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“For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord”, Luke 2:11.

Across the state of Nebraska, the colors of the Christmas lights are gleaming across the roads. On our radios, carols of reindeer and snowmen play spreading the joy of Christmas.

In our homes, the trees are being set up adorned with ornaments and twinkling lights filled with the scent of cookies coming out of the oven.

Our Children are anxious to look under the trees to see presents wrapped in bright colors and ribbons. The gifts of the Christmas season do much to spread joy into the hearts of old and young alike.

But all of these gifts, no matter how fun or special, compare to the greatest gift of all- our Savior Jesus Christ.

Our world is certainly full of sin and brokenness but the true meaning of Christmas gives us a reason to celebrate.

The Gospel of John tells us that God did not send his Son to condemn the world, but to save it.

With Christmas nearly here, this week I decided to share an article from our Extension Horticulturalist, Nicole Stoner on poinsettias.

A common holiday gift is the Poinsettia. If you receive one for Christmas this year, do you know how to care for it? Poinsettias are a staple for the Christmas season, but they don’t have to be a shortlived gift that is thrown away at the beginning of the year.

Typically, poinsettias are most commonly found in red, but the color range is constantly expanding.

They can now be found in white, pink, green, peach, yellow, or marbled or speckled colors. On an old-fashioned poinsettia, the red colored portion of the poinsettia is not the flower of the plant.

The colored, leaf-like structures are called bracts, which are just modified leaves. The true flower of a poinsettia is the yellow center of the colored bracts.

Dear Santa Claus...I hope that you are well rested and ready for your trek across the world. I’ve never been big on “needing things” in life, but this year is a little different, and my wish list, to me, doesn’t seem to be to “needy,” so here is my wish list for the holiday season, in MY little bubble of the world: 1. Bring resolve to the struggles of world peace, and political division and help make little Clay County Nebraska a much better place to live...although it’s a pretty awesome place to call home the people of my home county are pretty darn awesome, and if you take a look at our fair county, which maybe you have, you’ll feel the same about “my county,” as I do; 2. Bring some resolve to the almost five months or direction to damages to the Sutton downtown business district, damaged by the July 29, EF-1 tornado that left our building, at least nine-10 other businesses, and several homes, and areas in despare.

CAPITOL VIEW COMMENTARY BY J.L. SCHMIDT STATEHOUSE CORRESPONDENT NEBRASKA PRESS ASSOCIATION

Just when you thought the drought was bad, deserts have started popping up in Nebraska.

Pick a topic: childcare; food; maternal health care. They have been discussed in the interim by lawmakers and deserve to be included among bills under consideration next session. It’s time to start looking at problems affecting Nebraskans and not the national agenda of one political party.

For example, the state could help encourage more doctors to dedicate their time and specialty to labor and delivery care if the dangers of maternal health care deserts are addressed, State Sen. Jen Day of Omaha recently told members of the Legislature’s Health and Human Services Committee. She was joined by doctors, maternal health experts and hospital administrators during an interim study hearing.

Across the State of Nebraska, you may see the gathering of signatures to put the EPIC tax on the ballot to be decided on by the voters.

The EPIC tax, or eliminate property, income, and corporate tax, provides an opportunity to completely transform Nebraska’s complicated, outdated, and broken tax systema goal I certainly support.

For years Nebraskans have told me over and over again that rising property taxes are a top issue. And over and over again, the Nebraska Legislature passes property tax relief which only slightly decreases the problem.

I have brought legislation and voted in favor of property tax relief, but the relief only slows down the growing property tax burden with Nebraskans still paying more and more even when we pass so called “relief.”

By placing the EPIC tax on the ballot, Nebraska’s second house- the voters, have a chance to truly see some major relief.

First, thank you to all the business owners and concerned citizens who came to our city council meeting on November 13.

I am constantly edified by the care our town members show and how involved they are with civic issues. I have seen this time and again over this past year as mayor. I was glad to address the frustrations of business owners regarding the destruction from the tornado.

It was an opportunity for all to have their voices heard. Over the last 100 days it has been frustrating for me as mayor to learn how much mine, and the city councils’ hands, were tied in this process, as well as the many insurance roadblocks that were faced. At the meeting, our town lawyer was able to help everyone understand it is illegal for the city to be more involved than it has been.

Dear Governor Jim Pillen, Sutton, as you may know, has been dealing with, and going through a tough challenge over the course of the past four months. We’ve been dealing with the aftermath of an EF-1 tornado that shook, beat up, and damaged many areas of this small South Central Nebraska community.

As I write this open letter to you, I mostly represent just myself, as I’ll never speak for others in an open opinion, but my gut feeling tells me that as I write this, and after the other businesses and homes that have been left “crippled” by this “little storm,” have read this, many may just jump on board with my letter to you.

From the time that the storm hit our little town, on July 29, 2023, to today, Sunday, Nov. 19, it’s been a long and grueling 114 days since the early morning “teeny tornado” left a path of destruction.

CAPITOL VIEW COMMENTARY BY J.L. SCHMIDT STATEHOUSE CORRESPONDENT NEBRASKA PRESS ASSOCIATION I don’t remember much about my recent 64-block ambulance ride from my house to an urban hospital, but I was told after the fact that it was a matter of a few minutes to keep my body from going into septic shock.

The whole incident helped me understand the critical importance of getting rural patients to medical care as quickly as possible. It also speaks volumes about staffing those ambulances with competent medical professionals.

That’s why I support the efforts of Sen. Myron Dorn of Adams in the upcoming Legislature. Nebraskans care about one another. Rural Nebraskan health care workers have told state lawmakers that many of their local emergency medical service providers need state help to stay afloat.

Veterans Day is an outstanding opportunity to recognize the men and women of our armed forces who have served our country. Through their courage and devotion to their duties, America’s veterans have helped keep the United States the greatest, freest nation on Earth.

It is fitting we pause to give them a day of recognition; yet we owe them so much more. History, as well as current events, are constant reminders– we live in the land of the free because of the brave.

In observance of Veterans Day, this week I gathered with Nebraskans for ceremonies in Kearney and Grand Island. Both were wonderful times of coming together to celebrate and thank the great Nebraskans who have defended our nation. The event in Grand Island broke ground for a new state-administered veterans cemetery, set to open in the spring of 2025.

During the pandemic, school closures and the transition to online or remote learning were no doubt challenges for our Nebraska students, teachers, and parents.

As students logged on to their Zoom calls and worked on their online schooling, parents were often sitting side-by-side to work on their own online remote work. Parents were able to see and hear what their kids were learning with far more transparency than before.

In many cases, this experience led to an appreciation for our strong schools, but in other cases, parents raised valid criticisms over various curriculum and school policies. Because of this, I am approaching the upcoming legislative session with a key goal in mind: empowering parents.

We must ensure transparency for parents, whether it comes to the curriculum, athletic policies, their student’s physical and mental health, and books.