McCook Gazette: Columns: McCook Gazette

Protesting athletes should make their points on their own time (09/27/16)
Cornhusker senior linebacker Michael Rose-Ivey says he's criticizing America because he loves it more than any other country in the world. Rose-Ivey should receive credit for informing his coaches of his intention to kneel for the National Anthem before Saturday's football game...

Will Americans hear real issues or will circus continue? (09/26/16)
The chances of anyone "winning" tonight's presidential campaign are extremely thin, according to an AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll. At best, performances by Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton will make most of their supporters feel less negative about their candidate...

Highway expansion welcome announcement for Southwest Nebraska (09/23/16)
Announcements Thursday in Lincoln and Friday in North Platte illustrate just how long major public works projects can take and how many people need to be involved. Benefits of the highway projects announced will be felt for multiples of years by millions people more, however...

Marine recalls wartime kindness at McCook depot (09/22/16)
On the eve of the annual Heritage Days celebration, McCook Mayor Mike Gonzales received a reminder of a key part of his community's history. Besides being home to a major air base, McCook did its best to make thousands of troops feel at home, if only for a few minutes, when troop trains stopped here during World War II...

Lincoln's example shows how hard budget cuts can be (09/21/16)
Local governmental bodies have been taken to task on this page many times over the years, including recent weeks when budgets for the coming years have all seemed to include levy hikes as well as the usual real spending increases. Speaking in McCook this morning, Jamie Karl of the state chamber of commerce made a good point, that it does little good to complain to state legislators about property taxes which are levied by local governments, mostly in support of schools...

Mosquitoes pose new threat to area residents (09/20/16)
Summer officially ends Thursday, and it seems to be hanging on to the very end with temperatures in the 80s and 90s this week. Some local health officials, however, wouldn't be disappointed to have an early freeze. Not that they want crops or gardens to be ruined, but they are concerned about the human population of Southwest Nebraska...

Community plans often overlook important group (09/19/16)
Local economic development efforts often concentrate on attracting young families back to small towns, and rightfully so. Young families are a vital component of any thriving community, filling classrooms and athletic teams with young people, providing dedicated employees and stepping in as leadership for local organizations, churches and government...

Pot petitions promise to deal with inconsistencies (09/15/16)
Nebraska and adjoining states have had to take a whole new look at the issue since Colorado legalized marijuana for medical or recreational use. A couple of groups are forcing the issue, collecting signatures to place a couple of different issues on the 2018 ballot...

Sugar studies should be taken with grain of salt (09/14/16)
The nexus of science, politics and commerce has been in the news recently with topics like global warming, EpiPen pricing and even flossing of teeth pushing it to the forefront. The EpiPen manufacturer backed off somewhat, offering a generic version and offering discounts after it political maneuverings and huge management bonuses were revealed...

Voters have right to expect results from Hillcrest vote (09/13/16)
If you haven't detected a trend in recent budget stories, here it is. They're all going up. After approving a 1.5 percent sales tax for 15 years, with part of that for economic development, local voters were rewarded with increases in the city, county and school levies in recent weeks...

Don't avoid talking about a difficult subject (09/08/16)
Other issues have come to the forefront in this year's presidential race, but gun control is never far from the surface. The Black Lives Matter group focuses attention on officer-involved shootings, while the other side points out that the majority of African Americans who die from gunshot wounds are killed by other blacks...

Most Nebraskans won't complain about rain, but ... (09/07/16)
What was that I just heard, a complaint about rain? Most long-time Nebraskans would bite their tongue rather than mention something about there being too much rain. Weekend rains of as much as 8 inches left us more than 5 inches ahead of normal precipitation for the year and nearly that for the month alone, however, and we've been reminded that too much rain can, indeed, be a problem...

Wild weather, quake are good reminders for preparation effort (09/06/16)
One of Gazette founder Harry Strunk's lasting legacies is the lake north of Cambridge that bears his name, honoring his efforts to create irrigation and flood control dams on the Republican River. Those dams have helped prevent a repeat of the 1935 flood that killed 110 people and 20,593 head of livestock and damaged 275,000 acres of farmland...

