Stories from Friday, March 23, 2018

McCOOK, Neb. — What a beautiful day for Bison tennis brilliance! Business was booming along with plenty of tennis balls that neither North Platte or Hershey could return Thursday afternoon. The reigning Class B state champ McCook Bison drew plenty of fans for their 2018 home debut, and tennis was superb throughout a 17-1 double dual win...

90th birthday The family of Dale Hazen of Curtis, Neb., is requesting a card shower in honor of his 90th birthday on Sunday, April 1, 2018. He was born in Wellfleet, Neb., in 1928. He was a truck driver all his life, driving millions of miles on charter buses and semi’s. ...

90th birthday The family of Elsie Grube is requesting a card shower in honor of her 90th birthday on Wednesday, April 4, 2018. She was born at home on a farm near Lebanon, Neb. She married Clifford Grube in 1945 and they were married for 67 years, until he passed away in 2012. ...

Mike Manker, who brought the Enright Collection to the Southwest Nebraska Genealogy Society library, that was returned to a very grateful family, has again gifted the library with several historical books. Two copies of the booklet “One hundred years of living: Indianola Nebraska” were among these gifts. ...

Johnny J. Haag Dec. 27, 1943 - Feb. 11, 2018 GOODYEAR, Ariz. — Johnny J. Haag, 74, passed away Feb. 11, 2018, after a short battle with cancer. He was born Dec. 27, 1943, in McCook, Neb. He was the third of seven children and only son of Johnny C. and Evelyn (Smith) Haag...

John Leonard Lawritson July 30, 1933 - March 10, 2018 PHOENIX, Ariz. — John Leonard Lawritson, age 84, of Phoenix, passed away on March 10, 2018 of complications due to lung cancer. John was born on July 30, 1933, and survived a small-town upbringing with his parents, Earl and Lois Lawritson, in Trenton, Neb...

LA JUNTA, Colo. – McCook Community College’s golf team is one shot away from the lead after the first day of the two-day Otero Junior College tournament. Only for strokes separate the top three teams. Lamar leads the tournament after Thursday play with a 293, MCC is second with 294 and Eastern Wyoming is third with 297...

TRENTON, Neb. — An amazing start to the outdoor season featured Southern Valley winning a wild 110-106 battle over Wauneta-Palisade at Wednesday’s Maywood-Hayes Center Invitational. Medicine Valley was also in striking range, scoring 88 points for third among 10 teams competing...

GRANT, Neb. — The two-time Class C state champion Chase County girls and those Longhorn boys both rumbled to Perkins County Pre-Season Invite team titles on Thursday. Chase County’s girls tallied 286 points to nearly match the combined totals of Dundy County-Stratton (171), South Platte (70) and Perkins County (56)...

TRENTON, Neb. — Girls proved even tougher than boys when it came to deciding the Maywood-Hayes Center Invite champions on Wednesday. While four points separated top boys teams, Hitchock County’s girls triumphed by only two, 103-101, over top challenger Maywood-Hayes Center...

McCOOK, Neb. — Two housing complexes managed by the McCook Economic Development Corp. are full with waiting lists, and $170,000 from city sales tax revenue was recently paid toward the Keystone Business Center loan, the group’s manager said Thursday evening...

McCOOK, Neb. — Float designers should have plenty of ideas to choose from for this year’s big parade. “Premiere Movie Madness” is the theme for the 2018 Heritage Days celebration, Sept. 26-30, with the parade Sept. 29. The McCook Area Chamber of commerce is now accepting nominees for Grand Marshal and Honor Family...

McCOOK, Neb. — Southwest Nebraska Public Health Department’s 15th annual Walk to Health program kicks off Monday, April 9. This free program will last for 12 weeks and is open to residents of all ages in the SWNPHD nine-county service area. This walking program has been a hit from its inception. ...

LINCOLN, Neb. — The former public school in Venango, in far southwestern Perkins County, has been added to the National Registry of Historic Places. The Nebraska State Historical Society announced March 20 that three Nebraska locations have been considered and selected by the National Parks Service for listing on the National Register of Historic Places: the school in Venango, the Emerson City Park and the Tekamah Auditorium...

Construction projects are shifting into high gear with the arrival of spring weather. Ominous clouds Monday, above, amounted to little more than wind, approaching a pavement project on East J Street in northeast McCook next to Community Hospital. Wooden walls began joining metal beams, below, at the construction site for the new Holiday Inn hotel at North U.S. 83 and West H in McCook...

CURTIS, Neb. – A Nebraska agricultural producer, businessman and state senator will deliver the commencement address for the Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture at Curtis on May 3. State Senator Dan Hughes of Venango will speak to NCTA graduates and guests at the 1:30 p.m. ceremony at the Curtis Memorial Community Center, announced Ron Rosati, NCTA dean...

Gen. John Joseph Pershing led the expeditionary forces during World War I in France and Belgium. In 1931, the Frederick A. Stokes Co. of New York published “My Experiences During the War” by Gen. Pershing. It included quotes from his diary. John Joseph Pershing was born in 1860 in Laclede Mo., and died in 1948. He is buried at Arlington Cemetery in Virginia. Pershing was a respected military leader who graduated from West Point. He once considered becoming a lawyer...

I wanted to congratulate the two people mentioned in the article “Headin’ and Heelin’,” Lakota Pattan and Graylan Elkins, on their amazing feat. They caught their steer in EIGHT seconds. WOW!! I’ll admit I’m fairly new to rodeos, but even I know that that’s some good roping. ...