Opinion

A perennial editorial ritual of mine, usually at the beginning of the Christmas shopping season, is to rant about the value of shopping locally. I like to remind readers of the economic power that they wield and that their decisions as consumers have a genuine impact. ...

For a couple of years now, I have noticed many people, particularly in the service sector, saying, “Have a good rest of your day.” The phrase tortures me. There is something profoundly unsettling about hearing such an awkward construction delivered with a sincere smile, though I often suspect that the awkwardness is mine alone...

By the time this column appears, McCook and Southwest Nebraska may have received some rain. But I’m not holding my breath because the clouds appear, yet nothing falls from the sky. The lack of moisture has even increased my sense of superstition. There was a debate on postponing a weeknight kindergarten soccer game that I coach because rain was in the forecast at game time. ...

March 17 was once celebrated as “Evacuation Day,” the day that the British departed from New York during the Revolution. Overshadowed by St. Patrick’s day, that holiday is now mostly forgotten. Likewise, May, 1 or May Day was once a widely celebrated holiday in the United States, fell pray to the Cold War for its strong socialist leanings and observation is now limited to organized labor circles...

A teacher takes great pride in having a student do well in life. Possibly your old columnist might qualify as a teacher because over the past 62 years, I have taught both men and ladies to fly all sorts of aircraft. I have been privileged to help airline pilots, crop sprayers, instructors, Air Force pilots and those who simply wish to fly for enjoyment in their journey to learn...

Throughout most of my life, the baseline tip at a restaurant was universally understood to be 15 percent—not by law, but by custom. Ten percent sent a quiet but unmistakable signal that something had gone wrong, while 20 percent was reserved as a warm and deliberate thank you. ...

She loved it. Formally it was a funeral, but for us it was a family gathering to celebrate a long life well lived. The celebration was for my sister Margaret Trail Nielsen, and I’ve known her for some 88 years. Margaret, nicknamed Maggie, was the eldest of four children and loved stepping in to take over during any temporary absence of our mother...

In case you haven’t heard, McCook now carries a substantial federal mandate in the form of a regulation from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) requiring the replacement of lead pipes throughout the city, including those located on private property. ...

While the weather may still mess with the plans, Beautify McCook plans to host its first downtown cleanup session on Sunday, March 22. The volunteers will meet at 10 a.m. in Norris Alley between the Historic Fox Theater and the Keystone Business Center. After being pushed back a week because of cold temps and gusty winds, the volunteers are hoping for a more tolerable day...

Your old columnist has been remembering life as it used to be as I was growing up here in southwest Nebraska. Sue Doak has a great weekly column in the Gazette about the early history of this area, but these are reflections from my personal memory. We lived on a farm a couple of miles south of McCook. I attended rural school District 8 through the 8th grade, then on to town school...

Those who aspire to creativity—whether in writing, graphic arts, music or theatre—often borrow, adapt, satirize, pay tribute to or allude to the work of others. In a sense there are few entirely new ideas, only the creative synthesis of what has come before. Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet lives again in the 20th century setting of West Side Story. Painters quote earlier masters. Writers echo familiar themes...

As we navigate the landscape of 2026, I often find myself speaking with parents who are at a bit of a crossroads. Their high school juniors are bright and curious, yet they aren’t necessarily sold on the traditional four-year desk job path. If this sounds like your household, I want to offer a perspective from the front lines of Nebraska’s infrastructure: your child isn’t just “good with their hands”—they are the strategic solution to a rapidly changing economy...

Campaign season has now officially begun in Nebraska. When that happens, a familiar set of rules come into play. Campaigns, committees and individuals who spend money advocating for or against candidates and ballot questions must comply with the disclosure requirements established under Nebraska law and overseen by the Nebraska Accountability and Disclosure Commission (NADC)...

One of my high school classmates, MHS Class of 1955, shared the following story, concerning her family, with me: In the time frame of about 1945/46, LaVern Edwards, Goldie’s older sister, was working at Cudahy Cheese Factory in Culbertson. She was walking on the street, and a soldier from the McCook Army Air Base stopped to talk to her. ...