Stories from Friday, December 2, 2016

Social Security did not exist until 1935 and it was a 30 year break before Medicare and Medicaid were signed into law by President Lyndon Johnson in 1965. The State Department of Public Welfare was created in Nebraska in 1919. Prior to those enactments, it fell to the states and counties to care for the poor (paupers) of their region...

TRENTON, Neb. -- Opening night of the Nebraska high school basketball season started with a bang for the Cambridge Trojans...

CAMBRIDGE, Neb. -- The former little manager who's now an "extension of our coaching staff" could not have brought a better message to his Cambridge teammates on Thursday...

TRENTON, Neb. -- Cambridge's Alea Shaner scored her 1,000th point, and them some, to lead the Lady Trojans to a 45-31 win Thursday at Hitchcock County...

McCOOK, Neb. -- The McCook City Council will review overlay and future land use maps pertaining to potential annexation targets during Monday's regularly scheduled meeting. The information is part of a City Council update pertaining to an ongoing effort between city staff and hired planning personnel with Miller and Associates...

McCOOK, Neb. -- B Street Banners and a Big Birthday Bash are among the possibilities as the McCook Area Chamber of Commerce gets ready to roll out plans for the celebration of McCook's 135th and Nebraska's 150th anniversaries, both of which will take place in 2017...

Hundreds witness the lighting of "The Community Christmas Tree" Thursday evening in McCook's Kelley Park. The tree, and especially the new 4-foot-tall, 600-bulb Moravian star tree topper, was dedicated to the memory of Phil Rouse, the father of Ryan Davis, who, with his wife Janelle, originated the Community Christmas Tree two years ago. Santa Claus rode in on "Prancer," and McCook National Bank and Sparky's Kids Club offered a hot cocoa bar, with whipped cream, marshmallows and candy sprinkles...

Technically, it's nearly three weeks until winter arrives, but we've already found our heavy coats now that "meteorological" winter arrived with Dec. 1. Cold winds can be dangerous out here on the Plains, but they're nothing like conditions thousands of feet above our heads, where jet streams can bring in snow, ice and whiteout conditions at 200 mph...

Most people give lip service to the value of honesty but don't practice what they preach. How many stories have you heard lately that turned out to be blatantly, one hundred percent false? You hear something at the coffee shop or the bar or at a group function that sounds right because it supports your built-in biases so you repeat it to as many people as possible as the absolutely truth because you want it to be true. ...

A photograph taken from Santa Claus' 2012 scrapbook shows his conversation with then-4-year-old Lexi Steinbeck of McCook. Santa Claus plans a pre-holiday visit in McCook again, to listen to little ones' wishes before his world-wide trip on Christmas Eve. ...

McCOOK, Neb. -- Santa Claus and Mrs. Claus will visit the McCook Community College Peter and Dolores Graff Events Center from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 7. Children of all ages are welcome to attend. Adult supervision is required. Admission is one canned good item to be donated to McCook Pantry...

McCOOK, Neb. -- Lloyd Benjamin, a founding member of the McCook College Foundation, was recently honored by Foundation members for his 42-years of service, leadership, and dedication to the college where he first played football and took engineering classes...