This country is the greatest in the history of the world – free, strong, resilient, a land of unending opportunity. The American people are blessed beyond measure, but the brazen, public assassination of Charlie Kirk just over a month ago knocked all of us back onto our heels.

It’s been nearly three weeks since Democrats voted to shut down the federal government. The frustration across the country is real — and I share it. But when moments like this arise, I remind myself why I came to Washington in the first place. Nebraskans sent me here because they value determination, resilience, and grit. They expect me to stand firm in my convictions and deliver results, even in difficult times.

Just like trees and turf, perennial plants need some fall TLC. The care they receive now can make a big difference in how they perform next year. Dividing perennials at the right time ensures they’ll have enough time to root and recover before blooming again. With a little attention this fall, your garden will be off to a great start come spring.

You’re asleep when suddenly your calf tightens into a painful knot. You swing your legs over the side of the bed and stand up, trying to stretch the muscle and waiting for the cramp to release.

Let’s call her Sarah, although that wasn’t her name. I’d had the privilege of delivering her, and the fun of watching her grow into a precocious toddler, with an impish smile and a joyous laugh. Then I had the responsibility of explaining her autopsy report to her devastated parents.

Last week, I addressed the completely avoidable disaster that struck Washington. It’s now been 10 days since congressional Democrats voted to shut down the federal government. Since September 30th, the Senate has voted seven times on a clean funding resolution passed by the House — this is a straightforward, short-term bill that funds the government at current levels without adding poison pills or partisan policies. This would give Congress time to finish the full-year funding bills responsibly. But Democrats have rejected it seven times.

For the second week, the government is shutdown. Government services have diminished or stopped. Senate Democrats want to hold rural Nebraskans’ healthcare hostage. Important programs like telehealth have lapsed. This is what a Schumer Shutdown looks like. The Schumer Shutdown doesn’t have to continue any longer. Republicans are ready to pass a clean Continuing Resolution. That means government spending levels continue at the current levels. The same spending levels President Biden signed into law. That is the Republican position. That is the sensible position. Republicans are offering the only bipartisan bill.

It’s difficult to grab kids attention when it comes to the perils of social media. I’m going to share a story of what happened to my house this week, albeit a little embarrassing, in hopes that it might hit a little closer to home, thus making those warnings mean a little more.

I was talking to my Grandpa earlier this week about what Wednesday’s looked like for him when he was younger and he said they were always for church nights, matter of fact everyone up till this decade will say the same thing. What changed? The world did and Cambridge, Nebraska is going right along with it. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve asked someone “Missed you at church” to which they would reply with “I had this mandatory thing for a club that I’m in” or “I had a game today.” You see, the problem is it’s always church or school, church or grades, church or this activity I’m involved in. Students go to school five days a week for 8 hours for 4 of those days and 7 hours one of those days. That’s 39 hours per week of school. That’s not including the two to three hour practices most of us have every day. That adds 17 and a half hours which makes it 56 hours spent doing things school related. Let’s say a student tries to go to bed by 10. That leaves on average 3 1/2 hours to eat, do homework, shower, and do other nightly routine steps. On average less than 1 hour is spent connecting with family. I think I can confidently say that those of you who are parents can agree that 1 hour connecting with your kids isn’t enough. So, I’m not only fighting for an open Wednesday night for church, I’m also fighting for family time as well. I may be presenting this alone but I do not stand alone. I feel compelled to bring this to attention and to have it resolved for not only the current students of CHS but also the generations to come. I have taken my concerns to many of the students’ trusted authorities that are able to help, but I wasn’t satisfied with their answers, so now I’m bringing it to you to fight my case. I propose that we adopt as a school to reserve Wednesday nights as an event free night from school and club activities. By doing so, we show our community that our school values our students and their families. That CHS won’t become like every other school, we will stand apart and hold firm to our small town roots. MadaLynn Benson, CPS Student

Women experience distinct stages throughout their lives. In literature, these are often described as the maiden, the mother, and the matriarch phases. The transitions between these phases can be challenging times for a woman. Perimenopause is the transition between mother to matriarch.