New evidence, new hope for dementia patients (09/02/16)
Where were you on Sept. 11, 2001? It was a beautiful clear Tuesday morning, and there's a good chance you were doing the same thing you did this morning, provided your circumstances haven't changed much in the past 16 years. In the interim, those who were directly involved in the aftermath have had plenty of time to experience the aftereffects of the trauma, and few groups have provided more fodder for researchers...

Ballfield names stir great memories, gratitude (09/01/16)
Kelley, Barnett, Norris, Weiland, Elks, Russell, Karrer, Jaycees. They're local parks and ballfields that bear the names of individuals and groups that could see beyond themselves to make things better for generations to come. They've provided settings for thousands of memories and life lessons that sports can provide...

Is reciprocity an option for U.S. immigration law? (08/31/16)
After spending the primaries touting a "deportation force" and vowing to have Mexico pay for construction of a wall on the U.S. southern border, Donald Trump is reconsidering his stance on illegal immigration. He made a quick trip to meet President Enrique Pe�a Nieto in Mexico today in preparation for a major immigration speech in Arizona...

Sex scandals through the years, from Washington to Lincoln (08/30/16)
How much of a sex scandal does it take to force a politician out of office? That question is playing out in Lincoln with State Sen. Bill Kintner given until Friday to resign or face the consequences for his admitted sexual encounter through the use of a state laptop computer...

Republican River resolutions welcome development (08/29/16)
Our thanks to the Upper Republican Natural Resources District staff for shedding some light on the new agreement signed by Colorado, Kansas and Nebraska that everyone hopes will put an end to the conflict over the river's water supply. While officials like Gov. ...

The EpiPen saga continues (08/25/16)
The company that purchased the rights to a device used in emergencies to treat anaphylaxis, then raised the price by more than 500 percent, has bowed to public pressure somewhat. Mylan announced today it would cover up to $300 of what people pay for a two-pack of EpiPen, provided they were previously paying the full amount of the company's price...

Drug price issue not as simple as we think (08/24/16)
The rising price of a life-saving injection device is getting the attention of consumer advocates and members of Congress. EpiPens are used to treat food allergy reactions in what can be life-or-death emergencies. There's no generic version of the device, and no direct competitor...

Lincoln project proves going green no easy task (08/23/16)
We've watched with interest Lincoln's project to recover methane gas from the city's landfill and turn it into electricity. It seems like a good idea since the federal Clean Air Act requires the gas to be collected from a series of wells and purified anyway. The recovered methane is then sent to the Terry Bundy Generation station, where it's turned into power for Lincoln Electric System customers...

Community colleges poised to play even bigger role in nation (08/22/16)
McCook's junior college is celebrating its 90th year next week and there's plenty to celebrate, but the college has plenty to look forward to, as well. The Mid-Plains board of governors are expected to approve the purchase of four small homes in eastern McCook this week to be used for student housing, and to approve more bids for work associated with construction of an extended campus location in Valentine...

Choice of words provides insight into lawmakers' thinking (08/18/16)
Remember when President (Bill) Clinton tried to explain away his lies about Monica Lewinsky thusly: "It depends on what the meaning of the word 'is' is." The same type of parsing reveals some insight into lawmakers' thinking when it comes to budget discussions...

Academics, attorney general argue facts in capital punishment (08/17/16)
The Nebraska Attorney General is taking issue with a study that concludes the state would save $14.6 million a year by doing away with the death penalty. Dr. Ernie Goss of Creighton University, who issues regular reports on the Midwest economy and does studies for a conservative think tank, said he was surprised by the results...

Will market forces spell the end of Obamacare? (08/16/16)
Donald Trump and other Republicans have repeatedly called for the repeal of Obamacare, but it looks like market forces might do that job for them. What isn't clear is what Republicans or Democrats will come up with to replace it. Is a Canada-style single-payer system as inevitable as many believe?...

Be careful no matter how you decide to travel (08/15/16)
Local athletes, family and friends got together for a touching tribute run Saturday to honor Michelle Walters, tragically killed during the bicycle portion of a Boulder Ironman triathlon a week earlier. It was an appropriate way to remember a young fitness enthusiast taking part in only the latest challenge she took on with determination...

