Opinions

A love letter to Central City football Growing up a Central City kid in the 90’s, you learned a few things right off the bat: the Platte River runs colder than it looks, the best cinnamon rolls come out of a school cafeteria oven and the Aurora Huskies are, by some natural law of the universe, our sworn rivals. My grandfather would sit me down, maybe after a Sunday dinner or during a car ride on some backroad, and he’d paint a picture of those epic battles with Aurora.

Sometimes you will find me writing lengthy and well thought out personal thoughts. If you came here for that this week, you are going to be rather disappointed. This week I bring you a rough draft, a first take and a bunch of random thoughts thrown together on a Tuesday evening as I look out at the soon-to-be setting sun.

I hope you have your costume ready and a BIG bucket to collect goodies as we eagerly anticipate our annual chamber Parade of Goblins this coming Sunday, October 27. Chamber businesses will be on hand at the 4-H indoor arena from 3-5 with decorated trunks and their own costumes to treat all ages to some spooky fun! 1to1 Technology has generously donated an IPad to be given away to one lucky child. Bison Bucks will be given to the business with the best decorated trunk and the best costume. There will fire trucks, police cars and ambulances to explore and the Central City School Leadership class will again have their “haunted” bus to visit. Come early and attend the 4-H Achievement Celebration and enjoy ice cream, watch the 4-H awards presentation and model your costume during the Jr. Leader costume contest. It should be a fun afternoon for everyone.

A leader rejects passivity, accepts responsibility and leads courageously. However, in politics, “leaders” often pander to those with the loudest voices, have the largest “identity groups”, and have the broadest appeals. Routinely seen today are exaggerations of past achievements or outright falsified accomplishments to appeal to the greatest number of voters. On the farm, we call that lying!

As a professional journalist, I’ve spent years looking at the world through a lens of accountability. I’ve watched stories unfold, followed the rise and fall of local leaders and captured the highs and lows of our community.

Voting has begun! Early voting began Oct. 7 in Nebraska, but the sad fact of this or any other election is that nationally only 67 percent of the population who are eligible to vote are actually registered to vote, meaning 33 percent of Americans are not registered to vote! During a presidential year like this one, only 54 percent (of the registered 67 percent) actually cast their ballots. This means only 36 percent of the total adult population votes in a presidential election and that 18 percent of the population actually decides the winner. Those statistics highlight just how much your vote matters!

Bison Nation, what a week it’s been! The week started off with the annual homecoming parade on Thursday, and it was a sight to see. There were no candy-filled hands or business floats rolling down the streets—just pure school spirit, with our homecoming court, students, and fall sports teams front and center.