some really smart legislators too soon. It has shifted power to the executive branch and to lobbyists, and also contributed to a harsher partisan divide in the one-house Unicameral.

The state legislature deals with many complicated issues, like AI, data centers, and even the death penalty.

The most complicated issue is taxation, especially concerning property taxes and how local, K-12 education is funded.

Do you raise state sales taxes so you can cut property taxes? How far can you cut state income taxes? (The state is discovering that the most recent cut probably went too far, and has contributed to huge deficits in state budgets.)

How exactly should local education be funded? More state aid? More local tax options?

Should lawmakers change the state aid formula? If you give more state aid, doesn’t that mean that there’s less local control, via local school boards, over whether you keep a local school?

Governors and several platoons of senators have grappled with the issue of property taxes for decades. And still we feel property taxes are way too high.

We’re often told that Nebraska’s formula for distributing state aid to local school districts is so complicated that “no one understands it.”

I’m not sure that’s completely true. A smart staffer in the depths of the State Department of Education understands it.

But to expect parttime state senators to grasp how it works in a couple of years is probably a stretch. And then, once they understand it, to expect them to craft a solution, and sell it to their fellow state senators before they are term limited is probably a stretch, too.

I have little doubt that property taxes would be lower in the state if we allowed state senators to hang around for more than eight years. I keep thinking of former State Sen. Jerome Warner of Waverly, a truly wise legislator, who ruled over the state’s tax system for years. He knew which levers could be pulled, and which ones couldn’t.

It takes time to understand complicated problems, develop solutions, and then sell them to fellow senators. It also takes time to develop trust among fellow representatives, and develop leaders.

If you cannot serve more than two consecutive, four-year terms it creates an ever churning cast of legislators, who have to start the education process anew and hope, before their clock strikes two terms, they can get something done.

Term limits have also helped to make “moderate” state senators an endangered species because there’s an open seat, at least, every eight years.

Our state legislative districts have been drawn so that most, if not all, are either “safe” Republican or “safe” Democrat districts. That makes it harder for a moderate candidate to win a primary election, because fewer people vote in the primary, and the ones who do, tend to be more partisan, from the right and left fringes of their parties.

Norfolk State Senator Rob Dover, who introduced the change in term limits to three terms, also argues that Nebraska, because it has a one-house Unicameral, loses more institutional knowledge than states with a Senate and House.

In two-house states, he said, a term-limited senator could run for the House, and continue to serve, albeit in a different legislative body.

Polls consistently show that voters approve of term limits. “Throw the bums” out is a line we often hear.

But if you want solutions to complicated problems, you might want a legislative body that can gain more experience, and more knowledge.

Paul Hammel has covered the Nebraska state government and the state for decades. Prior to his retirement, he was senior contributor with the Nebraska Examiner. He was previously with the Omaha World-Herald, Lincoln Journal Star and Omaha Sun. A native of Ralston, Nebraska, he loves traveling and writing about the state.

I have interviewed enough football coaches that, at this point, I can almost tell you which cliché quotations they are going to use and when they are going to use them.

The list is long, and it is time-tested.

Among those clichés is one that I often find myself thinking of when things get stressful.

Bend, don’t break. Maybe I have listened to one too many Matt Rhule press conferences, or maybe it was Scott Frost, Bo Pelini, or even Mike Riley. Maybe it was on the sidelines at St. Paul High School, in the postgame at Preferred Popcorn Field, or back in the day next to the touchdown bell at Elm Creek High School.

Wherever I have been, or whoever is talking, “bend, don’t break” is among the most common of coaches’ quotations.

Each week, as we work to pump out the five newspapers my office publishes, I think there is a moment when that remark comes to mind.

A moment when the stress hits a high point, and everything is riding on how you respond in the next moment, minute, or hour.

At those moments, my staff and I have a series of common jokes. The first is just to forget it.

A recent change in Nebraska state law allows newspapers to only publish fifty weeks a year—as opposed to the previous requirement of fifty-two weeks a year—to maintain their status as a legal publication. That means that, if my staff and I feel inclined, we can just walk out the door and take the week off.

Don’t think there haven’t been Monday afternoons when the idea hasn’t crossed our minds.

Then, there is the old joke that we would be okay if we simply had a photo of an eagle to put on the front page or to fill that awkward empty space.

Years ago, the week after Christmas, the Tri-City Tribune had a large photo of an eagle’s nest on the front page. It was clearly some post-Christmas filler. After showing the picture to my staff several years ago, it has since become the topic of many late-Monday afternoon jokes.

We don’t need to work too hard; we just need to find an eagle.

Last Wednesday, that joke and everyone’s favorite coach cliché collided while I was delivering newspapers hours after they were supposed to be at the post office.

I was pretty fired up. Press issues had turned what was supposed to be a casual Wednesday delivering the news into a mad dash to make the myriad postal deadlines that my staff and I race to meet each week.

As I mumbled and cursed under my breath, I constantly reminded myself not to break. All I had to do was bend.

Then, I saw them. On a rural stretch of asphalt on the northern edge of Merrick County, two eagles were soaring overhead. Sideby- side, our nation’s symbol was flying with outstretched wings and beaks agape.

It was too perfect for a newspaper publisher not to stop and snag a picture.

As I slammed on my brakes and reached for my camera, my earlier problems, for a moment, faded away.

I am far from a professional photographer, and I certainly am not the type of person who seeks out birds in order to get their photographs, so the entire setup was a bit unique for me. However, after some effort and some misfires with the camera shutter, I locked the birds in my viewfinder and started clicking away.

Even while shooting frame after frame of the majestic birds flying in the sky, I knew that I would never do anything with the photographs. Like they are today, for decades they will likely sit in my photo library, with the files never again to be looked at.

Yet, at the moment, it was the perfect distraction from an otherwise disastrous day.

The first joke in our office, simply quitting, was not an option.

So, naturally, the second joke proved to be the perfect cure for a day filled with multiple hurdles. I had found an eagle and I had taken a picture.

While my afternoon eagle viewing and impromptu photo shoot took place early on in my delivery route—the last papers arrived at the Dannebrog Post Office after 10:00 p.m. on Wednesday— they set a different tone for the day than the one that I was first experiencing while loading my vehicle.

