Rural Nebraskans, the people in this state who are closest to the soil, the people who know how to take care of their precious agricultural resources, emphatically support the use of wind energy. In a recent poll, over 90 percent of rural Nebraskans supported a move toward renewable energy. In fact they expect both wind and solar energy to be viable industries in Nebraska.

The dark side of the Internet  --  specifically the message boards that have become a burr in the blanket of college football coaches everywhere  --  took things to a new low earlier this month when a Nebraska fan allegedly posted a link to a fake story about two Oklahoma football players running afoul of the law. While it was apparently intended as a joke, Sooners coach Bob Stoops clearly was not amused. That was evident when he was asked about the incident Wednesday at Big 12 Conference football media days.

 We don't need to read the results from the new U.S. Census analysis to realize that many rural populations are on the decline. We can simply glance down most of our main streets and see closed businesses and dwindling inhabitants.   The loss of our rural communities is not inevitable, not the result of some unseen, unstoppable force of nature.  We can do better.     

So what will Kansas coach Mark Mangino and his program do for an encore on the heels of delivering the best season a Jayhawks football history? You guessed. It's right back to sawing that wood.

Grand Island's first season being involved in Babe Ruth League baseball has been a successful one on the field. Things have gone fairly smoothly off the field, too. Three G.I. teams will begin Babe Ruth regional play over the next week.

The 28-gauge makes a fine hunting gun.

During the past seven years I have traveled to some very unique and different places-Afghanistan, Bosnia, Kosovo, Kuwait, Iraq, Macedonia, and Mongolia.  None of these are considered hotbeds of economic dynamism.  The first six countries have been savaged by fighting at one time or another in the last ten years.  Mongolia emerged from Soviet domination after the fall of the Berlin Wall and has struggled to regain its Mongol identity.  But in each country I observed elements of free enterprise in action even though resources were typically scarce.  A lesson reinforced for me is that free enterprise is not so much about amounts as it is about ownership and will.

NCRA late model rookie Shawn Harker is making his first ever appearance at Mid-Nebraska Speedway this weekend in the Pump and Pantry Late Model Nationals. This weekend the competition is from guys like Delbert Smith and Mike Wiarda who know Mid-Nebraska Speedway like the back of their hand. If you're a freshman, you'd better be a quick learner.

On their arrival in Washington, a big welcoming crowd was there to greet them. The first stop was to spend time at the W II Memorial. Senator Chuck Hagel, a Vietnam veteran, was there to greet the veterans. He received 2 purple hearts in Vietnam, and understands about American lives lost during war. My father told Senator Hagel, "We'll see you again in 4 years?" In other words, he should run for President.