Stories from Monday, August 10, 2009

...the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed. -- Amendment II Those 14 words, perhaps more than any others in the U.S. Constitution, have inspired discussions, arguments and legal debates for years and years. Now, legislation introduced in January by Rep. Bobby Rush (D-IL) and lingering in the House Judiciary Committee has stirred up emotions on both sides of the gun control issue and once again brought these words into the spotlight...

Anyone whose spent any time in a small town coffee shop on a rainy day knows it's hard to get two farmers to agree on much of anything, let alone 5,000 of them. But that's what the Nebraska Corn Board is claiming, saying it got nearly 5,000 farmers to send postcards urging the Environmental Protection Agency to increase the amount of ethanol that can be blended into regular gasoline...

Since the water issue, McCook's population is still divided on issues of importance to the city. The recent passage of the ordinance by the City Council taking away property owners' rights to their own property has added fuel to the division. Updating the animal licensing fees and fining residents "with good intentions" feeding feral cats has again brought controversy to McCook...

When John Kelley died in 1942, Bishop, George Allen Beecher, presided at his funeral at St. Patrick's Church. In his eulogy he honored Mr. Kelley as "The Greatest Community Benefactor to have lived in McCook" -- strong words, as McCook has had a good many citizens over the years who have contributed a good deal to our community...

I am so glad to be back in Nebraska for the August work period. I know many Nebraskans are eager to continue our dialogue about health care and I look forward to it. Cap-and-trade will be another hot topic that has huge potential consequences for Nebraska. ...

As the old joke goes, there are two seasons in Nebraska: winter and road construction. Well, it may still be summer, but road construction season is almost over for this year and too many local road projects funded by the stimulus have hit bureaucratic roadblocks...

Movie Review - G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra Starring Dennis Quaid, Channing Tatum, and Sienna Miller. Rated PG-13 for strong sequences of action violence and mayhem throughout. GI Joe is remarkably okay. I usually head to new flicks as soon as possible, but with this one, I wasn't exactly beating down the doors to watch it. ...

March 21, 1926 - Aug. 8, 2009 CAMBRIDGE --Dr. Robert L. "Bob" Stear, DVM, age 83, died Saturday (Aug. 8, 2009) at his farm. He was born in Cozad, on March 21, 1926, to Murrel L. and Clara E. (Halliwell) Stear. He graduated from Lexington High School in 1944. He joined the U.S. Marine Corps in 1944, and served in the Pacific Theater from March 1944 until August, 1946...