Seeing those eagles in my path caused me to adapt, or bend, the way I was approaching my day.

Maybe it sounds cliché to say, but seeing those eagles along the road may have been what kept me from breaking.

The Funds are made available through the Staff Sergeant Parker Gordon Fox Suicide Prevention Grant Program. The Fox grant program extends Veterans Administration’s (VA) suicide prevention efforts into communities to reach veterans who are not connected to VA care.

The SSG Fox grant administered by Central Nebraska Community Action Partnership covers a service territory encompassing sixty eight counties in the state. For more information about the SSG Fox program, please contact the CNCAP office at (308) 745-0780.

NDOT maintenance crews will remove any signs that are improperly placed within the state highway right‑of‑way.

These signs will be stored for a brief time in the maintenance yards throughout the state, where the owners may reclaim them.

Additional regulations governing political campaign sign placement and size are sometimes set by each county and/or municipality. The public is advised to reference local regulations for questions regarding a specific location and to keep in mind that violation of local sign ordinances may result in a fine.

Those needing further information concerning the boundaries of state right-of-way corridors or seeking sign permit information should contact their local district permit officer listed below. Inquiries may also be made to NDOT’s Right-of-Way Division office at 402-4794463.

Have you ever noticed how the colors of the world change with the seasons? In spring, everything seems to awaken with fresh shades of green. Summer brings bright flowers and golden sunshine. Autumn paints the trees in beautiful shades of red, orange, and yellow. Then winter arrives, and the landscape becomes quiet, sometimes covered in white.

Each season has its own beauty, and each reminds us of God’s faithfulness.

Our lives change colors, too.

There are seasons when our hearts are filled with joy, our prayers seem easy, and our faith feels strong. These are the bright, colorful days when we can clearly see God’s goodness.

But there are also seasons of uncertainty, grief, disappointment, and waiting. During those times, life may seem to lose its color. We may wonder if God has forgotten us or if our circumstances will ever change.

Yet the changing colors of life do not mean God’s love has changed.

The same God who brings blossoms in spring is present in the barrenness of winter. He is working even when we cannot see it. Sometimes, what appears to be an ending is simply God preparing us for something new.

Just as trees release their leaves in autumn, we may need to let go of old hurts, unhealthy habits, fears, or expectations. Letting go can be difficult, but it creates room for growth. God can use every season to shape our character, deepen our faith, and draw us closer to Him.

Remember, you do not have to remain the same color forever. God is still working in you. He can bring hope into sorrow, peace into confusion, and renewed faith into weary hearts.

Whatever season you are walking through today, trust the One who holds every season in His hands. The colors may change, but His promises remain.

October 19, 2016

The Loup City Medical Clinic is holding a Tuesday afternoon open house to celebrate their tenth year in Loup City.

A “Nightmare on ‘O’ Street” masquerade ball is scheduled for the grand opening of Open Mike Performing Art Center Saturday, October 29th. One of the event activities listed was a zombie scavenger hunt.

The Sherman County Board accepted Frank Eurek’s letter of resignation from the Sherman County Planning Commission. The board appointed Clay Fowler as his replacement.

Blake Racicky of Mason City earned the 2016 AKSARBEN Stock Show Premier Dairy Exhibitor Award.

The Loup City High School FFA junior land judging team of Ashley Dearmont, Taylor Ference, Evan Tuma, and DeLanie Mroczek finished fourth at the Lancaster County contest.

Rebel State Cross Country qualifiers are Alicia Rhoads and Courtney Goc.

Dee Robinson’s crocheting was featured. She crochets many different designs and her items are for sale at the Sherman County Senior Center. She donates the sales proceeds to the center.

October 18, 2016

Bobby Smedra had the best decorated car in the Loup City High School homecoming spirit week competition. Kody Sundermeier was judged the best dressed “gender bender”.

The 2006 Loup City High School annual cover artist Karen Spotanski was honored with a second place finish in competition with other annuals produced by the St. Joseph, Missouri publisher. Her daughter Cassie was the editor of the annual.

Loup City High School band director Bill McMurtry was pleased with the second place Class C finish at the Minden Bandfest competition.

The Raider girls defeated Anselmo-Merna in three sets. Asia Stobbe led the scoring with thirteen points. Kinley Krzycki was the Red Raider Student of the Week.

Trevor Ritz ran for a career high of 190 yards in the Raiders’ 3-41 loss to Burwell.

Joe’s Market advertised a seventy-five foot roll of Shurfine aluminum foil for $2.

The Rockville column reported Avery Goc was a Monday night and Tuesday guest at grandma and grandpa Darlene and Jim Goc’s home.

Loup City High School clown troupe member Jamie Hostetler was pictured painting the face of Josie Ference at the 2006 Kids Fair held at the VFW Hall.

Sweetwater is playing the “Nathan Farewell” party at the Litchfield Steakhouse Saturday night. The ad noted there is “Happy Hour” all night.

Loup City firemen Rick Chilewski, Jeff Lobner, and Kirk Stieb were pictured demonstrating firefighting equipment to Leap Into Learning class members as part of Fire Safety Week activities.

October 17, 1996

The paper had three articles concerning the resignation of Loup City High School English and speech teacher Mike Krysl. Superintendent Dave Rokusek told the paper Krysl’s resignation is effective at the end of the current grading quarter. Krysl had a letter to the editor on the front page apologizing for his actions leading up to his resignation.

Kristin Bochart shot a career best eighteen hole score of 113 to lead the Raider girls in District golf.

The Ron Chelewski sale bill contained a large list of modern collectibles including a large Jim Beam bottle collection and a large collection of baseball cards.

The Varsity Boys band is playing the matinee dance being held from 2:00 to 5:00 Sunday afternoon at the St. Francis bazaar.

Raider volleyball had a tough week losing in three sets to Adams- Central and in two sets to Burwell. Jayme Obermiller has eighteen assists and was 46-46 in sets in the game against the Patriots.

The Crossroads in Hazard advertised $1 hamburgers Monday night, mountain oysters Wednesday night and a full prime rib dinner Friday and Saturday nights.

