NebraskaPatriot

If it's About Nebraska, then It's News

Congratulations goes out to a group of student in the Jeffrey S. Raikes School of Computer Science and Management at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

The team of five students won a national competition to build mobile stock trading applications. You can read all about it and it is worth a gander, by clicking here.

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The war of the fiber optics between Verizon and AT&T rages on in Nebraska. According to the Omaha World-Herald on-line, "Over the last three years, Nebraska cellular infrastructure investments from Verizon Wireless have been more than double than that of rival AT&T.

According to figures released by both cellular giants this month, from the start of 2009 through 2011 Verizon Wireless — the state's largest cellular provider — spent $200.4 million on Fourth Generation, or 4G, networks in Omaha and Lincoln and adding cell sites and equipment around the state. During that same period, AT&T, spent $90 million." 

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We've all seen the horrible browning of pine trees. It's a disease called pine wilt. The Lincoln Journal-Star on-line reports that "it affects mostly Scotch and Austrian pines and is caused by a parasitic nematode carried by a wood boring beetle. Pine wilt causes a pine tree's foliage to turn brown and die quickly, often within two months.

Nicole Haxton is a horticulturist with the Gage County Extension Office. She said that there's no cure for pine wilt.

Haxton says the microscopic nematode attacks the tissues in the wood, causing decreased water flow. The nematode is carried from tree to tree by the beetle. Controlling pine wilt is done by destroying trees that have the disease."

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Nebraska is a candidate to land a projected $1.2 billion data center. The project, which is looking at breaking ground in May with an initial investment of $500 million, would be nearly three times larger than the $140 million, 175-job Yahoo data center lured to La Vista in 2009. Kearney is rumored to be the leading location for the business in Nebraska. 

Lt. Governor Rick Sheehy told folks in Kearney that it appears to be coming down to Kearney and a location in Iowa.

The Kearney Hub on-line reports "Low electrical rates, reliable work force and favorable climate all could work in Nebraska’s favor in luring a $1.2 million data center project to the state, Lt. Gov. Rick Sheehy of Hastings said Monday in Kearney.

The Edge would employ about 30 people, but in dollars it is the largest project ever recruited by Nebraska and would become the state’s largest electrical consumer.

State lawmakers are pushing tax incentives for the data center and rate-setting authority for Nebraska Public Power District to provide electricity at a discount for the data center.

“They see our work force as being reliable and our climate as being favorable,” Sheehy said. “Nebraska is the best place for that.”

 

And on that note, we will sign off for today . . .

 

Susan G. Komen for the Cure

The bad news is that breast cancer still exists.

The good news is that advances are being made each day and as they say at the Susan G. Komen for the Cure, "we are working every minute of every day to save every life".

Men, this is where we need to step up.

Ninon de l'Enclos was an author in the 1600's. She once wrote, "A man is given a choice between loving women and understanding them."

You would think I would have this all figured out. I grew up surrounded by three very strong women: my grandmother, my mother and my sister. I've always had very strong and dynamic women friends. And I'm blessed with a wife who is very strong and independent, a quality that I've always admired. Yet, I'm still a bit fuzzy on "understanding them".

So I'm going to go with the "loving women" and guys, here is where we show our love.  

Please take a moment and visit the Susan G. Komen for the Cure site by clicking here.

Please donate to a tremendous group that does great work in the fight against breast cancer. It's a way to show our support for the women that we so much admire and love and enjoy living life with us . . .

 

Ed Committee Listens to Teacher Evaluation Proposal

ah yes, if one is having a problem then let's make a law for everyone . . .

The Education Committee of the Nebraska Legislature heard testimony concerning a proposed statewide teacher evaluation plan.

Martha Stoddard reports in an Omaha World-Herald on-line article that Legislative Bill (L.B.) 809 offered by Omaha Senator Scott Lautenbaugh would "require evaluations annually for permanent teachers and once a semester for probationary teachers."

Stoddard adds, "The evaluations would have to include a minimum of 90 minutes of classroom observation done by a school administrator."

Folks representing two groups, the Administrators and the Teachers Association, voiced opposition to the bill. From an educator standpoint however, opposition wasn't universal as the Omaha Education Association supports the bill.

I'm not really sure why the Omaha Education Association supports the bill since they are traditionally one of the most fervent of the teachers' groups in the state. But that's their view.

Mine is pretty simple. I served on a local school board for eight years. I'm a firm believer that more decisions that are made at the local level, the better for our kids. I just don't believe in one size fits all.

As a school board member, your top priority is to hire a quality Superintendent who then hires quality principals and educators. Our job as a school board member is not to hire coaches or staff, that is why you have a Superintendent and administrators. You hire them and let them do their jobs. You evaluate those administrators each year and you can decide not to extend a contract for the next school year if you choose to do so.

In general, educators in our various school districts in Nebraska do a very good job in the classroom. Are there some that need some guidance, certainly but that is the case in any business or establishment.

Where I differ with some of my fellow conservatives on education is that I'm a local control proponent. What is best for our school district should fit the needs of

our kids. There are some districts in Nebraska that face challenges that the rest of us do not to the degree they do, in particular in the area of English as a second language. Those districts need the flexibility to tailor their program to fit their diverse student population.

In general, districts across Nebraska have almost the same common goals yet within that frame work, districts need to be allowed to formulate programs and solutions that fit their communities.

And for me, flexibility is a key component. You have your overarching philosophy but you must have the ability to make subtle adjustments as conditions warrant. Too much state or federal control restricts that ability to adjust quickly and effectively at the local level.

While State Senator Lautenbaugh should be commended for his interest in improving the educational opportunities for our children, I agree with Nancy Briggs, associate superintendent of Lincoln Public Schools who said, "It worries me that we're trying to legislate what I would call a personnel problem, people not fulfilling their responsibilities, by a bill that causes the rest of the state to change practice."

Or as another said during testimony, we are "chasing nonexistent problems."

If the Omaha Public School system has an issue with Administrators not doing their job in evaluating teachers, and it appears that they must since both the OPS board and teachers' association support the legislation, then they need to find solutions within their district and not make the rest of us suffer for their shortcomings.