Stories from Thursday, February 27, 2003

North Platte -- Three candidates with experience ranging from North Platte to the United Arab Emirates were selected as finalists for the presidency of Mid-Plains Community College by the board of governors Wednesday night. The three finalists are Charlotte J. Lee, Ph.D.; Michael Chipps, Ph.D.; and Marvin E. Lane, Ed.D. They were selected from a pool of 35 applicants by a search committee made up of college personnel and community members from all areas of the institution's service area...

Enough! As the mother of two sons who are in the service, I am disappointed and offended by the negative comments and bickering that have been printed in the McCook Gazette about our country's leaders and our service personnel. Our servicemen read the Gazette. ...

Dear Editor, I would like to take the time to let you know I enjoyed the open forum written by Sgt. Roth. I am currently activated and stationed at Ft. McCoy, Wis. with the 855th Reserve Unit out of South Bend, Ind. I was reassigned to this unit out of my home unit, the 1013th Reserve Unit out of McCook with 20 other soldiers. ...

Dear Editor, I would just like to respond to the letter from HM2 Hayes. First off Mike Hendricks is not a reporter, he is an opinion columnist where as anything he writes is his opinion on what is going on in today's world. And to say that calling our president "Dubya" is a sorry example for a journalist and a professor to set, it reminds me of time not to long ago when a lot of Americans including reporters were calling a president "Slick Willy" and "Bubba." My question is, where was the outcry from the masses then?. ...

Dear Editor, You can't but love those ultra left wing liberals, they love to make statements which they present as facts, but have absolutely no facts to back it up. I read one of these pacifist's opinion in your Open Forum column the other day. He actually had the audacity to state that we killed more civilians than the Taliban when we invaded Afghanistan...

It's rare to have 100 percent participation on local committees, let alone regional ones. But when it came time to select a new president for the 18-county Mid-Plains Community College area, all 17 members of the search committee were in attendance at both the quarterfinal and semifinal sessions, narrowing an initial list of 35 applicants to three finalists...

OMAHA -- U.S. District Judge Thomas Shanahan sentenced a Grand Island man to 121/2 years in prison for conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine in Red Willow, Hall and Lancaster counties. The arrest of Cirilo Armenta Garcia (also known as Edgar Miguel), 33, was the result of a joint investigation by the FBI, the Nebraska State Patrol and the McCook Police Department...

A wintertime cardinal (background) studies a plump springtime robin at 701 W. First in McCook. Recent cold and snow may have confused the robin, which could have been misled by the mild winter which preceded it. More snow is possible in the forecast for Friday...

The Mid Plains Board of Governors approved a raise in tuition at both the McCook and North Platte colleges during its regular meeting Wednesday night. Under board action, in-state tuition will be raised from $50 to $52 per credit hour. Out-of-state tuition will be raised from $52 to $60 per credit hour and a new general purpose fee of $5 per credit hour will be added...

Glee Wolf of McCook would like to complete this hand-made solid oak memorial plaque before it is moved from First Christian Church to the Museum of the High Plains in downtown McCook. The plaque lists members of the church who have served their country. ...

The McCook Chamber of Commerce Legislative Committee was assured this morning that a proposal by corrections director Harold Clarke to close the McCook Work Ethic Camp will not get legislative support. Nebraska Sen. Tom Baker told the group he is seeing no support in the legislature, the governor's office or in corrections for the move, in fact, Baker said, "support is growing for expanding the facility."...

The U.S. has pledged to give North Korea at least 40,000 metric tons (that's 88.2 million pounds) of food and may give them an additional 60,000 metric tons (that's 132.3 million pounds) later this year. In his State of the Union address, President Bush announced a $15 billion initiative to fight AIDS in Africa and the Caribbean...

Chester L. Clapp died Tuesday (Feb. 25, 2003) at Community Hospital of McCook. He was 78 years old. Chester was born Sept. 7, 1924, at McCook, to John W. and Sylvia (Painter) Clapp. He attended school in Weldona, Colo. In 1940, he returned to the McCook community. On May 10, 1943, he entered the US Army and served during World War II. He was honorably discharged on April 19, 1946...