A senior thank-you to McCook (05/09/05)
Graduation season is upon us. Within the next few days our local high schools are going to open their doors and unleash another class of graduating students upon the world. These scholars are finishing up one chapter of their lives and looking forward to the beginning of another. There is excitement, anticipation, and exhilaration in the air...

Help in surviving tax time (03/14/05)
Everyone has their favorite season of the year; the time that they truly enjoy more than any other. For some it's Christmas, for others it might be the beginning of spring or the middle of a long summer. For me, October and the changing of leaves has always been the time of year that I love the most...

A resolution for 2005 (01/22/05)
Believe it or not, we're already into the third week of January. By this time, you've probably put away all your holiday decorations, written your Christmas thank-yous, and organized all your 2004 tax information. If so, congratulations! I haven't achieved a single one of those goals yet, but they are on my "to do" list...

A warm touch -- the Coat Closet (11/09/04)
Even though the weather has been warm and gorgeous these last few days, I can tell you that cold winter weather is on its way. I didn't learn this by reading the Farmer's Almanac, watching the Weather Channel, or observing how wooly the caterpillars were this fall. But by being a life-long Nebraskan, I can guarantee you that the cold, the sleet, and the snow aren't too far away...

Special people with a special job (09/30/04)
One of the most difficult things to deal with in this world is the death of a loved one. Whether their death is an unexpected shock or a desired end to their suffering, it is still a time that can be very overwhelming to those left behind. The last thing the family wants to think about are all the details that must be handled...

Jody Crocker makes pool a special place (08/06/04)
The dog days of summer are definitely here. The temperature is hot, the days are long, and the kids are bored. Camp, softball, baseball, Bible school, the fair and vacations are over. The beginning of a new school year is looming. The only real fun left for children in McCook is to head to the city swimming pool where they can cool off during these blistering afternoons...

A fond farewell to good friends (06/04/04)
A wise person once said, "Some people come into our lives and quickly go; others stay awhile and leave footprints on our hearts, and we are never ever the same." As I look back on my life, I see how true this is. There have been a number of people; friends, family members, teachers, neighbors, who have influenced my life in a positive way and hopefully made me a better person through their efforts...

Here's your chance to perform good deeds (05/14/04)
Time flies when you're having fun. Can it actually be May already? Where did the month of April go? More importantly, what happened to my April column that was due about three weeks ago? I wish I could proclaim that I had won the lottery and have been so busy paying bills and shopping that I forgot this column was due. ...

Sending students on the right career path (03/24/04)
What do you want to be when you grow up? I'm sure that's a question you often heard as a kid. It's something that every child thinks about and for which they have an answer. Maybe it's a doctor, lawyer, police officer, nurse, or teacher. Perhaps it's something a little more exotic, like an astronaut, pilot, or NASCAR driver...

A tough reminder that we're a great town (02/17/04)
To put it succinctly, last week really sucked. It was seven days filled with dread, horror, dashed hopes, unbelief and numbing grief. I pray that myself, my family, my friends, and my community never have to go through another ordeal like the one we just experienced...

There's finally time for Santa (01/12/04)
Let me start out this column by apologizing for its tardiness. I had really planned for it to be ready by the end of December. But things just popped up that took priority instead; things like the flu, Christmas programs, shopping, college classes, and my family that took up any "spare time" I might have had last month...

Time for Thanksgiving, afterall (11/24/03)
A few weeks ago I promised editor Bruce Crosby that I'd write a typical Thanksgiving Day column to run in place of my normal Good Deeds feature. You know the type I mean, the one that lists all that we have to be grateful for and makes you feel good and wonderful inside as you read it...

Special children, special parents (11/11/03)
Being a parent is not a job for wimps. It takes a lot of stamina to weather the ups and downs of childhood. Putting up with the temper tantrums of 2-year-olds, the "my parents are so stupid" stage of preteens, and the door-slamming, leave-me-alone mantra of teenagers is enough to make any parent want to resign. By the time you get that last child graduated and out the door, you feel like you've earned the equivalence of a merit badge...

Volunteer helps make life better (08/27/03)
Now that I've achieved my goal of writing a column for a major newspaper, I thought I could cross it off my "to do" list and start on the next item: learning to Rollerblade without causing bodily injury to myself. But thanks to the nice comments and positive feedback from that first column, I've been asked to do more articles shining the spotlight on the outstanding citizens that live in our area. ...