Local police officers stand guard as Renee Good’s car is towed away after ICE officers shot and killed a woman through her car window Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2026 near Portland Avenue and 34th Street. (Photo by Nicole Neri/Minnesota Reformer)
Nebraska’s high school curriculum standards do not make George Orwell’s “1984” mandatory reading. The state, however, allows latitude to local districts so the novel might show up on an English class syllabus because reading the book would cover many of the bases spelled out in Nebraska’s standards for critical reading.
For those who get that chance and those who already have, one line from Orwell’s masterpiece has taken on a haunting patina as it intersects with headlines from today’s and yesterday’s news: “ The party told you to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears. It was their final, most essential command.”…