Stories from Monday, May 11, 2015

The Nebraska Legislature has entered the final stretch of the session. We still have quite a few bills that we would like to get through. The budget passed the second round of debate. There will be one more round of debate and then it will go to the Governor...

McCOOK, Neb. -- Registered voters have until 5 p.m. Tuesday, May 12, to cast a vote in the 2015 special election pertaining to the City of McCook's local option sales tax. The Red Willow County Clerk's Office has received 1383 ballots as of Monday morning, which is closing in on the 1491 ballots needed to match voter turnout during the 2007 special election...

McCOOK, Neb. -- Student speakers at McCook, Nebraska, Senior High's 2015 graduation ceremony told fellow students it's going to be OK even if the world is scary, and that it would be a tragedy if they shied away from people and things because they aren't curious about them...

McCook, Nebraska--To celebrate National Hospital Week, May 10-16, Community Hospital is hosting a 5K Walk/Run for Wellness for the public on Thursday beginning at 6 p.m., as well as a number of activities for Community Hospital employees. The walk/run is informal. ...

HOLDREGE, Neb. -- Janssen Auto Group co-owners Dave and Dan Janssen announced today that an agreement has been made for the Janssen family to acquire Black Motor Co., the Chrysler, Jeep, Dodge, Ram dealer in Holdrege. Black Motor Co. was started as a Studebaker dealership in 1954 by Wilbur (Blackie) Black and is presently owned by the Black family, Dave, Donn and Denise. ...

We usually hear about Mid-Nebraska Community Action Partnership in connection with local representative Barb Ostrum, who seems to show up whenever there's a worthwhile public service project to support. She's a volunteer organizer of the annual Toy Box and Coat Closet activities that make sure every kid has a present to open for Christmas and everyone has a warm coat to ward off the winter chill...

Initially, when McCook got its start in 1882, The Lincoln Land Co., the Real Estate arm of the Burlington Railroad, pretty much handled the financing for its new community. However, it wasn't long before a new source of money was needed by McCook's new citizens---money for building things, like business locations, houses, and city services. ...

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 High School graduate Rebekah Huff stands next to one of her award winning paintings featured in an exhibit at the McCook Arts Center. Huff is the "Vault" featured artist for the month of May at the Norris Avenue gallery and also received honors for artwork she submitted to the 2015 Wray Art Guild Show in Wray, Colorado...

Smoke and flames billow from a crude oil tank farm northeast of Benkelman Sunday afternoon, in a fire suspected to have been ignighted by lightning. More information will be released as it becomes available. McCook residents took to their basements and tornado shelters Saturday night as the sirens sounded about midnight as a result of a wall cloud passing directly over the city after a tornado was briefly sighted on the ground in Decatur County...