It’s an exciting time of year. The robes, mortar boards, and tassels are on display as Nebraska’s graduates are celebrating with their friends and loved ones. I am always so encouraged to see our state’s young people succeed and pursue new opportunities.
Let’s not’t get any rumors started – I’m a few years past the stage we called “Puppy love” when I was in High School. I had a real case of it last Sunday though.
Adults who feel good, eat right and exercise regularly may feel as though annual wellness visits are unnecessary, but nothing could be further from the truth. Data from the Office for National Statistics indicates that, for most cancers, one- and five-year survival rates are significantly higher if the cancer is detected early. But many cancers do not exhibit symptoms in their early stages, or if they do, produce only mild symptoms that do not compel adults to visit their physicians. As a result, annual wellness visits may serve as the only opportunity for physicians to uncover cancers before they reach advanced stages, where survival rates tend to be much lower. During annual physicals, women may receive routine pelvic exams and pap tests, while men may be tested for colon cancer and prostate cancer. Skipping these visits allows cancers more time to spread, thus complicating treatment plans and potentially reducing survival rates. Annual physicals also may uncover certain factors, such as an unhealthy weight or skin issues like moles, that could be risk factors for cancer or initial warning signs that the disease is present.
There certainly were plenty of reasons to celebrate this year’s Arbor Day. In addition to it being the 150th anniversary of our hometown holiday’s first celebration, it also marked the 50th anniversary of the Nemaha Natural Resources District and the Arbor Day Foundation.
As Nebraskans know well, we are the beef state. We have every segment of the supply chain from cowcalf producers, to backgrounders, to large and small feed yards and also three of the four big packers in the state. The livestock industry contributes $13.8 billion to Nebraska’s economy annually. It is without a doubt the economic engine of our state. Recently, there was a legislative hearing on my bi
Two Otoe County residents will receive their degrees during the spring commencement exercises at the University of Nebraska at Kearney. Ravin Baker of Nebraska City and Emma Porter of Unadilla will be among 682 spring graduates who will be recognized at commencement exercises at 10 a.m.
For rural communities to survive and thrive, they need access to many of the same resources larger cities do—groceries, energy, broadband, and health care among them. To address the health care needs of rural seniors, Medicare has numerous special provisions, including a hospital category for Critical Access Hospitals (CAH)— facilities with 25 or fewer beds in communities distant from the next-closest hospital.
Nebraskans have long been strong supporters of the right to keep and bear arms. Nearly 85 years after it was enshrined in the Second Amendment at the federal level, Nebraska’s leaders chose to make our stance on gun rights crystal clear.
Romans 4:24-25, “But for ours also. It will be counted to us who believe in him who raised from the dead Jesus our Lord, who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification.
Transplants are the way to go with tomatoes, peppers and dozens of other vegetables, as well as many of the annual flowers common in Nebraska gardens. Transplants give long-season crops a head start before being put out in the garden and a chance to produce before fall frost. Annual flowers grown from transplants begin blooming weeks earlier than they would if a gardener planted them from seed.