In this polarized age, the news often floods our minds with problems and criticisms. We rarely hear truly good news — news of cooperation and achievement. Today, I’m excited to recap some incredible news for our great state.

From Dr. Marcus Welby and Dr. Meredith Grey to “Hawkeye” Pierce and Doogie Howser, MD, there have been a multitude of television doctors. You likely spend more time watching them than you do with your own physician. Television shows the life of a doctor as exciting, dramatic and glamorous; however, real life is often much different.

This week, Americans celebrated the anniversary of the founding of our country. The Fourth of July is a day we reflect on our independence – freedoms that have been hard-fought since the inception of our nation. We owe so much to the men and women who serve our nation in uniform. They defend our independence at home and abroad, and it would be impossible to celebrate the Fourth of July without acknowledging their contributions to the cause of freedom around the world.

The deadline for Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) forms for the 2023-2024 academic year recently closed on June 30th. FAFSA is the form students and prospective students fill out to apply for grants, work-study, and low-interest loans from the U.S. Department of Education. Before the next FAFSA application cycle opens up on October 1, there is a critical error that Congress must fix to ensure farm families can continue to receive fair consideration of their applications for aid.

A Fable: Farmer John owns 1,000 irrigated acres in Gosper county. This farm is well run, has no debt, an 80 year family history of being profitable and has a large sum of money in the bank. Fred, who lives in Dawson county, owns a 10 acre produce farm near Gothenburg and sells directly to customers. Fred’s produce farm is well run, has a good reputation, but has some debt.

In the mid 1800s, Nebraska was still barely touched by settlers migrating West for a new life. Our state was home to the prairies and rivers we see today. Over the next century, pioneers of all ethnic and religious backgrounds made the journey to Nebraska and chose to settle in its natural beauty.

As the third largest economy in the world, Japan is a vital trade partner of the United States, especially agriculture producers in Nebraska’s Third District. According to the Nebraska Department of Agriculture, more than half of Nebraska’s pork exports and more than a quarter of our state’s beef exports were purchased by Japan last year, totaling $156 million and $405 million respectively. Japan is Nebraska’s largest export market for pork and eggs, our second largest market for beef, and our third largest market for corn and overall ag exports.

In the 13 or so years I have lived in the area, I cannot remember a time when the it’s been so green trough late spring and into early summer. There probably was a time, but I can’t remember it, particularly down home in the Beaver Valley.

First, my apologies for missing so many weeks of Lebanon News. Typing was difficult when I had the cast on my arm and now that it’s off, I’m way behind on everything! But I AM slowly catching up.

Many of us have likely been educated on how to be healthier, which includes the foods we should consume, and the exercise we should complete on a daily basis, so we can achieve being ‘healthy.’ This information is important to know, but have you ever been educated about the risks that your current diet and habits of daily living impose on your health?