Editorial

There's something for everyone in Friday's weather

Friday, October 30, 2009

There was something for everyone in Friday's weather.

Parent-teacher conferences are going on for McCook schools, so kids didn't get a day off because of the snow.

But several area schools stayed closed Friday because of the weather, and those that didn't started late.

Highway 83 was closed from North Platte to the Kansas border for a time this morning, travel wasn't recommended anywhere and the Department of Roads pulled the plows off the highways because of the blizzard conditions for a time.

Current conditions are available at http://www.511nebraska.org or by dialing 511 from any phone.

Pheasant season opens Saturday in Nebraska, but the rain and snow promise to make rural roads a muddy mess with the expected warm-up.

We're receiving good moisture in the storm, .79 of an inch of moisture by midnight Friday morning with another .09 as this was being written.

After years of drought, McCook has received 23.74 inches of precipitation this year, 3.82 inches beyond what we normally receive by this date.

That's great for agriculture, but not for the corn farmers who can see their income for the year still hanging on the stalks in the muddy fields.

McCook football fans will have to wait until 3 p.m. CDT Saturday for the first-round playoff game at Ogallala, postponed because of the weather.

Yes, there's something for everyone in a blizzard, just like there is in a thunderstorm or a blazing summer day. It's all in your attitude.

Let's stay warm, be safe and make the most of the changing seasons.

Editorial Roundup

New insights on 'The Fighting Liberal'

Omaha World-Herald

OMAHA -- The latest edition of George Norris' autobiography, "Fighting Liberal," just out from the University of Nebraska Press, contains worthwhile material for any Americans interested in the history of Congress and U.S. political debate.

The independent-minded Nebraskan served as a U.S. representative from 1903 to 1912, then as a U.S. senator thereafter to 1943.

Historian Arthur Schlesinger Jr., in the book's foreword, noted that Norris -- while an opponent of U.S. entry into World War I -- was later stalwart in supporting Franklin Roosevelt's effort to aid the opponents of Nazism.

Schlesinger explained: "At a time when many of his old progressive colleagues were still clinging to the dream of an America which could seal itself off from the troubles of the world, Norris accepted the inevitabilities of the 20th century. ..."

In his introduction to the book, Bob Kerrey -- former Nebraska governor and U.S. senator -- points to various lessons from Norris' life. Norris didn't give up on his causes. He remained true to himself. He worked to build something beyond his lifetime.

Readers, regardless of their philosophical orientation, can find material of value in following the sweep of American political debate over the long course of Nebraskan Norris' career.

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