October 16, 1986

The Loup City School Board voted 6-3 in favor of a motion to endorse the controversial LB622 (Referendum 400) on the November ballot. The amendment would allow a shift from the use of property taxes to sales tax for school funding and cap at forty-five percent the amount of property taxes that could be used for school funding.

Olive Shultz and Bonnie Sybrant gave the program at the Homemaker Extension Club meeting at the Hangout. Ruth Babcock was the hostess for the lunch of wontons and beef with peppers.

Shirley King dressed as a clown to promote the circus coming to Loup City. She reported to the paper that $300 was earned from the circus which was given to the Loup City Community Center.

The children of Mr. and Mrs. Edwin Chelewski are hosting a fiftieth wedding anniversary open house at the Community Center Sunday afternoon.

Richard and Betty Wrehe hosted a card party in their home for the members of the KYN Extension Club. Those attending were Clarence and Dorothy Goc, Bob and Marilyn Hurt and Phyllis Treffer and Mrs. Lela Epley.

Over 400 people attended the St. Gabriel’s bazaar meal. Kim Sekutera won the drawing for the quilt made by Regina Rolfsmeyer. The $50 cash drawing was won by Billie Jo Beck, daughter of Delwin and Bobbi Beck.

Krolikowski’s cross bred 600 pound steers brought sixty three at the Tuesday Loup City Livestock, Inc. sale.

October 14, 1976

Sherman County farmers received a total of $112,000 in Federal wheat disaster payments.

A grand opening is scheduled next week for “Obies Family Store”.

Harold Obermiller of St. Paul is the owner of the store at the old Loup City Furnishings location.

Loup City High School band director Keith Weigert reported the marching band earned a “1” rating at the Hastings Melody Roundup.

NPPD is erecting steel electric towers across Sherman County to move power created at the Gerald Gentleman coal fired plant near Sutherland.

The children of Mr. and Mrs. Walter Reed hosted a Sunday afternoon open house reception at the Colony Club in honor of their parents fiftieth wedding anniversary.

The Raider girls defeated Centura in two sets, 15-3, 15-1. Coach Bill Donovan played all twelve girls suited up for the game.

Mr. and Mrs. Joe Fulton returned from a trip to Northern Ireland and Scotland and reported on what they saw in “bomb stricken” Belfast.

Judy Smith advertised a grand opening will be held for the “The Antiquarian Shop” located a half block south of Main Street on 7th Street. The new store will sell antiques, consignments, needle craft items, and homemade items.

Litchfield volunteer firemen Hank Best and Hank Bourland showed Litchfield K-3 students around the fire hall and explained how firefighting equipment is used as part of Fire Prevention Week.

Eighty-seven people attended the Arcadia Garden Club annual hobby show held at the Hangout. One of the programs at the show as Barb Dorsey explaining how to macramé.

October 21, 1966

The Farmers Coop Association board of directors voted to close the Loup City Coop Service Station citing a lack of member support for the station.

Over fifty-five boys and twenty-five adults attended the gun safety class put on by Sheriff Virgil Kaminski and Ken Zimmerman.

Two time Olympic champion Bob Richards will address teachers at the upcoming Sherman County teachers inservice.

The Litchfield column reported Jerry Tesmer is back home after having spent the summer “working in the sandhills”.

Loup City High School FFA members Don Spotanski, Gregg Lange, Dennis Kowaleski, Bob Sides, Harold Jakob, and Jim Bydalek attended the National FFA Convention held in Kansas City.

Mr. and Mrs. Marvin Sather were hosts for the sixteenth birthday party for their son Larry. The boys attending the party presented Larry with a cash gift with which he can pay for his first driver’s license.

The Ashton High School homecoming dance has been moved to next Friday because of the severe storm Friday night. The postponed game was played Monday with the Hawks defeating Elba 31-17.

The I.A. Antoinne Maiefski sale had a very unusual listing on the sale bill of “twenty pieces of antique stuff”.

The Jerry Lewis classic film “Three on a Couch” is playing the Liberty this weekend.

The Rebels, who started the season by losing their first six games of the year, beat Hastings St. Cecilia 3214 on Thursday night.

Against the Bluehawks, the Rebels’ defense proved proficient in shutting down the visitors’ rushing attack. St. Cecilia only amassed fifty-four yards on the ground, with the team’s lone rushing score coming from Collin Greenquist. Greenquist led the team with ten touches for forty-two yards.

Greenquist also passed for a touchdown. The junior completed sixteen of the forty-one passes he attempted for 187 yards. Last week’s win for Arcadia/Loup City comes on the eve of the Rebels’ late-season showdown with Ravenna. The Bluejays enter Friday night’s homecoming battle undefeated after they topped Alma 66-21 on Friday night in Ravenna.

After Friday’s showdown in Buffalo County, the Rebels will return to Loup City to host Gibbon in their regular season finale.

Have you heard of Robert Young? How about Robert Tutton Young? He was reportedly the first white child born in Sherman County. The date of his birth was August 25, 1876; he died October 7, 1962, at the Sacred Heart Hospital in Loup City. Tutton seems like an unusual middle name, but according to his obituary this was a tribute to the attending pioneer physician, Dr.

A. B. Tutton. Robert T.

Young was said to be a relative of Brigham Young on his father’s side; he was related to President William McKinley on his mother’s side.

Mr. Young was homeschooled by his mother until the fourth grade when the family moved into town (Loup City), probably 1886 or 1887. At that time the schoolhouse was on the hill north of the first swimming pool.

He became a building contractor in Sherman County and in southern California. In 1902 the Sherman County Times reported that he was putting a coat of paint on the storefront of A.

M. Bennett’s barbershop. He also built a new sidewalk for Mr.

Bennett. It was reported in his obituary that he had made all of the window frames by hand at the Liberty Theatre when it was built about 1912.

He married Ethel Rentfrow at St. Paul in 1901—on a Sunday evening at a 9:00 p.m. ceremony. Their first home was in St. Paul.

They had four children during their marriage (Oryl, Ione, Robert, and Jessie).

This past week we hosted about ninety-two FCCLA students and their advisors at the Museum and Research Center. They were volunteering for a community service project.

Next week there will be more information about the projects that these people accomplished for us. What a nice group of young people!