Social media plays into hands of those who seek attention (08/11/16)
"He'd like us to mention his name," the late radio commentator Paul Harvey used to say, while reporting on someone who committed a mass murder or some other atrocity in an effort to gain notoriety. "We won't" was always his next sentence. The attraction of fame for warped minds has only grown stronger with the growth of social media in the years since Harvey's death...

Tough laws don't tell complete story on drunk driving (08/10/16)
Nebraska is pretty tough on drunk driving, according to a WalletHub analysis, but the available numbers don't tell the whole story. Drunk driving results in more than a million arrests, nearly 10,000 deaths and more than $40 billion in economic damage each year, and Nebraska lawmakers have responded appropriately...

Farmers markets win-win for state, local communities (08/09/16)
Americans enjoy some of the cheapest and most abundant varieties of food in the world. Some question the production methods that are used to provide that abundance, however, and a GMO labeling bill recently signed by President Obama is controversial because it allegedly overrides state laws requiring labeling of genetically engineered foods...

Festival, concert work together for worthy local goals (08/08/16)
Barnett Park was revived as a great events venue with Sunday night's Hear Nebraska/Good Living Tour/Prairie Roots Festival, when the stars aligned just right for what should be the first of a successful series of community gatherings. This one differed from other traditional events in that it was initiated and carried out by young people who have the most to gain and the most responsibility for providing nourishment for community growth...

Time for a third party in America? Perhaps, says poll (08/05/16)
With Donald Trump's runaway mouth and Hillary Clinton's character questions, the future isn't looking good for America's two-party system, let alone the country's fate in general. A new GenForward Poll at the University of Chicago is bad news for both parties, regardless of demographics...

Prairie Roots Festival raises bar on celebrations (08/04/16)
Heritage Days is always a busy weekend, but this weekend promises to challenge its status as the biggest in McCook's yearly calendar. We'd better hope it arrives soon, or someone will add so many events there will be no hope of keeping track of them...

Latest fatality compounds tragic story of I-80 crash (08/03/16)
Any traffic death is a tragedy, but the news from the Interstate 80 crash Sunday seems to get worse. A sixth victim was declared brain dead Monday, but his body was being kept on life support so that organs could be harvested to keep others alive. The man, Terry Sullivan, 56, was in a minivan struck by a van carrying a family of five from St. Paul, Minn., which was struck by a semi that failed to slow for a construction zone in Keith County...

State Fair 'triples down' on big-name outdoor concerts (08/02/16)
The Nebraska State Fair is expecting its 2 millionth visitor this year in the Grand Island site it has called home for the past seven years. Fairboard member Bob Haag of Indianola joined Executive Director Joseph McDermott and Marketing and Sponsorship Director Shaun Schleif on their annual promotional swing through Southwest Nebraska, but they had no trouble finding something new to talk about for Nebraska's big party...

Playing in virtual world can lead to real dangers (08/01/16)
Pok�mon Go players tend to be younger and perhaps less wise in the ways of the world, so it's not surprising that there is no shortage of criminals willing to take advantage of them. We saw a recent YouTube video of how easy it was for one man to lure two teenage girls into his car under the guise of capturing a popular character...

Hinckley release revives Simants concerns (07/28/16)
Cynics will find some way to connect the release of the man who tried to killed the Republican Party's icon Ronald Reagan and the Democratic Party's national convention but it's only the latest twist in a process that started 35 years ago. John W. Hinckley Jr., 61, who shot the president and three others outside the Washington Hilton Hotel on March 30, 1981, no longer poses a danger to himself or others, according to a 103-page court order issued by U.S. ...

Time to get kids' immune systems ready for school (07/27/16)
Summer was fun while it lasted, but you can now count on one hand the number of weeks until school starts again. With school opening comes the chance to meet new friends and become reacquainted with old ones. But while kids' minds are adjusting to the new social situation, their bodies are reacting to new microbes those interactions bring along...

Even binge-watching TV can be dangerous (07/26/16)
If you're tire of convention coverage, you might be tempted to binge watch those old episodes of "Orange is the New Black" or "House of Cards." You might want to go for a walk or play a round of golf instead, according to some studies. First there was a University of Texas at Austin study that found a connection between binge-watching and depression, lack of self-regulation or loneliness...

