Opinion

There are many sides to aviation but your columnist likes the view out of the front of the airplane best. In all fairness though a ride in the back, the passenger compartment, was a bit eye opening. Join me as I “enjoyed” a flight out of the really busy Denver Airport back to our small but friendly airport here at McCook. ...

Gene O. Morris was a man of passion. He embraced everything that he did with zeal. When he believed in an idea, his enthusiasm was contagious; and sometimes even irrepressible. His first passion, of course, was his family. He disclosed on several occasions how fortunate he was to have found Barbara to share his life with, and how grateful he was that she “put up with” him for so many years. ...

Between 1939 and 1945, America was experiencing the effects of World War II. Families were recovering from the Great Depression. My parents and I lived in an older neighborhood in Denver. They lived in an older house that was remodeled into a duplex. I was in elementary school...

Sociologists have a phrase they like to use when explaining human behavior. It’s called front stage and back stage behavior. Front stage behavior means the behavior and attitude we show to others and back stage behavior is the behavior and attitude we either keep to ourselves or is shown to a very select group of people. ...

Gazette Editor Bruce Crosby posed the question on Facebook: “Where were you when you saw Neil Armstrong walk on the moon?” We’ll share some of the responses here: Bruce Hoffman -- Watching in a hospital room, while working as a janitor at Lincoln General Hospital...

Television personality Mike Rowe has made a career out of spotlighting the honor in other people’s careers, specifically those that are dangerous and dirty, and especially those that don’t require an expensive advanced academic degree. Financial advisor Dave Ramsey’s success stems from learning from his own mistakes, and he advises callers to take a dispassionate look at what income is likely to result from that expensive education they are about to embark on, rather than just the emotional boost that will result from obtaining a degree.. ...

We’ve made, and heard, all the arguments for legalization of marijuana, medical or otherwise. It’s useful for relief of pain and anxiety. It’s no worse than, and probably less harmful than alcohol. It’s a relatively harmless drug that doesn’t justify the dollars we spend to prosecute or imprison offenders, nor the stigma that comes with a felony conviction...

In the pursuit of aviation one meets some really interesting friends. To earn a private license a student is required to spend a minimum of twenty hours with a certified flight instructor. That’s me. Twenty hours sitting close side by side with another human pushing you to do things that normal people rarely experience things like the experience of pulling g’s where one’s body will weigh two or three times normal. ...

Congratulations to the Wagner Auto crew and sponsors for probably the best car show that’s ever been presented in McCook, on Saturday following a fun Friday night cruise night on our main drag. The lovingly restored muscle cars from years past, and even the rusty “rat rods” show a dedication to the transportation America loves and pulls like-minded enthusiasts and fans together for an enjoyable event...

For centuries, parents raised their children essentially the same way. This was accomplished because change in society occurred so slowly. Parents knew their children were going to grow up and experience the same kind of world the parents had so it was easy to give instruction on how to do that. ...

Congratulations to Nebraska lawmakers and McCook school administrators for seeing to it that high school graduates are exposed to at least the basics of how our political system works. The basics, like the three branches of government, balance of powers and rule of law somehow got pushed aside in decades past as other social issues drew attention away from the fundamentals...

Will Rogers is famously misquoted as saying you should put your money in real estate, because they aren’t making any more of it, and there is wisdom in that thought. There is something they are still making -- all of us are, in fact -- that is even more precious and in higher demand...

It’s true that money can’t buy happiness, but it’s certainly a factor when it comes to staving off misery. This can be a critical time of year for recent high school graduates making final decisions that could affect them for the rest of their lives...

I dropped by the elevator this morning to see if the first load of wheat had appeared yet. Nope still too wet. The sprinkle of rain this morning, I wrote on Monday, won’t help the process of drying down for harvest but later this week it will be in full swing. I guess the old bromide that says “You can take the boy off the farm but you can’t take the farm out of the boy” still proves true...

Dear Editor, I’m writing this letter in response tot he July 1 Gazette, topic “Casino petition launched,” by Grant Schulte. I have been waiting for over 20 years to see Nebraska have a casino. I have carried and signed petitions over the years to no avail. Just want to say thanks to Lance Morgan, CEO of Ho-Chunk Inc. for trying to get the measure on the ballot in 2020...

Perhaps you’ve seen those warnings about taking Facebook “quizzes” to share your “Starwars” character’s name with your online friends. Answer the list of apparently harmless questions, and next thing you know, you’ve given away your mother’s maiden name, birthday and hometown to an online identity thief...

During this interim, the time between when a session ends and the next session begins, I’m visiting with different county boards throughout the 44th legislative district. It is a great way for me to find out how things are going in their counties and answer any questions they may have about what went on during this past years session. ...

The thing I miss most about living in Nebraska with my boys in Arkansas and Oklahoma is that I don’t get to see them often enough. I’ve never been one of those people who act and believe like we’re going to live forever and we have plenty of time to do whatever we want to do. ...

Dear Editor, 243 years have passed since the Declaration of Independence was signed. 50 members of the Continental Congress met in Philadelphia and declared our independence from Great Britain. Problems began in 1765 after the French Indian War when the English Parliament realized that their treasury was nearly empty, due to the costs of that war...

It is coming. The fireworks stands are proliferating and busy with shoppers even in 100 degree temperatures. Independence Day or as of late simply called the 4th of July. Whatever the name it is a special time in our lives to relax and enjoy family. For kids lucky enough to live in Nebraska fireworks and the 4th is all part of the fun...

A report recently released by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) examines the impact of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) in rural America. Widely viewed as a program that seeks to combat primarily urban poverty and food insecurity, the program has seen a greater percentage of utilization in rural areas since the late 1990s...

Congratulations to organizers at McCook Christian Church, dozens of volunteers and sponsors who helped kick off the Fourth of July holiday with the Southwest Nebraska Freedom Festival. The church block was packed with kids enjoying inflatables and the petting zoo, with older kids and young adults braving the bungee drop and bungee trampolines...

Every year the Nebraska State Chamber of Commerce travels the state talking about their priorities for the state legislature. Every year that I’ve attended, the message has been the same on the need to lower our state taxes. When they came to McCook last fall, I was ready to hear the same message. I was surprised. New State Chamber president Bryan Sloan said the lack of a qualified workforce is now the most pressing economic issue in the state...

Congratulations to Andy Long and the McCook Economic Development Corp., as well as his counterparts at Cambridge and Benkelman for landing a $400,000 grant to deal with our workforce housing shortage. It’s a small start, a revolving loan fund to create only a couple of single-family dwellings initially, but it does open a desperately needed channel for future progress...

Can an agency designed to deal with energy issues deal effectively with environmental concerns? Nebraska is about to find out. As a result of the passage of LB 302, the Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality and the Nebraska Energy Office will become the Nebraska Department of Environment and Energy on July 1...