The Museum is now open by appointment.

The Research Center (and Hanshew Barbershop) is open Wednesday afternoon 1 to 4 all year. We welcome visitors at other times, too—just call to make your arrangements.

To become a member of the Sherman County Historical Society, call me at 308-750-3325, or contact Kathy Spotanski, Mark Nabity, Rose-Ann Kowalski or Linda Wilke-Heil for a membership application.

Our mailing address is PO Box 362, Loup City, NE 68853; our Facebook page is Sherman County NE Historical Society; our website is www.shermancountyhistoricalsociety. com.

Last Wednesday evening’s special meeting began at 6:45 p.m. It lasted approximately twenty minutes.

The main object of the meeting was the formal acceptance of Hart’s written resignation as mayor, dated September 18th. However, that move followed an initial shift in council leadership.

Early in the meeting, Council President Marc Krueger relinquished his presidency while retaining his elected seat on the City Council. Pursuant to Nebraska law, the sitting city council president takes over the seat of a resigning mayor for the remainder of that mayor’s term. Would Kreuger have kept his seat, he would have been assigned mayor.

Instead, upon relinquishing the presidency, Krueger nominated Council Member Iske to replace him in the role. The nomination was approved 3-0; Iske, as the nominee, abstained.

With Iske the new sitting council president, Hart’s resignation was unanimously accepted by the council— becoming effective immediately thereafter— and Iske assumed her office.

City Clerk AJ Reimers administered the oath of office, after which Iske presided over the remainder of the meeting as mayor.

With Iske vacating his seat to be named mayor, a vacancy was created on the city council. As required by state law, the council directed Reimers to immediately publish and post notice of the vacancy. The city will now have to fill Iske’s vacant council seat through the statutory vacancy process.

Four council members were present for the meeting: Krueger, Iske, Maggie Sekutera and Jennifer Smydra. Four members of the public also attended.

The special meeting was adjourned at 7:04 p.m. Following, the council proceeded with its scheduled 2026-2027 budget hearing.

Iske will remain Loup City’s acting mayor for the rest of Hart’s term, which runs through December 2026. The council member filling Iske’s empty seat will serve for the same period.

The Loup City City Council will vote on their new council president at their October 6th regular meeting.

For the past few weeks, I simply have not been able to get a good night’s sleep.

The reason has baffled me. For weeks I have been tired, running on fumes, and ready to hit the hay when I get home. However, as soon as I crawl under the covers, I find myself staring at the ceiling above me.

It is a problem for which I decided I needed to find a solution.

Then, last week, following a particularly fitful night of rest, the answer hit me.

I have a pillow problem. One day this summer, I discovered that one of the feather pillows that I had slept with since I had been a child—that trusty pillow had traveled with me through every phase of my life and had been a part of every address I had lived at—had a hole in it.

That would normally be a small problem, but when I was confronted with the fact that my bedroom was suddenly covered in feathers, the scope of the issue grew.

I tossed the pillow and didn’t think much about it. Then, my sleeping troubles started.

I know that there is a big difference between coincidence and causation, but I feel like there is little doubt that the absence of a mainstay of many a good night’s rest from my bed has become a problem.

Turns out, I didn’t know what I had until it was gone.

That lesson, I have learned, applies to more than just bedding.

This week, newspapers around the country are hoping to proclaim the message of being grateful for the good things you have in the place you call home as they prepare to celebrate National Newspaper Week. The purpose of National Newspaper Week is to recognize the role that newspapers play in our communities, and the importance of maintaining a source of trusted local journalism.

This year’s theme of “Rooted in Community, Committed to Truth” reinforces that sentiment.

For me, that theme hits home especially hard, as not only have I spent my entire life living in communities with strong local newspapers, but I happen to be the publisher of several such periodicals myself.

Like many people, growing up I didn’t put much stock into the important role that my hometown newspaper— The Palmer Journal— played in my community.

It was just part of the town, like the bar, the bank, or the café.

However, the older I got, the more I realized the kind of impact a trusted source of local news can have on a community.

After a decade and change in the newspaper business, I can’t tell you how many times I have encountered gossip or social media posts asking questions that had long ago been answered by local reporting. Even more frequent are the encounters with comments, posts, and narratives that attempt to adjudicate the facts, with no knowledge of what the truth may be.

Those types of interactions have entertainment value, but they make it hard to separate speculation from fact. Thankfully, there is still a place where local facts are reported, documented, and put into context by people who care: your local newspaper.

For many publications, including the five newspapers I currently publish, reporting the news and serving their communities is a tradition more than a century in the making. Of my group of publications, the youngest is a mere 114 years old.

While I have no trouble admitting that, in the modern era, longevity doesn’t necessarily equal credibility—many legacy publications that were cornerstones of their communities for decades have been reduced in size and scope—the fact remains that most publications work tirelessly to continue a proud tradition.

That tradition is something that all newspapers will celebrate next week.

While there likely isn’t a great way to celebrate National Newspaper Week—my preferred method of marking the occasion is yelling at my local postmaster—simply acknowledging how important it is to have a trusted local news source in a community of any size is a good place to start.

During my career in the newspaper business, I have shuttered a local newspaper, and doing so was no easy decision. In fact, it was the kind of decision that taught me how important it is to continue to fight to provide local journalism to communities across the state.

Sure, there are obstacles to publishing strong local newspapers. There are days when editorial decisions and the occurrence of silly mistakes keep me up at night more than the loss of a good pillow.

However, I know that if I keep fighting to preserve local journalism, then I am doing my part to make the communities I serve better places to live.

If I can accomplish that goal, and maybe find a new pillow or two, then I know I will soon be able to rest easy at night.

It is the “silly season,” as a spokeswoman for Governor Pillen put it recently.

Derogatory labels— some deserved and many exaggerated—fly at us off the television screen in political campaign ads, punctuated with scary music and darkened visages.

If you believe what the attack ads say on television, we have a choice between a “con man” and an “Epstein class” law breaker in the United States Senate race. In the governor’s race, it’s a choice between a tax-happy “liberal” and someone who hires undocumented immigrants while calling for the arrest of others.

You wonder why anyone runs for public office.

