Stories from Wednesday, August 7, 2013

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...

Edward Johnson PALISADE, Nebraska -- Edward Johnson, 64, died April 20, 2013, in a vehicle accident near Palisade. Survivors include his wife, Becki of Palisade; sons, Benji Harrison of McCook, Nebraska, Andrew Harrison and wife, Rebecca, of Thorton, Colorado, Kevin Harrison and Jessica Mowrer, of Longmont, Colorado; sister, Kathy and Jim Fickle of Bartley, Nebraska; two grandchildren and other family members...

Howard Kool, left, and Don Harpst, right, present a $506.50 check from the Southwest Nebraska Community Theatre Association to Dan Stramel, commander of McCook American Legion Post 203. SWNCTA contributed 50 cents per ticket sold to its spring production of "South Pacific" to Operation Comfort Warriors, which provides comfort items not usually supplied by the government to meet the needs of wounded, injured or ill military personnel. ...

LINCOLN, Nebraska -- Sarah Knutson, FFA instructor at McCook Senior High, has completed a STEM-based CASE (Curriculum for AgriScience Education) training in Lincoln on plant science, through a scholarship provided by the Nebraska Soybean Board, the Nebraska FFA Foundation and Partnerships For Innovation,...

The meteors are coming, the Perseids that is. The annual August meteor shower that some astronomers have called the best one of the year; it will peak between midnight on Aug. 11, and sunrise Aug. 12. The best time for viewing is between 10:30 p.m. MDT on Sunday, Aug. 11, and 4:30 a.m. MDT on Monday, Aug. 12...

During a week when State Auditor Mike Foley apologized for inappropriately characterizing low-income people as poor money managers, a national report gave Nebraska high schools a failing grade for the way they teach personal finance. The 59-year-old Foley, a native of New York and former Nebraska state senator (2000-07) is in his second term as state auditor. ...

If that doughnut was especially delicious this morning, you can always blame last night's thunderstorm. That's because a recent UC Berkeley study has confirmed earlier studies that found a link between a craving for unhealthy foods and sleep deprivation...

Brad Osterhaus and Gavin Harsh met recently at the Red Willow County Fairgrounds to fine-tune details for the location of the Old Fashioned Drive-In Movie Theater which a group of businesses and volunteers are bringing to McCook on Saturday. Event organizer, Gavin Harsh, a 2013 McCook High School graduate, is spearheading the efforts to bring this rare and enjoyable experience to town. ...

Griff Malleck of McCook, Nebraska, starts up a steam-engine tractor, preparing for the annual threshing and harvesting event in memory of his father. Griff schedules the "Bum Malleck Memorial Threshing" to start at noon, Sunday, south of Indianola (follow the signs), as an event of Indianola's "Old Settlers Celebration." Activities will include threshing with steam power, corn-shelling with mule power, and a 1990-era mule-powered header that cuts the grain and elevates it onto a barge pulled by a team of horses. ...

McCOOK, Nebraska -- One came from Germany and the other from Southwest Nebraska, but the two farmers had plenty to talk about despite the language barrier. That's because the language of the land is universal, as Collin Messersmith of McCook found out when Christoph Suelzer of Wittbek, Germany, toured the Messersmith farming operation south of McCook during wheat harvest...

Kristy Pollnow of McCook, Nebraska, on Sundance, and friends Sue Pollnow on Aspen, Angie Nielsen on Studley Man, Abby Nielsen riding Tulsa and Isaac Nielsen on Hershey "pull up" to the drive-through window at the new Hillside Perk in Culbertson, Nebraska, Saturday, July 27. Kristi said that the group rode four or five miles to town, and back another four or five miles. (Courtesy photo)...

"Clover Bud" pre-4-H'er Katrina Neal of Oberlin, Kansas, explains her drawing and her noodle necklace to Decatur County Fair arts/crafts judge Rachael Boyle of Stockton, Kansas, during the fair's 4-H project entry day Tuesday morning. For the judge, Katrina modeled her bright-and-breezy summer hat fashioned from newspapers. ...

McCOOK, Nebraska -- Several McCook City Council members said they were proud of the effort shown by local youth in support of building a city skatepark, but ultimately were not comfortable with committing city funds to the project. The council approved the 2013-14 city budget on its first of three required readings without reserving funds for a skatepark, however, they did indicate there was still time to add the item prior to the two remaining readings...

BARTLEY, Nebraska -- Southwest Schools Foundation will present "A Family Reunion to Die For" by Mike and Matt Steele, a comedy / murder mystery -- a western theme in the Virgin Islands, for its annual play production. Directed by Linda Clark, it will be 7:30 p.m. Friday and 4 p.m. Sunday at the Southwest Public Schools auditorium, 900 Coke Street in Bartley...

The efforts of Decatur County, Kansas, 4-H'er's Reagan Witt, above, of Danbury, Nebraska, and Kyleana Blau, top, of Oberlin are appraised by county fair arts/crafts judge Rachael Boyle and intermediate 4-H foods judge Ruth Ann Bigge, both of Stockton, Kansas, Tuesday morning. ...

A thunderstorm overnight in McCook may be responsible for the fall of this tree, heavy-laden with summer leaves, snapping off just above ground at Norris Park. The storm came in shortly before 3 a.m. The automatic weather monitoring system at Ben Nelson Regional Airport recorded .38 inches of precipitation and wind gusts up to 32 mph during the storm...

Glenda Baker discovered a new mountain range Monday night, looking north from her home south of Cambridge. The range quickly disappeared as the storm clouds moved on. The McCook Gazette would love to showcase your weather photos. Readers can contribute to our daily weather page, subject to space and color availability, by emailing photos to editor2@ocsmccook.com or bringing them into the Gazette offices at West First and E Streets. ...