Commentary
Ukraine invasion inspires generosity, but donors should be wary of scammers
Such is the velocity of news and information that within minutes of the first air strikes, millions of people around the world were notified of the Russian invasion in Ukraine. Many millions more have since found out and continue to consume coverage of the fallout. There will be no shortage of stories to shine a […]
Brad Ashford: My four-year personal health journey
Recently a friend asked me to record my personal health journey. I was hesitant to do so until I realized it might help others seek the medical help they need. I have always tried to be healthy — watched my weight, participated in sports like basketball and rugby from high school on, never smoked, and […]
Ukraine and future of the NATO alliance
“How smart is that? And he’s gonna go in and be a peacekeeper…We could use that on our southern border…here’s a guy who’s very savvy.” — Donald Trump’s comments on Vladimir Putin’s military incursion into Ukraine’s Eastern regions, Feb. 22, 2022 I’ll never forget candidate Donald Trump’s first campaign trail attack on NATO in 2016. […]
Opinion: Although forever optimists, family farmers are fighting for a future
Even though the cards are often stacked against us, farmers are the ultimate optimists. I’m a 4th generation cattle and grain farmer, and, right now, I’m optimistic that, for the first time since Teddy Roosevelt with the Packer and Stockers Act of 1921, we have a president that is trying to take on corporate control […]
Tear down Nebraska food truck roadblocks
Customers come from miles away when Patrick McClure rolls into town with his food cart and starts grilling. His one-man operation, Sprocket’s Famous Freedom Dogs, covers Nebraska from a centralized base in Valley County. The menu includes quarter-pound all-beef wieners and 25 custom toppings, including a signature Coney sauce, which keeps the crowds coming back. […]
The IRS already has all our income tax data — so why do we still have to file taxes?
Doing taxes in the U.S. is notoriously complicated and costly. And it gets even worse when there are delays and backlogs, making it especially hard to reach the Internal Revenue Service for assistance. But to me this raises an important question: Why should taxpayers have to navigate the tedious, costly tax filing system at all? […]
What are taxpayers spending for those ‘free’ COVID-19 tests? The government won’t say.
The four free COVID-19 rapid tests President Joe Biden promised in December for every American household have begun arriving in earnest in mailboxes and on doorsteps. A surge of COVID infections spurred wide demand for over-the-counter antigen tests during the holidays: Clinics were overwhelmed with people seeking tests, and the few off-the-shelf brands were nearly […]
Opinion: Don’t taint Supreme Court nominee with stigma of affirmative action
The distorted misinformation about affirmative action is once again raising its ugly head around the potential nomination of a Black woman to the U.S. Supreme Court. Before any qualified, likely overqualified, Black woman is nominated for the Supreme Court, her reputation is being tainted by the notion that the only reason she is being considered […]
Biden sending more troops to Eastern Europe: 3 key issues behind the decision
President Joe Biden announced on Feb. 2, 2022, that the U.S. is sending several thousand military personnel to assist NATO allies in Europe, as a massive Russian troop buildup threatens to violate Ukraine’s sovereignty. An estimated 2,000 U.S. troops are heading from the U.S. to Poland and Romania, which both border Ukraine. The remainder of […]
Mis- and disinformation: Threats to Nebraska’s economy, health and safety
As partisan polarization deepens within the United States, Americans are increasingly failing to agree not only on policy, but upon what’s true. At the heart of this matter lies the spread of false narratives, which accelerates (and is cultivated by) partisan divides. The circulation of misleading information has sown national discord by warping once-unifying issues […]
Yizker bikher books commemorate Holocaust deaths – but also celebrate Jewish communities’ life
Each year on Jan. 27, the anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz-Birkenau camp complex in Poland, an International Day of Commemoration memorializes the victims of the Holocaust. This somber day focuses on the destruction the Nazis and their collaborators inflicted on Jewish communities throughout Europe. But there is another way to honor those 6 […]
