Stories from Tuesday, June 26, 2012

This information is gathered at the McCook Public Safety Center, the McCook office of the Nebraska State Patrol, the Red Willow County Courthouse, the Red Willow County Sheriff's Office and the McCook Humane Society. Police activity Activity log...

REXFORD, Kansas -- Today, women's involvement in agriculture is changing the importance on making a living to a way of living. Northwest Kansas Conservation & Environmental Alliance is celebrating women in Northwest Kansas by hosting their 3rd Annual Women in Denim Event: Finding your True Colors. This fun filled day will be held at The Shepherd's Staff Christian Conference & Retreat Center in Rexford, Kansas, on Wednesday, Oct. 3, 2012...

Bernard Elbert VFW Auxiliary Post 1652 met for their monthly meeting. President Downing called the meeting to order with nine members present. The meeting opened with Prayer and the Pledge of Allegiance. Minutes of the previous meeting and Treasure's report was given and approved...

McCOOK, Nebraska -- The Eureka Chapter No. 86 Past Matrons Club met at the Masonic Temple for a salad luncheon President Beverly Green opened the meeting with clever comments. The club was reminded of the Pioneer Division of Past Matrons will meet in Grand Island Oct. 4 with more information at a later date...

Bruce Baker/McCook Daily Gazette McCook Art Guild members Ron Evans, from left, Marlene Meitl and Gary Ginther, not pictured, received the award of excellence from the Association of Nebraska Art Clubs (ANAC) traveling art exhibit. Ray Walters, center, won honorable mention. The ANAC art exhibit travels throughout the state and will make a stop in McCook later this year...

80th birthday The family of Melvin Smallberger are hosting an open house for his 80th birthday June 30, 2012, at the Golden Age Center in Oberlin, Kansas from 2-4 p.m. Cards of congratulations will reach him at 414 Martin Ave., Oberlin, KS 67749

McCOOK, Nebraska -- Red Willow County, Nebraska, commissioners won't put any money into armor coating county roads this year, but will use those funds to help pay for the county's share of new asphalt on County Road 386, north of McCook's East 11th...

McCOOK, Nebraska -- Hillcrest Nursing Home officials may need to ask Red Willow County commissioners to take out a $1.1 million loan to help rectify a cash flow problem. Nursing home interim administrator Jerry Rothmeyer and board member Randy Dean told commissioners last week that the facility's cash flow problems started when a billing clerk's employment was terminated in February, and three months of Medicare and Medicaid claims that she would have filed for payment were not. ...

McCOOK, Nebraska -- Expressing pride in the past and optimism in the future, the directors of McCook's historic Fox Theatre today announced work has begun on theatre improvements costing in excess of a half million dollars. "This is a dream come true for the community and for many hard-working volunteers," said Lloyd Benjamin, the president of the non-profit organization which is spearheading the Fox Renovation Project. ...

McCOOK, Nebraska -- A photo display of 81 Nebraskans killed in "The War on Terror" in Afghanistan and Iraq will be displayed July 3 through July 10 at the Museum of the High Plains in McCook, Nebraska, the hometown of Nebraska National Guard Sgt. Randy Matheny, who died Feb. 4, 2007, in Baghdad, Iraq, during Operation Iraqi Freedom...

McCOOK, Nebraska -- Charges against a McCook driver who successfully escaped a Red Willow County Sheriff's Deputy, leaving his passenger, vehicle and a half-empty alcohol container behind as he fled on foot, were dismissed after the man successfully completed the Red Willow County Diversion Program...

McCOOK, Nebraska -- An Indianola woman was sentenced to serve 150 days in jail and ordered to pay a $500 fine after she was convicted of what was at least her third drunk driving offense. The offender, 24-year-old Destinee D. Sitzman, also had her driver's license revoked for three years during the May 31, 2012, sentencing hearing in Red Willow County Court...

Denise Harders of the Republican Valley Library System speaks at an e-reader workshop Monday afternoon at the McCook Public Library, explaining how to borrow electronic books through the Nebraska OverDrive system. She explained the different steps needed to use Kindle, Nook or other e-readers. A library card is needed to borrow e-books, and those who live outside the city limits must pay $10. More information is available at http://nebraska.lib.overdrive.com or http://www.mccooklibrary.info/...

There has always been something magical about a visit to the library. The anticipation of learning something new, uncovering the hidden treasure of a story well told, obtaining vital information on an obscure subject. The heft of a book, a stiff spine direct from the binders, the smell of ink pressed on pages only days ago...

While Bill Coe is an excellent photographer, finding and displaying shots that many of us would seldom see, his knowledge of the farming community leaves something to be desired. On page 2 of Monday's Gazette, there is a picture of a machine working in a wheat field, calling it a combine, making another round in a wheatfield...

I am writing this response to (Dick) Trail's article in the June 19 Gazette edition. There sure has been so-called "government subsidies" when referring to BLM land rentals. This surely has helped Deb Fischer and her husband in their successful ranching operation...

This week the U.S. Senate passed their 2012 version of the Farm Bill. Both our Senators Nelson and Johanns voted for approval. The five year projected price tag is about half a trillion dollars over its five-year reign. It is a little hard to get one's arms around that kind of money and breaking it down to only $100 million a year doesn't aid much to understanding either...