Opinions

Tackling tenure in higher education While I was a pilot at Delta Air Lines, every nine months every pilot would have to return to Atlanta for two days of intense simulator training. We would spend six hours each day in a full motion simulator with a 180-degree 3D visual. Loaded into the program was every airport we could possibly fly to and any conceivable mishap, emergency or scenario a pilot might encounter. If it could happen in the air, it could be created within those grueling hours in the sim. The trainer could simulate the effects of horrible weather, turbulence, engine stalls, fire, rapid decompression, a hijacking and so on. Although the vast majority of our flights were routine we trained regularly so we could respond in an instant if the unthinkable happened. While unpleasant, those exercises were something each of us knew we needed so we could respond accordingly in the event one of those scenarios actually happened. Our performance in the simulator was graded and no union could protect you if you did poorly. Evaluation of pilots is necessarily performance-based, and I suspect anyone who gets on an airplane wants it so. The airlines didn’t just give us pep talks and set high expectations; they trained and tested us regularly. That’s because in the marketplace employers know it is not what you “expect” of your employees that fosters performance but what you “inspect.”

Being a parent can be the most rewarding experience. But it can also be very challenging. Most parents need to have a support system in place to answer questions related to their child. One of the additional support systems in place is a team of professionals for parents that have questions regarding their child’s development. This is the Early Development Network team from ESU 7 that works with Central City Public Schools to serve our youngest group of children with individualized needs. These services are at no charge to the families and are provided by the public school system.

Welcome to 2024. It has been a year that has already started with some somber news for the community.

Legislative preview: The carryover bills As you read this, I will be back in Lincoln at my seat in the Nebraska Unicameral for the second half of the 108th Nebraska Legislature. By law, each year’s session begins on the first Wednesday after the first Monday of the new year, so there wasn’t much time between New Year’s Day 2024 and the beginning of legislative business for the year.

Here we are, the last newspaper of 2023. In some ways it seems like the year just began, but in many ways it was a year that I was wishing would end some time ago. It has been a difficult year to some degree in my professional life, but more so in my personal life. It was a year of death and heartbreak, but it was also a year that brought us great love and compassion. It was a year when our family was put to the test and we showed our strength.

As we near the end of 2023 it is time to give thanks to our amazing chamber members and what they have done this year to promote our Central City area. Big or small, all have stepped up to support various events either with their monetary sponsorship or physical presence. Our holiday events including ”Rockin’Around the Holidays” is an example of this community support. We have had holiday drawings, store giveaways and discounts, sale events, Bison Bucks promotion, free movies, family fun day, “Deck” your Halls and the list goes on. None of this would have happened except our business community said “YES” when asked to participate.

In life we are often met with unexpected moments. These moments are always when I feel a person’s true character reveals itself. I know from my experience I have had to learn to laugh at the unforeseen and roll with the punches instead of melting down like that snowman just to the right of this.

It’s OK to say Merry Christmas It was December of 1965 when cartoonist Charles Schultz’s beloved Peanuts gang first made the leap from newspaper comics pages to television screens across America. It was that year that CBS first aired “A Charlie Brown Christmas.” It became an instant classic and has been aired every year since.

The completion of the first semester also marks the end of 2023. The past year has brought with it considerable attention to our community and school district. Many people have been watching our community growth and have been taking notice.