Stories from Wednesday, February 27, 2013

Public records are public property under the care of public entities. It's something everyone needs to remember, from the citizen on a first encounter with the system to the clerk who deals with public records every day to the elected official in charge of a particular office to the highest offices in the land...

McCOOK, Nebraska -- The McCook Community College Booster Club gave each classroom at McCook Elementary an athlete. ... and asked the elementary students to personalize a poster for each athlete, and then come watch the big kids play basketball. The posters hung in the men's and women's locker rooms at MCC until the games Tuesday, Feb. 19. Then, they were moved for display in the gym in time for the little kids and their parents to come to the games and cheer on their favorite athletes...

CURTIS, Nebraska -- Local irrigators, producers, farm managers, agronomists, insurance agents and bankers are invited to attend the 27th annual Southwest Nebraska Water Conference being held Friday, March 1, 2013, at the Red Willow County Fairgrounds Community Building in McCook...

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...

Lorri Sughroue/McCook Daily Gazette Becca Sehnert plays "Danny Boy," at the sixth annual Hometown Talent Showcase at the Fox Theatre Sunday. In addition to playing the violin, Becca learned to play the piano at an early age from her grandmother, Jean Sehnert, who accompanied her on the piano Sunday. ...

Nolan Brown of McCook, Nebraska, stands beside a thermometer reading -20 degrees. Nolan works on a True Drilling oil rig near Bill and Wright in northeast Wyoming. The McCook Daily Gazette would love to showcase your weather photos. Readers can contribute to our daily weather page, subject to space and color availability, by emailing photos to editor2@ocsmccook.com or bringing them into the Gazette offices at West First and E Streets. ...

McCOOK, Nebraska -- The son of a 1952 McCook High School graduate has written a book about the mysteries surrounding his father's death. The book, "After Visiting Friends," is published by Simon and Schuster and was released on Feb. 19. Michael Hainey was only 6 years old when his father, McCook native Bob Hainey, died unexpectedly on April 24, 1970...

DANBURY, Nebraska -- A highway improvement project on Nebraska Highway 89, between the N-83 junction and Danbury, is scheduled to begin Monday, March 4, and expected to be completed by late fall. According to a press release, the 9.5 mile project will involve minor grading, culvert construction, replacing guardrail, work on four bridges and overlaying the roadway with asphalt...

McCOOK, Nebraska -- Unofficial statistics compiled by the McCook Daily Gazette, with the assistance of public information provided by Red Willow County Court officials, shows that 130 criminal and traffic cases were processed in county court for the month of January 2013. That number is an increase of four cases from the month prior...

The debate over Sen. Mark Christensen's bill to allow work-camp inmates to work for non-profit groups has been a good introduction of Sen. Ernie Chambers to those who may be new to the state, or those who became politically aware during his term-limited absence from the Unicameral...

Almost 78 years have passed since the devastating flood that took place in May 1935 in the McCook area and other parts of Southwest Nebraska. The recently completed expanded chapel of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints at 411 Elizabeth Lane exists because of that life-changing event...

McCOOK, Nebraska -- Using local pharmacies at Hillcrest instead of an out-of-town company may be revisited. In April 2010, Hillcrest switched from using local pharmacies for medications to Heartland Pharmacy Care Inc. in Omaha. Hillcrest Administrator Colinda Nappa told the Board of Trustees at its regular meeting Tuesday morning that one family has asked to use a local pharmacy and that she has been contacted recently by two local pharmacies...

McCOOK, Nebraska -- Hillcrest Nursing Home has increased its revenue compared to last year this time. Administrator Colinda Nappa told the Board of Trustees at its regular meeting Tuesday morning that the facility increased its revenue by $46,000. In January 2012, $500,000 was recorded in revenue, with $546,000 recorded in January 2013...

The story of the prodigal son offers a unique perspective of God as Father, waiting at the gate for his rebellious son to return to his senses. When the son, after squandering his inheritance, now hungry enough to envy the pigs their slop -- finally hungry enough to be humble -- returns home, his father throws a party...

The Gazette area will have three representatives at the 2013 Nebraska Boys State High School Basketball Championships. Arapahoe and Wauneta-Palisade punched their respective state tournament tickets with district final victories Tuesday, Feb. 26. Arapahoe downed Overton, 67-60, in the Class D1-5 District final at Cozad. Wauneta-Palisade ran past Anselmo-Merna, 62-47, in the Class D2-5 District final at Hershey...

SCOTTSBLUFF, Neb. -- There probably just wasn't any way for the McCook and Scottsbluff basketball boys not to stage a great battle in the Class B-6 District Tournament championship finals. The Tuesday, Feb. 26 B-6 District title game at the Cougar Palace on the Western Nebraska Community College campus in Scottsbluff went down to the wire. The host Bearcats held on for a 52-48 victory and a berth in the Class B state tournament next weekend...