Stories from Monday, July 27, 2015

101th birthday The family of Zilah N. Powell of Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, is requesting a card shower in honor of her 101th birthday today, July 27. She was born in Grant, Nebraska, and is a 1932 graduate of Stratton High School. She taught school in Stratton, where she and her husband farmed for many years. ...

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, Neb. -- City of McCook department heads will review the proposed 2015-16 city budget with City Council and members of the public this evening during a special meeting at the Municipal Center. The budget review meeting is scheduled to begin at 6:30 p.m. in City Council Chambers...

Rebel Sjeklocha, left, of rural Hayes Center, Nebraska, is the new Miss Southwest Nebraska Junior Rodeo Queen, and Jenna Langer, right, of Superior, Nebraska, is the new 2015 Miss Southwest Nebraska Rodeo Queen, both crowned before the Red Willow County Fair rodeo in McCook Friday evening. Rebel is the daughter of Susan and Rusty Sjeklocha and will be a sophomore this fall at St. Patrick's High School. Jenna is the daughter of Jody and Larry Langer and will be a senior at Superior High School...

Keith Riemenschneider of Culbertson, Nebraska, and Ken Kircher's horses, Brush (on the left) and Rose, place in the timed hay bale race of the draft horse show during the Red Willow County Fair in McCook Sunday afternoon. Riemenschneider's swamper -- his responsibility is to load and unload the hay bales -- was Vance Redden of Wray, Colorado. About 12 pairs of horses -- and Lee Janssen's pair of mules -- competed in the annual county fair draft horse show...

A very determined Boots and Phillips saddle bronc named "Sagebrush" dumps Augustus Peterson of Fairburn, South Dakota, at the Saturday evening performance of the Red Willow County Fair NSRA rodeo in McCook, Nebraska. Rain doesn't stop a professional rodeo, and performances carried on Sunday evening despite rain, wind, thunder and lighting...

McCook Public and St. Patrick schools have a problem, but it's a good one. Music, such as MNB's upcoming Hot Summer Nights concert Thursday with the Silver Creek Band and Aug. 13 with Jimmy Dee and the Fabulous Destinations, adds a lot to our community culture, as does the McCook Concert Association series and much of the entertainment presented by the Southwest Nebraska Community Theatre Association and McCook Arts Council...

Webster S. (always referred to as W.S.) Morlan was one of McCook's very early attorneys -- and a very successful one at that. He was born in 1848 in Crawford County, Ohio, and came to Nebraska with his family after the Civil War. As a youth, Morlan worked on building grades for the railroad, which was gradually pushing west across Nebraska. ...

CULBERTSON, Neb. -- County and state law enforcement officers were involved in arrests in Culbertson, Nebraska, Saturday evening. Witnesses reported officers approaching a motel with guns drawn and that two cars were later impounded. More information will be released when it becomes available...

Southwest Public Power District celebrates its 70th anniversary this year and was honored as grand marshals of the annual Wauneta, Nebraska, "Harvest Festival" parade Saturday morning. In a miniature of the SWPPD work world, the power district's float was manned by, from the left, Bennet Wiese, Grayden Sutherland and Kreyton Wiese. ...

U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. George A. Larson (Ret.) of Rapid City, South Dakota, left, visits Friday afternoon with McCook history buff Shirley Johnson and High Plains Historical Society president John Hubert about military history books he has written. ...

From left, McCook Bison Cheerleaders Desarae Balderston, Jayden Claflin and Sydney Stewart spread some community spirit to patrons of the Heritage Senior Center last week by helping serve lunch and providing some additional mealtime chatter. "We sure had a lot of energy in the building that day," said Senior Center Director Beth Siegfried, adding she thought both groups really enjoyed each other's company. Above, Judy Robbs receives some cake from cheerleaders Cady Havlicek and Celie Moore...