Stories from Friday, September 30, 2022

GOTHENBURG, Neb. — Just when McCook was sniffing a title snatch from the Minden Whippets, that old pooper scooper tie-breaker came into play on Thursday. Both the Class C top five Bison and Whippets tallied 18 points, but Minden took home a Gothenburg Cross Country Invite team title...

The McCook Community College volleyball team swept its third opponent of the week, knocking off Otero Junior College Friday night in the Peter and Dolores Graff Events Center. MCC won 25-21, 25-9, 26-24. “Overall this week was a good week for us with three wins, all in three sets, so it was good to just come in tonight and take care of business,” said MCC Coach Hayley Kobza...

A recap of Gazette-area prep football teams and how they fared on Friday: Arthur County 49, Southwest (3-2) 45 The Roughriders led during this Six-Man top 10 road game but fell just short. Alma 68, Cambridge (3-3) 32 Both the Cambridge Trojans and Arapahoe Warriors suffered tough losses following their epic 26-24 battle at Cambridge last Friday. The Trojans prevailed...

LA JUNTA, Colo. – The McCook Community College golf team was unable to solve the greens at the Otero Junior College tournament and finished 11 shots behind Eastern Wyoming. “Our putting woes continued today, and we finished with a 5-over team score, and 6-over for the tournament,” said MCC Coach Tyler Loop...

Being a news junky isn’t always a happy business. At its best, political news centers around people with good intentions in conflict over how to fix a problem. Too often, it’s about allegations that the other team caused those problems and, at its worst, it devolves into personal attacks...

McCOOK, Neb. — The McCook City Council will be asked if it wants to schedule an open house concerning the upcoming local option sales tax ballot question, at the regular meeting Monday, at 5:30 p.m. at city council chambers at the City Municipal Building...

McCOOK, Neb. — The Buffalo Commons Storytelling and Music Festival planning committee announces an evening of theater stories at their First Tuesday event on Oct. 4 beginning at 7 p.m. at the Biéroc Café. Local playwright and director, Kevin Cochran, will be the featured speaker. SWNCTA actors and actresses will join him with tales of both scripted and improvisational performances. Anyone with their own stories of being on stage is also encouraged to participate...

In 2021, the Nebraska Legislature adopted LB 644, titled the Property Tax Request Act and more commonly dubbed the Truth in Taxation Act. The bill requires counties to inform their citizens of an increase in property tax from the year prior of 2.0% or more. The legislation also requires the counties to hold a public hearing where citizens can ask questions, express discontent, or air grievances about any increases...

Charles “Mike” Lowber Hendricks III RUSSELLVILLE, Ark. — Charles “Mike” Lowber Hendricks III, age 76, formerly of McCook, Neb., passed away in Russellville on Sept. 20, 2022. He was a graduate of Atkins High School, received his bachelor’s from Northeastern Oklahoma State, and Master’s from Oklahoma State University. ...

65th anniversary The family of Arlan and Beverly Rathe are requesting a card shower in honor of the couple’s 65th wedding anniversary on Thursday, Oct. 6, 2022. Cards of congratulations will reach them at 71805 Rd. 380, Culbertson, NE 69024 or 1008 West K Street, McCook, NE 69001...

What you think you know and what you know are often miles apart. I had always thought that St. Patrick’s Parochial School was the first of its kind in McCook. Not so! In fact, St. Pat’s, as it is lovingly called, was 10 years after the first church based school in McCook, the German Evangelical Lutheran school which began life in a rented home on East 6th street back in 1908...

McCook Senior High art students competed in a mural painting contest at Hastings College along with 36 other schools around the state. They were given the theme, “Hometown Postcard.” The four students decided to paint what they felt McCook was most famous for, Sehnert’s Bakery. They included George Norris reading the McCook Gazette out front and the Bison logo on the building. Shown from left are seniors, Asher Long, Sophia Jones, Robi Winder, and Ariana Pierson...

NORTH PLATTE, Neb. — Check out the results as McCook’s JV tennis boys totaled 39 points to win the North Platte Invite Saturday: 1 Singles-Jonny Frank, 6-1, 1st Place Def M. Kusek, Hastings 8-5 Def B. Wallace, Gering 8-2 Def D. Fitzpatrick, North Platte 8-1...

He called the Kansas State upset at Oklahoma last week with Adrian Martinez running wild over those same Sooners who sadly embarrassed once-mighty Nebraska. Now fresh off his 47-16 record overall (74 percent), Halloween pumpkin-shaped scribbler R.B. Headley offers picks on every college pigskin game this weekend. He did make two easy picks Thursday of BYU over Utah St. and South Carolina over South Carolina St...

