July 25, 2009

Heartland Expressway woes

Our affection for Nebraska is rekindled each fall when the Cornhusker football team takes to the gridiron. We always enjoy our visits to the state -- ranging from family gatherings in the panhandle to observing sandhill crane migrations along the Platte River in the fall. One of our hobbies is adding information to Whitney Reflections, a website that chronicles the history of a tiny panhandle community. Nebraska was – and is – a great place to grow up. A good place to live.

So it’s been with considerable disappointment that we’ve watched Nebraska government foul up the Heartland Expressway project. That’s the four-lane highway that’s been long planned to connect Rapid City, South Dakota with Denver, Colorado via the Nebraska panhandle. The project is an integral part of the Great Plains International Trade Corridor, a proposed four-lane artery which will connect the metropolitan cities and regional trade centers of the Great Plains from Canada to Mexico.

Our first clue to the Cornhusker confusion was understandable quibbling over a route for the expressway. Even the citizens of Crawford, Nebraska – which is smack dab in the middle of the route that the expressway probably should take – seem resigned to the fact that the expressway will by-pass them.

By-pass surgery is the least of the problems facing the Heartland Expressway. It appears Governor Dave Heineman and the Department of Roads are about to do a transplant and leave out a few important arteries. Heineman says that instead of a four-lane roadway, portions of the expressway in Nebraska will probably have to be downgraded to a “super two-lane” highway. Say what?

There are those who contend that if the Heartland Expressway were closer to Lincoln and Omaha, it would already be done. I doubt it, but I understand the regional cynicism that permeates the panhandle. Western Nebraska has long been a mere afterthought in Lincoln. State officials point out that the state is sparsely populated, and it may simply not be able to afford to complete the project as planned.

Sparsely populated? Hmmm. Sounds like South Dakota – and yet…

In the nearly five years we’ve lived in Spearfish, we’ve watched the South Dakota portion (SH-79 & US-385)) of the Heartland move ahead without much difficulty or fanfare. It is complete from Rapid City to Hot Springs, and we now observe lots of work taking place between Hot Springs and Oelrichs.

The Chadron Record reports that the Nebraska Departent of Roads has released its construction plans for fiscal year 2010. “The 487 million budget includes $162 million of federal stimulus funds but has little Heartland Expressway work scheduled.”

So if all of this foot dragging concerns you, perhaps you’ll want to be in Gering on Wednesday, August 5th, when government workers from the Federal Highway Administration and the Nebraska Department of Roads conduct a meeting. A department spokesman says they “could” discuss the Heartland Expressway, as well as other area projects.

But don’t plan on attending the meeting. We’re told it’s a closed session.

The Chadron Record and other media report that the August 5th gathering in Gering will be "closed to the public." While officials may hide behind an interpretation of the Nebraska Open Meetings Act that might accommodate a self-serving closed session, it’s hard to imagine that the public will be well served by such a ploy. That meeting should be open to the public.

There is occasionally good reason for closing a meeting of public officials -- but we doubt that this is one of them. Public workers using public funds driven by public policies to complete a public project. But not open to the public?

Perhaps Governor Heineman can give a good reason why he won't attend (he earlier said he would, but then said he had a "scheduling conflict") -- and, more importantly -- why the session will be conducted behind closed doors.



July 7, 2009

Saying good-bye to a friend

It’s always difficult to face the void of a friend who is no longer there.

Bob Oehrtman died last week (7/1/09) in Stillwater, Oklahoma. He was 69 years old. Bob was a big man with a zest for life and a passion for learning. A loving husband, proud father, dedicated scoutmaster, outstanding teacher, and a good friend. But as with all who spend time on this earth, he was so much more than words can express.

Now he is gone, but memories of him will linger with the many of us whose lives he touched.

A native of Greenville, Ohio, Bob graduated with a mechanical engineering degree from Ohio State University in 1961 and pursued an M.S. in agricultural economics at Oregon State University in 1964. But he left Oregon with more than just a degree – he had married Anne Bigelow in Coos Bay on December 19, 1965. After earning a Ph.D. in economics at Iowa State University in 1970, he joined the faculty at Oklahoma State University in Stillwater where he taught for 33 years, winning a bevy of outstanding teaching awards over the years.

