Columns

RAMBLES

Awhile ago, Loetta and I were discussing different date ideas. These ideas weren’t the typical dates people think of, such as going out for supper or only going to the movies and not speaking to each other much, and then heading home. Sounds kinda boring if you don’t get to enjoy a conversation with them.

Anyway, with Valentine’s here, I figured this would be a great opportunity to share some of our ideas. And maybe you’ll think they’re good and maybe you’ll think we’re crazy. Both options are perfectly OK with us.

BREAKFAST DATES

Why do all dates have to be in the evening? Why can’t they also be in the mornings?

Maybe people already do this, but personally, Loetta and I had never heard of someone going out on a date, but in the morning.

Time always heals a hurting heart, were the words of my father, upon the passing of his own father back in the early 80s. I’ll never forget him saying that to me, following Grandpa Duncan’s funeral in Minden.

Monday, Feb. 11, is yet another day that the heart hurts for the Leota Griess family, as Leota succumbed to cancer early Monday morning.

My first-ever meeting of Leota, as well as Ron, was back in 2009, prior to moving to Clay County, here on a visit to the area to make up my mind, whether or not I wanted to take this newspaper challenge on again.

It was a Friday night and time for dinner, so the Sutton Legion was the place to be that night.

Yep, I was that guy who walked into the legion and felt about 50-60 different sets of eyes looking at me, this 6-6 slightly gray haired man that nobody knew.

Way back in July 2018, myself and about 20 others completed a journey we began sometime in May.

Brenda Nuss and Pat Majors came up with the idea to host and perform a play for the public (kinda like community theatre), and that’s exactly what we did.

Brenda served as our director, and eventually a cast was pulled together for our play, “Cornfield of Dreams.” This was truly the corniest play this side of the Mississippi.

We performed in front of quite a large crowd the last day of Dugout Days, but we weren’t done just yet.

Last Friday, Jan. 25, we had been invited to perform for the National FFA Alumni Convention in Aurora. And man was it a blast!

My favorite part about theatre is the family-type relationship the cast and crew have. You joke around, you force each other to get serious, you share ideas, and you just have fun with the play at hand.

Dreams, they often times are just that, dreams. The Merriam-Webster online dictionary deems a dream as: “a series of thoughts, images, or emotions occurring during sleep.”

Well, this past weekend I had a dream that has taken up a big part of my outside-of-work efforts, along with a group of other believers in Sutton, that being the future of the Sutton Community Home.

As I woke from the dream Saturday morning, I recall waking up in the dream to look outside and see across the street a new nursing home facility, done and serving the community and area.

I can say that over the course of the past 3-4 months, since the Sutton Community Home and the Sutton Community Home Foundation hosted a town hall meeting to discuss the future of the home, a lot has gone on; some changes have been made and progress is being made.

In the next 4-6 weeks, new schematic plans will be in hand and we’ll be taking off to gain the future of the new facility.

By Tory Duncan

Late January through early March, for the past 30 years or so, have always been a fun but hectic time of year for those of us who have chosen the newspaper business as their careers.

In a conversation through email with a colleague of mine that I’ve valued as a friend and “go to guy” for advice, Willis Mahannah of the West Point News, this time of year, while there are many busy stretches in our schedules, is perhaps the most enjoyable hectic time of year for the newspaper business.

Outside of the meeting schedules, weather changes and such, when conference basketball tournament time and conference wrestling time comes around each year, it becomes that time when the coffee pot/maker, or a can of Mountain Dew (right, Willis?) becomes your best friend, as long as our hearts can handle the caffeine fix.

Dear Neighbor,

The first session of the 106th Legislature convened on Wednesday, Jan. 9, 2019. It’s my first session serving as your state senator and I want to thank you all for giving me the opportunity to do so.

The 106th Legislature is composed of two sessions. This being an odd-numbered year, we will have a long session lasting 90 working days, which is scheduled to wrap up in early June. In even-numbered years, the short session lasts 60 working days and typically ends around mid-April.

The first 10 days of session is the only time that a senator can introduce a bill. The bills are then referred to the appropriate committee. Every bill that is proposed in the Nebraska Legislature will be given a chance to be heard in committee, and if it is fortunate enough it’ll move onto the floor for discussion with the entire body. This year I have chosen to introduce a handful of bills, allowing me to devote plenty of time and attention to each.