Opinion

Cell phones can cost $1,000 or more and even a cheap one is an important possession for most of us. Still, it’s not unusual to see one skittering across the floor after slipping from a pocket or purse, or to find yourself googling ideas for drying one out after it has been dropped in the commode...

Dear Editor, I want people to know why I am becoming a "liberal/progressive" REPUBLICAN: 1. Too many national Democrats who are women come across to me as being "anti-men" and as disliking men. 2. Because research indicates that by around the year 2030 over 50% of the USA will be "non-white," too many national Democrats are now going overboard and are PANDERING in a big way to get the votes of all minority groups including the future votes of legal and illegal immigrants...

Dear Editor, Here at the Christmas season, we take time to reflect on how blessed we are and embrace the spirit of giving more than at any other time of the year. I always enjoy Dickens' wonderful story, 'A Christmas Carol,' which tells of a sad, lonely, greedy, wealthy man, Scrooge, who learns that it is better to give than to receive, and that we owe each other a measure of kindness...

As Christmas nears, and we prepare for the flurry of activity that surrounds it, a couple of random, holiday thoughts come to mind. Gift giving is both a joy and a burden. In some cases, budgetary restraints prevent us from giving as much as we would like and at other times, we find that the loved ones we value the most want for nothing. Sometimes, the selection of an appropriate gift at any price can present a challenge...

Our democracy gives us the opportunity to elect our public officials at a local, state and national level. This is a powerful tool to help shape what we want to see happen politically in our country. Our free-market economy also gives us a chance to vote with our dollars when we make purchases. This is evident as we approach Christmas...

Christmas is a favorite time of year for most of us, but for others, the holidays can be a real struggle. If you’ve lost a loved one, face financial or health issues in yourself or loved ones, cheery music and television specials can make you feel especially alone and hopeless...

Dear Editor, Brussels sprouts are described as a vegetable that is related to the mustard plant. It tastes like cabbage and is related to cabbage as well as cauliflower. Tall stocks are sent up from Brussels sprouts. Each stock has a tiny head of cabbage. They have the same food value as cabbage and have vitamins A, B and C...

There’s a lot going on at the state capitol building. Not only are we gearing up to start the 2020 legislative session that will begin on Jan. 8 but over 20 senators and staff will be moving office locations. These office moves are a result of the renovation project to update the heating and air conditioning system from steam to an HVAC system...

“Routine” emails arrive at the news desk several times a week with basic information about a house fire in Nebraska, the number of family members displaced by the fire, and how the American Red Cross has responded. The events are anything but routine for those affected by the fire, of course, and the help provided by the organization is anything but basic...

I presume that you dear reader is about as fed up with the impeachment saga day after day on TV that I am. I can see the lead Democrats in Congress getting a lot of facetime to inflate their egos but they don’t seem to get much of anything productive done. President Trump just goes about business as usual tending to foreign and domestic policy and nothing productive comes from Congress except hate and recriminations...

December is a good time to look back and look ahead. When I took the role of Economic Director a year and a half ago, I think I only understood about 15% of what the job entailed. It has been a steep learning curve. With the board’s guidance, we identified three areas of focus and I wanted to provide an update on where we are...

There’s a popular meme going around on social media that reads, “How do you frighten a Millennial? Put them in a room with a rotary phone, an analog watch, a typewriter and a TV with no remote, then leave the directions for use in cursive.” Millennials present an easy opportunity for poking fun. To those of us who have been around just a bit longer, they are genuine curiosities; strange and fascinating creatures...

We’re always skeptical of sweeping conclusions based on Nebraska statistics, with our sparse population and low number of examples of any one data point, but some reports are interesting nonetheless. The Safewise home security site issued a report that indicates McCook is the sixth safest city in the state...

Want to be happier and healthier? Try a little gratitude. That’s easier said than done if you’ve recently suffered a loss, can’t see your way out of a difficult circumstance or face seemingly unsurmountable problems. In that case, please reach out for help — and if you know someone that needs that help, please do what you can...

LINCOLN, Neb. -- In an age of instant gratification online and 24-hour news cycles, a group of Nebraska state senators said Nov. 21 that civility suffers under the digital veil. “This is where a lot of this discourse problem comes in,” State Sen. Tom Brandt said. “I think if we went back to all being in this room and shutting [down] our devices and talking about the subject, it makes a difference.”...

If you’re planning to travel for Thanksgiving, we have some advice: Don’t. True, the brunt of today’s storm is expected to be over by Wednesday, but turkey day itself is predicted to bring freezing rain, followed by rain Friday -- which in November means ice -- and more chances of snow on the weekend, when you’ll be trying to get home. 400 flights were already canceled today at Denver’s airport...

Wrapped up. Grannie Annie and her host of volunteers packed wrapped and sent 320 care packages to the troops with her Adopt a Chaplain project. Our postal service, the locals doing extra duty, ships all those boxes of cheer to the east coast. From there, on a space available basis, our US Air Force flies them on to their destinations in Afghanistan, Kuwait and Egypt. ...

Santa Clarita, Duncan, Oklahoma, Fresno…. With several dead, and hurting, law enforcement officials are still in the process of unfolding the why and the how. So far, speculation supports crimes of passion, possible gang activity and the angst of a grieving teenager. ...

We haven’t heard much about the Great American Smokeout this year, but it is today, part of Tobacco Cessation Awareness Week in Nebraska. There has been more publicity about a related subject, vaping, a practice which the American Medical Association said should be banned...

It may be more blessed to give than to receive, but if you’re addicted to buying those gifts, you may be headed for trouble. German researchers have published a study finding that a small percentage of people are actually addicted to shopping. They say 1 in 20 adults has “buying-shopping disorder” (BSD), which “is characterized by extreme preoccupations with and craving for buying/shopping and by irresistible and identity-seeking urges to possess consumer goods.”...

I am contemplating introducing a constitutional amendment during this incoming 2020 legislative session that would put a lifetime limit on serving in the Legislature. No one would be allowed to serve in the Legislature after being elected to three 4-year terms. It would give Nebraskans an opportunity to vote on making a change to our existing term limits that are set for the Legislature...

Dear Editor, I would like to comment on the Open Forum letter from Stew-art Epstein of 11-14-A.D. 2019. Stewart, you write in your letter that we need a hero. There is nothing wrong with a hero, but what we need now in this world is a Savior, The Messiah Jesus. ...

Grannie Annie and the old guy did an interesting trip last Saturday. The goal was to pick up the meat from a newly butchered half a hog (long story) at a processing plant in Diller, Nebraska. Yes it is a quaint small town in Eastern Nebraska just over 200 miles straight east of McCook. The most direct route was Highway 4 and so we traveled...

A discussion around the coffee machine this morning drew some laughs. South Dakota’s new anti-drug slogan is “Meth. We’re on it.” Its unveiling Monday naturally drew some instant criticism as “a colossal blunder.” Gov. Kristi L. Noem (R) held her ground, saying the campaign, which a Minneapolis ad agency created for nearly $449,000, underscores the importance of combating drug use in a state where twice as many 12- to 17-year-olds reported using meth compared with the national average...

Dear Editor, I find myself to be in an uncomfortable position--- If you are concerned and worried and fearful and scared of the secret right-wing conspiracy (led by the Kochs) to one day abolish all of the federal government social programs (especially Social Security) that help people, then you have to worry about who the President will be now and in the future. If s/he agrees with these extreme conservatives, the lower and middle classes will be at-risk and in danger...