Stories from Tuesday, April 10, 2012

CURTIS, Nebraska -- In an effort to better serve an expanding customer base Curtis State Bank recently opened a Loan Production Office (LPO) and Western Nebraska Insurance, LLC in North Platte, Nebraska. Curtis State Bank Executive Vice President Kert McKeone will be the primary lender of the LPO and Bob Lantis will head up Western Nebraska Insurance, LLC. The offices for both are conveniently located at 416 S Dewey...

This information is gathered at the McCook Public Safety Center, the McCook office of the Nebraska State Patrol, the Red Willow County Courthouse, the Red Willow County Sheriff's Office and the McCook Humane Society. Police activity Activity log...

The ServSafe Starters course is designed for employees who handle and/or prepare food in restaurants and other food service establishments. It is the second level of the Nebraska Restaurant Association's Food Safety First program. The first level is the ServSafe training program for owners and managers...

Feb. 3, 1913-March 20, 2012 MISSOURI CITY, Texas -- Kathleen "Kay" Victoria (Lewis) Rauber passed from this world peacefully at home with her nephew in Missouri City, Texas, after a short illness on March 20, 2012. Kay was born Feb 3, 1913, to W.W. and Charlotte (Nichols) Lewis in McCook, Nebraska...

Left, McCook Postman Tom Svoboda is honored for his 30 years of service Tuesday morning. Right, McCook Postmaster Kelly Lacey presented Svoboda with a 30-year pin in appreciation of the milestone.

This information is gathered at the McCook Public Safety Center, the McCook office of the Nebraska State Patrol, the Red Willow County Courthouse, the Red Willow County Sheriff's Office and the McCook Humane Society. Police activity Activity log...

McCOOK, Nebraska -- More than 400 students from area high schools were on the McCook Community College campus Wednesday to compete in the annual Inter-High Day academic competition. Students tested their knowledge in 25 subjects. The three winning schools included Dundy County-Stratton, Sutherland and Eustis-Farnam...

McCOOK, Nebraska -- Sue Watts, MCC theater instructor, has announced the cast for the college spring play, "A Thurber Carnival," which will be April 19, 20, and 21 in the Weeth Theater on campus. The play is comprised of several skits which are based on the writings and drawings of James Thurber, so the cast is called upon to play many different characters. Because of this, the cast is listed by number instead of the character name:...

Nebraska's Natural Resources Districts are asking all interested students to sign up today for the third annual Adventure Camp about the Environment (ACE). ACE is for middle school students who have completed sixth, seventh and eighth grades in the 2011-2012 school year and are interested in having fun and learning about Nebraska Natural Resources. ...

KEARNEY, Nebraska -- The Phi Eta Sigma national honor society for sophomores at the University of Nebraska at Kearney has inducted 99 members, according to Dr. Rob Luscher, Phi Eta Sigma adviser. Initiates include Bradi Hilker of Arapahoe; Lindsey Eubanks of Cambridge; Kelcey Garey and Haley Nichols of Curtis; Rachel Bradley of McCook; Abigail Bills of Orleans; and Kari Bowers of Oxford...

McCOOK, Nebraska -- It was a ceramic bird -- a whistle -- that caught the eye of Russ Erpelding of the Museum of Nebraska Art (MONA). "I was struck by it. I kept coming back to it," Erpelding said, following his judging of the annual McCook Community College High School Art Show and Paint-In at MCC the last week of March...

In honor of Administrative Professionals Day April 25, the McCook Community College Hormel Center and the McCook Economic Development Corporation is sponsoring a presentation by Mary Kay Mueller, from 1-5 p.m. at the Keystone Dining Hall, (first floor) Keystone Business Center, 402 Norris Avenue. Mueller will present "Taking Care of Me: The Habits of Happiness"...

McCOOK, Nebraska -- McCook Junior High School officials have released the names of the students qualifying for the Merit Roll and Honor Roll for the third quarter of the 2011-12 academic year. Merit Roll honorees have a grade point average of 94-100 percent with no single grade below 78 percent...

MAYWOOD, Nebraska -- The Nebraska Department of Roads will soon begin pavement maintenance on a five-mile-long project four miles south of the U.S. Highway 83-Highway 23 junction near Maywood. The project will include milling and asphalt patching. Travel will be maintained using flaggers and a pilot vehicle with delays expected to be minimal...

McCOOK, Nebraska -- An academic policy that was shot down by the 2006 McCook School Board, was approved by current board members Monday night. The board passed a written policy that tightens up academic standards for students involved in sports or clubs, which requires students to maintain passing grades in all but one class in order to remain eligible for participation in a competition...

McCOOK, Nebraska -- If Red Willow County builds a jail with sufficient beds or with the potential to expand significantly, low-risk prisoners "can come out here in the busloads," according to a McCook man bent on keeping a proposed law enforcement center from being built on property between the courthouse and a house designed by famous architect Frank Lloyd Wright...

Seven-year-old Bailey Hidy and six-year-old Peyton Heffner enjoy true signs of spring -- sun-drenched yellow dandelions and juicy, squishy fishing worms -- on a warm Saturday in the Trenton and Stratton area of Southwest Nebraska. The forecast calls for other signs of spring -- a mixture of sunshine and clouds and a chance of thunderstorms and rain through the weekend...

Give me the keys and get out of the way! That's traditionally been the cry of American 16-year-olds, but that tradition is changing, according to a University of Michigan Transportation research Institute study. As the birthplace of the auto industry, Michigan has a major stake in the issue, and we have to wonder if the trend hasn't played at least a marginal part in the automakers' woes...

This week I had a delightful conversation with Sean Cappel, son of Rich and Deb who operate the NAPA store in McCook. Sean had just completed his first flight as a pilot in the F-16. It is officially known as the "Viper" but for those who fly it fondly the "Electric Jet."...

McCook, Nebraska, Senior High's 2012-2013 dance team will perform at home football and basketball games throughout the school year, and host its annual mini dance team camp. Team members are: front row, from left, freshmen Madison Crowe, Josie Dominguez, Madisyn Garcia, Kylie Messersmith and Morgan Uerling. ...

McCOOK, Nebraska -- The rising cost of fuel is causing major problems for the Prairie Land Food program. The number of orders needs to increase significantly in order for the program to be able to continue to offer its services throughout Kansas and Nebraska...

McCOOK, Nebraska -- Vandals struck more than a dozen businesses, primarily along B Street, with paint guns over the weekend. The activity included multiple markings to the recently installed windows at the McDonald's on U.S. Highway 83 and continued on a path toward Indianola along U.S. Highway 6 and 34. The vandals were brazen enough to include the McCook police station as one of their victims and struck businesses outside of city limits as well...

Jail Questions, Asked and Answered. You probably wonder if I will ever give up. Ten months I have been closely following the jail project, since last July 18th when the jail planning meeting minutes record suggestions offered by me and others to the jail committee to improve their plan. ...