Stories from Tuesday, February 21, 2017

Marjorie TroBaugh Mickelson July 26, 1922 - Feb. 17, 2017 NORTH PLATTE, Neb. -- Marjorie TroBaugh Mickelson, age 94, of North Platte, passed away Friday, Feb. 17, 2017, at North Platte Care in North Platte. Marjorie was born on July 26, 1922, on the family homestead near Norman, Neb., to Swan A. and Violet (Estergard) Holsten. She attended school in Norman. The family moved to Hastings where she met and married Sidney TroBaugh on June 10, 1939; he preceded her in death in 1990...

Ralph Allan Wach May 28, 1921 - Feb. 17, 2017 ALBANY, Ore. -- Ralph Allan Wach was born to William Fredrick and Emilie Schultz Wach. Country doctor Frosall delivered him. Years later, when applying for a birth certificate, they realized his name was spelled "Ralf" and was listed as "born someplace in Hayes County, NE." He spent his childhood years and most of his adult life working on farms and raising horses. He was the middle child of seven...

Gerald L. Hlavinka Dec. 2, 1952 - Feb. 11, 2017 TRENTON, Neb. -- Gerald L. Hlavinka, age 64, of Trenton, passed away on Feb. 11, 2017, at his home. He was born in McCook, Neb., on Dec. 2, 1952, to Edward and Geraldine Mary (Miller) Hlavinka. Gerald attended McCook schools, graduating from McCook High School in 1971. He then attended Hastings Technical College for two years...

LIBERAL, Kan. -- The McCook Community College softball team looked to avenge an early season loss to Seward County, but offensive struggles would doom the Lady Indians. MCC would drop game 1, 10-2 and game 2, 8-0. The losses drop MCC to 2-10 on the year and 0-3 against Seward County. The Lady Indians will look to 'right-the-ship' against North Platte on March 1 at the Jaycees Sports Complex. Games can be viewed live on Tribe Watch...

HASTINGS, Neb. -- A trio of top area football players have been selected to play in the MEMECA Sertoma All-Star Game at Hasstings College on June 17. East and West teams collide in this eight-man showcase. Listed on the West team's roster are Noah Kerchal from Dundy County-Stratton. Medicine Valley's Brice Hodson and Wauneta-Palisade's Brody Nordhausen...

CAMBRIDGE, Neb. -- Elwood's Pirates have been a big pain for Maywood-Hayes Center during playoff basketball this season. Exactly one week after the Pirate girls eliminated one Wolves team, Elwood's boys rallied from eight points down to score a 45-43 comeback win Monday evening...

OGALLALA, Neb. -- McCook's eighth-grade boys beat Ogallala and Alliance St. Agnes to take second in an eight-team tournament on Saturday. Mark Arp's 11 points and another nine from Colten Stevens led the 40-31 opening victory over St. Agnes. Ty Stevens followed with six points, Payton Craw scored five and Luke Maris added four...

BARTLEY, Neb. -- The Hitchcock County Falcons and Arapahoe Wariors battled it out during their D1-11 subdistrict contest Monday night. With an intense four quarters the final score was close. Arapahoe won 54-51, breaking the tie in the last couple minutes...

irisheyephotography.com McCook High junior Kaleb Taylor emerged from the steamy tunnel at Omaha's CenturyLink Center to wrestle in Saturday's Nebraska State Tournament finals. Steam was part of every state finalist's introduction leading into the biggest matches of this season. Taylor brought a McCook High School record 12 consecutive pins into the Class B 220-pound final but lost 5-3 to Wahoo-Cedar Bluffs' Cole Kreklow...

Sean Callahan of Husker Illustrated told a capacity crowd at the Coppermill Monday night that this will be a pivotal year for the Nebraska football team, as it implements a new 3-4 defense under new defensive coordinator Bob Diaco. Nebraska's recruiting class, ranked 20th on Rivals.com and fifth in the Big 10, including eight top lineman and three receivers. ...

OGALLALA, Neb. -- Bison and Bearcats will decide their best of three and who will advance first in tonight's B-6 district basketball tournament. McCook has split two contests with Scottsbluff while sharing identical six-win records this season. The Bison are 6-16; Bearcats have slipped to 6-17 after an 84-33 defeat against Rapid City (S.D.) Central last weekend...

McCOOK, Neb. -- The Red Willow County 4-H Citizenship Washington Focus group is hosting a vendor show fundraiser 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday at the 4-H Building on the Red Willow County Fairgrounds in McCook. Proceeds will help the group fund travel to Washington D.C. for a two-week citizenship and leadership experience in June...

McCOOK, Neb. -- The McCook Industrial Park is set to welcome its third tenant, and second addition in two years, after more than a decade with one tenant occupying the 20-acre development. A redevelopment plan from Next Generation Inc. was unanimously approved by the McCook City Council Monday evening advancing the $9 million project...

McCOOK, Neb. -- Nebraska historians and storytellers will join community representatives this week to examine McCook's political tradition and explore ways to give it wider exposure. Speakers will include Ronald C. Naugle, a Nebraska historian; Brian Croft, a history instructor at Western Nebraska Community College; and Mike Smith, the retired director and CEO of the Nebraska State Historical Society. The program will be facilitated by Andy Long, the vice president of McCook Community College...

McCOOK, Neb. -- The McCook Police Department has received six hand-held alcoholw breath testing units through a traffic safety grant award. Valued at $285 each, the units were provided by the Nebraska Department of Roads, Highway Safety Office as part of the state's ongoing effort to prevent underage drinking and alcohol-related traffic crashes, injuries and fatalities...

McCOOK, Neb. -- Estate planning may not be an easy topic to discuss, but it is something that everyone should consider whether their estate is large or small. To get the conversation going, McCook Community College, the McCook Community Foundation Fund and the Nebraska Community Foundation have joined together for a free estate planning workshop Wednesday...

McCOOK, Neb. -- No one was injured when an off-duty Red Willow County sheriff's deputy accidentally discharged his service revolver in his McCook apartment about 4 a.m., today. Sheriff Alan Kotschwar said the deputy was cleaning his .40-caliber handgun when it discharged. The incident requires an investigation by outside law enforcement, and a McCook police officer was dispatched to the deputy's apartment...

The largest Powerball jackpot in history was drawn more than a year ago, Jan. 13, 2016, with a number worth $1.6 billion was split three ways. Two of the winners came forward almost immediately, but the third, a Chino Hills, Calif., couple, claimed their prize six months later, after they had assembled a team of advisers...

This morning in church the song leader choose one of my long time favorites from a new hymnal. "Lord I Want To Be A Christian." This version was written in four-part harmony and listed as an "American Folk Song." Baloney! According to Wikipedia this song was written in the 1750s Virginia by African-American slaves exposed to the teaching of evangelist Samuel Davies...

McCOOK, Neb. -- As is tradition, the Hometown Talent Showcase at the Fox Theatre will feature a preview performance from the cast and chorus of the Southwest Nebraska Community Theatre Association's annual musical, which this year is "Beauty & The Beast."...