Election year shapes up as strangest since '68 (07/25/16)
Despite the Republican Party's selection of a sometimes belligerent nominee and Cleveland residents open-carrying assault-type weapons -- or perhaps because they were -- the GOP convention came off relatively smoothly. This week's Democratic Party convention in Philadelphia is shaping up to be entirely different...

Local troopers deserve credit for traffic safety (07/22/16)
Troopers would be the first to say they didn't deserve all the credit, but local troopers certainly deserve their share for helping prevent needless traffic fatalities last year. The McCook Sergeant Area was the only Nebraska State Patrol work area in the state to record zero fatality accidents during the 2015 calendar year...

Two messages, one goal: Healthier lives for children (07/21/16)
"Team Henry" rolled through McCook this week with the message that kids can overcome obesity with an active lifestyle and healthy eating habits. You can read about Dr. Pierre Rouzier's cross-country bicycle trip on mccookgazette.com or in Wednesday's Gazette, where a story and pictures about his visit to the McCook Public Library were printed on page 7...

FEMA offers smartphone app to deal with heat (07/20/16)
If you were around in 1936, this weather may feel familiar. Nebraska's all-time highest recorded temperature was 118 �F on July 24, 1936 in Minden. That was just one of many days and weeks of weather over several years that led to vast dust storms, crop failures and depopulation of parts of the Plains and migration to California during the Depression...

No great artists among Mrs. Trump's speech writers (07/19/16)
The quote "good artists imitate; great artists steal" has been widely attributed to Pablo Picasso. It's also been credited to everyone from Steve Jobs to T.S. Eliot and Igor Stravinsky. When it comes to speech writing, however, Melania Trump's scribes are not being praised as great artists following her speech Monday night to the Republican National Convention...

Report lays out plans to help sex trafficking victims (07/18/16)
We read about prostitution stings each year in Nebraska - usually around major events such as the College World Series when law enforcement conducts stings, but most of us like to think "The Good Life" doesn't include "great" opportunities like that, especially in rural Nebraska...

The west will have to admit it's at war (07/15/16)
Internet wags were quick to call on authorities to ban trucks following Thursday's terrorism in France, but the truck attack shows just how difficult it is to fight an enemy that will stop at nothing to destroy anyone who disagrees with their religion and are only too happy to kill themselves in the process...

Road rage possible, even in sparsely populated regions (07/14/16)
Southwest Nebraskans joke about traffic jams, but dangerous conflicts arising from road disputes are not unheard of, even in our sparsely populated corner of the state. Wait at the corner of West Fifth and J on a busy school morning, and you'll agree that road rage is possible anytime motor vehicles and time schedules are in use...

Thinking outside the box on road repair, construction (07/13/16)
We haven't made a study of it, but a couple of innovative ideas have caught our eye in recent days when it comes to streets and highways. A television report Tuesday how injected foam was being used to repair a major traffic artery in Grand Island, which apparently was improperly constructed in the first place...

New GMO rules should tell whole story (07/12/16)
Rather than let Vermont dictate GMO food standards for the country, the Senate passed a labeling law last week and the House will take up the issue in short order. There's no guarantee the House will go along with the requirement. While humans have been modifying their foods for centuries through selective breeding, it's only been a few years that they've been able to manipulate DNA directly, by inserting a gene from one plant or animal into another...

Latest electronic game gets players off Mom's couch (07/11/16)
On one hand, the newest video game craze encourages exercise. On the other, it can have dangerous consequences. If you see someone staring at their screen and walking down the street, they may be playing a new "augmented reality" game. The game, Pokemon Go, has exploded in popularity since it was released Wednesday, sending players out into the real world to find online "pocket monsters" -- Pokemon. ...

Officers deserve support, even after honest mistakes (07/08/16)
Many have dangerous jobs, and we're wise not to take our loved ones for granted when they head off to work. Even so, it's shocking and outrageous to hear that five police officers lost their lives Thursday night as they were working to protect the rights and lives of peaceful protesters only a few blocks from where President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in 1963...

