Stories from Thursday, July 14, 2016

BENKELMAN, Neb. -- More than 9,380 of America's best and brightest high school students traveled to the Peach State to CONNECT with top future business leaders and showcase their talents as they competed for the opportunity to win more than $179,000 in cash awards...

McCOOK, Neb. -- The City of McCook Fire Department recently improved its rating classification to what is likely as good as it can hope for given the community size, at least according to city leaders. Insurance Services Offices, Inc., of Chicago performed the analysis and awarded a Public Protection Classification of three to the McCook fire department, effective Oct. 1, 2016. The ranking was an improvement from a PPC of four...

McCook merchants went "Back In Time" today to add to the fun of the annual Crazy Days sales. Several businesses got into the spirit by dressing up and judges had a hard time choosing the winner of the merchant's costume contest sponsored by the Gazette. ...

McCOOK, Neb. -- One hundred years ago, sisters Augusta and Adeline Van Buren set off cross-country on their motorcycles, to prove that women could ride as well as men. It wasn't egotism, or defiance. It wasn't strictly feminism. The two young sisters -- "Gussie" was 24 year old and "Addie" was 22 -- wanted to show the U.S. ...

Southwest Nebraskans joke about traffic jams, but dangerous conflicts arising from road disputes are not unheard of, even in our sparsely populated corner of the state. Wait at the corner of West Fifth and J on a busy school morning, and you'll agree that road rage is possible anytime motor vehicles and time schedules are in use...

Of all the troubles in the world, the one that troubles me the most is ISIS. Put as simply and as straight-forward as I know how, the ISIS murderers and maimers are nothing but a bunch of chicken livers. Because I'm an old guy who peddles his words to the public through newspapers and books, they won't heed my voice...

When I was a child I collected butterflies. They were so beautiful as they flitted among the flowers. They tended to visit a flower for a few seconds and then they floated here and they until they flew over the garden fence and beyond the trees, disappearing into the sky...

McCook Juniors FCB Red catcher Von Frichie stops a foul ball in the third Inning against Holdrege to advace the runner at second. The Juniors went on to dominate the Dusters to clinch a state berth In Sidney on Saturday. FCB Red faces Hickman at 11 a.m. Saturday in first-round action at the state tournament. The MNB Seniors play their final home games tonight at the Jaycees Complex, against Minden at 5:30 and 8 p.m...

Courtney Hampton, from left, and Justine Jones of McCook capture a "wing pidgey" Pokemon character with their phones on Norris Avenue Wednesday afternoon. Both had just downloaded the wildly popular GPS-enabled "Pokemon Go" game on their smart phones and were out trying to capture "pocket monsters." They join almost 20 million active users of the game in the U.S. ...

McCOOK, Neb. -- The author of the kids' book, "Henry Gets Moving" will visit with and read to young readers at the McCook Public Library, Monday, July 18, at 10 a.m. Author Dr. Pierre Rouzier and library personnel invite every young child and their parents to meet the man who writes about "Henry," the hamster who overcomes his obesity challenge with an active lifestyle and healthy eating habits...

McCOOK, Neb. -- Coyote Country Radio has announced participants for this year's Country Music Showdown presented by Longnecker Jewelry. A selection panel of 13 picked the best five acts per category to perform: (In no particular order) 12 & Under Angelina Gomez of McCook...

McCOOK, Neb. -- Community Hospital's emergency room access road will be closed until the end of August for paving. Until that time, ambulances, patients, visitors and delivery trucks will need to use an alternate route to reach the emergency entrance at the hospital. The emergency entrance remains open...

Ellen Prior June 15, 1919 - July 13, 2016 HASTINGS, Neb. -- Mary Elenor Stretch was born to Ira Martin and Flora Bennett Stretch on June 15, 1919, at home, near Wauneta, Neb. She was the third child of seven children, having two sisters, Ethel and Lola, and four brothers, Leo (who died in 1915), Lloyd, Leslie and Oscar. Mary Elenor later preferred to be called simply Ellen...