Stories from Thursday, September 7, 2006

There could be plenty of distractions for the McCook Bison football team entering Friday night's home opener against Ogallala. Such as: However, McCook coach Jeff Gross said his players usually keep a level head when it comes to things like homecoming and polls...

McCook Public School board member Tom Bredvick described 2006-07 as "a thin budget environment," but fellow board member Jim Coady said it's "not at a point where we're digging through the couch to make payroll." Board members were discussing this year's budget at a special meeting Wednesday evening, putting the final touches on a proposed budget of $21,359,169.50...

NORTH?PLATTE -- The Mid Plains Community College board of governors approved a $22.652 million budget Wednesday night, taking advantage of an increased valuation to lower the tax levy from 7.7274 cents per 100 assessed valuation to 7.5306. With an average increase of 7.49 percent in valuation over the region, tax revenue is budgeted to increase $273,670 or 4.75 percent for the 2006-07 year...

Saying he is frustrated with the way Washington works, the Republican candidate for the U.S. Senate, Pete Ricketts, stopped by McCook Tuesday evening for a dinner visit with the McCook Daily Gazette. Ricketts is running against Sen. Ben Nelson, a McCook native who is the Democratic incumbent in the Senate...

There is no place like Nebraska, even if we have toove somewhere else in the Cornhusker state. That's one of the conclusions in the latest Rural Poll from the University of Nebraska Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources. And another is that, for the third year in a row, more of us are optimistic about the way our communities are moving...

Well, it seems that I may not be moving to Wyoming after all. If all goes according to plan -- and I can only hope that all goes according to plan -- Brad will finally be back home on a permanent basis within the next two weeks. I'm not sure he's looking forward to it as much as I am, since my honey-do list has now grown to about six pages full-size 81/2 inch 2-column pages filled on the front and back...

Kirt Matson took issue with Larry Harvey's "Egg on the Floor" comments in your issue of 09/02/06. I take issue with Mr. Matson for his "Swift Boat"-style attack so popularly used by the right against anyone who is either a Democrat or a Liberal. They throw mud indiscriminately then stand by to see how much of it sticks, right or wrong...