It was in Stillwater in the mid-1970s that Karen and I first came to know Bob and Anne Oehrtman. Bob was on the faculty in Ag Econ, and I was managing KOSU-FM and teaching in Journalism & Broadcasting. Karen and Anne became acquainted while bowling and at meetings of the OSU Lahoma Newcomers organization. Since my memory often follows my stomach, I seem to recall that we were also members of a dinner group that explored new menus monthly in different homes.

Eventually, mutual interests in photography, sewing, computers, bluegrass music, and – of course – kids, strengthened our bonds of friendship. Even after our departure from Stillwater in 1985, we continued to share Thanksgiving dinners, meet at distant locations, and often traveled together. We shared a wonderful trip to Europe in 2000.

I recall Bob was something of a skeptic about scouting when I first knew him. But that skepticism was cast aside as he developed a keen interest in Boy Scouting. He became a most passionate advocate of scouting and served as Scoutmaster of Troop 814 for nearly three decades, earning him an Outstanding Stillwater Citizen of the Year award for 2008-2009. His contributions and accomplishments in scouting alone were remarkable achievements. But it was just one aspect of Bob Oehrtman’s life.

While there’s no way to encapsulate the story of one man’s life in a short space, his obituary in the Stillwater News-Press does a good job of sampling the many dimensions of Bob Oehrtman.

In this short Oehrtman gallery, we’ve selected a few candid photos that capture a bit of the Bob Oehrtman that we knew and loved. It’s a story that could be told even better by the thousands of students, scouts, and friends who were touched by “Mr. O.”
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The wonderful eulogy delivered by Rev. Rick Hendrick was right on the mark -- and a most moving tribute. At Bob's service on Tuesday (7/7/09) his nieces Pat Clark and Melanie Hogan -- along with family friend Andy Lowery -- shared a compilation of Life Lessons embraced by Bob Oehrtman. They did a splendid job capturing the spirit of this remarkable man. It provided a few chuckles, many smiles, and even a few tears.

July 2, 2009

Tough times for Gannett

Gannett Company is reportedly poised to cut more than 1,000 jobs (7/1/09) as it tries to overcome the financial woes of the current recession.

It’s not yet known how these massive cuts will impact the Sioux Falls Argus-Leader, the only Gannett newspaper in South Dakota.

A decade ago, Gannett – the largest newspaper company in the United States – employed some 41,000 workers. Including the imminent round of reductions, Gannett employees will number closer to 28,000.

A half century ago, journalist Paul Miller – an Oklahoman – headed the Gannett organization and helped it become the largest newspaper chain in America. Although I never met Paul Miller (no relation), I had the privilege of serving as KOSU General Manager/Assistant Professor for a few years in the Paul Miller School of Journalism and Broadcasting at Oklahoma State University. That was in the 1970s.

It was Oklahoma A & M University back in 1931 when Miller earned his degree in Stillwater. Born in Missouri, he spent much of his youth in Pawhuska, Oklahoma. Then, while attending A & M, he took a year off to work for the Okema Daily Leader. That's a young Paul Miller reviewing some copy in the photo at left.

Oklahoma State University has put together a nice collection of Paul Miller photographs/quotations. Despite his enormous success as a manager and leader in the newspaper and broadcasting business, he apparently considered himself first and foremost as a “reporter.” Reading through numerous quotes attributed to Paul Miller is inspiring. Had journalism not strayed from some of the principles embraced by Miller, I doubt that the industry would be in quite the pickle it is today.

Not that Miller – or his successor, South Dakotan Al Neuharth – could have staved off all the troubles facing the media in 2009. But I believe much of the media lost public trust long before the economic meltdown began late last year.

Miller and Neuharth are long gone from decision making at Gannett. Let’s hope that the principles advocated by Paul Miller will find followers in a new generation of journalists, motivating them to believe in and practice objectivity, fairness, and truth.


"SUBSTANCE ahead of Form;

BALANCE ahead of Speed;

COMPLETENESS ahead of Color;

ACCURACY ahead of everything. . ."

-- Paul Miller, September 18, 1965