Sorry, but your hoverboard may not be safe (07/07/16)
If you're disappointed that it's 2016 and you still don't have a jet pack, you might have consoled yourself by riding your hoverboard. Sorry about that, but you'd better pay attention to a notice from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. Basically, if you've got a hoverboard more than a couple of months old, you should send it back, including those received as Christmas presents...

Can U.S. oil reserves keep us out of more wars? (07/06/16)
Oil has always played a pivotal role in wars from the B-24 raids on Hitler's refineries in Ploiești, Romania, the Imperial Japanese invasion of the Dutch East Indies (now Indonesia) to Dick Cheney's contention that the invasion of Iraq could be paid for with oilfield proceeds...

Whatever reason, now is good time to donate blood (07/05/16)
One of our staff members at the Gazette who has O negative does his best to show up for local blood drives, but he has selfish reasons. Yes, O negative blood is much in demand because it can be given to anyone who needs it. But when someone with O negative blood needs a transfusion, it can't come from just anyone. It has to be O negative blood...

Good news, bad news for Fourth of July holiday (06/30/16)
It could be a great weekend if you plan to travel, but it could also be one of the worst, according to AAA Nebraska. Starting today and extending through Monday, July 4, nearly 43 million Americans will be traveling 50 miles or more away from home. It will be the cheapest travel in years if gasoline prices are taken into account, with U.S. drivers saving about $20 billion on gasoline so far this year compared to the same period in 2015...

Celebrate freedom without encroaching on others' rights (06/29/16)
They say my freedom to swing my arm ends where your nose begins. The same could be said for my freedom to celebrate the Fourth of July. That freedom ends where my neighbors' peace, quiet and safety begin. Tuesday night's thunderstorm put an end to the pre-Fourth reverie, nature's fireworks making the best Nebraska-legal firecrackers sound puny by comparison...

Environmentalists make point, taxpayers pay the bill (06/28/16)
We'll have to wait to see how the arbitration turns out, but the company that thought it was going to be able to build the Keystone XL pipeline wants to be paid $15 billion because the Obama administration rejected the plan. TransCanada Inc. planned to spend $8 billion to connect Hardistry, Alberta, Canada, with a point in Steele City, Nebraska, where 830,000 barrels of crude oil per day would be routed into existing pipelines to Gulf Coast refineries...

When hobos found a welcoming home in Southwest Nebraska (06/27/16)
The onlyinyourstate.com website cited some history about Oxford, Neb., that is shared by many towns along the railroad and contrasts with today's conditions. Once a division point for the old CB&Q Railroad, Oxford had a large roundhouse and, nearby, a high river bank that quickly became a "hobo haven" for men who were down on their luck...

What does Brexit mean for the next presidential election? (06/24/16)
In Scotland to visit one of his money-losing golf courses, Donald Trump congratulated Britain on its vote to leave the European Union, saying he was happy to see people take their countries back. Stock markets weren't so sure about the Brexit vote. The U.S stock market dropped about 2 percent on open but was coming back at press time...

Travelers get ground-level view of our flyover state (06/23/16)
Nebraska is sometimes derided as a "flyover state" for politicians seeking votes from the major population centers on the coasts, but it hasn't always been that way. Summertime brings reminders of earlier times when trappers, "49-ers," longhorn drovers and travelers on the Mormon and Oregon trails spent long days traversing our loess hills on the way to their final destination...

Political capital, not gun violence, main Senate target (06/22/16)
One measure would ban gun sales to suspected terrorists. Another would deny gun sales to known or suspected terrorists as long as a judge agrees within three days. A third would expand background checks to private gun sales and a fourth would encourage states to share more information on suspected terrorists with the FBI...

Time to revive ignition interlock for teen drivers? (06/21/16)
Remember ignition interlocks? For one year, 1974, American cars were equipped with a gizmo that prevented cars from starting if the driver's seat belt wasn't buckled. You may be familiar with another modern-day ignition interlock if you've run afoul of laws against driving while intoxicated...

Big cats not unheard of in Southwest Nebraska (06/20/16)
Many dads were recognized on Sunday's Fathers Day for all they do, but we have to pay tribute as well to the Colorado mom who saved her 5-year-old son's life by pulling his head from the jaws of a mountain lion. The Pitkin County police said the child was playing outside Friday with his brother when the mother heard the sound of screaming...

