Recently I saw a patient who had experienced two consecutive days of pain in his right upper abdomen. I questioned him, looking for clues of gallstones, liver mass, or maybe an ulcer in the small bowel, but his answers did not fit my expectations. The pain was located under his right ribs and radiated into his back, just as I would expect of gallbladder disease; but it was not triggered by eating, and the way the patient described the pain did not fit the profile of an abdominal disorder. Then, a lightbulb went off; I needed to look at his skin.

Last week a total of 89 bills were named either a senator or a committee priority bill. If priority bills are advanced out of committee they will have a better chance of being heard on the legislative floor this year. The speaker also named 25 bills as speaker priority bills. This may sound like a lot of bills and although some of these bills are controversial, most are not.

The Nebraska Legislature is halfway through its 2021 session. Senators are working on passing a budget that controls spending and delivers on Nebraskans’ top priority—property tax working to achieve other important objectives like providing veterans tax relief, replacing the crumbling Nebraska State Penitentiary, and expanding our state’s broadband infrastructure.

Sports fans rejoiced this past weekend as a favorite past time returned from a one-year COVID-induced hiatus. The NCAA Tournament certainly brought the madness through the first weekend, including one my backside.

Delores “Dolly” M Sauers age 90 of Indianola, NE passed away at the Cambridge Memorial Hospital on February 16, 2021. She was born on August 10, 1930 in Pittsburgh, PA, to William and Mae (Howell) Morrow. Dolly grew up in the Pittsburgh are graduating high school from Stowe High School in 1947.

Leisa L. Beat, age 71, of Arapahoe, Nebraska passed away in her home surrounded by her family on Friday, March 19, 2021. She was born at Spokane, Washington on April 7, 1949 to Flann Root and Marjorie Louise Bellamy.

The Central Community College Board of Governors has voted unanimously to keep tuition and fees at the present rate for the 2021-22 academic year. The per-credit hour tuition rate is $92 for Nebraska residents and $138 for non-Nebraska residents.

Lincoln, Nebraska, Feb. 26, 2021 - The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) provides technical and financial assistance to help Nebraska farmers and livestock producers recover from damages brought on by winter storms Uri and Viola. Agricultural producers are encouraged to contact their local USDA Service Center to learn about the programs available to help them recover from crop, land, infrastructure and livestock losses.

Furnas County 4-H was ecstatic to have an in-person speech contest this year! The contest was held in Arapahoe at the Ella Missing Center on Monday, March 15th. Three 4-H’ers and two Clover Kids wowed the judge and audience with their fantastic speeches. Earning a purple ribbon and qualifying for the State Speech Contest in Lincoln was Micah Gerlach with his speech “Wheel of Projects”. Also earning purples were Asher Gerlach with his speech “I Don’t Want To” and Kinley Christensen with her speech “What’s Your Story”. Clover Kid, Silas Gerlach, cracked jokes with his speech “Silliness with Silas” and Clover Kid, Emma Houser, performed “The Best Friend Book” by Todd Parr. We look forward to watching these 4-H’ers and Clover Kids grow and seeing them next year at the 022 Furnas County 4-H Speech Contest!

Cambridge Public School held a “Rustic Romance” Prom on Saturday, March 20. Pictured above is the Senior Class..