In Nebraska, we have a lot to be proud of. Our women’s sports are no exception. The UNL Women’s Volleyball team has won five national championships and is one of UNL’s three profit-producing teams, along with football and men’s basketball. In August, women’s volleyball teams from across the state will be playing to a sold-out Memorial Stadium in the hopes of breaking the record for the most attended women’s sporting event in American history. The Creighton Women’s Basketball team has made the NCAA tournament four of the last six years. The UNO Women’s Softball team just made history by winning their first Summit League Championship and advancing to the NCAA Regional tournament.

Marrying a farm kid has shown me the immense amount of pride in being part of the Ag community. It is prevalent that the agricultural profession, while rewarding, is challenging. Running big dollar operations that are both physically and mentally demanding creates some serious strain on our mental health. Whether it’s a co-op employee spraying chemicals or spreading fertilizer for 70+ hours a week or a farmer during planting or harvest, the demand never truly stops.

The 108th Nebraska Legislature’s first session was by all accounts historic and sometimes chaotic. The continual disruptions did not deter us from accomplishing a lot for Nebraskans. Over the next few weeks, I’ll be highlighting and breaking down the bills we were able to pass and what they mean for Nebraskans, starting first with our income and property tax packages.

“Let your fiction grow out of the land beneath your feet,” Willa Cather once wrote. The famed literary artist first came to Nebraska at the age of nine, when her family settled in Webster County. Years later, she refl ected on what it was like to first step foot in our great state.

Every summer when I was a kid, we would make the five-plus hour drive to a farm northwest of Benkelman to spend a week with my grandparents, Don and Betty. The Browns were scripted creatures of habit and routine and at such and such a time each day, my grandpa would go out to gather eggs from the chickens.

In a single word, yes. Our first teeth are important in so many ways. They require just as much attention and love as our permanent teeth. Not to mention that beginning with good habits is the best way for anyone to maintain those healthy habits.

Midwest Culture is unique. We “America’s Heartlanders” are known for our outdoor hobbies, farming, winter survival strategies, hard work and country living. We are also known for our politeness. It is at times an autopilot response to hold a door open, greet another with a smile, drop off treats for a neighbor or when running into someone familiar ask, “how are you?” How often have we asked, “how are you” and heard the answer, “good” or “fine” or even answered this question ourselves this way.

When I ran for the Nebraska Legislature and then for the U.S. Senate, I promised to advocate for each person I represent. In urban Washington, rural voices can sometimes be neglected and undervalued. I recognize this, which is why I regularly work on legislation to help the 46 million Americans who live in rural areas. In the Senate, we have an obligation to the millions of rural citizens in our country as we do to the majority who live in urban population hubs.

On May 30, 2023, I signed LB753 into law. LB753, known as the Opportunity Scholarship Act, will provide parents the choice in which school to send their children. This bill is a historic step forward for the state of Nebraska. Before the passage of this legislation, Nebraska was only one of two states, North Dakota being the other, that had no form of school choice.

To everything, there is a season. Each year, as school reaches it final days, things get busy at the local ball diamonds. To say we are invested in baseball and softball would be an understatement. Five children on four different teams means games at least five days or nights per week through the end of June.