Stories from Tuesday, October 6, 2009

The children and grandchildren of Keith and Joan Calvin are requesting a card shower in honor of the couple's 50th wedding anniversary. They were married Oct. 11, 1959, at the Church of God in McCook. Their children are Rod and wife, Peggy Calvin of North Platte and Shelly and husband, Richard Bollman of Paxton. They have five grandchildren. Cards of congratulations will reach them at 71581 Road 374, Culbertson, NE 69024...

By LORRI SUGHROUE City Editor The newest addition to the McCook City Council is used to being in the public eye, serving for more than two decades as a McCook police officer. Jerry Calvin of McCook was nominated by Mayor Dennis Berry and unanimously approved by the rest of the council to fill the seat vacanted by former councilman Jack Rogers, at the regular meeting Monday night...

The McCook City Council unanimously approved Monday night Miller and Associates to administer a $500,000 Community Development Block Grant, for 21st Century Systems Inc. to expand at the Keystone. The McCook Economic Development Corp. is renovating the Keystone where 21st Century Systems Inc., will use the fourth floor. The grant will allow the company to expand into a data center in the basement of the building. The company provides software to the military and corporations...

The city has added some weapons to its arsenal to combat snowy and icy streets this year. In reviewing the annual snow removal and ice control procedures, McCook Public Works Director Kyle Potthoff told the council Monday night that a surplus snow plow has been purchased from the Nebraska Department of Roads, giving the city a total of four surplus state plows...

It's time for the annual debate -- is it flu or is it viral gastroenteritis -- "stomach flu"? Regardless, dealing with the flu is taking on special urgency this year, thanks to the threat of H1N1 flu this year. In fact, if you have the flu, it's probably H1N1 and not the regular seasonal flu, according to the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services...

Whether we are conservatives, liberals, or any point in between, one thing is a certainty: the under-insured will cost Americans $100 billion this year alone. That's a trillion dollars a decade without even factoring in growth or inflation. The issue has degenerated from a political debate to this plain old mathematic problem -- to do nothing is to commit financial suicide, not for the next generation, but for this one! Urge your Representatives to do something ... ...

Americans across this great nation have denounced government interference in their lives. Fear of our own government abounds today. It is evident in the health care debate where Americans don't want the government telling them where to get health insurance, what treatments they can have, which doctor they need to see or when it is time for them to give up and die. ...

You are invited to an organizational meeting of a family cancer support group on Sunday Oct. 11. The meeting will be in the fellowship hall of the Imperial United Methodist Church, 420 Holland Street or East Fifth in Imperial. The meeting is co-sponsored by the Methodist Church (sponsor Bruce Lantry), The Chase County Hospital (Lola Jones Administrator), and the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society Omaha Chapter (Tonya Schroeder Oncology nurse sponsor)...

Darn, I was gone off to California, so missed the phone call from Sen. Ben Nelson. Our favorite Senator left a message inviting me to his town hall meeting here in McCook last Sunday. He suggested that I come to the open public meeting so that he could answer questions that I have posed in past columns...

Grant Strunk/McCook Daily Gazette McCook Community College's David DeCarlo knocks out a base hit during a fall scrimmage game against Hastings Sunday at the Jaycee Sports Complex. MCC will host Colby Community College Saturday at 1 p.m.

SIDNEY -- McCook High School's girls came oh so close to qualifying the entire team to the Class B State Golf Championships. The Bison girls finished fourth at the Class B-4 District meet held Monday at the Hillside Golf Course in Sidney. McCook was just one stroke behind third-place Gering in the final team standings...

Southwest Nebraska Community Theatre is in rehearsal for the Fall production of "Harvey." The show will be in Oberlin on Oct. 17 and at the Republican Valley Event Center in McCook on Oct 22 to 25. This will be theatre-in-the-round with audience on all four sides of the raised stage. ...