Columns

Competition, as the headline this week reads, can be so rewarding, yet it can also be so tough all at the same time. This past weekend during the 2023 Nebraska State Track and Field Championships, I was a personal witness to some amazing competition, but the injury bug held a strong cloud over the Sandy Creek boys team...but more on that, first...the rewarding action.

BALDWIN ENDS SHINING CAREER

Nathan Baldwin is certainly a big name in the throwing events in the State of Nebraska, regardless of class.

You’ve seen his name all over the place in this newspaper the past three track seasons, and he’s certainly received some state and national praise for his throwing abilities during the three years he represented Sutton High School. If you recall, his freshman season was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

State track this year is going to be a real workout for the Ole Bull, after some stellar performances last Wednesday and Thursday during District track action. Clay County schools will be taking 26 student-athletes to the 2023 Nebraska State High School track and field championships, in an amazing 34 total events.

The Class D and Class C track and field events will hit the Omaha Burke High School oval and field this Friday and Saturday, and among those 26 kids representing their respective schools at Sandy Creek, Sutton, and Harvard, they will be doing so in 34 total events, which is a new record for ME anyway, in regards to how many events I’ve had to cover in one season since coming to Clay County in 2009.

This being my 14th state track meet since jumping on board with the Clay County News, it will be a workout for the old man.

School years come and go anymore, at least for me. I figure the older I get, the faster it goes. It literally feels like we just started the fall sports season, when in reality, we’re winding down the 2022-23 school year.

This week features the start of the track and field post-season and the boys golf season. District track is set for Wednesday, May 10 for both Sandy Creek and Harvard, thankfully at Sandy Creek High School. The Sutton track teams are slated to take to the Thayer Central oval and field Thursday, May 11.

District golf action for the Sandy Creek and Sutton squads will then hit next Monday, May 15, and Tuesday, May 16, with the Cougars competing in the D-1 District meet on Monday. The Mustangs will be part of the C-4 District meet, Tuesday.

Both district golf meets will be played in Grand Island at the Indianhead Golf Course. Heartland Lutheran is hosting the D-1 meet, with Grand Island Central Catholic hosting the C-4 meet.

BULL

Post office boxes throughout Clay County and our friends to the east, Grafton, will be filled each Wednesday and Thursday over the course of at least the next three, maybe four, weeks and you can thank the Clay County News for that.

We’re in the midst of a total saturation mailing over the course of the next few weeks in an effort to show you what many non-subscribers are missing with YOUR community newspaper.

So, that pretty much sums up why those of you that haven’t subscribed to the county newspaper have a paper this week...best of all, it’s free to you.

Honors are so amazing to receive. For 150 years, the Nebraska Press Association has been bestowing awards on newspapers around the state. The Clay County News took home some special honors this year, which you can read about in this edition. One award received by a staff member was beyond amazing.

Our news editor and layout guru Ashley Swanson was in the spotlight, winning the 2022 Feature Photo of the Year. She captured a picture at the Clay County Fair’s ranch rodeo, in the midst of a downpouring rain.

When she was announced as the top award winner over the landscape of all of our newspapers in Nebraska, daily papers, as well as weekly community newspapers in that category, it took me back to 1995.

Friday and Saturday, the Nebraska Press Association celebrated 150 years during the annual NPA Convention, this year in Lincoln.

I started my journey toward Lincoln Friday morning, and after an unfortunate flat tire on the interstate, I finally rolled my way into the parking garage ready to see familiar faces and join in on the informational sessions.

NPA Executive Director Dennis DeRossett called the NPA a big family, and it truly is.

It’s exciting to see familiar faces and have conversations with friends you otherwise don’t get to see throughout the year. And if you don’t know someone, it’s pretty easy to introduce yourself and get to know them quickly.

We’re a big family, all with different personalities, backgrounds, worldly views, and yet, we all strive toward one goal—telling the stories of our communities, good or bad, in a factual and engaging way for our readers.

Last week, I spoke on the Senate floor to fight a blatant power grab by the federal government.

The Senate considered a resolution attempting to block the “Waters of the United States” (WOTUS) rule from President Biden’s Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). This rule would change the definition of navigable waters to include things like roadside ditches, puddles on construction sites, and farm ponds.

Think about that–President Biden’s EPA and his Army Corps of Engineers apparently believe that drainage ditches, construction site puddles, and farm ponds are “navigable waters.”

If allowed to stand, this rule would increase costs and uncertainty for farmers and ranchers, property owners, and small businesses. To say this rule defies all common sense is an understatement.

Let’s talk about the embarrassment formerly known as the Nebraska Legislature.

The 49 elected senators are now 60 days into the scheduled 90-day session and the scoresheet is mostly bare.

There are two bills awaiting “final reading,” the last of three rounds of debate by the full Legislature. Two bills have been killed, nine have been withdrawn, and 614 are being held by committees.

According to headlines in the New York Times and other national media outlets, the Nebraska Legislature has passed zero bills. Most credit the efforts of Omaha Senator Machaela Cavanaugh for her herculean filibuster efforts aimed at stopping a bill that would change the age at which transgender youth could receive medical assistance.

This spring I have been delighted to greet so many young Nebraskans from the Third District visiting Washington on school and family trips. It is always inspiring to see their patriotic curiosity in government service and hear the hopefulness in their questions.

I have also appreciated the opportunity to visit several schools and learning centers during my travels in the Third District. Nebraska has a strong tradition of investment in younger generations, and I am always grateful to meet the dedicated sponsors and educators who invest in these students every day.

The importance of building up our nation’s future leaders cannot be overstated, and there are several ways I seek to accomplish this through my office.

One of the best opportunities for young people to learn more about the legislative process and what it is like to work in a congressional office is through internships.

This week, I gave my U.S. Senate Maiden Speech – a long-held tradition for freshman senators to highlight their priorities in an inaugural speech on the Senate floor.

The first time I entered the U.S. Senate chamber, I got chills. The chamber and the Capitol building represent the values we’ve held for nearly two and a half centuries. They represent how exceptional our Republic is.

We must not lose sight of what makes America so exceptional. Our founders threw off the tyranny of a king with an idea; that our rights come to us directly from God—not from a king. Governments are instituted to protect those rights.

Even today, after 246 years, our founding principles are every bit as true. These values – like rule of law, checks and balances, and federalism—are critical to our republic. They’ve created the greatest nation the world has ever seen. We’re strongest when we follow them. We’re never weaker than when we stray from them.