Stories from Thursday, February 28, 2008

Sept. 6, 1924 - Feb. 22, 2008 MORAGA, Calif. -- Don McKillip, former Athletic Director of St. Mary's College in Moraga, Calif., died in Concord surrounded by his family. Doc, as he was affectionately known, was a devoted family man, a caring collegiate administrator and a mentor to many athletes and students...

Dec. 25, 1925 - Feb. 26, 2008 REXFORD. -- Clyde W. Turrell, 82, died Tuesday (Feb. 26, 2008) at Logan County Hospital in Oakley, Kan. He was born Dec. 25, 1925, to Joseph and Avis (Phillips) Turrell in Thomas County, Kan. He grew up on a farm north of Rexford and attended Hopewell School...

June 20, 1940 - Feb. 26, 2008 KEARNEY -- Donna K. Carter, 67, of Kearney, died Tuesday, (Feb. 26, 2007) at Good Samaritan Hospital in Kearney. She was born in Leon, Iowa on June 20, 1940, to Harlan and Rosa (Cooper) Kneedler. She was raised by her foster parents Emery and Lucille Quinn. She grew up in the Beaver City area attending Beaver City Schools...

A bronze statue of Sen. George W. Norris looks on as old trees -- many of them dating from the years when he moved to McCook -- are cut down in the central McCook park that bears his name. The cutting of the trees is drawing criticism from residents like the photographer, Lyle Wilcox, who said he turned down a career overseas after the Norris Park trees inspired him to stay in McCook. ...

CRETE -- A musical play based on the ancestors of a McCook family, and written by one of its members, Jim Harris of Lincoln, will be presented by Doane College next week. Doane College will present the world premiere of the poignant Civil War musical "My Eyes Have Seen the Glory" March 6-8 in Whitcomb Lee Conservatory...

A drastic reduction in predicted revenue for the state has senators scrambling, including Sen. Mark Christensen. "It's a whole different environment," Christensen said this morning. The budget shortfall "changes the way people look at things." Christensen said that in light of the news, senators have been asked to trim their budget requests, something that will adversely affect his own priority bill, LB1094...

Is it green, or isn't it? That's the crux of more and more ecological questions as Americans debate renewable energy and climate change. Critics question the true savings of alternative fuels, nuclear energy -- renamed "terrestrial energy" by some proponents -- operates under the radioactive cloud left behind by Chernobyl, energy-saving lights don't really illuminate, and breaking one creates a mercury spill...

The powers that be must do something about the traffic hazard at West Q St. and highway 83 before there is a fatality there. Last Saturday, I was almost run into, for the umpteenth time, by a motorist driving left of center, which is illegal. The southbound turning lane for Q Street is NOT a turning lane for northbound motorists to get into Orscheln's as many motorists believe. ...

You might wonder why the school board majority won't allow audible taping of the school board's meetings by its secretary, especially when the Open Meetings Law 84-1412 says that any person in attendance may record all or any part of a meeting of a public body...

We say we need to keep parents aware of the dangers teenage drivers can face or cause ["Parents must do all they can to keep teen drivers safe" (http://www.mccookgazette.com/story/1313884.html)]. Well that is always true but for everyone not just teenagers. We have young adults still acting very irresponsible, and getting behind the wheel of a car intoxicated...

If I were a tree in Kelly or Barnett Park, I'd be trembling in my roots. In my opinion the decision to cut down 44 trees in Norris Park has been made hastily and I question the qualifications of those recommending we sear our city for the next 15 years...

Throughout the last nine years with Brad, I've been the owner of several varieties of pets … an iguana, two ferrets, too many fish to count and a wide range of birds. Throughout those nine years, we both vowed we'd never own a cat. That all changed in October, when Brad and I went hunting in Wyoming...

Trojans play GICC in first round

McCook senior Matt Hall places second in diving

The water problem between Nebraska and Kansas will not be settled until the majority of the people in both states get their heads on straight. This all began with the 1935 flood of the Republican River. This flood caused upwards of 100 human lives, many livestock and wild animal lives plus the loss of much property and even the piling of sand on good farmland so it could not be profitably fanned for many years...