Stories from Tuesday, May 11, 2010

From the outset of the health care debate, President Obama and other supporters of the health care bill maintained that no matter how drastically our health care system was overhauled, "If you like your health care plan, you can keep it." Yet less than two months after the President signed the bill into law, we're already beginning to see why so many criticized such promises as empty and impossible to keep...

Law enforcement officers will deny it, but it's easy to make an anecdotal case for the existence of tighter enforcement of speeding laws, for instance, when times are tough. We've noticed numerous cases of fines being paid for 10 mph or less over the speed limit...

When I was a kid living on the farm south of McCook my dad hired an interesting array of farm workers. First that I remember were the German prisoners of war. Those young men, mostly captured in North Africa, showed up in large groups, maybe 40 to 70 at a time, to hoe sugar beets and pick up potatoes. ...

I admired your review of the Huff case in the Thursday, May 6 issue. The tale of events and past events of law-breaking and illegal history of Mr. Huff brings many questions to mind. The main thought for me is simple: Why didn't judicial and law enforcement personnel nail Huff to a tree long ago? Why didn't someone say, "This is enough! We need to do something about this man."...

McCOOK, Nebraska -- Red Willow County commissioners Monday morning declined to participate with the City of McCook on a new law enforcement facility. "The city wants an answer by their (City Council) meeting Monday," said commission chairman Earl McNutt, but neither he nor fellow commissioner Steve Downer felt that gave them enough time to decide whether the county wants to place a jail in the new law enforcement facility proposed by the city...

McCook Public Schools Superintendent Grant Norgaard said this morning that a change in insurance benefits for the school district's 58 paraprofessionals is a cost-offset effort in response to ever-increasing insurance costs and reductions in state aid...

McCOOK, Nebraska -- Red Willow County commissioners want the land at 524 Norris in McCook, but not the house and garage. Nor do they think the county needs to be in the rental or lease business. Therefore, at their weekly meeting Monday morning, commissioners decided to sell the big two-story white-and-gray apartment house on the corner north of the courthouse and require that it be moved off the lot or torn down...

April 5, 1923-May 6, 2010 ATWOOD, Kansas -- Lyle W. "Smitty" Bowles, 87, died Thursday (May 6, 2010). He was born April 5, 1923, in Rawlins County, Kan., to James A. and Methja J. (Buck) Bowles. He attended Atwood schools, graduating in 1942. He also attended Colorado University in Boulder, Colorado, and then joined the U.S. ...

The family of Elsie Kasten, formerly of Hayes Center, is requesting a card shower in honor of her 102nd birthday May 16. Her family includes Ellis and Dottie Kasten and family of Canada and Harold and Dorothy Cook and family of Nebraska. Cards of congratulations will reach her at 2123 14th Ave., Central City, NE 68826...

LAMAR, Colorado -- McCook Community College bowed out of the Region IX baseball playoffs with consecutive losses last weekend. MCC lost two games to host Lamar (Colorado) C.C. in the first-round, best-of-three playoff series. The Indians dropped a 3-0 decision Friday, and the season ended Saturday with a 11-9 defeat...

McCOOK, Nebraska -- McCook Public Schools board of education hired eight teachers and sold the former District 8 school property at its May meeting Monday evening. The new hires replace teachers who accepted early retirement incentives in the schools' one-time "Temporary Separation Incentive Policy" in March...