This week the legislature started holding hearings on some of the bills that have been introduced so far. I have 4 bills up this week. LB’s 712, 803, and 805 which were heard Tuesday in the Agriculture Committee. On Wednesday, LB 804 was heard in the Natural Resources Committee.

As many of you know, this is my 8th and final year in the Nebraska Legislature. I’m amazed by how quickly time has gone by. As I enter my final session, barring any special session, there are some things I have yet to accomplish and we will get into those a little bit later. As many of you already know, on Thursday of this week, the governor will have laid out his plan on how we will spend the $1.04 billion of ARPA money which is the America Rescue Plan Act. Not much was known previously about what the governor would like to spend that money on. There will probably be money for a new prison to replace the aging State Penitentiary in Lincoln. I think there will be some money for LB 406, the ‘Star Wars’ Committee which is looking at increasing tourism through improving water resources and recreation in the State of Nebraska. Some of that money will be spent at Lake McConaughy in Keith County. Some of it will be spent in Knox County in Northeast Nebraska and some spent somewhere between Lincoln and Omaha on the Platte River corridor to provide additional water and recreation opportunities. Those impending projects will be exciting. Beyond that, there could be some additional money for broadband expansion in Nebraska to build up that broadband in unserved and underserved areas, which would be a very wise use of these funds. I don’t know if any of the money will go to roads but there is a lot of speculation there.

Students who want to serve their country as officers in the military can apply to the U.S. Military Academy, the Naval Academy, the Air Force Academy, the Coast Guard Academy, or the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy. Applicants need excellent grades, solid test scores, and with the exception of the Coast Guard Academy, a nomination from their senator or representative.

ARAPAHOE - When Arapahoe businessman and personal trainer Tyler Cappel decided to run for a seat in the Legislature last summer, he did not think he would be facing an incumbent. As a resident of Dist.

As 2021 draws to a close, I want to wish all of you a Happy New Year for 2022. The next session of the Nebraska Legislature will begin next Wednesday, January 5 . This will be a “short” 60-day session that is scheduled to end on April 20, 2022. A number of bills from last year that did not pass will “carryover” to this next session, and senators will have ten legislative days to introduce new bills.

About a year ago, we surprised our children with an addition to our family - our first dog, Annie. Over the course of the year, we have had our ups and downs - potty training was easier with three of my kids - and Annie has decided to fit right in with the Gerlach gang in that she is ornery as heck and the pickiest eater imaginable with everything except the stuff she shouldn’t have.

What does it mean to practice humanity in medicine? The phrase is used as a tagline and in book titles. Humanity and compassion .in medicine is touted as something to aspire to, a noble accomplishment. But in reality, the biomedical model of health, the business model for healthcare, is not set up to support it. Algorithms and best practices set forth by insurance companies and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid do not account for the time required to establish meaningful human interaction between patient and caregiver.

The NSA sanctioned bowling as a high school sport for the 2020-2021 school year. Tornado Alley in Arapahoe recently hosted the first area triangular meet with teams from Arapahoe, Southern Valley, and Ogallala.

It’s that time of year again - we’re supposed to look forward to the new year with thoughts of how things will be better next year than this. Within that, we set betterment goals called “New Year’s Resolutions.” I have tried this before and it never quite works out how I planned. Something about stickto-itiveness.

With 2022 nearly upon us, so too is the tradition of the New Year’s resolution. Merriam-Webster defines the New Year’s resolution as “a promise to do something differently in the new year.” I would argue that in practice, the resolution is less of a promise and more of a hope or intention.