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Is high voter turnout good?
There is a common assumption among democracies around the world that voting is a good thing and in any election, the higher the voter turnout, the better it is. That perspective is based on the belief that who gets elected and what gets passed or defeated should not be decided by a minority of people living in an area. Voter turnout in the United States has historically been low, averaging around 40% of all registered voters, and we hear people complain about that every election cycle...
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Fair ~ High: 78°F ~ Low: 57°F Saturday, Oct. 1, 2016 |
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Mentoring program offers chance to make a difference
News outlets like ours are proud to report on the achievements of our youth on the school and sports pages, but too many young people, unfortunately, appear in the crime and court reports. We have a choice to make. Will we just wring our hands and lament the direction the next generation is headed?...
Ballot rejection not sign voters don't support Hillcrest
One hundred sixty more people opposed than favored giving Red Willow County power to levy taxes for Hillcrest Nursing Home, according to unofficial results from the mail-in ballot. The ballot question, which would have raised Red Willow County's tax levy slightly to target the nursing home's roof repair needs, was rejected by 1,292-1,136, according to Tuesday night's count...
This, that and meth
What a difference the past two weeks have made in Southwestern Nebraska. The soybean fields have mostly matured, dropped their leaves and many have a combine in harvesting. The corn stalks are still standing green with brown shucks marking matured ears pointing down. ...
Protesting athletes should make their points on their own time
Cornhusker senior linebacker Michael Rose-Ivey says he's criticizing America because he loves it more than any other country in the world. Rose-Ivey should receive credit for informing his coaches of his intention to kneel for the National Anthem before Saturday's football game...
Will Americans hear real issues or will circus continue?
The chances of anyone "winning" tonight's presidential campaign are extremely thin, according to an AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll. At best, performances by Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton will make most of their supporters feel less negative about their candidate...
Problems in Tulsa
A former home town of mine and a city where I joined law enforcement as a police officer is in the national news this week because of a shooting incident involving a black citizen and a white, female police officer. Terence Crutcher, a 40-year-old black male, was shot and killed by Tulsa, Oklahoma, police officer Betty Jo Shelby after she stopped to investigate a vehicle left in the middle of the road with its engine running. ...
Highway expansion welcome announcement for Southwest Nebraska
Announcements Thursday in Lincoln and Friday in North Platte illustrate just how long major public works projects can take and how many people need to be involved. Benefits of the highway projects announced will be felt for multiples of years by millions people more, however...
Problems in Tulsa
A former hometown of mine and a city where I joined law enforcement as a police officer is in the national news this week because of a shooting incident involving a black citizen and a white, female police officer. Terence Crutcher, a 40-year-old black male, was shot and killed by Tulsa, Oklahoma, police officer Betty Jo Shelby after she stopped to investigate a vehicle left in the middle of the road with its engine running. ...
Highway expansion welcome announcement for Southwest Nebraska
Announcements Thursday in Lincoln and Friday in North Platte illustrate just how long major public works projects can take and how many people need to be involved. Benefits of the highway projects announced will be felt for multiples of years by millions of people more, however...
Marine recalls wartime kindness at McCook depot
On the eve of the annual Heritage Days celebration, McCook Mayor Mike Gonzales received a reminder of a key part of his community's history. Besides being home to a major air base, McCook did its best to make thousands of troops feel at home, if only for a few minutes, when troop trains stopped here during World War II...
Lincoln's example shows how hard budget cuts can be
Local governmental bodies have been taken to task on this page many times over the years, including recent weeks when budgets for the coming years have all seemed to include levy hikes as well as the usual real spending increases. Speaking in McCook this morning, Jamie Karl of the state chamber of commerce made a good point, that it does little good to complain to state legislators about property taxes which are levied by local governments, mostly in support of schools... My name is Albert (Gene) Jolly from Stratton, Neb., and I would like to comment on your article in the McCook Gazette last week concerning the recall election of Marlene Bedore, the Hitchcock County Assessor. Voters of Hitchcock County do NOT realize what a waste of time, energy and money this has been to us as taxpayers...
Mosquitoes pose new threat to area residents
Summer officially ends Thursday, and it seems to be hanging on to the very end with temperatures in the 80s and 90s this week. Some local health officials, however, wouldn't be disappointed to have an early freeze. Not that they want crops or gardens to be ruined, but they are concerned about the human population of Southwest Nebraska...
Into the lion's den
Whew! This old guy got a taste of how Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego must have felt like when cast into the lion's den. City Council meeting Tuesday the 6th. It was for the last reading and adoption of McCook's budget for next year. At least Daniel had two buddies for reinforcement. Your columnist had but one...
Community plans often overlook important group
Local economic development efforts often concentrate on attracting young families back to small towns, and rightfully so. Young families are a vital component of any thriving community, filling classrooms and athletic teams with young people, providing dedicated employees and stepping in as leadership for local organizations, churches and government... I was elected by the voters in Hitchcock County in 2014. I have done everything I can to fulfill the responsibilities of the office in which I was elected. Upon taking office on January 8, 2015, it was clear that delinquent work including appraisals, inspections of properties and agricultural land uses were incorrect and tons of work was left for me to undertake. ...
Kneeling during the national anthem
Colin Kaepernick, the back-up quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers pro football team, created a flashpoint of support and criticism last week by kneeling during the playing of our National Anthem as a protest against the continued oppression of blacks in this country and police brutality against that same group of people. ...
Pot petitions promise to deal with inconsistencies
Nebraska and adjoining states have had to take a whole new look at the issue since Colorado legalized marijuana for medical or recreational use. A couple of groups are forcing the issue, collecting signatures to place a couple of different issues on the 2018 ballot...
Sugar studies should be taken with grain of salt
The nexus of science, politics and commerce has been in the news recently with topics like global warming, EpiPen pricing and even flossing of teeth pushing it to the forefront. The EpiPen manufacturer backed off somewhat, offering a generic version and offering discounts after it political maneuverings and huge management bonuses were revealed...
Deadline passes for Sen. Kintner
I am sure many of you have heard that the Executive Board sent a letter to Senator Kintner asking him to resign, and giving him a deadline to do so. Of course that deadline passed, and Senator Kintner has responded with a letter which said that he will not resign. ...
Voters have right to expect results from Hillcrest vote
If you haven't detected a trend in recent budget stories, here it is. They're all going up. After approving a 1.5 percent sales tax for 15 years, with part of that for economic development, local voters were rewarded with increases in the city, county and school levies in recent weeks...
A crown for Hillcrest
Flat roofs should be criminal, so says an astute friend of ours. Here we have it though with McCook's Hillcrest Nursing Home built forty some years ago. State-of-the art then, a covering of beaver board, then a nice layer of tar to waterproof it and then a layer of coarse gravel on top to counter pounding droplets of rain or hail. ... We've written many times about the benefits of schools like McCook Community College, in quality, convenience and cost, so it's no surprise that new data confirms our opinion, especially when it comes to cost. Less than a quarter of community college students took out student loans for the 2013-14 school year, as compared to about half of those enrolled in a public four-year college... The time is come to effect a radical change in course for the U.S.S. Columbia: to waylay the federal fervor for running our ship aground; to keel haul the deck hands that plot to scuttle her, and; to place in irons the haughty officers who have ignored the sage advice of her designers. It is time for these unfaithful servants to "walk the plank"--it is time for a national mutiny... |
