Stories from Saturday, April 19, 2008

I was sitting with several friends over cocktails the other day, talking about one of two topics you should never talk about when alcohol is involved and that was politics. The other, of course, is religion. There were five of us sitting at the bar. ...

This week I've noticed a blitz in the printed news and on talk radio stating that the cause of high food prices is biofuels, of all things! For some commentators ethanol in our gasoline is evidently the root of all evil. It seems that every time the farmers have a good year, as last year evidently was, there arises a veil of indignity against all things agrarian. ...

Nothing sheds light on commitment like putting a monetary price on it. And why not? While the United States has spent about $45 billion on Iraqi reconstruction projects, Iraq may have a $60 billion budget surplus this year. That's largely because of the high price the country's crude oil is bringing...

Cell phone bills will become higher for city residents, if the McCook City Council approves a new 3 percent tax on cell phones at its regular meeting Monday night. The meeting will be 7:30 p.m., at City Council Chambers in Memorial Auditorium. The new occupation tax is projected to bring in about $50,000 per year in additional revenue for the city...