Vacation no time to let down your guard (06/16/16)
Our hearts go out to the Nebraska family who suffered the unspeakable horror of seeing their toddler snatched away by an alligator while they were visiting a Disney World resort Tuesday night. Although the manmade lake had "no swimming" signs posted, the boy was playing in about a foot of water in a beach area when he was grabbed by the reptile, four to seven feet in length. The boy's body was discovered nearby about 16 hours after he was taken...

Court sides with public in net neutrality ruling (06/15/16)
The internet was invented with a grant from the Department of Defense in the 1960s, was popularized by invention of the World Wide Web protocols in the 1980s, and wasn't completely opened to commercial activity until 1995. Originally carried by copper phone lines, it's increasingly transmitted wirelessly and through fiberoptic lines...

Flying American flag at half-staff too often loses meaning (06/14/16)
If you're like many of us, you'll feel the hair stand up on the back of your neck when you see an online video of a protester standing on an American flag. That's especially true for those of us who grew up hearing stories of wars fought to preserve all it stands for...

Warped view of reality common denominator in terror (06/13/16)
Both sides of the gun debate scrambled to find the "right" side of the issue, especially politicians hoping to translate the tragedy into votes. The left naturally funneled the issue into the need for gun control, blaming the instrument of mass murder, while downplaying the ideology behind the Orlando attack in the name of tolerance...

Fewer teens choose, have chance for employment (06/10/16)
Want your teens to learn accountability, grit and the ability to handle adversity? Get them summer jobs. They'll learn how to manage things they don't necessarily like and experience that may last them a lifetime. They'll also have a leg up on the competition...

Smartphones not only dangerous to driving but your career as well (06/09/16)
Using personal electronics can be illegal and downright dangerous while driving, but they're not much help when it comes to being productive at work, either. A new CareerBuilder study found that 20 percent of employers think they're getting less than five hours of productivity out of their workers every 8 hour days, and they think smart phones are to blame...

Are border beer, Colorado pot the same issue? (06/08/16)
A substance that is crossing the Nebraska state line is legal on one side of the line and illegal on the other. While businesses on one side of the line profit from sale of the substance, law enforcement and social workers on the other are left to deal with the mayhem the substance creates...

Prosecutors make right choice in tragic zoo incident (06/07/16)
It was a no-win situation for everyone involved in the shooting of a rare gorilla at the Cincinnati Zoo after a 3-year-old fell into the animal's enclosure. Fortunately, the local prosecutor didn't yield to mob rule and file charges against the mother in response to internet outcry...

Putting today's heroes into perspective (06/06/16)
The news has been filled with tributes to Muhammad Ali, and with good reason. At once inspiring, controversial and polarizing, he became an elder statesman and spokesman for various causes such as Parkinson's syndrome, as a "U.N. Messenger of Peace" to Afghanistan, and kept in the spotlight with actions such as the support of Ronald Reagan's re-election, talking a suicidal man down from a ninth-floor ledge in Los Angeles and lighting the torch at the Atlanta Olympic games...

Prince death throws spotlight on addictive painkillers (06/03/16)
Pain management is an important part of health care and the healing process, but painkillers that were hailed as effective and non-addictive only a few years ago have helped fuel a new opioid and heroin epidemic. The death of entertainer Prince, ruled to be as a result of an overdose of the painkiller fentanyl, a concentrated opioid, has thrown the spotlight on a growing problem...

Fiscal study puts Nebraska near the top (06/02/16)
Gov. Ricketts has drawn criticism for his opposition to expanding Medicaid and his penchant for treating state government like a business, but his type of fiscal conservatism has placed Nebraska next to the top when it comes to financial health. Eileen Norcross, a senior research fellow with the Mercatus Center at George Mason University leads its State and Local Policy Project, which seeks to take the mystery out of financial reports...

Emotional state plays important part in driving (06/01/16)
Someday perhaps we'll all be whisked to work by self-driving cars immune to human problems. Until then, we have to do our best to arrive safely despite the failings of the weakest link in the chain -- the human driver. The Nebraska State Patrol is again conducting its "100 Days of Summer" initiative, with extra enforcement each day between Memorial Day and Labor Day, the most dangerous months of the year...

