Stories from Thursday, January 12, 2017

With three daughters, two in high school, people's drama is something that is part of our daily conversations. Always someone mad at someone or somebody talking about somebody else. Drama about boys, drama about other girls or drama made up just to have drama. Never a dull moment and these days, with cell phones and social media, it's almost impossible to stay away from it, no matter how hard they try...

Protests over the Dakota Access Pipeline picked up, with gusto where the Keystone XL protests left off, only backing off slightly when the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers denied a construction easement under the Missouri River in the final months of the Obama Administration...

Lilly Ann Korell CENTENNIAL, Colo. -- Lilly Ann Korell, 16, of Centennial, passed away Sunday (Jan. 8, 2017). Lily is survived by her parents, Van and Kristin (Hime) Korell; brothers, Gage and Benjamin; grandparents, Van, Sr. and Janet Korell and Martin and Diane Hime; uncles and aunts, Mark Korell (Libby), Steve Korell (Megan), Courtney Meysenburg (Joe), Jim Hime (Kelly) and Tom Hime...

Roger Christensen Nov. 28, 1949 - Dec. 12, 2016 GRAND ISLAND, Neb. -- Roger Christensen, 67, of Grand Island, died Dec. 12, 2016, at CHI St. Francis Medical Center. He was born on Nov. 28, 1949, in St. Paul, Neb., to Arnold and Marie (Rojewski) Christensen. He grew up in St. Paul and graduated from St. Paul High School in 1968. He attended Business School in Grand Island...

Winnie M. Mussman Dec. 20, 1921 - Jan. 11, 2017 ARAPAHOE, Neb. -- Winnie M. Mussman, 95, of Arapahoe, died Wednesday (Jan. 11, 2017), at Holdrege Memorial Home in Holdrege, Neb. She was born on Dec. 20, 1921, at Oxford, Neb., to Fred and Maggie (DeVries) Knipschild...

Beverly Kaye Smith Dec. 19, 1948 - Jan. 12, 2017 CAMBRIDGE, Neb. -- Beverly Kaye Smith, 68, died today (Jan. 12, 2017), at the Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha, Neb. Services are pending with Herrmann-Jones Funeral Chapel in McCook.

Clovis Edgell TRENTON, Neb. -- Clovis Edgell, 87, of Trenton, died Wednesday (Jan. 11, 2017), at Community Hospital in McCook. Services are pending with Carpenter-Breland Funeral Home of McCook.

Gregory Dankleff McCOOK, Neb. -- Gregory Dankleff, 59, of McCook, died Wednesday (Jan. 11, 2017), at Hillcrest Nursing Home in McCook. Services are pending with Carpenter-Breland Funeral Home of McCook.

ATWOOD, Kan. -- Abigail Horton's double-double and Grace Higley hot shooting sparked the Rawlins County, Kan., girls to a 57-38 win over Tri-Plains-Brewster Tuesday night. Horton attacked inside for 10 rebounds when she wasn't scoring 11 points. Meanwhile, Higley was money from long distance as she hit three triples en route to 17 team-high points...

STRATTON, Neb. -- Southwest Roughriders scored 210 points to rule the Dundy County-Stratton Invitational on Friday. More about other area teams will be featured tomorrow, but here are the top Southwest wrestling performances. 106 pounds - Joel Costello (6-6) placed 2nd and scored 18 team points...

From the fitness class fliers in the lobby to the youth sport registration dates on the website, the YMCA functions on a day-to-day basis because of schedules. The YMCA simply couldn't operate without schedules. When my alarm clock goes off at 4:30 a.m., I know that the YMCA doors will be open at 5 a.m. - and that several people are crazier than I am and have beat me there...

The Ed Thomas YMCA is accepting registrations for youth coed soccer, grades kindergarten through eighth-grade. For the kindergarten level, students must turn 5 years old by the first game on March 11. The YMCA/Valmont league is coed at all levels, with grade divisions as follows: kindergarten(plus), first and second grade, third and fourth grade, and fifth through eighth grade...

McCook wrestlers are definitely gaining weight with Nebraska Scholastic Wrestling Coaches Association voters who select the state's best each week. The Bison are currently ranked No. 9 among Class B dual teams after winning four of their first five duals this season...

McCOOK, Neb. -- Wallis Marsh, the 2016 McCook High School Wall of Fame inductee, will be in McCook Saturday for an awards presentation during half-time of the McCook vs. Minden boy's basketball game at the high school gymnasium. Marsh is a 1985 MHS graduate who went on to found his own oil and gas companies, Extex Production and Extex Operating Co, which has grown to include over 700 oil wells in Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Michigan...

McCOOK, Neb. -- The McCook Fire Department experienced record call volume this past year, exceeding 1,000 emergency calls for the first time in its history. Emergency call volume increased by 19 percent from a year prior, according to city reports. In 2016 the City of McCook responded to 1,127 emergency calls for service; after responding to 946 in 2015; and 964 in 2014...

McCOOK, Neb. -- It's Chili Time! The MCC Indians Boosters 17th Annual Dick Driml Chili Cook-off will be held on Saturday, Feb. 25 in the Peter & Dolores Graff Events Center on the McCook Community College campus. We are looking for Chili Chefs to compete for the bragging rights of the best chili...

McCook Senior High Color Day royalty candidates for 2017 include: front row, from left, Jadyn Reynolds, daughter of Greg Reynolds and Laura Bain, and Bryceton Trew, son of Brad and Diane Trew, in a new process this year, nominated by and representing the MHS Senior Class. ...

McCOOK, Neb. -- McCook Community College begins the spring semester with mixed student enrollment news. The number of new students is down but the percentage of those who come back for a second year have improved significantly over the past four years...