To be sure, there’s always some crazy stuff that comes out during election campaigns. Once, someone called me to say a candidate for sheriff in their county was found to have some white powder in their pickup. Had to be cocaine, they said (though a little checking found the allegation to be false).

And then there was the time when a mailer was sent out picturing a state senator in a Halloween costume with a couple of females in angel outfits. That senator partied too much, the mailer implied (though isn’t dressing in costume sort of the point of Halloween?).

Anyway, there was a recent news story that a spokeswoman for Pillen recently called a symptom of “the silly season.” But it seemed to be a tad more than that, given that it was the product of real reporting, not just some exaggeration from a campaign consultant.

I’m referring to a recent Flatwater Free Press story by Andrew Wegley about a one-million-dollar state contract that had been sought by Lincoln lobbyist and business owner Julie Bushell.

Bushell, as you might recall, was awarded a $2.5-million, no-bid contract from the Pillen Administration that raised the eyebrows of State Auditor Mike Foley, who labeled it as probably illegal. Lincoln police have been investigating the allegedly improper contract since March, but as I write this, have not yet reached a conclusion to their probe.

But the latest story raises new questions.

Months before the no-bid contract, Bushell was pitching another deal with a state agency for “real time” sensors to detect nitrates in groundwater. Only one-million-dollars.

While that seems like a worthwhile device (one that might help farmers dial back their use of fertilizer and avoid contaminating groundwater), some state officials questioned whether the devices really worked.

Based on emails they obtained from state officials and interviews with staffers involved at the Department of Environment and Energy, the Free Press revealed that the head of that agency felt the sensors were “unproven,” and more aspirational than effective.

While an anxious state legislature had passed a bill to allocate one-million-dollars for sensors, another cautious state official told Bushell that there needed to be competitive bids taken before the agency could spend that amount of money.

Interestingly, none of these doubts were communicated to a state senator pushing for the funding of nitrate sensors. And, while there were doubts at the NDEE, it was clear, one staffer told the news outlet, that Bushell clearly had the backing of the governor.

The story gave us a rare look into how state government sometimes works in the shadows.

In the end, the one-million-dollars was never spent on the nitrate devices. And Bushell? She’s sold her house in Lincoln and reportedly moved away in the wake of the critical audit and investigation.

While some may label such a story “silly season,” I’d call it “solid reporting,” the kind that holds public officials to account. That’s the highest calling of a free press.

Paul Hammel has covered the Nebraska state government and the state for decades. Prior to his retirement, he was senior contributor with the Nebraska Examiner. He was previously with the Omaha World-Herald, Lincoln Journal Star and Omaha Sun. A native of Ralston, Nebraska, he loves traveling and writing about the state.

The forms are available on the Sherman County Hometown Heroes Facebook page, at the Heritage Bank in Loup City and Town & Country Bank in Litchfield.

In early June, forty- six veterans were honored in Loup City, two in Litchfield, one in Rockville, and five in Ashton on Sherman County Hometown Hero banners. The banners will be taken down for the winter and re-hung next year in time for Memorial Day. There are hundreds more veterans in Sherman County, so please get your hero forms submitted so they can be included in the project The cost per banner is $100. Anyone interested in sponsoring a banner for other veterans or helping support the cost of additional brackets to hang the banners, please leave donations at Heritage Bank payable to Hometown Heroes.

For more information, please call Kelli Loos at 515-333-1215.

This year, the foundation awarded $165,000 through seventy-two grants benefiting volunteer and combination fire departments across Black Hills’ service territory. The grants are expected to positively impact residents in seventy- two communities across seven states.

In Nebraska, twenty- four fire departments received grants totaling $40,000. Among the award recipients was the Loup City Volunteer Fire Department. The Loup City Volunteer Fire Department, one of the only area fire departments to receive funds through the award, received monies for the department’s super vac fan.

“Volunteer firefighters answer the call when their neighbors need them most,” said Andy Storf, general manager of Nebraska operations at Black Hills Energy. “We are honored to support these dedicated first responders through the Funds for Firefighters program and help provide the equipment and resources they need to serve their communities safely and effectively.”

The Funds for Firefighters program aligns with the foundation’s commitment to building thriving communities throughout its service territory.

Since 2001, the Black Hills Corporation Foundation has granted more than $10,000,000 to organizations across the communities the utility serves.

The event will provide members of the public with an opportunity to hear from candidates running for Loup City Mayor, Loup City Board of Education and for the District 2 seat on the Nebraska Public Power District Board.

For more information, contact Kelli Loos

at (515) 333-11215

In a world filled with opinions, arguments, halftruths, and constant streams of information, truth remains a steady light. Scripture reminds us that truth is not merely an idea to defend but a way of life to embrace. Jesus said, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life” (John 14:6).

When everything around us seems uncertain, Christ gives us something unchanging on which we can build our lives.

Truth matters because it shapes how we see God, ourselves, and others.

When we choose honesty, we reflect God’s character.

When we speak truth with love, we can bring healing instead of division.

When we refuse to participate in deception, even when dishonesty seems easier, we demonstrate that our trust is ultimately in God rather than in circumstances.

Yet truth is not always comfortable. Sometimes it exposes our mistakes, challenges our pride, or asks us to change. We may be tempted to believe whatever agrees with our desires. But God’s truth does not exist to condemn us; it is meant to free us.

Jesus promised, “You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8:32).

As believers, we are called to carry truth into a world that desperately needs it. This begins in ordinary places: our conversations, our families, our workplaces, and our relationships.

We can choose honesty when lying would be convenient, kindness when criticism would be easier, and integrity when no one is watching.

Today, ask God to help you recognize truth, live by it, and speak it with grace.

May your words be trustworthy, your actions sincere, and your heart anchored in Christ.

Prayer: Lord, help me walk faithfully in Your truth. Give me courage to reject deception, wisdom to recognize what is true, and love to speak truth with grace. Let my life reflect Your character and bring light to those around me.

Amen.

October 5, 2016

Cody Chilewski and Callie Dethlefs were crowned the 2016 Loup City High School homecoming king and queen.

Leap into Learning president and officers are Whitney Kaminski, Mike Kaminski, Andrea Obermiller, Kelli Rademacher, Adrian Lewandowski, and Jamie Lewandowski.

