Opinion

Dozens of variables impact a child’s ability to reach their potential through our traditional education system. However, everyone can agree that the number of hours of instruction a child receives is key. In almost every situation, the more hours a child is actively engaged, the more they learn...

We see the stories as the federal shutdown drags on. Canadian air traffic controllers buying pizzas for their colleagues south of the border, federal employees forced to work for nothing, leaving part-time jobs they took to try to pay their bills, food drives and suggestions for making ends meet...

Accused of being “the enemy of the people” and threatened with overturning long-established law assuring freedom to openly criticize American leadership, journalists might be forgiven for forgetting that the same First Amendment protects religious beliefs that may go against current political correctness...

Years ago I was a political writer for a small, local newspaper and enjoyed it thoroughly, but this is not an email asking for a job; rather it is to compliment one of your local residents in her drive for the Chaplain Corps and the men and women we minister to abroad...

Slovakia? Never heard of it. Well, that is the common reaction. Now understand I grew up with neighboring farmers whose family had emigrated from Czechoslovakia. Brothers John and Joe bachelors. On clear and frosty mornings as we walked to school I could hear them yelling at their half broke team of horses as they were handpicking corn. ...

In the movie “Wall Street,” Michael Douglas who was playing Gordon Gecko uttered a line during a stockholder’s meeting that became not only the lynchpin for the movie but also the primary rule of entrepreneurship back then when he said “Greed is Good.” Since that movie was released, greed has become the guiding principle for most business transactions done in this country. The theory surrounding a deal used to be “What’s good for the most people.” Today it’s “what’s good for me.”...

Now that we’re 10 days into the New Year, how are you doing on your resolutions? Losing weight? Exercising more? How about decluttering your life? If the last one is on your list, you’re not alone. Marie Kondo wrote two best-selling books on just that subject and was named one of Time Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People...

The new year is officially upon us and the 2019 legislative session is underway. This year is a long session which includes 90 working days and will tentatively run until June 6th. The reason that every other year is a longer session is due to the fact that we have to come up with a budget plan for the next two years. I would like to update everyone a little on my plans for this session and take a look at our current budget status...

Neither President Trump nor Democratic leaders Nancy Pelosi or Chuck Schumer likely changed any minds about the proposed border wall Tuesday night, and their appearances were likely more about political theater than actual construction, more about the 2020 election than illegal immigration...

I recently had the pleasure of spending two months in your adorable town as a travel nurse at Hillcrest. I wanted to share how welcome I was made to feel. Everywhere I went the people were so kind and friendly. The nurses and staff I worked with were professional and extremely caring. I have worked at many places in my 35-year career and this facility was second to none. The compassion exhibited to the residents was heartwarming...

The root of all pain killer addictions is physical or emotional pain never resolved. When our loved ones cry out, we need to listen the first time. Their physical and emotional pain is more than they can bear. You probably cannot relate, if you have never experienced any pain beyond a boo-boo. ...

Great ideas and good intentions combined with somebody else’s money too often spell disaster when they meet harsh economic realities. It’s usually worse when that “somebody else” is the American taxpayer. Mix in Keynesian “prime the pump” efforts like those that followed the 2008 recession, and you’ve got a disaster waiting to happen...

It was a nice two-week break from writing this column. Two weeks filled with family, special dining and a snowstorm. And by the way, it was my editor that sneaked in the articles about my past—a total surprise to me. Resolutions—a promise of personal improvement that for me gets too soon forgotten. ...

Spend any amount of time channel surfing, and you’ll get plenty of advice for healthy living, usually requiring four easy payments for the latest mechanical exercise doo-dad. Wait a couple of years, and you’ll probably be able to pick up the same piece of equipment, barely used, for pennies on the dollar at a garage sale...

The person Republicans hate more than any other Democrat, Nancy Pelosi, was elected House Majority Leader by her Democratic colleagues the other day and Mitch McConnell, who Democrats hate more than any other Republican maintained his position of Senate Majority Leader. ...

Until June 6, 1944, our neighborhood was filled with all branches of the armed forces. It was D-Day almost 75 years ago. Now in 2019, I find myself reliving that time while reading “Andy Rooney My War,” published in 1995, and 2000 by Essay Products...

It’s been an exciting couple of days for space geeks. China successfully landed it’s Chang’e 4 craft on the far side of the moon, sending back photos of its rover on the lunar surface. The craft is named after a Chinese goddess who, according to legend, has lived on the moon for millennia. No word on whether Chang’e has greeted her new visitor...

A pair of Nebraska state senators hope to get medical marijuana on a state ballot next year — yes, that’s 2020 — and thousands of words and hours of video have been devoted to the legalization of medical and recreational marijuana. Completely separate is the issue of legalized hemp production, and proponents are doing their best to keep the two products as separate as possible in an effort to boost a legitimate industry...

It’s with great sadness that we have learned of the passing of my lifelong friend, Chris Buethe. Chris loved his trips to McCook and gained many friends through the Buffalo Commons Storytelling Festival. Today we remember this professor, storyteller, friend...

All of our celebrations, including Christmas, begin way too early anymore. When I was a kid, there was a two-week window, now it’s a month and sometimes longer. In fact, when one holiday is over, we begin to celebrate the next one. This is fueled primarily by business interests who have products to sell and they want to sell as many as possible. ...

It’s always sad when Christmas is over, but it’s a special downer when you have to go right back to work, as many of us did today. There may be another reason you’re feeling a little blue this year after the relatives have gone home and the gifts are missing from under the tree...

During this holiday season, I have an assignment for you. When you have children or grandkids coming to McCook, or if you know people coming back, ask them a question, “What would it take for you to move back to this area?” After you ask them, let us know...

It’s doubtful a solution to the government shutdown will be found by the time this newspaper is delivered to readers, but if so, it will be a welcome gift from Washington. As it is, there won’t be much difference between a federal government shutdown and the normal holiday disruptions...

I hope everyone is enjoying this Christmas Season and is well on their way to completing all their holiday preparations. As we get closer to the start of the 2019 session we are starting to hear more again about changing the way we value agricultural real estate for taxation purposes. ...

My good friend and fellow columnist Dick Trail flies and I fly but boy, do we fly differently. I’m not a pilot and he is so he almost always flies private with him piloting the plane most of the time and I always fly commercial. Obviously, our experiences are going to be different and sometimes drastically so...