Legislative letter: Norris would have been proud (05/31/16)
Conflict is an inherent part of our political system as ideas compete for a chance to change the direction of our society. Political parties are the vehicle we use to help advance ideas, and Gov. Pete Ricketts was fulfilling his role as a Nebraska Republican leader when he said legislators should support the party platform and work to elect more Republicans...

Remembering local sacrifices to win World War II (05/27/16)
President Obama's visit to Hiroshima today was no simple undertaking. Critics call the visit itself an apology for the atomic bombing 71 years ago, but the president took special pains avoid appearing to apologize for an act that ended the war Japan started with a sneak attack on Pearl Harbor...

If state's death penalty is broken, it can still be fixed (05/26/16)
Death penalty opponents offer some valid reasons Nebraskans should vote against reinstating capital punishment. Nebraska's death penalty is broken, State Sen. Colby Coash said during a stop in McCook on Tuesday, and the state has been unable to execute anyone in 20 years...

Don't let insects ruin your holiday (05/25/16)
We may have to deal with rain, but most of us are looking forward to a Memorial Day holiday Monday. We hope you'll attend ceremonies nearest to you as part of your holiday as well as getting outdoors to enjoy a day off. When you do get ready to head to the park or lake, be sure to grab the insect repellent...

Recycled sewer gas to power buses (05/24/16)
The city of Lincoln is planning on putting its sanitary sewer system to work hauling residents around town. Actually, methane gas from sewers is at work in Lincoln, running generators to produce 40 to 60 percent of a digester plant's electric power...

Film offers insight into 'good old days' in Washington (05/23/16)
Depending on how many elections you've lived through, the HBO film "All The Way" will bring back memories or add to your knowledge of political history. It also draws an important distinction between today's congressional gridlock and change by "executive order" instead of the old-fashioned glad-handing, arm-twisting and horse trading that resulted in landmark legislation like the Civil Rights Act of 1964...

Ensuring summertime safety takes special precautions (05/20/16)
Summer's supposed to be a fun time as kids and families take advantage of free time to get outdoors to vacation, play organized and improvised sports and enjoy the warm weather. But it can also be a dangerous time for unsupervised kids and adults who overdo it or indulge in risky behavior...

Conservative voters face choice of lesser of two evils (05/19/16)
Franklin Graham offered some good advice to Nebraskans during the Lincoln stop on his Decision America Tour Wednesday. Get involved, he said, don't be afraid to apply Christian values to government and participate in this year's election, even if they have to vote "for the lesser of two evils."...

Cash case throws spotlight on clash between states (05/18/16)
We concluded a recent editorial with the statement that "occasionally allowing guilty people to go unpunished is the price for preserving freedom for the rest of us." It didn't take long to reinforce that idea. Monday, a Nebraska judge threw out a case against a Minnesota man who admitted he was taking $65,000 in cash to Colorado to buy pot that he intended to sell back home...

Many graduates lack some desired skills (05/17/16)
So you've got that college diploma, now it's time to make the big bucks, right? If you're fluent in Scala and GO computer programming, or an expert in mergers and acquisitions or equity management, you can expect 17 to 20 percent more than the average college graduate...

Man's best friend may help make air travel safer (05/16/16)
A new air carrier is slated to take over service to McCook Ben Nelson Regional Airport this summer, and while "lines" are next to nonexistent going through security here, that's not the case at larger airports. Passengers are told to arrive as much as three hours early because of tightened security measures and tight TSA budgets...

Nuke plant shutdown foreshadows coming changes in energy mix (05/13/16)
Nuclear power was hailed as a miracle when it was first implemented back in the 1950s, and still shows promise in the form of nuclear fusion, which has been "just a few years away" for many decades. We agree with the view that the most practical course is a cocktail of energy sources -- coal, oil, wind, solar, hydro and nuclear -- but in the end, simple economics will be the deciding factor...

Foster parents make a difference, one child at a time (05/12/16)
We're sure you've heard the story about the old man walking along the beach, who spotted a boy in the distance. Every so often, the young man would bend over, pick something up and throw it into the water. Drawing closer, the old man discovered the object of the boy's activities. Starfish...

