Stories from Wednesday, April 3, 2019

NORTH PLATTE, Neb. — McCook High’s calm and confident tennis girls smoothly took down Class A Kearney to win the North Platte Invitational Monday. Senior Kassidy Michaelis went a perfect 5-0 at No. 1 singles with every win crucial to a 61-60 scoring edge over Kearney’s Bearcats...

BERTRAND, Neb. — Southern Valley golfers earned three of the top seven places and finished second among 11 teams at Monday’s Hiline Invitational. The Eagles (367 total) were only six strokes behind champion Franklin (361) even Flyer Ryan Weiss soared individually with a winning round of 74...

BENKELMAN, Neb. — Cambridge High’s boys had just enough firepower to outscore Wauneta-Palisade, 142-136, and win Tuesday’s Dundy County-Stratton Invitational. Freshman Derek Trompke stepped up to win two events for Cambridge. Team scores: 1. Cambridge 142, Wauneta-Palisade 136, 3. Arapahoe 100.5, 4. Dundy County-Stratton 95, 5. Southwest 64, 6. Sutherland 58.5, 7. Wallace 57. Top four area individual placers...

McCOOK, Neb. — The future of growing is getting a test run at McCook High School. Thanks to several grants, FFA horticulture students at MHS are growing different types of herbs and vegetables in 12 vertical aeroponic tower gardens. Looking like something out of a 1940s sci-fi movie, garage space formerly used for welding students is now illuminated only by the ghostly glow of LED lights that surround each six-foot tall growing chamber. ...

BENKELMAN, Neb. — The host Dundy County-Stratton girls edged Cambridge, 141-137, to win their home track and field invitational on Tuesday. Southwest scored 126 points for third place. Junior Jessie Freeland and sophomore Maggie Lutz both won a pair of events to lead the Tigers...

McCOOK, Neb. — McCook’s freshman and sophomores were soaring in the Hoehner Invitational high jump Monday afternoon. Freshman Addison Randel cleared 5” for the title and career best.Sophomore Liviya Wier reached third place at 4’8” while classmate Alyssa Secord finished fourth also at 4’8”...

BENKELMAN, Neb. — Cambridge senior Preston Carbaugh scored a two-stroke win while the Trojans finished first overall at Tuesday’s Dundy County-Stratton Golf Invitational. Carbaugh’s 76 edged Karson Klooz from Chase County (79) as he continues building momentum after last year’s Class D top five finish...

NORTH PLATTE, Neb. — Brilliant weather helped bring consistent scores from McCook’s golfers as they dualed North Platte at Iron Eagle Tuesday afternoon. Sophomore Brady Esch’s 40 led all Bison and Bulldogs. “Brady had a very steady and performanced very well,” coach Joe Vetrovsky observed. “The weather was fantastic for this nine-hole competition.”...

Actor Jussie Smollett is at the center of controversy after allegedly staging a hate-crime attack and then having 16 counts of disorderly conduct unexplainedly dropped. Everyone from outgoing Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel to President Trump has criticized the prosecution and a judge is considering a media request to open files related to the case...

Approximately 280 tons of hay shipped out Tuesday from Southwest High School in Bartley to flood relief distribution centered in Columbus. SW FFA organized the hay donation drive, and coordinators were astounded by the response. Organizers appreciated the assistance of local farmers and ranchers and the Nebraska Alfalfa Marketing Association for the donation of hay; Hometown Agency for donating fuel; Steve Rice of SR Farms for organizing and, along with local farmers who donated their trucks and trailers, for hauling the hay; and Mrs. ...

CURTIS, Neb. – Disaster relief for Nebraska farmers and ranchers continues to roll onto the campus of the Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture in Curtis. Baled hay, livestock feed and fencing supplies are being collected at the NCTA for distribution to livestock operations affected by the March 13-15 blizzard and catastrophic flooding...