Stories from Wednesday, August 27, 2014

Marcia Diane Earnest Nov. 12, 1937 - May 27, 2014 BENKELMAN, Neb. -- Marcia Diane Earnest was born Nov. 12, 1937, in Dundy County, Benkelman, Nebraska, to Max and Georgia (Cannon) Earnest. She passed away on Tuesday, May 27, 2014, at Perkins Pavilion Nursing Home in Hastings, Nebraska, at the age of 76 years...

Donella S. Wheeler Jan. 15, 1951 - Aug. 24, 2014 CAMBRIDGE, Neb. -- Donella S. Wheeler, age 63, of Cambridge, died at Good Samaritan Hospital in Kearney on Sunday, Aug. 24, 2014. She was born in Norton, Kansas, on Jan. 15, 1951, to Donallee and Ella (Orvis) Wilson. She attended and graduated from Wilsonville High School in 1969. Shortly after graduation, she moved to Salt Lake City, Utah, where she began a career as an x-ray technician at many locations, including the VA Medical Center...

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...

They say hind sight is 20/20, and with or without the corrective lens of memory, that's usually true. There are many times we wish we would have spoken up when we saw things running off the track, afraid to be nay-sayers "on the wrong side of history."...

My how time flies, even if you aren't having fun. The constellations are moving westward and the Sun is moving south toward the Autumnal Equinox, the first day of autumn, on Sept. 23. Have you noticed the sunlight on the floor beneath any south-facing window has been creeping across the floor, extending itself further into the room?...

McCOOK, Neb. -- There will be a cluster of tree geeks in town next week, according to a bonafide tree geek himself, Bruce Hoffman. Hoffman, a certified arborist in McCook, said the city "will be loaded with tree people" the first week of September, when two Nebraska associations, as well as a regional forestry group, will converge for a variety of reasons, including for a field day, convention/conference and continuing education credits...

McCOOK, Neb. -- Red Willow County, Nebraska, commissioners passed, at least for now, on the county helping to fund a revised "Hormel Business Plan Competition." Andy Long, vice president of McCook Community College, which partners with the Hormel Family Foundation in the entrepreneurial contest, told commissioners Monday morning that "sponsorships" have been added and changes made to enhance the contest and to ensure its continuation into the future...

The rain seems deranged, coming from all directions early Tuesday morning. More rain was expected today and Thursday, with a chance on Friday. McCook is in the unusual position of having more rain than normal, having received 19.54 inches by midnight, compared to a normal of 17.34 year to date...

McCOOK, Neb. -- The State Chamber of Commerce anticipates the coming year to be a challenging one, with a majority of their members statewide anticipating to have a difficult time recruiting qualified applicants and lobbyists limited with their ability to help while they wait for the dust to settle from an unprecedented changing of the guard at the capital...

McCook, Nebraska--Community Hospital board of directors heard quarterly reports and a mid-year market assessment report during their regularly scheduled board meeting recently. Quarterly Reports Joleen Bradley, Performance Improvement and Risk Management Director, presented the quarterly report for quality, patient safety and risk management to the board of directors. ...

McCOOK, Neb. -- The McCook Area Community Choir will begin rehearsing on Sun. Sept 7th at 1:30 pm in the McCook Methodist Church for their annual Christmas Concert. Anyone who likes to sing is encouraged to be a part of this group. There will be a wide range of music, from old favorites to lovely new arrangements. The concert will be on Sunday, Dec. 7 at 4 p.m. in the Methodist Church...

McCOOK, Nebraska -- Top-notch leadership training from global presenters such as Laura Bush and Desmond Tutu is usually limited to major metropolitan areas. Day-long seminars packed full of inspirational messages normally cost hundreds or even thousands of dollars, not to mention the cost and inconvenience of travel. That kind of training is just not usually available in small rural communities...