Stories from Thursday, August 16, 2012

To be honest, I laughed quite a bit during "The Campaign," the new Will Ferrell-Zach Galifianakis comedy, and rightfully so: some of it is tremendously funny. (A few of the best bits have been shown in television ads for the movie, and a few of them -- well -- simply can't be.) Unfortunately, this is one of those movies that feels like two or three scripts were tossed into the Story Blend-O-Matic, fingers crossed that they'd all come together. ...

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...

Riley Taylor placed fourth in the Youth Showmanship division at the World Championship Palomino Show in Tulsa, Oklahoma, on July 24. Also shown are Suzanne Clark Taylor, Virginia Clark, Adi Freisen and Shelley Rystrom. The horse is "Sweet Deck."

McCOOK, Nebraska -- The Meissner family reunion will be 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday in the lower shelter house in Kelley Park. The event will be a potluck dinner.

McCOOK, Nebraska -- McCook, Nebraska Senior High's FFA Chapter will use a $2,500 DuPont Pioneer grant to purchase curriculum resources for ag science education. Eugene Koch of McCook and Clayton Geisinger of Holdrege, representatives of Pioneer Hybrid International, presented a check for the grant award to FFA ag instructor and FFA sponsor Sarah Knutson and MHS FFA members Tuesday, Aug. 14...

Play like I'm not here Ranch hands and cowboys often get put in the position of playing host to all manner of guests, reporters, owners grandchildren and bank vice presidents. Dave works on a ranch in south Florida. In the right season Florida looks like the Garden of Eden. He had been asked to guide a notable photographer around. He was shooting pictures for a book of Florida ranches...

Last year it was the moon, this year it was clouds and thunderstorms. Now I will have to wait another year before viewing the Perseid meteor shower. From the pictures I have been seeing on astronomical web sites, however, not everyone missed the Perseids. At least I am glad someone had a good view...

Well I finally broke down and joined the 21st century and ordered me one of them fancy schmancy smart phones. I justified it cause of my new job 'n all. I was afraid with trying to balance my job duties and all my girls' activities, I needed a phone that could handle the task. I knew my old way of making lists on post it notes and the backs of used envelopes wasn't probably the best organizing method...

McCOOK, Nebraska -- A McCook man pleaded not guilty to what would be his fifth drunk driving offense, last week during a hearing in Red Willow County District Court. The man, 53-year-old Marvin D. Mueller of 200 East C Street, is facing a Class III felony charge of DUI fifth offense and a Class II misdemeanor charge of operating a vehicle with a revoked driver's license...

Chase County, Nebraska, 4-H'er Morayah Cupp shows one of her three "first purple" ribbon hogs during the grand champion swine competition in Imperial Wednesday morning. Shandra Johnson (left) won the swine grand championship, and then won another first purple in the breeding ewe division of the sheep show. ...

NORTH PLATTE, Nebraska -- Mid-Plains Community College has added several new emphases and a certificate to its program offerings. Earning an emphasis along with a degree can enhance ones overall associate degree because there is a concentration of coursework in a particular area of study. While adding an emphasis is not a requirement, it adds value to an individual's skills, knowledge and experience...

NORTH PLATTE, Nebraska -- Mid-Plains Community College is planning Ribbon Cutting events for its newest facilities in McCook and North Platte on Aug. 22. The celebration for the McCook Community College Events Center will take place at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 22, followed by a similar celebration that afternoon at 3 p.m. for the new Health and Science Center at North Platte Community College...

Red Willow County has experienced a brain gain in the last 40 years, joining the rest of the country in what has been a massive increase in the number of adults who have earned college degrees. In 1970, 7.1 percent of those over 25 years of age had college degrees in Red Willow County. By 2010, 21.6 percent of adults here had completed college...

From outside the ring, 21⁄2-year-old Luke Kuenning watches the Chase County fair open class/pre-4-H'ers' sheep show late Wednesday morning. Inside the ring, bright-eyed Jayme Gittlein held the head of her sheep, while Elizabeth Tomky helped her petite niece Kammi Tomky lead her lamb during sheep showmanship. Judge Matt Ellicott, the University of Nebraska-Lincoln livestock judging coach, told spectators he was impressed with the energy and promise of "the county's littlest exhibitors."...

McCOOK, Nebraska -- A McCook woman who crashed her car into a parked pickup truck on West Third Street, last Thursday afternoon, said she was distracted by her chicken nuggets. The woman, 19-year-old Shianne Carpenter of 102 South Street, told investigators that she was "eating and looked down to dip her chicken nugget" and the next thing she knew her front end was under the truck...

McCOOK, Nebraska -- A McCook woman received probation for her part in the burglary of a West H Street residence and other offenses. The woman, 19-year-old Megan L. Hinson, was sentenced to 24 months probation after accepting a plea agreement that admitted guilt to two Class IV felony offenses of aiding in the consummation of a felony and accessory to a felony, in addition to infractions for possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia...

Students and parents crowd the front of McCook Elementary, Wednesday evening, anxiously awaiting the beginning of "Walk to School" night. The event serves as a meet and greet for students and teachers in preparation for the first day of a the new school year, which began this morning...

Now that Red Willow County plans to stop outsourcing prisoners to adjoining counties -- provided budgetary snags created by Hillcrest Nursing Home problems don't delay the jail project -- there is talk of outsourcing dispatching services. Actually, the county has already been outsourcing dispatching services for quite some time, to the City of McCook. ...

The Kelley Park playground is now accessible via the new McCook Community College Events Center parking. The events center has a ribbon cutting ceremony scheduled for 10 a.m. Wednesday. (Bruce Baker/McCook Daily Gazette)