Stories from Monday, June 24, 2013

Robert 'Bob' Otto Hesterwerth Oct. 13, 1928 - June 21, 2013 McCOOK, Nebraska -- Robert "Bob" Otto Hesterwerth, age 84, died Friday, June 21, 2013, at the Hillcrest Nursing Home. He was born near McCook in Red Willow County on Oct. 13, 1928, to Otto and Sarah (Geihsler) Hesterwerth. Bob grew up on the family farm southeast of McCook. He graduated from McCook High School in 1946...

Courtesy photo The McCook High School Dance Team recently attended to the Universal Dance Association Camp June 17 and 18 at Ainsworth High School. The Starz Dance team received many awards including: first place in the Home Routine competition, Superior Rating in the Home Routine competition, the Leadership Award and Coaches Award. ...

Courtesy photo The McCook High School Dance Team recently attended the Universal Dance Association Camp June 17 and 18 at Ainsworth High School. The Starz Dance team received many awards including: first place in the Home Routine competition, Superior Rating in the Home Routine competition, the Leadership Award and Coaches Award. ...

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...

Roxy Lang of Wilsonville, Nebraska, captured this digital image of a nearly full moon on June 20. She used these settings: f/9, 1/60, iso100, 300mm. 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 American Red Cross is going negative -- in blood types, that is. All types of blood are needed, but especially the negatives -- 0-, A- and B- -- according to Kathy Carmen, local drive coordinator. Those types are especially important because of summertime demand that might be created through accidents and other activities...

McCOOK, Nebraska -- The McCook Humane Society has been too full to take animals on a regular basis, prompting the police department to request additional funding to cover the expense of euthanizing animals they detain. During the June 11 City of McCook 2013-14 budget workshop, Chief of Police Isaac Brown said as recently as the week prior, and on a regular basis throughout the year, the McCook Humane Society has refused to take animals because they were too full...

McCOOK, Nebraska -- Not all chocolate is created equal. While the benefits of chocolate have been touted for heart disease -- The Journal of American Medicine in 2007 showed that eating a small piece of dark chocolate every day significantly reduced blood pressure after 12 to 18 weeks -- chomping on a candy bar can do more harm than good, said Pat Rice, registered dietitian at Community Hospital of McCook...

McCOOK, Nebraska -- The Hillcrest Board of Trustees will discuss the new software that will be used for electronic charting, at the regular meeting Tuesday, 10:30 a.m. at the lower conference room at Hillcrest. Hillcrest administrator Colinda Nappa will also display one of the new computers that staff will use at the facility for electronic charting. A total of 14 computers will be purchased...

McCOOK, Nebraska -- The Farmers Market will open for the season 8 a.m. Saturday, July 6, at the Westview Plaza. The market is open to baked goods such as bread, cookies, muffins, cakes, rolls and fruit pies as well as garden fruits and vegetables. No cream pies or baked goods requiring refrigeration will be allowed. Inspected meat vendors must be approved and provide refrigeration...

In the hot, dry spring of Southwest Nebraska, the only things that "grow like weeds" are, well, hmmmm ... weeds. In a ditch southeast of Indianola, a yucca clings to a fence line, while a thistle -- possible one of those nasty ones that are noxious in Nebraska -- grows easily in the radiating heat of the blacktop...

One of the best things about summer is the chance to get outdoors. One of the worst things about summer is being outdoors when there's lightning around, especially if you're a man. That's because 80 percent of lightning fatalities over the past five years were male. Most occur in June, July and August, at ball fields, parks, on the beach and under trees...