Prairie Fire - The Progressive Voice of the Great Plains

The Salvation of the State Is Watchfulness in the Citizen

This quotation is carved over the main entrance of the Nebraska State Capitol.

It is illegal for public funds to be used for campaign purposes. This is also common sense to the majority of Nebraskans. Federal, state and local government entities, including public power districts, natural resources districts and school districts, are not allowed to take money collected from ratepayers or taxpayers to support or oppose the outcome of an election.

Two cases before the Nebraska Supreme Court involve exactly this situation. Issues arose in the 2010 election season where Mike Van Buskirk filed two Nebraska Accountability and Disclosure Commission (NADC) complaints against Rolland Skinner and Les Tlustos, who are the manager and marketing manager of Northwest Rural Public Power District in Hay Springs, Neb. According to legal documents reviewed by Prairie Fire, a dispute arose when two public power district employees ran over 170 radio advertisements addressing campaign issues central to the candidacy of then-candidate Van Buskirk. According to public documents, the Northwest Rural Public Power District employees used public funds to pay for them.

Changing Great Plains Climate and Bird Migrations

A multitude of snow geese. (Paul A. Johnsgard)

By Paul A. Johnsgard

When I was a youngster in North Dakota during the 1940s and 1950s, the seasons were very obvious and clear-cut to me. For example, I knew that the peak of fall foliage color would occur early in September. Most small birds would be gone by the end of that month, and the major waterfowl migration of ducks and geese would occur in October. By the first of November fall was usually over, and winter snowstorms could strike at any time. Then it would be an infinitely long wait until the spring thaw, and I could not expect to see even early waterfowl migrants, such as snow geese, returning to the prairie marshes of southeastern North Dakota until early April. Sadly, they would stay only a few short weeks before pushing north as rapidly as the melting ice would allow.