Opinion

d.C . Celebrating 80 years of the North Platte Canteen special spot in our history and in our hearts for the North Platte Canteen.

Commonsense Steps to Restore Trust Growing up in Gering, I learned early on that commitment is key. Reputation and relationships are built by keeping one’s commitments.

d.C . Recovering from the Nebraska Wildfires The wildfires across Western Nebraska are the worst since we became a state.

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. There’s another buddy who is convinced that he was followed by an alien ship while driving down a remote western Nebraska highway.

I want to begin by saying how much I appreciate the many calls and messages I’ve received in support of LB669. This was a bill to protect women in domestic violent relationships and/or victims of human trafficking, and your support has been a true blessing. I am grateful to everyone who reached out and stood with us on this important issue. Unfortunately, upon cloture, we fell two votes short of moving the bill forward, including the lack of support from two of my Republican colleagues.

D.C . Over the last several days, we have been reminded how quickly life can change.

NOTE FROM D.C . Nebraskans deserve elected officials who will put their communities’ interests ahead of their own personal interest.

If you’re like me, you were sickened to read about the wildfires running amok across sections of Nebraska in mid March. Thousands and thousands of acres, as far as the eye could see in areas of the Sandhills, in bluffs and hills southeast of North Platte and south of Kilgore, and (once again) in areas near the Nebraska National Forest in Halsey.

W Over the past week, smoke has filled the skies across central and western Nebraska as wildfires have torn through more than 826,000 acres—destroying homes, infrastructure, and forcing families to evacuate with little notice. This is the worst wildfire crisis Nebraska has ever experienced and for many families the hardship is far from over.

Last week the Legislature began debate on the first major revenue proposal of the session: raising the tax on cigarettes by $1.00/pack. In November, I made a very public pledge that I would not support tax increases, along with three of my colleagues, so our vote should have been the least surprising issue of the day, yet tempers flared with frustration that we would not support this tax increase. Together, we committed to opposing tax increases on Nebraskans and to pursuing responsible solutions that focus on spending discipline rather than higher taxes. When we announced this pledge ahead of the 2026 session, the commitment was clear. Any legislative tax proposal should not increase the total tax burden on Nebraskans. If a tax rate is increased or the tax base expanded, it should be paired with a direct dollar for dollar reduction in another tax so that taxpayers are not asked to pay more overall.