Irene North

Clara-Ho’evo’ston’e (Earth Woman) White Crane walked across the snow-covered parade ground in a pair of moccasins her aunt made for her. With each step, they became wetter as the warmth from her feet melted the snow and dampened the moccasins. She was among about 100 Northern Cheyenne who return to Fort Robinson every year on Jan. 9 to commemorate, honor and remember their ancestors who were killed during a violent escape on Jan. 9, 1879.
She wore the moccasins to see what it felt like to run...

National park rangers in western Nebraska are connecting with students in Afghanistan via the internet as a learning opportunity.

A golden eagle is returned to the wild after recovering from a snake bite.

The battle for net neutrality has been raging for more than a decade. On Dec. 14, the FCC will decide whether or not to eliminate it.
Net neutrality is the principle that all internet data delivery should be equal. In 2015, more than 4 million public comments convinced the FCC. It created rules stating all internet data is equal.
FCC chair Ajit Pai intends to repeal net neutrality provisions on Dec. 14 by reclassifying internet service providers from common carriers to information services. I...

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Wiconi. Water is life. And it’s a concern for all of humanity, Lakota Kelly Looking Horse said Wednesday.
As part of the U.S. Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service, Looking Horse visited the NPNRD. It was part of a learning and cultural experience put on for NRCS employees through their special emphasis programs.

On November 4, 2017, a letter to the editor from local resident John Gable spurred controversy in our town. It was vitriolic. I wrote about how we are better than this. Many of my friends and acquaintances would not agree with the racism, bigotry, and general hate of the “other” that has been occurring in the country.
But those feelings of hate have always been there, under the surface, and it’s rising. Apparently, we aren’t better than this and we need to talk about it.
After the letter was ...

When Cirilo Razo arrived in Normandy as part of the 481st Anti-Aircraft Artillery Automatic Weapons Battalion, aircraft were shooting at the men attempting to reach land. The ocean was crimson from the soldiers who came before him and didn’t make it. Razo swam from the boat to the edge of Omaha Beach, hoping to make it alive. He was fearful he wasn’t going to make it. Gunners were shooting everywhere and the ocean was full of blood. When he got out of the water, he noticed all the soldiers un...

Jennifer Baird was assigned to be the gunner, hanging out in the back of a Chevy Suburban with several weapons in her arsenal. She had a Finito shotgun, taken from Panamanians after the ousting of Panamanian Dictator Manuel Noriega, an H&K MP5 on a sling under her jacket, and a 9 mm pistol to be used if it became necessary to protect the general.
On the way to an ambassador’s house for dinner, Baird and her unit were traveling through downtown Panama City. They were stopped at a stoplight in ...

During the first Gulf War, Army Sgt. A.J. Legault was a Humvee driver, leading a convoy of trucks filled with fuel, ammunition, mail and medical supplies from unit to unit, with a compass and maps to navigate featureless terrain.
He had loved the military. It gave him direction. It gave him a purpose. He left after more than eight years of service.

SCOTTSBLUFF — Admitting your shortcomings is difficult to do. But that’s what attorney Paul Ford needed to do to help his client.
Ford represented Jason Baldwin in the West Memphis 3 case, which received national attention. Baldwin, Damien Echols and Jessie Misskelley Jr. were convicted of killing three 8-year old boys. Ford was in Scottsbluff on Thursday to speak with a group of lawyers at the Bob Chaloupka Trial Skills Seminar about the importance of confirmation bias, reexamining your own ...

I woke up to my community in despair on Saturday. A letter to the editor in the local paper, the paper where I work at as a reporter, was causing a stir.
The letter, which many people have spread, can be seen below in the screenshot from the Scotts Bluff County Democrats. It is full of hate and ignorance. Its words make me want to leave this town, but I have spent two days thinking about where to go from here.
This is what a racist looks like.
Shortly after I started working at the Star-Heral...

Mary Walker is the only woman to have received the Congressional Medal of Honor. Colonel Ruby Bradley is the military’s most decorated woman. During WWII, almost 400,000 women served in the military.
Deborah Samson was part of an elite military unit. She removed a musket ball from her thigh with a penknife and a sewing needle. She was discharged in 1783. It wasn’t until 1816 when she received her disability. Throughout history, women have had to fight, mostly alone, to receive the benefits an...

For nearly three months, staff at the zoo have been working to move animals to new enclosures and strengthen one enclosure in order to provide a secure and safe home for two bear cubs.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service contacted the zoo about taking in the brothers after they learned about their situation. The cubs’ mother was illegally killed by a black bear hunter in Wyoming. Her yearling cubs were with her at the time of her death. State and federal wildlife officials hoped the two orphan...

Every year, thousands of libraries across the nation celebrate Banned Books Week. The week highlights books that have been challenged in some way because someone didn’t like the content within. They feel compelled to make sure no one else can discover the stories within its pages solely because they did not like the content.
This year, the top ten books on the American Library Association’s list have been challenged for a variety of reasons, including, profanity. They all have been challenged...

In the 1980s and 1990s, whenever you went to the airport, your family and friends went with you to the gate. They would embarrass you with hugs and kisses before you began your journey down the gangway and into the plane.
The cockpit door was sometimes open. People could drop in on long flights and get a quick tour. I once watched the sun rise from the cockpit.
Then, on September 11, 2001, everything changed. We gave into the fear of an attack on our country.
On a bright, sunny morning when P...