This past session, a number of good bills failed to pass. LB 364 is a bill from Senator Lou Ann Linehan called the Opportunity Scholarship Act. Senator Linehan and I both came into the legislature in 2017. She introduces this bill every session. In her bill individual and corporate taxpayers would qualify for a non-refundable tax credit equal to the amount the taxpayer contributed to a scholarship-granting organization. No taxpayer would receive a tax credit exceeding 50 percent of their state income tax. The idea is pretty simple. Nebraskans could donate money to a scholarship-granting organization and lower their income tax liability a little. Low income families with children in a public school would have the option to apply for a grant to send their kids to a private school.

Counting the Cost of Some Bills Passed by the 2021 Legislature With another regular session of the Nebraska Legislature in the books, let’s look at the impact of their actions on the state’s General Fund. The headlines have focused on: $1.4 billion in cumulative property tax relief that has been offered over several years; $20 million set aside for statewide broadband expansion and another $15 million designated for preliminaries to building a new state prison.

The Advancing of the Colors and Retiring of the Colors were conducted by American Legion Post #79 and Sons of the American Legion. More photos on Page 7.

The Brown County Board of Commissioners held their regular meeting Tuesday, June 1st at 5:15 p.m. at the Brown County Courthouse.

It’s that time again: the “Middle of Nowhere” D.C. Lynch Carnival Days are back! The carnival will be held on Main Street in Ainsworth this weekend: June 11th, 12th and 13th. It opens at 6:00 p.m. and lasts until 12:00 midnight each night.

The Committee for the Brown County Hospital Community Garden has been working on their community garden for the third year. The hospital is excited to provide “healthy food choices, exercise and a sense of community pride to everyone who enjoys the garden.”