Stories from Thursday, November 29, 2018

This information was received from McCook High School just shortly after the Gazette went to press today. "The weather forecast for Saturday in northern Nebraska does not look good therefore we are moving the girls and boys basketball contest from Saturday to Friday, Nov. 30. We will only be playing varsity basketball with the girls game beginning at 4 p.m. and the boys game to follow. Players will be dismissed at 11:30 and depart at noon."

NORTH PLATTE, Neb. — Once the center of social activities for McCook, the former Elks Club will be cleared of asbestos in preparation for its new life as a college campus. Meeting in North Platte on Wednesday, the Mid-Plains Community College board of governors approved a bid from Kearney-based Great Plains Asbestos Control for $74,300 to do complete abatement and disposal of asbestos-containing materials for the building, now called the McCook Community College East Campus...

McCOOK, Neb. — Even employees at Hillcrest Nursing Home are investing into the future of the facility. An additional 20 employees have recently signed up to designate a portion of their paychecks to go toward Hillcrest Foundation, with employees earmarking their contributions for a chapel, scholarships, or “other,” said Don Harpst, former Hillcrest administrator and long-time volunteer...

County-owned Hillcrest Nursing Home is keeping its head above water for now, but a financial tidal wave is on its way. Nebraska voters’ decision to expand Medicaid, coupled with vows by the governor and like-minded lawmakers to avoid tax increases at all costs mean that the dwindling number of private-pay nursing home residents see their resources drained further...

The Gazette’s couch potato who rarely grows any knowledge on how to pick football games still offers his opinions with limited space and time available before today’s deadline: Oklahoma vs. Texas It’s tough to see OU losing two against the Longhorns in one year. They might as well find homes around Kansas because they may not be welcome at OU...

In October, YMCA executive director Mike Gonzales reached a major milestone, turning 65 years old. To mark the occasion, I did what you always do to highlight these types of moments…find an embarrassing photo of the subject in question. Since Mike has such a long history with the Y, all I had to do was sift through dozens and dozens of YMCA scrapbooks to find the perfect picture...

McCOOK, Neb. — The McCook Community College Men’s basketball team rolled to a 110-51 win over the York College JV Wednesday in the Peter and Dolores Graff Events Center. After York came out and dominated the first five minutes of the game to lead by seven points, the Indians stepped up with defensive pressure and held the Panthers to five points in the final 14 minutes of the half and led 58-16 after 20 minutes of play...