I had the opportunity this week to appoint Nebraska’s next U.S. Senator, former Governor Pete Ricketts.

Every week is a crazy one one in our house, but last week we decided to extend the craziness to our staff here at the newspaper and to our extended family. When I found out my cousin was getting married last January, I told my wife that it doesn’t matter what we have going on - we’re dropping it and going.

When people talk about skin cancer the type that most people think about is melanoma. This skin cancer follows the ABCDE rules for diagnosis. A – Asymmetry, B – irregular Border, C – more than 1 Color, D – Diameter more than 6 mm, and E – expanding in size. However, these rules will not help find the most common type of skin cancer called a basal cell carcinoma.

Nebraska Governor Jim Pillen announced his team has reached a breakthrough agreement with the State Law Enforcement Bargaining Council (SLEBC) that will take effect July 1, 2023. The agreement shows Governor-elect Pillen’s commitment to law and order and includes the largest pay increase for State Troopers in the past two decades.

This Monday is National Law Enforcement Appreciation Day — an opportunity to thank the men and women who keep Nebraskans safe. It’s particularly important that we use this special day to celebrate our law enforcement officers because in some parts of the country their life-saving work is undervalued and even demonized.

The start of a new year is the time to reflect on how far we’ve come as a state — as well as to look forward to where Nebraska is heading. Last year was one for the record books. And thanks to the progress we achieved together, Nebraska is stronger than ever.

Writing about grief is like writing about life—huge! Where does one start? It is like describing love: basically impossible. The comedian and late-night host Stephen Colbert lost his father and two older brothers in a tragic accident when he was young, and said, about grief, “It is a gift to exist, and with that gift comes suffering. If I am grateful for life, I must be grateful for all of it. I hope that grief stays with me because it is all the unexpressed love I didn’t get to tell you.”

At my house, classic TV is a given. My 93-year-old father-in-law enjoys watching reruns of westerns, Perry Mason, Andy Griffith, and Gomer Pyle. With these old favorites come commercials targeting an aging population: Medicare Advantage plans, reverse mortgages, and “miracle solutions” for neuropathy, with free consultations for the first 250 people who call!

The holiday season is full of examples of Nebraskans taking the time to help one another. Just think of the bells we hear and the red Salvation Army buckets we see at the entrances of the stores where we run our daily errands. The toy drives and free meals offered by organizations like People’s City Mission in Lincoln to Nebraskans who’ve fallen on hard times. Or the clothing donations and the outreach to the lonely and shut-ins that are put on by the diverse communities of faith across our state.

For those of you who have been playing along, we have spent the last two weeks exploring Charles Dicken’s classic, “A Christmas Carol.” Today we discuss the third and last version of our theatrical production. This week we will explore an intriguing topic; what Dickens doesn’t tell us about Scrooge in his classic. Dicken’s unwritten words are the strongest lessons of his fictional tale. It is the story of perseverance, forgiveness, charity, and Christ’s love all wrapped together.