Stories from Tuesday, August 18, 2015

McCOOK, Neb. -- Humanities Nebraska speaker Charlotte Endorf will present "Excess Baggage: Riding The Orphan Train," on Wednesday, Aug. 26 at 12:30 p.m. at Heritage Senior Center, 1312 West 5th St McCook. This program is made possible by Humanities Nebraska, the Nebraska Cultural Endowment, and First Central Bank McCook as part of the Humanities Nebraska Speakers Bureau...

McCOOK, Neb. -- After about a decade of leaving dues to McCook Area Chamber of Commerce unchanged, the chamber board has decided that it is time to revamp the dues structure, which probably will result in an increase in membership fees. The new dues structure will take place with the 2016 calendar year...

LINCOLN, Neb. -- Nearly 2 million people throughout the Great Plains and California live above aquifer sites contaminated with natural uranium that is mobilized by human-contributed nitrate, according to a study from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln...

INDIANOLA, Neb. -- This week's Crime of the Week is a theft report on file with the Red Willow County Sheriff's Office. During the late evening hours of Friday Aug. 14 or early Morning hours of Saturday Aug. 15, person or persons removed a 4 wheeler ATV from the back of a pickup belonging to Ag Valley Coop in Indianola Nebraska...

Love him or hate him, there are a couple of things about Donald Trump most of us can agree on. For one, he's not conventional candidate. Anyone who says they'll spend a billion dollars to win the nomination -- and who has the money to do it -- doesn't seem likely to be beholden to special interests, other than himself...

By the Spring of 1945 the American people were tired. For three and a half years, my entire high school career, the War ground on and on. Little hopes from overseas battles were followed by long periods of disappointment. Rationing of food, gas, and tires conserved products, but it also made people edgy. ...

McCook Gazette is pleased to host the USAF Heartland of America Band's Offutt Brass, a pioneering brass quintet, on Sunday, September 20 at 3:00 p.m. at the Fox Theatre in McCook. This concert is free and open to the public, although advanced tickets are required...

Ned Tapp Johnson Jan. 14, 1926 - Aug. 14, 2015 ST. FRANCIS, Kan. -- Ned Tapp Johnson, 89, of Bird City, Kansas, died Friday (Aug. 14, 2015), at Cheyenne County Hospital in St. Francis. He was born Jan. 14, 1926, in St. Francis. He was a farmer. He was preceded in death by his wife, Donna (Witham) Johnson in 2014...

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 band instrument collection at McCook High School Saturday turned into a trip down memory lane as donors recalled the days they played the instruments in high school and college musical groups. Among the donations was a baritone which Walt Sehnert played more than a half century ago with the University of Nebraska band. ...

McCOOK, Neb. -- Adults who have experienced a recent loss of a loved one are invited to join Community Hospital's grief support group, which begins Sept. 22. The support group meets for eight weeks on Tuesdays from 4:30 to 6 p.m. September 22, October 6, 20; November 3, 17; December 1, 15, and 29. ...

"The Fretliners" of Boulder, Colorado, perform at the annual Haigler Bluegrass Festival" in Haigler, Nebraska, Sunday, Aug. 9. Festival co-coordinator Jody Crouse said, "The Fretliners wowed the crowd with beautiful harmony and amazing instrumental talents." Opening for the Fretliners was "Two Bricks Short" of Burlington, Colorado. Free-will donations collected during the afternoon in the park will be used to pay for village improvements and college scholarships...

Talk about unexpected consequences. We've been dealing with the consequences of over-fertilization and cattle waste runoff for decades, but now there's a new study linking high-nitrate water with increased uranium contamination in groundwater. It was disappointing to us at the time that a clean, safe source of untreated groundwater couldn't be arranged for the City of McCook as we searched for low-nitrate water back in the 1980s and 1990s, but it turns out our modern water treatment plant was the best choice after all.. ...

Bulletin: Grannie Annie came through her hip joint replacement surgery splendidly. A big thanks to all you prayer warriors and other good people who express well wishes. It is you that make this such a great place to live. Recent travels from across Nebraska from west to east have shown this old farmer that this is an exceptionally fine year for crop production. ...

McCOOK, Neb. -- City leaders plan to take a closer look at local convention and civic center needs and whether or not Memorial Auditorium fits into those plans. The city is funding a feasibility study with the assistance of the McCook Community Foundation intended to determine if Memorial Auditorium could be modified to serve as a convention/meeting facility, or another use, and if a new convention/meeting facility would be possible...

McCOOK, Neb. -- The tax valuation of Red Willow County has increased by $113 million, going from $1,128,594,832 in 2014-15 to $1,241,722,528 for the 2015-16 tax year. At their weekly meeting Monday morning, commissioners said the increase was mainly in agricultural land...

McCOOK, Neb. -- Prairie Winds PC owner Greg Fyn presented Red Willow County commissioners "fluke meter" electronic testing results Monday morning as he described how a new and improved telephone system can be installed in the courthouse. Fyn said he has good news and bad news: A lot of the problems have an easy fix, but the system in Probation is "a train wreck," and is working only at 10 percent of what it should...