Opinion

Officials hoped lifting most virus restrictions last month wouldn’t allow allow the number of new COVID-19 cases to increase the way they have, but it turns out that was wishful thinking. Like fashion fads and other trends, the coronavirus took its time to arrive in the heartland, but arrive it has...

The McCook City Council has some important items on its agenda for Monday, but one item should be a slam-dunk. There should be no debate about supporting the McCook Chamber of Commerce’s proclamation urging citizens to follow public health recommendations to help keep our schools and businesses open...

In the midst of all the COVID-19 madness and the several false narratives circulating around the upcoming election, I have been reading that aircraft from the People’s Liberation Army Air Force (AKA China) have been making increasingly provocative incursions into Taiwan’s airspace. ...

When I became a member of the McCook Community Foundation Fund, an unexpected shift happened in my thinking. Through the affiliation with the Nebraska Community Foundation, I began to see the potential of “what can be” instead of the common mindset about our lack of resources, lack of creative leadership, or just plain apathy that can become troublesome to our local community organizations...

McCook has been blessed with another half million dollar gift. Thank you Allen Strunk. I find it interesting that several families with youth that grew up in McCook and the surrounding area have enough love in their hearts for this community that they make generous gifts back to help make it an even better place to live, work and raise our children...

Hayes County now has at least one confirmed case of COVID-19, the last county in the state to give up its pandemic-free status. President Trump’s case, along with the many White House staffers who have tested positive, should help make the point that this shouldn’t be a political issue...

You may have noticed that our President is in the hospital with a case of the dreaded coronavirus. It is number one subject for the twenty four hour news stations as one would expect. Fox News seems to portray it in a more positive light than the Main Stream Media as one would also expect. ...

This is Not Old Testament Law; this is God’s Universal Law which remains. If your lifestyle, your eating habits, your physical movement has reaped bad consequences it is a universal God given law. He set consequences in motion all the way back to the garden. They were not exempt & neither are you or I...

Dear Editor, Elivera Doud lived in the neighborhood where I grew up. She was the mother-in-law of Dwight D. Eisenhower, our 34th U.S. president. He was the third son of the seven sons of David Jacob Eisenhower and his wife Ida Elizabeth Stover. The Eisenhowers were German Swiss immigrants who came to America in the 1730s...

Dear Editor, This summer, I had a bad leg injury and consequently, at this point I am “gimping” around with a cane. Saturday after the parade, I was leaving the Keystone building and as I started to open the heavy door, a small Cub Scout rushed up the sidewalk and opened and held the door for me.  I thanked him and he said with a big smile on his face, “you’re welcome.  Have a great day!” ...

Did everyone have a chance to watch the televised decline of western civilization on Tuesday night? If you aren’t one of the estimated 72 million people who watched the presidential debate, I’m sure you have heard about it. President Trump, former Vice President Biden, and Fox News anchor Chris Wallace put on a show that reminded me of one that I would watch on Saturday mornings as a child. I’m not entirely sure which ones would play the part of Larry or Curly, but Trump was definitely Moe...

Whether we want to call it that or not, we do have universal health care in America. Get sick, and you will be taken care of one way or another. That may be through your own insurance, or it may be paid for by taxpayers through Medicare or Medicaid, or it may take a combination of insurance customers, private-pay customers, taxpayers and charity sources to pitch in to cover your costs at the emergency room...

Is it just me or does it seem like no topic is safe to discuss anymore? Autumn officially began a few weeks ago and it’s my favorite time of year. I love the cool mornings, the changing leaves, and digging out sweaters and sweatshirts to hide the early arrival of my “winter layers.”...

Grannie Annie and I drove to Kearney this past week to attend a board meeting. To and from it was evident that the harvest of soybeans and dryland corn is in full swing. For an illustration of how vital irrigation is to this country note that corn under the pivots is still green and still producing pounds for what looks to be a bountiful yield. Now if the price per bushel would be better it would maybe a good year---farmer thinking...

People have misused the phrase “If you have God you are never alone!” or “When you have God, you already have all you need!” to the point of misuse, isolation, justifying lack of fellowship, abuse & neglect of others & lack of compassion. The ones who usually say this have families, friends & loved ones continually around them. They have no clue what real isolation, abandonment & being lonely is...

I am inspired by Dick Trail’s tribute to Bill Elliot on his retirement. That guy deserves gallons of ink, as do all of our city and county employees. Bill, in particular, saved my bacon once when my son and I were experimenting with Estes rocket designs. We became a bit too creative and blackened one of the lower baseball fields. Were it not for Bill and his crew from the rural fire department, it could have spread further south...

With McCook in the midst of celebrating Heritage Days, this is a great opportunity to reflect on the influential heritage McCook has on a regular basis ... something that many of us take for granted. Last week, I was hanging out in front of the Senator George Norris State Historical Site, or as it is more commonly known, the Norris Home. No, I don’t normally just hang out at historical sites, but was scoping out the yard for a future project...