From the back of our hands to the back of our legs, pale blue blood vessels are visible just under the skin. Oftentimes these veins are flat and not painful. However when these vessels become abnormally swollen or dilated, they are called varicose veins. This swelling is caused by the valves inside the veins becoming weak and no longer sealing tightly. Varicose veins can become painful, quite large and stick out from the surface of the skin.

People often think they need to lose weight. The hard part, of course, is following through on that desire in a sustained and successful manner.

It’s that time of year in the 4-H world when the dust has settled after grueling, hot weeks at county fair and state fair. From an outsider it begs the question, “why do you do it?” Spending months preparing and sweating over animals for the culmination of fair and a ribbon seems implausible. Those involved in 4-H have the same ponderings at times. So why 4-H? The answer lies in their future endeavors.

This weekend, Congress narrowly avoided a government shutdown. After a turbulent week, the House of Representatives passed a shortterm bipartisan spending bill.

By Andela Taylor, NCTA News Aspiring agricultural and animal health students with dreams of pursuing higher education have reason to celebrate as the Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture (NCTA) strives to remove financial barriers. With a low, one-rate (same rate for resident and non-resident students) tuition at $144 per credit hour and affordable campus housing and dining rates, the full-price tag at NCTA is competitive from the start.

We can all agree: the climate changes. We call this the change of seasons and they happen every year, to one degree or another. We can expect cold and snow in the winter, heat and severe thunder storms in the summer and a wider variety of weather in the spring and fall. Some things rarely change yet many whip up a frenzy when natural disasters inevitably occur.

Earlier this year, I visited our nation’s southern border. I knew there was a crisis there, but that visit opened my eyes to more instability and hardship than I had previously seen. Along the border wall at midnight, my colleagues and I spoke with dozens of illegal immigrants who had been detained. I was heartbroken to meet a little six-month-old baby sitting by the wall with her mother waiting to go to the processing center. I was told this was not an unusual occurrence.

It’s easy to get wrapped up in the ribbons and trophies, but 4-H is about so much more than that. 4-H is a community.

We all know that exercise is great for our overall health. Exercise is important for our cardiovascular health of course, which is why the American Heart Association recommends 150 minutes of moderate intensity exercise every week. No less importantly, and especially as we get older, another huge benefit of exercise is in fall and injury prevention.

Earlier this year, I had the pleasure of meeting with Candice Price, the owner of Home Team Auto Sales in Omaha. Candice traveled out to Washington to speak with her federal representatives about the challenges she’s faced as an entrepreneur and business owner. She and I hit it off immediately, and I was grateful for the many insights she shared with me. During that meeting, we came up with the idea to organize a roundtable with other female business owners in Omaha.