News

This letter to the editor of The New York Sun from eight-yearold Virginia O’Hanlon first appeared in December of 1897. The letter and the reply penned by Frances P. Church have been reprinted thousands of times. No one has come up with a better answer to the Santa Claus question than Church. The words “Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus” have become a part of Christmas lore.

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Applications for multispecies Super Tag and Combo lottery permits will be accepted by the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission beginning January 2, 2023. The Super Tag lottery permit will be valid for one elk of either sex, one antelope of either sex, one deer of either sex and two turkeys (only toms and bearded hens may be taken in the spring).

Do you want to peer deeper into the night sky? Are you feeling the urge to buy a telescope? There are so many options for budding astronomers that choosing one can be overwhelming. A first telescope should be easy to use and provide good quality views while being affordable. As it turns out, those requirements make the first telescope of choice for many stargazers something unexpected: a good pair of binoculars!

Starting immediately as weather allows over the winter months, officials across the state plan to burn slash piles. Nebraska Game and Parks will burn slash piles containing trees and shrubs removed from grasslands and forests, along with other debris piles, on both wildlife management areas and state park areas.

Chadron State College’s combined undergraduate and graduate winter commencement exercises were canceled December 16th, due to heavy snowfall and high winds. The list of candidates includes summer graduates and consists of 71 names for master’s degrees and for 108 bachelor’s degrees.

“ A manual count of 48,292 ballots from 132 voting precincts across all 93 Nebraska counties verifies that the equipment utilized to count ballots is secure and accurate,” Secretary of State Bob Evnen said today. Following each statewide election since 2008, a manual audit has been conducted for two to three percent of precincts across the state. This year’s audit was expanded to ten percent.

Brown, Rock and Keya Paha Counties Included U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA) reminds ranchers and livestock producers if they are interested in accessing financial assistance available due to qualifying drought or fire impacts in 2022, now is the time to contact the county FSA office to learn more about the programs and apply.

My son is one of the many Americans with cleft lip and palate. The specifics of each affected individual’s situation vary, but one thing they have in common is that they will be having surgery. Lots of surgery. Although most individuals with orofacial clefts, including my son, are otherwise healthy and lead normal lives, the process of restoring a normal smile, normal speech, normal chewing, involves many steps from birth into adulthood.

I wish all of my readers a very blessed and Merry Christmas. May you get to share the Holidays with your loved ones.