Environment

Oberlin family showing gratitude by gardening in Greensburg (05/05/08)
OBERLIN -- Members of an Oberlin family who know first-hand what it's like to lose their home and all their belongings want to pass on the spirit of generosity that their friends and neighbors exhibited after a fire destroyed everything they owned and left them homeless...

Wind power (05/03/08)
A fleet of trucks spent Friday night parked at the north sale barn in McCook, its drivers easily convinced of the power of the blowing wind. Gusts above 40 m.p.h. made it difficult for the southbound truckloads of wind turbine blades to stay on the road, so the drivers decided to find motel rooms in McCook for the night, and resume their journey Saturday, when winds were expected to abate...

Groups make pitch to board of education (04/30/08)
Three groups made their pleas for changes -- or enhancement -- before members of the McCook Public Schools board of education during a special board meeting Tuesday evening. Superintendent Dave Schley told members of the public that the board has "lots of things on their plate," but that they'll look at everything. The board is faced with, he said, requests that would require "way more money" than is available...

NRDs study pipeline to Kansas (04/30/08)
A pipeline to send water to Kansas is an idea being floated by the three Republican River Basin natural resources districts. The concept is still in the talking stages, but a preliminary engineering study done by the Miller & Associates engineering firm in Kearney initially identified nine possible well sites in the Upper and Lower Republican River districts...

Injection well finally gets approval from state (04/23/08)
The drinking water treatment plant in McCook has been on-line for nearly two years, but the process to dispose of the waste from the plant wasn't resolved until April 8. That's when the Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality approved the permit for McCook to operate a Class I non-hazardous waste injection well at the sewer treatment plant...

Council turns down cell phone tax (04/22/08)
After hearing from the public and discussing it among themselves, McCook City Council members unanimously shot down a proposal to impose a 3 percent occupation tax on cell phones usage in the city. City staff had recommended the cell phone tax, as landline telephones are taxed as a utility and cell phones should be treated the same way. It was also suggested as a way to boost declining utility revenue in the General Fund budget, which pays for city salaries and services...

State offering $500 reward for information on hoop net fishing (03/25/08)
LINCOLN -- Nebraska Wildlife Crimestoppers is offering a reward of up to $500 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person using a hoop net to catch fish from the Republican River near Orleans. Nebraska Game and Parks Commission Conservation Officer Rich Routh said it is unlawful for anyone to possess or use a hoop net in Nebraska except licensed commercial fishermen may use them in the Missouri River. ...

Farm-rancher accused of animal neglect (03/25/08)
INDIANOLA -- An Indianola-area farmer-rancher was complying Monday afternoon with an order from the Red Willow County Sheriff's Office that he dispose of the bodies of 111 cattle that died on his mother's farm southwest of Indianola. The farmer/rancher, whose name has not been released, could face charges of animal cruelty in the death of those cattle and for the poor health of 143 head of cattle sold in January, all of which he owned and held in pens and pastures at his mother's farm, which is south and east of his farmhouse.. ...