I needed a break, so I went on a road trip last weekend to visit a few rural Nebraska towns that have been in the news lately. I wanted to get a taste of what was going on in the less populated parts of the state. So, I hit the road to visit two towns that have been in the news recently: McCook and Lexington.

I wasn’t quite sure of what I’d find. I wasn’t even quite sure what I was looking for, but I wanted to get a feel not only for those two towns but for rural Nebraska in general.

After driving the backroads through towns like Axtel and Funk, my first stop was McCook, home of the Cornhusker Clink. The town was what you might expect from a town with a population of 7,000. There’s a Casey’s, a McDonald’s, a Walmart, and a CBD store.

It also has a prison populated with immigrants whose only crime may have been that they didn’t file some paperwork before entering the country.

Before checking into my motel, I had to drive by the prison and take a look. It’s located on Highway 83, about a mile outside of the business district. Before getting to the prison, there was a sign by the side of the road that said, Somos Amigos de los Inmigrantes, or We are friends of the immigrants. Next to it in English, there was a sign that said Shame on Pillen and another that had the names of those killed by ICE or Border Patrol agents.

During my stay in McCook, that was the only outward sign that even acknowledged the Clink.

The facility still says Work Ethic Plant without addressing the change in the building’s mission.

When I drove by, the parking lot was full, but the prison yard was empty. Even though it was hot and humid that day, I would have thought there would be some inmates milling about. I drove by numerous times during my stay, and I never saw anyone outside in the fenced-in, barbed wire recreation area.

I spoke with a number of locals about the facility. I wondered if the Clink would be a hot topic considering the recent murders of immigrants.

Many locals seemed hesitant to talk about it with an outsider. Those who did talk about it gave differing secondhand opinions. I couldn’t find anyone who worked there, but I found some who knew those who did, and they gave me differing stories. Some told me they heard the prisoners are treated great; others said they heard the conditions are bad and it is overcrowded.

I’m not sure I left with any more insight than when I came to town.

In Lexington, I found a town that is doing its best to survive despite the Tyson plant closing. The empty parking lot once held the cars of 3,200 employees. The building once processed 5,000 head of cattle a day. It now stands as a memorial for what once was.

Speaking with a restaurant owner across from the empty plant, she said that her business was hanging in there because she’s located on a busy highway. However, the businesses further in town were having a much harder time.

Some Other Observations From My Windshield Time 

Through Central Nebraska

I thought I’d see some Trump flags waving in the yards of the farmhouses. Except for one pro-Trump bumper sticker in McCook, and the iconic Trump sign on the barn off I-80, I saw no other reference to the president. I’m not sure what that means or if it means anything at all.

I also wondered how concerned many of these voters are about the transgender issue. Pete Ricketts seems to think it’s a big deal from the ads that he’s running, but I can’t imagine there’s a single transgender person within a hundred miles or more of these small towns. I wondered if those scare tactics were working on the farmers and their families, or if they were more concerned about getting fertilizer and selling their crops.

I recommend everyone take a road trip through the backroads of rural Nebraska from time to time. We don’t have mountains or oceans, but there is a real beauty in the cornfields and the trainyards. Stop at a local bar and grill and have a cheeseburger and talk to some of the locals.

If nothing else, it’s a great way to clear your mind. Who knows what you’ll discover.

Tom Becka is a long time Nebraska broadcaster who for over 30 years has been covering Omaha and Midwest issues on both radio and TV. He has been a guest on numerous national cable and news shows, filled in for nationally syndicated talk radio programs and Talkers Magazine has recognized him as one of the Top 100 talk show hosts in the country 10 times. Never afraid to ruffle some feathers, his ‘Becka’s Beat’ commentaries can be found online on Youtube and other digital platforms.

Opinions expressed by columnists in The Daily Record are not necessarily those of its management or staff, and do not constitute an endorsement or recommendation. Any errors or omissions should be called to our attention so that they may be corrected. Contact us at news@omahadailyrecord.com.a