Steve Scharf, a UNL student whose father was killed in the Von Maur shooting in Omaha, related how he was able to forgive the teenage boy who shot his father and seven others on Dec. 5, 2007.

"Forgiving Robert Hawkins for shooting and killing my father was the most difficult thing I've ever had to do," said Scharf.

His father was an advocate for the famous TeamMates mentoring program launched by Tom Osborne and he helped with an anti-bullying campaign while Steve Scharf was in middle school.

The Purple Hands program is an anti-violence program that originated in Oregon. The pledge taken by all middle school students at Barr, Walnut and Westridge students reads, "I will not use my hands or my words for hurting myself or others."

Perhaps every adult should make the pledge as well.

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If it is February, it means recruiting is the focus of Huskerdom. This year, the attention directed to Lincoln was even greater as fans watched new head coach Bo Pelini and his coaches reel in its first class of talent. By all accounts, the class is a good one. Most fans are to the point where they will believe Bo and Tom if they say it is a good class. After four years of hearing about 4-stars and 5-star recruits and listening to alleged recruiting gurus slobber breathlessly as they analyzed the next class of talent to arrive in Lincoln, fans are more than willing to see what happens on the field. The recruiting services never gave Tom Osborne's teams a sniff in terms of talent rankings and all he did was win championships and national rankings, something missing in the last four years of recruiting hype. Bo Pelini seems to be cut from the same Husker cloth as Tom Osborne. He was looking for high-character students who are good football players with a passion for the game. We can live with that.

Meanwhile, almost 23,000 tickets to the spring Red and White Game were sold on the first day of ticket sales. The interest in Husker gridiron success has certainly been rekindled by Bo and his staff. The news of this recruiting class garnered as much interest as the flurry of Obama and Hillary activity in Nebraska this week.

Only in Nebraska . . .

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And speaking of recruiting . . .

This week's noontime Rotary Club meeting featured a presentation by Mike Gloor, St. Francis Medical Center CEO and president. The big news was that the new patient tower was having a positive impact on recruiting of new doctors and medical staff.

Gloor revealed that as many as 12 new physicians may be added to the Grand Island medical community and that the impressive nine-story facility played a big factor in raising their interest in the community.

With approximately 100 doctors now in the area, a 10 percent increase in physicians would certainly be a bonus for the community.

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Tuesday's snowstorm was quickly attacked by city and county snow removal crews. The city in particular was the source of much derisive commentary earlier in the year when residents were critical of the snow removal effort. This week's response was quick and efficient. The city crews and administrators deserve a rousing cheer for their fast work in taking care of the snow.