Open Mike at 717 O Street is hosting a pumpkin carving contest for both adults and children.

The Loup River Scenic By-way group is sponsoring a three hour butterfly garden tour Saturday.

Donors to the Loup City Volunteer Fire Department annual barbecue were Jaeschke Farms, Scientific Crop and the Terry Schultz Farms, Loup City Commission Co, Doug, Sharon, and Derrick Day, David Setlick and Litchfield Pack and Processing.

Sis Trotter’s thank you ad read, “Wow. I had never ever ridden in an ambulance before. Thanks to the Loup City EMT’s, I can cross that off my bucket list”.

Alivia Rhoads finished twenty-third in the UNK Cross Country Invite and Cortney Goc twenty-fourth to lead the girls’ team to a seventh place finish.

Loup City Girl Scouts attended camp at UNK on Sunday: Kailey Kurtzhals, Grace Augustyn, Tayler Obermiller, Piper Gonzalez, Jaymeson Gappa, Trinity Weekley, Morgan Rademacher, Taylor Spooner, Paige Stanczyk, Serenity Heil, Jeslyn Dvorak, Athena Jackson, Haleigh Raterman, Lani Dahlberg, and Kira Bergman.

October 5, 2006

Capri Timm, daughter of Ann Obermiller and Jeff Timm, was crowned Hastings College homecoming queen this past weekend. She was the 2003 Loup City High School homecoming queen.

Steve Grudzinski and Robert Piontkowski were honored with the 2006 Master Conservation Award.

The Sherman County Bank is hosting an open house Saturday to honor Susan Jarzynka for her twenty-five years of service at the bank.

Gene Grudzinski and John Placek will celebrate their eightieth birthdays with a Sunday open house at St. Josaphat’s Catholic Church Parish Hall.

Jan and Cindy took out an ad reading, “Happy third birthday granddog Clyde”.

Raider junior high running back Tyler Hart scored three touchdowns in the 34-16 win over Centura.

The old Ashton elevator was torn down last Tuesday morning.

Lois Wood and Delson Runyan represented the Mason City American Legion and Auxiliary at the District convention held at Burwell.

The Trojan boys defeated SEM 22-14 for their second win of the season. Quinton Royle had twenty-eight tackles in the game. Kevin Unick threw a fifty-four-yard pass to David Panowicz to seal the victory.

Arcadia High School “Gender Swap Day” homecoming week pictures were published. Tyler Bose and Brady Chelewski in dresses and Alison Ribbings (A.K.A. Cowboy Al) was dressed as a cowboy.

October 4, 1996

Eryn McConnell, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Leon McConnell, is the Loup City High School band Harvest of Harmony queen candidate.

Lois Maschka reported to the Ashton Community Club that Ralph Slobasczewski is fashioning new frames out of rebar for the town’s Christmas decorations.

Heidi L. Revlla was ordained September 22nd in Kearney. She began pastoring at the Loup City United Methodist Church in August.

Evelyn Bartunek will celebrate her ninetieth birthday with a Saturday open house at the United Methodist Church.

Wesley Leithoff finished third at the Ord Cross Country Invite. Mona McCarville led the girls with a fourth place finish.

Amy Rademacher earned a sixth place medal at the first Raider Girls’ Golf Invitational with a score of 121. Kristin Bochart was seventh (124) and Ruth Gappa ninth (126).

Ray’s Market advertised bottom round rump roast for $1.79 a lb.

Ermine Albrecht was hostess for the Mason City Sunshine Club meeting. The club celebrated their seventieth anniversary.

Leah Kucera, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Carl Kucera, and Luke Kucera, son of Mr. and Mrs. Frank Kucera, were crowned the 1996 Litchfield High School homecoming royalty Friday night. Kindergarten attendants were Blake Siegel and Kevin Unick.

E. LaVern Oseka offered to buy the Ashton Attendance Center and the 1915 Loup City High School buildings for $25,000 at the Loup City School Board meeting.

October 2, 1986

Terry Kurtzhals presented a Hero Plaque to Earl Teichmeier for saving the lives of Dan Hervert and Brian Fredrich by pulling them from a wrecked car that had caught on fire.

Rebecca Adams, daughter of Eldon and Esther Adams, is the Loup City High School band Harvest of Harmony queen candidate.

A home owned by Harold and Georgia Dorsey, located in northeast Loup City, was burned to the ground Sunday as a training exercise for the local fire departments.

Loup City’s newest business, Phil N Shop, will hold a grand opening on Saturday. A free hot dog and chips is offered with a fill-up of gas.

Sherman County 1986 Heart Drive chairpersons are Marlene Yelkin, Helen Ogle, Lis Hanshew, and June Tesmer.

The new Sherman County extension club presidents are Marguerite Schwaderer, Hill Toppers; Gladys Shipley, Happy Circle; and Virginia Kaminski, Busy Belles.

The Terrell Jacobs Wild Animal Circus will be at the Sherman County Fairgrounds this weekend with the profit earned on sales to be used to fund the Sherman County Community Center.

John Smedra advertised, “Stewing hens for sale. 4-5 lbs., $1 live”.

Jim Manker and the Loup City High School building trades class installed the sidewalk at the new mini-park. Class members were John Michalek, Scott Placzek, Jim Gregory, Scott Rademacher, Nick Badura, Jason Heil, Scott Slobasczewski, Shane Peterson, and Wayne Gallaway.

John Kucera, son of Carl and Grace Kucera, and Linda Wilson, daughter of Randy and Glenda Wilson, were crowned the 1986 Litchfield High School homecoming king and queen. Kimberly Slocum and Caleb Strate were the crown bearers.

September 30, 1976 Ambrose and Jean Zweiner of Spalding have purchased the Colony Club from Harold and Georgia Dorsey. The Dorseys operated the club for the past five years. The Zweiners work part-time with the musical group Kentucky Kuzins.

Julie Lindgren finished in the top ninety percent of the National Merit Scholarship competition.

A record low of twenty- one was recorded September 27th.

The editor assured taxpayers in his editorial that no tax money was used to lay sod and landscape the medical clinic as the money used was “donated for the purpose”.

