As a reporter, you cover all kinds of stories. Stories about natural disasters, murders, grandmas who collect cookie jars, and good Samaritans.

I read a newspaper article last week that a lot of preparations were in the works for a pretty big birthday that was coming up. Instantly, I got excited.

The first time I walked into the state capitol, I wondered “what is making all these people walk like Olympic racers down these halls?” I almost got run over by some walkers; the new guy needed to get out of the way. To be sure, the capitol hallways extend in a square, making them ideal for a quick walk around the square for exercise or just to clear the brain.

When you are the youngest of any number of children— in my case the youngest of four—there is a good chance that your parents lost interest along the way. They love you just the same, but let’s be honest, by the time the fourth child comes along, there is a chance no one really cared whether or not the crib was covered in lead paint.

A former Nebraska state senator, once again, is calling on the United States to do more to help Ukraine win its war with Russia. Tom Brewer, who served in the Legislature from 2017 to 2025 and earned two Purple Hearts during thirty- six years in the military, recently made his eighth trip to the front in Ukraine.

When did dinosaurs and aliens become Christmas decorations? I ask because I’m kind of stunned (my natural condition) at some of the strange, weird, and downright odd things you see in people’s yards this time of year. A lime-green Santa- saurus in our neighborhood caught my eye, and somewhere, I’ve seen a Santa alien wishing “humans” a Merry Christmas.

A good friend of mine called me one afternoon with a bit of a dilemma. This past year, he moved into a new house, and as the holidays began to draw near, his mailbox started to get full.

No matter your opinion of immigrants, I think we can agree on one thing—having a federal detention center in Nebraska is not a good look for our state. The opening of the “Cornhusker Clink” illustrates that Nebraska is in full-throated agreement with the roundup and deportation of those who came to our country in search of a better life but in violation of immigration rules.

With my deadline looming and my eyelids getting lazy, last Monday night, I called an audible. I decided it was time to take in a Christmas light show.

So much for cutting federal spending. Just recently, President Trump announced a new twelve-billion- dollar payout to American farmers.