WALLACE, Neb. — Maywood-Hayes Center conquered only its second 2-1 decision all season when they topped Wallace 25-19, 22-25, 25-14 Tuesday night. Except for a 2-1 battle with Southwest Sept. 1, all other Wolves wins have been 2-0 or 3-0. Senior Olivia Hansen’s 12 kills led M-HC (16-0), but Wallace’s Kendyll Flaming also totaled 12...

LEXINGTON, Neb. — Tristan Campbell’s three touchdowns ignited a McCook freshman football 42-0 win over Lexington Thurdsay. Campbell ran 32 yards, returned an interception for six points and then ran 40 to make it 21-0 early in the second quarter. Blake Rodewald ran for another 40-yard TD to make it 28-0 by half...

LA JUNTA, Colo. – The McCook Community College golfers shot a 1-over par round Thursday but trail Eastern Wyoming after the first day of the Otero Junior College tournament. “On a day with perfect weather, we struggled putting but shot a respectable 1-over par team score,” said MCC Coach Tyler Loop...

HASTINGS, Neb. — The new season starts on Monday after McCook’s regular softball one ended with a tough 9-8 loss to Hastings St. Cecilia Thursday night. With two outs and tited 8-8, an error put a Hawkette on base before one final “walk-off” winning double...

CURTIS, Neb. — Senior Stella Heapy served four aces and classmate Milla Farr made 14 digs along with five kills in Medicine Valley’s 25-23, 25-21 win over Arapahoe on Thursday. The Raiders are now 11-5 as they later lost a tight two-setter to 17-3 Paxton which capped this triangular...

McCOOK, Neb. — Last spring, a local group of enthusiastic pickleball players approached the McCook Community Foundation Fund about a possible grant for improved courts at Russell Park. Armed with a $20,000 grant from MCFF, the group went on to raise an additional $50,000 and have completely renovated the existing pickleball courts in less than six months...

McCOOK, Neb. — The Buffalo Commons Storytelling and Music Festival planning committee announce an evening of theater stories at their First Tuesday event on Oct. 4 beginning at 7 p.m. at the Biéroc Café. Local playwright and director, Kevin Cochran, will be the featured speaker. SWNCTA actors and actresses will join him with tales of both scripted and improvisational performances. Anyone with their own stories of being on stage is also encouraged to participate...

McCOOK, Neb. — Gubernatorial candidate State Sen. Carol Blood will appear at a town hall meeting 7-9 p.m. Friday, Oct. 7 at St. Albans Episcopal Church, 509 W. First in McCook. “Regardless of political affiliation, all Nebraskans are welcome to my public town halls,” Blood said...

Dear Editor, Recently, I toured several Nebraska towns with the Nebraska Community Foundation and its People Attraction Committee. The goal of this committee is to share how our communities can be more attractive places for people to live. It was interesting to see all the progress and investments our fellow rural communities are making across Nebraska...

Dear Editor, I neither support or oppose the new ball fields proposed for McCook. I do have questions that to my knowledge haven’t been answered publicly. These questions include: 1. Who will be the owner of the ball field complex? 2. What entity will maintain the ball field complex?...

In 2021, the Nebraska Legislature adopted LB 644, titled the Property Tax Request Act and more commonly dubbed the Truth in Taxation Act. The bill requires counties to inform their citizens of an increase in property tax from the year prior of 2.0% or more. The legislation also requires the counties to hold a public hearing where citizens can ask questions, express discontent, or air grievances about any increases...

Fort Hays State University President Tia Mason and Scott Cason, Chief Communications Officer, chat with the Gazette Thursday, pointing out the many connections the college and the opportunities it can offer. That includes nearly 300 students from Nebraska, including 40% of its successfully shooting sports team. ...

Deb Ashworth, director of Operation Lifesaver Nebraska, chats with county and city law enforcement and first responder officials as well as Mayor Mike Gonzales Thursday at the Bieroc Cafe. Accompanied by Sgt. Winston Cavendish of New Orleans, Ashworth explained the 50-year-old program on a whistle-stop tour through the 20 top counties in the state with railroad crossing incidents. ...

McCOOK, Neb. — The McCook Community College volleyball team swept past Trinidad State Thursday in the Peter and Dolores Graff Events Center. “Tonight’s match was a good, clean match for our players,” MCC Coach Hayley Kobza said. MCC won by the scores of 25-14, 25-14, 25-23...