Mr. and Mrs. Stanley Moritz will be holding a fiftieth wedding anniversary open house at their home Sunday afternoon.

The Busy Belles Club met at the home of Sophia Scherzberg Tuesday. Members answered roll call by telling what they had done this past summer. Each member brought an item for the silent auction.

Alice Woitalewicz rolled a 178 game to lead the ladies in the Wednesday night mixed league.

Loup City elementary teachers Shirley Weight and Judy Shafer provided free watermelon to their students as part of their study of early American history.

John Smith Jr. is the new owner-operator of Litchfield Upholstery.

Robin Unick scored seventeen points in the Trojan win over Sandhills. Injuries continued to haunt the Trojan boys. Marty Albrecht could not play because of a broken arm, Ed Hanson was out with mono, and Jim Goodner and Daryl Schall were slowed by leg injuries.

Loup City High School FFA member Dave Williams showed the Grand Champion Light Weight Market Steer at the Nebraska State Fair.

St. Marys’ CCD class teachers are Linda Reimers, Joyce Kusek, Mary Hewitt, Margaret Lorenz, Janice Lewandowski, Emil and Ruth Tyma, and LeAnn Danczyk. Fifty-five children are enrolled for classes.

October 6, 1966

Kathy Jasnoch, Christine Ignowski, and Mary Phifer represented Sherman County at the Governor’s Youth Conference. Attendees from all over Nebraska were urged to form “youth councils to help Nebraska grow”.

Sgt. Eldon Baker was awarded the nation’s second highest combat award, the Distinguished Cross, for his action in Vietnam as a squad leader with the 101st Airborne. Baker led a squad to relieve a rifle company pinned down by enemy fire. He received numerous wounds while crawling through a rice paddy to rally his men. He then would crawl to an enemy position where he used his pistol to “destroy the enemy within the bunker”.

Loup City High School business teacher Mrs. Josephine Hill has started a short course on “automated data processing”.

Jim Kaslon scored four running touchdowns to lead the Ashton Hawks to a win over Oconto.

George Sweley killed a deer with his bow and arrows near his family farm east of Litchfield.

Sherry Dzuris, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. John Dzuris, was a special guest of honor at a slumber party at her home. Three friends, Dana Houdeschelt, Marcianne Welty, and Sallie Richie helped her celebrate her birthday.

Jack & Jill advertised California Tokay grapes for ten cents a pound.

Frank Reimers and his Polka Band is slated to play the Ashton High School homecoming dance Saturday night at the Saint Francis Hall.

Many respondents to the poll—conducted annually by Rural Prosperity Nebraska with funding from Nebraska Extension—say it would be difficult to leave and most have a positive attachment to where they live, saying they have a good bond with others and feel a sense of connectedness and belonging.

In addition, rural Nebraskans are generally positive about recent changes in their communities as well as the future. This year, more respondents believe their community has changed for the better (thirty-one percent) than for the worse (twenty-six percent), similar to the past two years. However, when asked what they expect ten years from now, twenty-five percent believe their community will be a worse place to live, compared to twenty-two percent who believe it will be better and fifty-three percent who think it will be about the same.

“Nebraska communities have a valuable foundation: people who care about where they live and feel connected to,” said Mary Emery, director of Rural Prosperity Nebraska.

“Understanding that foundation is important for communities as they think about their future. While there’s some uncertainty about what the future will bring, there’s also a great deal of optimism and attachment. The choices communities make today can help shape whether that sense of belonging continues to be a defining part of rural Nebraska.”

Most rural Nebraskans surveyed have a positive attachment to their community, said Becky Vogt, poll manager. Most agree that they have a good bond with others in their community (sixty-five percent), they belong there (sixty-two percent), they can get what they need there (sixty one percent), they feel like a member of their community (sixty-one percent) , people there are good at influencing each other (fifty-six percent), they feel connected to where they live (fifty-four percent) and the community helps them fulfill their needs (fifty-three percent) .

Residents’ feelings and attachment to their communities were also related to community size. Respondents living in or near larger communities, over 5,000 residents, are more likely to say their community has changed for the better during the past year.

However, those living in or near smaller communities (under 1,000 residents) are more likely to say they feel connected to where they live.

Most rural Nebraskans surveyed see their communities as capable of defining their future.

Sixty-three percent strongly disagree or disagree that their community is powerless to control its own future.

In addition, half of respondents say it would be difficult to leave their community, while thirty- six percent indicate it would be easy to leave.

“Clearly rural Nebraskans have a strong sense of identity and belonging to their communities,” said L.J.

McElravy, associate professor of agricultural leadership, education and communication at the University of Nebraska– Lincoln. “These residents aren’t simply living in these communities — many feel they’re part of them and that they have a role in shaping what happens next. That sense of connection, combined with the belief that they have a say in their community’s future, speaks to the commitment people have to the places they call home.”

Except for some services that are largely unavailable in rural communities— such as retail shopping, entertainment and recycling—rural Nebraskans are generally satisfied with basic community services and amenities. They report being either “very satisfied” or “somewhat satisfied” with fire protection (eighty-seven percent), parks and recreation (seventy- seven percent), library services (seventy-five percent), cellphone service (seventy-three percent) , internet service (seventy- three percent), law enforcement (sixty-nine percent), religious organizations (sixty-five percent), medical care services (sixty-four percent) and sewage/waste disposal (sixty-three percent).

“These results show an encouraging picture of the quality of life in rural Nebraska,” Vogt said. “When residents are satisfied with the services they use every day, it suggests that many rural communities are providing a strong foundation of living. Of course, there are areas where rural communities face challenges, but the services and amenities that are available are making a positive difference in people’s lives.”

The 2026 Nebraska Rural Poll marks the thirty-first year of tracking rural Nebraskans’ perceptions about policy and quality of life. It is the largest and longest-running poll of its kind. This April and May, questionnaires were mailed to nearly 6,900 Nebraska households, with 881 households from eighty-six of the state’s ninety-three counties responding.

The poll carries a margin of error of plus-orminus three percent.

In every basement, attic, or storage shed, there is an item or two that we could easily toss, sell, or destroy without a second thought.

For me, those items go straight into the garbage.

