Stories from Tuesday, April 2, 2019

McCOOK, Neb. — Senior Morgan Fawver set McCook High’s new record for a long jump as the Bison boys delivered another Leroy Hoehner Invite title on Monday. Fawver reached 22’5” to break the previous all-time Bison best, coach Tom Sughroue reported. It was a grand return to competition after Fawver missed the final several Bison basketball games because of injury...

To be honest, most of us haven’t been motivated to get outside in recent months. Residents of “Nebraska’s Hot Spot” aren’t used to having winters as long and severe as this one seemed to be. Not that we should complain, considering the struggles residents of a large part of the state are having in recovering from the mid-March “bomb cyclone” that left many homeless and without income...

Do you like socialized medicine? Single payer? Health care, they mean medical insurance, available to all. It may have its problems and a real-life illustration might give you second thoughts. Most of you dear readers may know that Hillcrest Nursing Home is owned by Red Willow County. ...

The writer is a former director of the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services and a former state treasurer. He is president of Rural Health Development, which manages Hillcrest Nursing Home. This opinion first appeared in the Omaha World-Herald...

McCOOK, Neb. —Retired McCook dentist Bill Graves presented a preliminary "plan of action" to Red Willow County commissioners Monday morning regarding the inadequate reimbursement of Medicaid costs to nursing homes. Graves, a member of the Hillcrest Foundation, wants to address the situation through an "action committee" of himself; a county representative; Jared Muehlenkamp, McCook City Council member; Andy Long, McCook Economic Development Corp.; and bankers Mark Graff and Van Korell...

McCOOK, Neb. — Red Willow County's armor-coated roads are a mess. County commissioner Earl McNutt said at the commissioners' weekly meeting Monday morning, "Our roads have taken a beating this winter," as commissioners and Tyson Bardsley, the county's roads superintendent, discussed the county's armor coating projects for the summer...

McCOOK, Neb. — Red Willow County commissioners bought a new road grader and accepted a non-taxed "buffer zone" around the Work Ethic Camp at their weekly meeting Monday morning. The new grader, for commissioner Cayla Richards' District 3, is a 2018 Caterpillar 12M3 to be purchased from NMC in North Platte, with $10,000 parts and service credit, a 5-year-, 5,000-hour warranty and immediate delivery...

McCOOK, Neb. — Red Willow County commissioner Earl McNutt hoped Monday morning it was an "April Fool's Joke," but Kristi Korell assured him it wasn't, that she was resigning her position as the county's zoning administrator effective April 15. Korell told commissioners at their weekly meeting that she doesn't feel she can do well both her full-time job as county assessor and the additional duties of the zoning administrator. ...

McCOOK, Neb. — The McCook City Council asked for more information for a retail event proposed this summer in downtown McCook. In a letter to the council, Jamie Mockry, executive director of the McCook Chamber of Commerce, requested that certain streets near Norris Avenue be closed down for “Third Thursdays,” a monthly event for the community from May to September. ...

Scott and Deb Wiese stand in front of a semi truck that was used to haul in 30 bales of hay to Tri-State Livestock Tuesday morning, donated by the Wiese and Krug families of Benkelman, Neb. Farmers from around the area are unloading hay Tuesday and Wednesday at Tri-State Livestock, that will be taken on Thursday to the Norfolk and Columbus, Neb., areas, to help farmers whose hay was destroyed by the March flooding. ...

Gertrude (Vlasin) Lankas March 7, 1917 - April 1, 2019 LEE’S SUMMIT, Mo. — Gertrude (Vlasin) Lankas, 102, formerly of Atwood, Kan., died Monday, April 1, 2019, in Lee’s Summit. She was born to Joseph and Rose (Kucera) Vlasin, near Hayes Center, Neb., in Hayes County, on March 7, 1917. ...

Ann Wissink June 15, 1939 - April 1, 2019 STRATTON, Neb. — Ann Louise Wissink was born on June 15, 1939, to LeRoy (Pete) and Jewell (Lines) Barnett, on the family homestead near Stratton. As a young lady she grew up and attended school in Stratton, graduating from Stratton High School in 1957. Ann continued her education, attending business school in Denver...

COLBY, Kan. -- The McCook Community College baseball team lost a slugfest in Kansas Monday dropping a 12-10 decision to Colby Community College. “We battled back from a tough start,” MCC coach Jon Olsen said. After giving up three runs in the bottom of the first inning, MCC came back to tie the game with three runs in the second with a pair of walks, sandwiched around a Beau Hawley (Greeley, Colo.) single to load the bases. ...

NORTH PLATTE, Neb. — McCook’s varsity tennis girls edged Kearney, 61-60, to win the North Platte Invite on Monday. Senior Kassidy Michaelis went 5-0 for first at No. 1 singles. Full details on Wednesday.

Marjorie Lou Wright Jan. 22, 1922 - March 30, 2019 ELKHORN, Neb. — Majorie Lou (John) Wright died March 30, 2019, in Elkhorn. She was born Jan. 22, 1922, to Clinton Walter John and Caroline Louise (Thuman) John. She was born and raised in Cambridge, Neb., where she graduated high school and kept her ties to Cambridge through her life. ...

McCOOK, Neb. — The McCook girls scored 98 points to finish behind only Lexington among seven varsity teams in Monday’s Leroy Hoehner Invitational. Junoir Elsi Rodewald won the 3200-meter run for one McCook event title following her medal at state cross country...