Stories from Friday, November 17, 2023

During the holiday season, most Americans make a disproportionate number of discretionary purchases. The amount varies, depending on income and family tradition, but the National Retail Federation (NRF) predicts that consumers will spend an average of $875 on “core” holiday purchases this year. ...

McCOOK, Neb. — The McCook YMCA Adult Women’s Volleyball League was getting plenty of exercise one week before Thanksgiving Day feasts: Women’s Recreational El Puerto Giggles over Beta Blockers, 2-0 Get Served over Beta Blockers, 2-0 El Puergo Giggles over Wagner Chevrolet, 2-1...

Has Thursday’s free “Taco Bar” at the Gazette left eating machine R.B. (Rapid Burper) Headley feeling spicy enough to guarantee a Nebraska victory Saturday night? “Chubba-Chubba-Chubba could be the answer,” Round Belly dclared about N.U.’s possible starting quarterback being Chubba Purdy...

McCook coach Nick Umscheid (above) shows he can both teach and demonstrate some winning moves during one of the first Bison pre-season wrestling team practices Tuesday afternoon. The Bison were facing off (below) in preparation for their season which officially begins on Saturday, Dec. 2, at the annual Cozad Invitational...

All the area football players on this year’s D1-9 All-District football team. The Arapahoe Warriors went 9-2 and advanced to a Class D-1 state quarterfinal against No. 1-ranked Stanton. The Cambridge Trojans (4-5 record) also qualified for D-1 state...

McCOOK, Neb. — Several major expenditures are included in the consent agenda at Monday’s meeting of the McCook City Council. The meeting, which begins at 5:30 p.m. in the City Council Chambers in the Municipal Building at West Fifth and C, may also include an executive session regarding potential litigation...

McCOOK, Neb. — The Southwest Nebraska Big Give got bigger this year, not only with a longer name and more organizations but also in the total amount donated on the one day of giving Nov. 2. With the final sponsorship dollars added in, the total for the 2023 Big Give is $278,112.49 — a record for the annual event. That total came from 938 individual donations, another new high for the event, which is in its 8th year...

CAMBRIDGE, Neb. — Two sculptures by local artist Sondra Jonson have recently won honors in Iowa and Minnesota. This year 12 of Jonson’s large bronzes were accepted into juried outdoor exhibits in 9 midwestern cities including: Grand Island and Wayne, Neb.; Salina, Kan.; Sioux Falls and Watertown, S.D.; Mankato, Minn.; Eau Claire, Wis.; Mason City, Iowa; and Marysville, Mo. Two of her sculptures have achieved high honors...

KEARNEY, Neb. – The Nebraska Kearney football team has placed seven players on the 2023 All-MIAA squad. The league’s head coaches vote on the makeup of the team and cannot vote for their own players. Super senior defensive lineman Tell Spies (Mullen) leads the way as he was a second-team honoree. He is now one of nine Lopers to have earned All-MIAA honors three times in his career; that group includes his older brother, Tye (2016-18)...

McCOOK Neb. - McCook Farm and Ranch Expo has an estimated 350 vendors from 20 states, Canada, and Australia. Livewire Fence Supply from Culbertson Neb. is one of them.  Livewire Fence Supply owner Jake Miller says, “The expo is a great opportunity for us because our shop is located six miles north of Culbertson just off the ranch where we’re fixing all of our equipment and everything in the same shop we sell out of.” He added “It’s an undertaking for us to bring this much stuff here. ...

McCOOK, Neb. — McCook senior top hitter Kori Rippen has earned a spot on the all-Southwest Conference volleyball second team for her efforts this fall. Rippen earned her spot at outside hitter in a league which featured Class C-1 state champion Minden with its 36-1 record as well as third-place finisher Gothenburg (34-3), Ogallala (25-11) and Broken Bow (20-13)...

McCOOK Neb. —  A ribbon-cutting ceremony took place Thursday at Levander’s Body Shop at 1604 West Q Street in McCook.   Levander’s opened in 1997 in Grand Island, Neb. and has expanded services across the state. Partners Brian Levander and Scott Hill began speaking to Lester and Leelan Bieker, previous owners of the body shop, two years ago, but Covid slowed down the purchase.  ...

In recent years, the act of tipping for good service has undergone a subtle yet significant transformation. What was once considered a voluntary expression of gratitude has now evolved into a quasi-tax imposed not by the government, but by businesses themselves, fueled by societal expectations. ...

EDITOR’S NOTE: Helen Ruth Arnold was a retired teacher and long-time contributor to the Gazette’s Open Forum columns, even after she moved into a Trenton nursing home. After her death on June 17, 2023, at the age of 91, we received 16 letters from her. We will publish them as time and space allow in honor of her memory...

GRAND ISLAND, Neb. -Dorothy “Anne” Jones, 92, of Grand Island, Neb. died Nov. 14, 2023, at Primrose Retirement Community of Grand Island. Mass of Christian burial will be Tuesday, Nov. 21, 2023, at 10:30 a.m. at Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church. The Rev. Thomas A. Ryan will be the celebrant. Interment will be in Westlawn Memorial Park Cemetery. Visitation

McCOOK, Neb. - Ross Halsey of Kansas City, Kan. returned to McCook to participate in the Veteran’s Day Program at Saint Patrick’s Elementary School. Halsey was a student at St. Pat's in the 1970s and spoke fondly of his time at the school and of his father who served in the United States Army. ...

If there is one thing our predecessors knew how to do, it was how to throw a party. They worked long hours, some lived far from the city, and many had little money to spend having a good time, but entertainment was foremost on everyone’s mind once the shops were closed...