Stories from Wednesday, May 14, 2014

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...

Allison Sheets, left, of McCook High School is presented a $500 scholarship from the McCook Education Association from Shelly Sehnert, MEA treasurer. Allison plans to attend the University of Nebraska in Lincoln and pursue a degree in elementary education. The McCook Education Association awards a $500 scholarship each year to a student pursuing a degree in education...

Mari Kennedy, a senior at McCook High School, accepts a mailbox after graduation practice Thursday, from the HomeTown Competitiveness Youth Committee. HomeTown Competitiveness Youth Committee gave mailboxes to all the graduating high school seniors, with the message, "We want you to come back to live in McCook someday."...

McCOOK, Neb. -- Starting with only seven matches in 2004, the TeamMates Mentoring program has been making headway at McCook Public Schools, with 63 active matches this year. There are still 8 girls and 16 boys who are waiting for a mentor, said Darcey Hansen, McCook Chapter coordinator, who gave an update of the program to the McCook School Board Monday night at its regular meeting. The program takes two at a time for it to succeed, she explained...

CULBERTSON, Neb. -- While Culbertson-area voters agreed at the polls Tuesday that the rural fire department can have more money, they said "no" to more money for the Hitchcock Ag Society. However, four out of seven voters in that small section of the Culbertson rural fire department in Hayes County voted against the increase in the fire department's budget...

McCOOK, Nebraska -- What will likely be the last primary election supervised by Red Willow County Clerk Pauletta Gerver did not disappoint Tuesday evening, at least not from a voter turnout perspective. Red Willow County's 37 percent voter turnout represented a significant spike from the 28 percent posted during the 2012 primary and 26 percent of 2010, the last time the Governor's office was on the ballot...

INDIANOLA, Neb. -- Ona Malleck's worst day on the job and her best day on the job both revolve around one horrible, unbelievable, devastating night in late March, 2004. Ona, who has worked in the City of Indianola clerk's office since 1974 and as the city clerk/treasurer since 1982, stood across the street from the city office and cried that late night and early morning of March 27 and 28 when her office, the city shop and the Countryside Market all went up in blazes and smoke...

The good news is, there are several planetary conjunctions occurring this week which will make great binocular/telescope sights. The bad news? The moon will be full tonight and will mess up a couple of them. Fortunately, the rest will be in the early morning when the moon won't be causing a problem...

As usual, a look at the numbers is the best way to determine just exactly what happened during the recently concluded second session of the 103rd Nebraska Legislature. Over the two years that constitute a full session -- 90 days the first session and 60 days the second -- lawmakers looked at 1,115 bills and 82 accompanying appropriations measures. ...

We've editorialized against term limits as a waste of experience and institutional memory, and nothing that occurred in Tuesday's election has changed our minds. Term limits were passed mainly to remove Omaha Sen. Ernie Chambers from his decades-long position, but worked only until he was eligible again -- while his replacement experienced personal problems with gambling...

Webster 'Web' Lee Phillips Dec. 26, 1915 - May 13, 2014 MCCOOK, Neb. -- Webster "Web" Lee Phillips of McCook passed away Tuesday, May 13, 2014, at Hillcrest Nursing Home. He was 98 years old. Web was born on Dec. 26, 1915, at Mason City, Nebraska, to parents, William Lincoln and Anna Christina (Hansen) Phillips. He attended North Platte Schools and later the University of Illinois...