Stories from Wednesday, March 13, 2019

SIOUX CITY, Iowa – This is the moment the Concordia University women’s basketball program has been waiting for. For the first time in school history, the Bulldogs were the ones celebrating when the confetti streamed down from the Tyson Events Center rafters...

Chad Wilcox July 5, 1969 - Feb. 25, 2019 STRATTON, Neb. — Chad Michael Wilcox was born on July 5, 1969, at Sioux Valley Hospital in Sioux Falls, S.D. He passed away at age 49 at the Presbyterian Saint Luke’s Hospital in Denver, Colo., on Monday, Feb. 25, 2019...

Bernice “Ann” (Ellis) Musil NORTH PLATTE, Neb. — Bernice “Ann” (Ellis) Musil, 73, of North Platte, died March 8, 2019, at Bryan Medical Center West in Lincoln, Neb. Services are Saturday, March 16, 2019, 10:30 a.m. at Carpenter Memorial Chapel in North Platte with the Rev. Dr. Douglas A. Delp officiating. Burial will be 1 p.m. Saturday, March 16, 2019, at Memorial Park Cemetery in McCook. The casket will be closed...

Hooray for Saint Mary’s knocking off Gonzaga Monday night, because let’s be honest: There are several “bubbleheads” who have no business making the NCAA Tournament without a magical conference tourney title. Gazette basketball-shaped scribbler R.B. Headley isn’t afraid to bounce out a few teams on his no-good list:...

McCOOK, Neb. — McCook Public School students can breathe a sigh of relief: there won’t be extra days tacked on the end of the school year due to using snow days. Unlike past years with milder winters, McCook Public Schools this year have utilized three snow days and several 10 a.m. late starts...

Gov. Pete Ricketts’ pledge to not raise taxes is unpopular for those of us who depend on tax dollars for our salaries or vital public services, which includes everyone in the state in one way or another. For example, the University of Nebraska is the largest employer in the state with nearly a $1 billion budget, we spend more than $2 billion a year on Medicaid (before a voter-mandated expansion) and the current budget of $500 million a year won’t properly keep up our 10,000 miles of roads, according to the Nebraska Department of Transportation.. ...

For many Nebraskans, the process by which local governments increase property taxes can seem mysterious. The property is assessed, and near the beginning of the year, a postcard arrives with a preliminary valuation that may mean a property tax increase...

McCOOK, Neb. — A teacher trained as an emergency medical technician was able to provide assistance to a student at the high school Brent May, who teaches world history/government and law at McCook Senior High, recently put his skills as an EMT to work for a student at the high school, until medical personnel arrived, according to McCook Public Schools superintendent, Grant Norgaard. ...

Seeking shelter under an uncooperative umbrella, twins Lissy (left) and Issy Sandall walk to Central Elementary in McCook in pouring rain this morning. By the time the girls reached the school just a block away, gusty winds had turned their umbrella inside out. ...

Work being done on the Barnett Park lift station includes new controls, sensors and electrical connections that are being transferred to a small, above-ground building, shown center of the picture. Currently all the connections and equipment are in an underground vault, said City of McCook Utilities Director, Jesse Dutcher. ...

A steady rains falls on a pickup and an SUV involved in an accident about 7:45 a.m., today, at the corner of East Third and H in McCook. More information will be available after McCook police officers complete their investigation.

McCOOK, Neb. — A Spanish teaching position was eliminated in the “Reduction in Workforce” resolution the McCook Board of Education unanimously approved Monday night. Along with that resolution, the board approved the item to not renew Michelle Wright's contract for the 2019-2020 school year, so she will be allowed to be legally under contract with another school district for the 2019-20 school year. Wright taught Spanish at McCook Senior High...

McCOOK, Neb. — Tickets for the Nebraska vs. Colorado State spring volleyball match will go on sale Saturday in McCook. They will be available on a first-come, first served basis at the McCook Community College Graff Events Center, 401 E. M St. Tickets are $10 each, are limited to four per person and must be paid for with cash. They will only be sold to those ages 16 and up who provide identification. Anyone 2 or older must have a ticket to watch the game. Seating is general admission only...