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Don't be victim of fly-by-night roof contractors
When it rains it pours, but sometimes it hails. That was the case recently, and neighborhoods are buzzing with activity, first as adjusters take a look at property damage, then as crews make repairs. The recent hailstorm was not as damaging as storms of recent years, although because a second storm came up unexpectedly, a lot of car dealerships were caught off guard and are now offering hail-damaged bargains...
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Fair ~ High: 95°F ~ Low: 71°F Friday, July 25, 2014 |
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Teen HGH doping not worth the risk
It won't be long now, football fans. Yes, we've enjoyed baseball season, and the World Cup was a pleasant distraction, but we all know what the real sport is. In Nebraska, NU volleyball and, to a lesser extent, basketball, have made themselves felt, but Big Red means football...
Whatever you drive, keep your seatbelt buckled
Three people were sent to the hospital, one of them transported to an out-of-town hospital, following a horrible accident Monday evening, involving an SUV and a car. We've noticed several local accidents, some of them inside town at relatively slow speeds, where tall vehicles, most of them SUVs, have rolled as a result of the collision...
Helping out locally
File this under "No good deed goes unpunished"! When Grannie retired from work, for pay, several years ago she migrated to a local thrift store, known as "The Helping Hand" to contribute hours upon hours of volunteer labor. Weekly she joins with some 60 other good Samaritans to contribute an hour or many more to make the store a success. Volunteer meaning no pay for constructive labor but a huge reward for good deeds done for the good of this community...
How Mexican meth made it into our area
Ogallala celebrates its past as a rip-roarin' cattle town of the late 1800s, with monuments and tourist attractions. It earned its claim to fame after the railroad reached what would become Ogallala in 1867, the closest point for Texas beef to reach transportation to the hungry East...
A really bad day
Yesterday, man's inhumanity to man raised its ugly head again. In the span of a few hours, we were witnesses to a commercial airline with nearly 300 souls on board being shot down by a surface-to-air missile along the border of Ukraine with all aboard perishing, the invasion of Gaza by thousands of Israeli ground troops accompanied by the shelling of Gaza City by planes, drones and missiles and a bank robbery in California that resulted in three hostages being taken and, after a bullet-riddled chase through three towns, three people were killed including two of the robbers and a hostage while the other two hostages were thrown out of the chased vehicle.. ...
Grassroots idea grows to feed 3 billion people
Driving through freshly harvested fields of wheat, thriving fields of corn and soybeans and it's hard to believe that there is hunger anywhere in the world. This year, especially, our Golden Plains are producing an abundance of food -- at least the majority of fields, those that didn't receive hail -- and there is no reason some of it can't get to people who would otherwise starve...
Preservationists win some, lose some in Nebraska
You win some, you lose some. Folks in Lincoln have lost an important piece of history to the University of Nebraska's whims and preservationists in Omaha have apparently lost a battle to save a couple historic buildings from the Mutual of Omaha wrecking ball...
Expanded gambling, whatever the form, remains a bad idea
We can't remember the specifics, but there was surely a comedy sketch somewhere during the early days of videotape about two guys watching a football game between their two favorite teams. One remark leads to another, resulting in a wager over the outcome of the contest. The clock runs out, money changes hands and, of course, the audience laughs when the pair turn out to have been watching a videotape... I have 278.3 aces of dryland and pasture. I was shocked when I got my property valuation; so were my neighbors when they got their valuations. By law, the county assessor has to raise the valuation. If we do not want this to continue, we must get our legislature and governor to change the law, and bring property values within reason...
Thirst for tax money
This columnist has noted that the McCook City Council is in the throes of putting a campaign to get the voters to reauthorize the City's sales tax. Like all taxes, our city sales tax is beloved by those who spend the proceeds. Not so much loved by those of us that get to pay, no choice, that self-same onerous tax. ...
Cellphone ethics involves more than rude behavior
Next time you're out with a group of friends, here's a game that will make the evening more enjoyable and just might pick up your tab. Everyone takes out their cell phones, stack them in the center of the table, and waits. The first person to grab their phone from the stack picks up the bill...
Preserving a legacy of valor
Our American way of life didn't spring up overnight, and it didn't come without costs. The price was paid in Normandy, Vietnam, Korea, and in many other places around the world, where brave American men and women risked everything for their nation. Our freedom continues to be defended today, as our military heroes battle forces wishing to do us harm in some of the most lawless corners of the world...
Alternative energy a hard sell in Nebraska
The Keystone XL pipeline has been drawing the attention of activists over the past few years, and, as a purely public power state, our reliance on coal and aging nuclear power plans have raised environmental concerns, but selling Nebraskans on alternative energy may be an uphill battle, despite a strong ethanol industry...
Intern Nebraska Program; a good success story
Dear Fellow Nebraskans: I want to remind businesses and students about the Intern Nebraska program. Intern Nebraska provides financial assistance to businesses creating new internships and connects Nebraska's college students to hands-on internship opportunities...
Strong families
Years of economic pain and uncertainty have taken their toll on middle class families. Too many continue to struggle. Worries over everyday affordability and long-term financial security persist in Nebraska and across the nation. Those Americans who have jobs are often underemployed, forced to work two or three jobs just to make ends meet. Still, some families can't get ahead...
The status of our economy
As Nebraska's economy continues to grow and unemployment remains low, the national economy is another story. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported an increase of 288,000 non-farm jobs in June, reducing the unemployment rate to 6.1 percent. These numbers sound like positive news; however, they do not tell the whole story. About six years after the economic crisis began, our economy still has not fully recovered... Just what gives? In an affirmative nod to their mounting reputation as a government body of ill repute, the NRDs, at the June meeting of the Lower Platte River Basin Coalition, denied my public comment -- conceivably violating, once again, the state's open meetings laws. No wonder the public is sheepish and feels their attendance is all for not. It's almost Tammany Hall-esque but for the fact that the infamous Boss Tweed at least listened to the people...
Colorado extends long tradition with legalized marijuana
A certain ritual used to be part of every 18-year-old's life in certain parts of Southwest Nebraska -- a trip to Julesburg, Colorado, to partake of beer with 3.2 percent alcohol, legal for young people of that age. We don't know whatever happened to the 3.2 beer ritual, but a new one has appeared to take its place... Where are they now? We sometimes wonder what happened to people we know. When I was coaching high school tennis at McCook High School I met a young man who played tennis on the Grand Island High School tennis team. He was very polite, honest, was quite mature, and had a great attitude. His name is Jeff Schmahl. Many of the readers may remember Jeff as the sports announcer for KOLN/KGIN TV in Lincoln for many years...
Think twice about selling that old smartphone
We all need to clean out the closets once in a while, and garage sales -- like the community-wide garage sale planned for McCook's Crazy Days next week -- are a good way to accomplish that task. Unfortunately for the compulsive collectors among us, that's also a good way to fill the closets back up, but that's another problem entirely...
Annex
Last week a group of residents gathered with the Red Willow County Board of Commissioners to complain. Their beef had to do with the County not tending to the roads in the Calabria subdivision located a mile of so outside the McCook City Limits. Just a reminder that "all politics is local." The County Board reluctantly agreed to do better... I was disappointed with our county commissioners' choice of how to spend our tax dollars. This same board was advised by a consulting firm and our county attorney in June 2011 to not get involved with subdivision roads. None of the facts or laws have changed since that time. The board stated that it was not something they were required to do, but something they felt was a good thing to do... |
