Stories from Thursday, December 5, 2013

McCOOK, Nebraska -- In the early years of America's existence, only male landowners over 21 years old were allowed to vote. No one under 21 could vote, no women of any age, no one who did not own land. "Only one person in 150 was able to vote," says McCook Senior High sophomore Chessney Friehe. "That figure was eye-opening for me."...

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. Activity log These items are taken from reports filed by the McCook Police Department. The locations refer to block numbers, not specific addresses. If you have information about any of these reports, call the police department at (308) 345-3450...

McCOOK, Nebraska -- A plea agreement was reached Monday in Red Willow County District Court with one of four men charged in connection with a pair of burglaries at the City of McCook Transfer Station. The offender, 22-year-old Jeffery P. Phelps of Chappell, Nebraska, had originally been charged with two Class III felony offenses stemming from his involvement in break-ins at the city dump in October and November 2010. ...

McCOOK, Nebraska -- Participants in McCook's "Christmas on the Plains" holiday home tour will visit four homes, one historical site and one senior living facility on Saturday, between 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. Tickets are $12 in advance and $15 at the door, and are available at McCook National Bank and the McCook Economic Development Corp. Proceeds from the home tour benefit MEDC housing programs...

Winter has sure-enough, no-foolin' arrived with a negative 1-degree temperature recorded at McCook Ben Nelson Regional Airport just before 6 a.m. today. That's cold enough to be dangerous, as drivers on Interstate 80 were reminded early today, when the temperature combined with precipitation in just the right proportions to create "black ice" near Maxwell...

So I'm sitting on my couch with my feet up on the coffee table, about ready to take a bite of my sandwich I made for lunch, when out of the corner of my eye, I catch a glimpse of a tiny, dark gray mass shooting across the floor from underneath my feet, under the coffee table and then under the other couch across the room. ...

Gene O. Morris Country Correspondent Howdy, folks. My name's Gene O. Morris. I'm an old bird, having just turned 75. For all my born days, I've been hanging out in small towns. I started out in a rented house in Nevada, Missouri, where my mother, Mary Anna, gave birth to me at home...

Gene O. Morris McCook Gazette THE KANSAS-NEBRASKA LINE SOUTH OF STRATTON, Nebraska -- Sparked by a series of significant oil strikes, one of the biggest oil booms in this region's history is bringing an outpouring of oil activity along the Kansas-Nebraska line south of Stratton, Nebraska...

McCOOK, Nebraska--Community Hospital officials learned this morning that Scott Carroll, D.O., visiting hand surgeon from North Platte, died in a car accident near Denver some time last night or early this morning. "Our thoughts and prayers are with Dr. ...

CONNIE JO DISCOE Regional Editor McCOOK, Nebraska -- Puppies and kittens. Dogs and cats. There's never a shortage of 'em. And thanks to the McCook Humane Society and its shelter, there's never a shortage of compassion and determination to find homes for all of them...