Stories from Friday, September 30, 2016

There is a common assumption among democracies around the world that voting is a good thing and in any election, the higher the voter turnout, the better it is. That perspective is based on the belief that who gets elected and what gets passed or defeated should not be decided by a minority of people living in an area. Voter turnout in the United States has historically been low, averaging around 40% of all registered voters, and we hear people complain about that every election cycle...

60th anniversary The family of Dan and Dottie Stang of St. Francis, Kan., is requesting a card shower in honor of the couple's 60th wedding anniversary on Thursday, Oct. 6. They were married in Crook, Colo., in 1956. Their family includes children, Rick and Deanna Kriegh of St. ...

McCOOK, Neb. -- Amanda Lynette Fornoff of Hayes Center, Neb., and Bryce Kurtis Buhr of McCook were united in marriage on June 18, 2016, at St. Patrick's Catholic Church in McCook with the Rev. Thomas Schultes officiating. Parents of the bride are Kevin and Ann Fornoff of Hayes Center...

80th birthday The children of Janet Albrecht Larsen of Crete, Neb., would like to invite anyone who remembers and knows Janet to help celebrate her 80th birthday on Wednesday, Oct. 5, 2016. She formerly lived in McCook, Neb. Cards of congratulations will reach her at 1600 Grove Avenue, No. 4, Crete, NE 68333...

When the stakes were at their highest, Kacee Samway and Hannah Kohl delivered...

Heritage Days appeared to be quite the success this year, the participation and audience seemed higher. McCook has hosted many parades in its' downtown area and because I love parades, I'm always there. I miss Band Day though, when all the bands would show up and march, followed by competition at Weiland Field. It would be nice to see it back again...

Leah Michelle Carstensen Kevin and Jenna Carstensen of Council Bluffs, Iowa, announce the birth of their daughter, Leah Michelle Carstensen, born Aug. 30, 2016, at Council Bluffs. She weighed 8 pounds and was 20 inches long. She has one sister, Marissa, 3. Grandparents are Pam Britten, formerly of Palisade, Nebr., of Council Bluffs, the late Roger Britten and Jim and Joan Carstensen of North Platte, Neb...

What began more than three decades ago in the southwest
 Plains of Nebraska continues this weekend at Dodge City Roundup Arena...

Class A Kearney continued rolling up the wins with a 10-2 home victory over McCook High Thursday night...

City letter carrier Chris Smith decorates a table in the McCook Post Office lobby in preparation for October Breast Cancer Research Awareness Month. Special 60-cent stamps, which have raised more than $80.9 million for the cause, will be for sale, with more than 70 percent of the net amount raised going to the National Institutes of Health and 30 percent to the Medical Research Program at the Department of Defense. ...

McCOOK, Neb. -- The 14th annual Alzheimer's Memory Walk is set for Norris Park Saturday. Registration begins at 9 a.m. and the walk at 9:30 a.m. Cinnamon rolls and coffee will be served. For more information, call (308) 340-0323.

McCOOK, Neb. -- Supporters of the Bolles Canyon Skatepark in McCook are coordinating an effort to install lighting at the popular venue. Alan Gunther and Kirk Dixon will present a request to the McCook City Council Monday evening seeking permission to proceed with the project...

EDITOR'S NOTE: This is the third of three installments about the jewel-toned beetle called emerald ash borer whose target is the billions of ash trees across North America. McCook arborist Bruce Hoffman and Dr. Mark Harrell hope that lessons learned from the devastation caused by emerald ash borer and the fungus of Dutch elm disease can be applied to always-emerging new threats to trees...

McCOOK, Neb. -- It took about eight hours of work on a sweltering Sunday, but a sand volleyball court at Kelley Park is now ready for action. Isaiah Petty, 16, of McCook, significantly upgraded the sand volleyball court as an Eagle Scout project. He and his family, friends and Boy Scout Troop 1147 spent the day revamping the court that included extending the boundaries and installing professional boundary lines, moving dirt to level out the court and prevent sand washout, adding new railroad ties for boundaries, installing a snow fence to keep the ball out of the creek, filling the court with sand and putting up a new net.. ...

It came down to the final play...

Updated Oct. 3, 2016, to include details pertaining to Dueland's suspended jail sentence. McCOOK, Neb. -- A Southwest Nebraska man who led area law enforcement officers on a pursuit through town earlier this year, before culminating with his arrest while attempting to make his way into city offices, was sentenced to a suspended jail sentence and probation recently in Red Willow County Court...

Freshman Riley Mai's all-time best cross country race helped the McCook Bison boys finish second among 20 teams at Thursday's Gothenburg Invitational...