Body On Friday nights in the fall, I typically don’t have a lot of free time.

Body A few years back, a lucky tip came my way about an impending immigration raid in O’Neill. I don’t recall a lot of details about what was expected to happen, but the tip was “you’d better be there tomorrow morning.

Body Every Wednesday morning, after I manage to wipe the sleep from my eyes, I get up, get ready, and head north—to Albion—to fetch that week’s edition of the newspaper. After a year of making the trip, I practically have every hill and every dale along the route memorized.

Body The State of Nebraska has more than 200 boards and commissions staffed by professionals and regular citizens.

Body Each week, usually on Thursday or Friday, but often Saturday or Monday thanks to the current timeliness of the United States Postal Service, I get a slug of mail. From around the area, state, and country, newspapers of all types, sizes, and shapes flow into my mailbox.

Body Back in the day, the Omaha World-Herald provided me with a company car and the instructions: “drive across the state and find some stories.” It was obviously a more formal command than that, something like “if you like your job, you’ll write something interesting.

Body State lawmakers have long since finished their long, seventeen- day special session in Lincoln and headed back home.

Body In my closet, I have a t-shirt that I rarely wear but that is embossed with a saying that I think dictates my life. “I talk to myself, because sometimes I need expert advice.

Body Nebraska isn’t known as a battleground state when it comes to presidential elections. That tag usually goes to Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, and Michigan, along with Georgia, Nevada, and Arizona.

Body With a snap of your fingers, we are all suddenly in the middle of a new season. School is back in session.