However, for others, those items illustrate the old adage that one man’s trash is another’s treasure.

This week, across much of central Nebraska, thousands of treasure hunters will be on the lookout for bargains and good buys.

From Grand Island to Burwell to Dunning and every stop in between, Nebraska’s biggest garage sale weekend has become a staple of September in my corner of the country. While shopping can—at times—be fun, for the most part, garage sale weekend is just one more thing for me to cover and it creates an onslaught of crowds and visitors that shun basic traffic laws and throw our small towns into chaos.

For years, that chaos has been limited to the streets and highways around my office and home. However, this fall, like several other times in the past, the chaos has hit home.

It has crept inside. This month, as has happened on several occasions in the past, a family member or friend has asked if they could use my building along St. Paul’s historic main street as the site for one kind of sale or another. Such requests come at me from time to time throughout the year; however, those vendors usually stay on the outside.

This year, like several before, the junk has been hauled indoors.

If you are offended that I called the wares on offer this weekend in the garage of my building junk, then you clearly weren’t lending a hand unpacking the trailers and the boxes.

I like a bargain as much as the next guy. In fact, over the years I have found many a treasured item at a garage sale or during an estate auction. However, when you start selling used children’s shoes and runner-up wrestling club trophies, I start to question your sanity.

While many of the items were head-scratchers, I, without a doubt, had a blast helping unpack and set things up.

At first, a cluster of old cookbooks caught my eye.

One thing that I have learned while garage sale shopping or thrift store shopping over the years is that people tend to have an odd obsession with cookbooks of all kinds.

In an era when almost any recipe can be found online, it is amazing that there are still people who want to collect the physical cookbooks. While I doubt I will put down any real money on “Lickety-split Meals,” a 400-page cookbook first published in 1998 and still available for purchase from the original publisher for $23.95, there is a chance that it will be the find that some treasure hunter was hoping to discover.

The second item that really piqued my interest was a jump rope.

Although I initially brushed off the find while rummaging through the items on the sale tables, after everyone had gone home, I quickly tried it out and discovered that I would rather spend my dollar on candy than a piece of exercise equipment.

Let’s just say I am a long way from being able to log any time jumping rope, and Double Dutch is nothing more than a dream.

While I joked and jested about the items on offer at the burgeoning sale in my building, the truth is that there likely were some really great finds that the right person might be able to either enjoy or flip for some additional cash.

Board games, a couple of LEGO tables, antiques, old and unique dishes, and even some funny Halloween costumes were among the many things that I happened upon while browsing the wares. Each item was diligently listed with a price. Had it been me, I would have either thrown the wares in the trash or given them away for free.

But then again, I am not in the garage sale business.

During one of the busiest garage sale weekends of the year—I laugh at all the little signs you see dotting the roadways and resting in the middle of the town’s streets throughout the week and into the weekend—I imagine that many of our readers will take a minute or two to see just what they can find in someone’s garage or outbuilding.

While I respect the effort, I still have to scratch my head.

Is all this stuff someone’s treasure, or is it simply junk?

The Flatwater Free Press, in conjunction with reporters with the New York Times, recently confirmed what many had suspected— that Nebraska Governor Jim Pillen had employed undocumented immigrants in his hog business.

Out in farm country, I doubt that the story came as much of a surprise.

For years, Nebraska hog barns, feedlots, meat processing plants, and roofing crews have relied on immigrant labor to staff their operations.

Pretty much everyone knows that. Few questions are asked about how they are able to get jobs despite immigration checks required of businesses.

And, there’s general acceptance of these immigrants—they’re taking jobs no one else wants to take, and, by and large, are hard workers, trying (like our forefathers did) to get ahead and live the American dream.

Years ago, I covered an ICE raid in O’Neill, aimed at busting a local businessman who was acting as an employment agency for local, agriculture- based businesses— and skimming off some of the wages paid to his clients.

More than 100 immigrants— fathers, mothers, and others—were hauled away to detennity, tion in the raid. But instead of hailing the crackdown, dozens of O’Neill residents held a protest to get their friends and neighbors back.

To a person, they said these people were part of their commu- neighbors, fellow members at church, and in local organizations. Their kids played with their kids; they attended school together; played on the same teams and cheer squads.

These new residents were not seen as “the worst of the worst,” which was the stated goal of the current ICE crackdown and deportations (even though more than seventy percent of the current ICE detainees have no criminal convictions, according to reports).

Anyway, Governor Pillen didn’t come off too well after the publishing of the recent story. He waved off the story as “old news,” and a spokeswoman said his companies never “knowingly” hired any undocumented immigrants—which is what a lot of companies can say.

Pillen has been a full-throated backer of President Trump’s aggressive deportation push, and agreed to turn a state prison camp near McCook into an ICE detention center.

Still, the governor— whose hog barns hold the fourteenth largest number of pigs in the nation—has also moderated his stance. Once, he told the Nebraska Examiner that immigrants who are working, and are law-abiding, and have been in the country for years are “... A-OK, they’re fine.”

Some pretty conservative groups, like the Nebraska Chamber of Commerce, have been saying that, if people want to work, and are good people, give them a way to do that. After all, our state has thousands and thousands of unfilled jobs.

But Congress is passing few bills these days, and a bipartisan attempt to fashion a coherent immigration law was scuttled by Trump, who didn’t want former President Joe Biden to get a political win.

It’s the kind of political stuff that drives you crazy—good ideas can’t become law because someone might win some political points.

So we muddle on. Immigrants desperate to flee crime-ridden, no-future countries still see America as a beacon of hope; companies desperate for workers still look the other way when hiring.

As for Pillen, it’s hard to say how the Flatwater/NY Times story might impact his re-election chances. It’s not a good look to root for an immigration crackdown when you’re hiring undocumented immigrants yourself.

But my guess is that our governor has bigger issues dragging down his popularity, like the worsening economy for farmers and the inability to put a major dent into the state’s high property taxes.

Paul Hammel has covered the Nebraska state government and the state for decades. Prior to his retirement, he was senior contributor with the Nebraska Examiner. He was previously with the Omaha World-Herald, Lincoln Journal Star and Omaha Sun. A native of Ralston, Nebraska, he loves traveling and writing about the state.