Last week was a long and interesting week at the capitol. In my last article, I talked about the redistricting maps in LB 3 and LB 4 and of course things have changed in the legislature since then. As I write this article, I am relatively confident that the final legislative map wi11 be very similar to the map we passed last Thursday.

“The people you love the most are the ones who hold the power to hurt you so completely.” That’s not my line. It belongs to an author named Cheryl McIntyre from a book I haven’t read and probably never will, but it has resonated with me lately as I can see myself in the role of both the contributor and the recipient. Such are the perils of the modern family.

We’ve come a long way over the last year. Nebraska has managed the coronavirus pandemic without lockdowns, without statewide mandates, and without vaccine passports. We have the third lowest fatality rate from COVID-19 in the country. And we’ve fully vaccinated 87.5% of our 65+ population.

What I remember most is the silence. She was 19 years old, just starting her first semester of college.

Agricultural technology has come a long way since farmers used oxen and horse-drawn plows to break the prairie sod. Huge advancements are being made each year in ag tech, and Nebraska’s companies and universities are leading the way. The technologies they’re developing run the gamut from pioneering livestock management techniques, to innovations in the way crops are grown, to advancements in equipment.

With summer coming to a close, I have been spending my time visiting with Nebraskans and traveling our state. The conversations I have at meetings, community events, roundtable discussions, and tours of local businesses are invaluable to me as I work on federal policies to improve the lives of people in our state.

The kidneys may be called the Rodney Dangerfield of the body, as they often “don’t get no respect.” The National Kidney Foundation estimates that one in three adult Americans are at risk for kidney disease, yet these organs are mostly ignored unless they develop stones or stop working.

Twenty years ago, the United States suffered the terrorist attacks of 9/11. No one old enough to remember that day will ever forget it. It was surreal to watch the Twin Towers collapse and heartbreaking to see images of first responders covered head to toe in dust, searching through the debris in Manhattan.

I can think of no better way to experience Nebraska than through a visit to our state fair. From the tractor pull to the incredible food and the project showcase run by 4-H and FFA, the Nebraska State Fair brings the best of our state to Grand Island for 11 days each summer. It was a pleasure to visit this year’s fair and talk with many Nebraskans while taking in all the fair has to offer.

This summer I attended the celebration of life service for Dr. Rick Holm, the original Prairie Doc who founded this newspaper column, a radio show and a television show now entering its twentieth season. He died from pancreatic cancer in March of 2020 during the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic and thus there was no public service at the time.