Sadness, regrets and best

The people of Southwest Nebraska and Northwest Kansas are linked by sadness today as we mourn the deaths of three of the area's young people in motor vehicle accidents.

We join in thought and prayer for the families of those who died.

It's a tragedy which happens almost every spring. Terrible loss of life takes place due to the awesome speed and power of motor vehicles. The young, in their exuberance for life, are taken from us in an awful, fleeting moment.

It is an eternal dilemma. As their families and friends, we must let our young people grow; but, at the same time, we must protect them as best we can.

God, give us grace to endure this tragedy, and help us forever strive to end the deadly cycle that has taken so many young people from us.

Regents Seek Unity

Wisely, the University of Nebraska Regents will be seeking unity Tuesday when they meet to select the new president for the Nebraska university system.

The list of candidates has been cut to four: Peter Hoff, president of the University of Maine; Admiral James O. Ellis Jr., commander of StratCom; J.B. Milliken, senior vice chairman for university affairs at the University of North Carolina; and Kim Robak, vice chancellor for external affairs at NU.

Dr. Don Blank, the McCook dentist who serves as chairman of the Board of Regents, is trying hard to get the regents to come up with a unanimous choice. He has experience both ways: a split vote when Marvin Massengale was chosen in 1990, and a unanimous vote when Dennis Smith was picked in 1993. Pleased with how Smith has worked out, serving the university for 10 years, Blank is pushing hard for unanimous agreement again in 2004.

Having the benefit of meeting Kim Robak during her stint as Nebraska's lieutenant governor, we believe she would be a good choice. But the other candidates come highly recommended, too. The selection process has been long and thorough. Now it's time to come together, hopefully in united fashion, to choose a new university leader.

Thanks to the Harrises

After so many years, we were sorry to hear of the closing of the Lots to Love stores across America. The group of stores, which originated in McCook, was operated efficiently and well by the Harris brothers, with the oldest, J.T., serving as the chief operating officer.

While we hate to see the stores close, we are grateful to J.T. and his family for keeping McCook as their base of operations, even after the closing of DeGroff's Department Store. J.T. has earned the privilege of retirement with a long career of retail service. We wish the family well while thanking them for all the years they have given this community.