Now that plan is approved, public must stay involved (05/11/16)
Congratulations to the McCook Economic Development Corp., executive director Kirk Dixon, board members and the community in general for approving and extending McCook's economic development plan. New on the job, Dixon isn't likely to accept much credit for the wide margin of approval, but he and the MEDC leadership that put him in place deserve recognition for the positive vote...

Play good odds to stay safe in tornado season (05/10/16)
Lincoln commuters on the way home from work Monday had to deal with more than traffic as a storm pounded the area, dropping snowdrifts of hail up to football size, as much as 6 inches of rain and spawning at least one tornado. Red Willow and Frontier counties were spared serious damage when two or three tornadoes twisted through the area Sunday, but summer 2016 seems to be shaping up as a stormy season...

After speeches, consider cold economic facts (05/09/16)
Speakers gave this weekends' graduates a lot of advice, but dropping out of school wasn't among it. We've all heard the stories about college dropouts doing well -- Time has a Top 10 list in fact: Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, Frank Lloyd Wright, Buckminster Fuller, James Cameron, Mark Zuckerberg, Tom Hanks, Harrison Ford, Lady Gaga and Tiger Woods...

No shortage of opportunities to honor your mother (05/06/16)
If your mother says she loves you, check it out. Grizzled old editors used to give that advice to cub reporters, but the reality of a mother's love only serves to illustrate the point. Sure, Dad will sacrifice everything for his kids, aunts and uncles love their siblings' kids and even good friends have real affection...

Audit throws spotlight on state tourism expenditures (05/04/16)
Our current slogan is "Visit Nebraska. Visit Nice." but the Nebraska Tourism Commission is not so sure some of the agency's spending is "nice." Meeting in one of the state's top attractions, the Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium, the commission went into a closed session Tuesday after reviewing an audit that disclosed a number of questionable expenses...

McCook has long history of public-private development efforts (05/02/16)
A posting on the popular Facebook page, "Remember When in McCook, Nebraska" shows that economic development has been part of our town since the beginning. "How We Build a New City In The Far West and Offer Rare Chances for the Artisan, Tradesman & Speculator" reads the headline on a notice in the McCook Weekly Tribune of Jan. 31, 1884...

Plenty of good reasons to plant a tree on Arbor Day (04/29/16)
Trees were a rare commodity in the early days of Nebraska, a situation J. Sterling Morton sought to rectify through his efforts in Nebraska City, planting many rare varieties and heirloom apple trees around his 52-room mansion styled after the White House, now in Arbor Lodge State Historical Park...

Bison assuming rightful place as American symbol (04/28/16)
The suggestion by East Coast scholars Frank and Deborah Popper that the Plains be turned back into a "Buffalo Commons" raised the hackles of Southwest Nebraska residents, to the point that an annual event was named the Buffalo Commons Storytelling Festival in defiance...

Voters face important decision on future of McCook (04/27/16)
Voting against the economic development program on the May 10 ballot won't lower city sales taxes, but neither will it spell the end of economic development. In 2015, voters approved combining and extending the 11⁄2-cent sales tax until 2033, but voted against continued funding of the McCook Economic Development Program...

Firearm education needed (04/26/16)
Playing cops and robbers or cowboys and Indians used to be a harmless part of growing up in America. Not any more. It's not just because of political correctness, where a child can be suspended for chewing a Pop-Tart into the shape of a gun, or the post-Columbine or Sandy Hook Elementary world...

More of us convinced politics, public talk increasingly rude (04/25/16)
If you feel like political discourse has degenerated to the level of a playground argument, you're not alone. That's especially true in the Republican race, where nothing has been out of bounds, to the appearance of candidates' wives to the size of a candidate's hands or genitalia or a moderator's menstrual cycle...

Civil forfeiture law helps keep authorities honest (04/22/16)
Cops and courts are there to keep the rest of us honest, but who keeps them in line? In this case, it's the Nebraska Legislature, which passed LB 1106, and Gov. Pete Ricketts, who signed the bill Tuesday to reduce the opportunity for abuse of due process and private property rights through civil forfeiture...

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