Stories from Wednesday, March 18, 2015

Kenneth L. Lofton July 4, 1935 - March 13, 2015 McCOOK, Neb. -- Kenneth L. Lofton, 79, of McCook, died Friday (March 13, 2015,) at his home south of McCook. He was born in McCook July 4, 1935, to Burton W. and Gladys Ona (Gwenn) Lofton. They farmed south of McCook until 1942, at which time they moved to Colorado. Ken attended Lakewood Military Academy and graduated from Lakewood High School in 1954...

Larry G. McGhghy Jan. 22, 1954 - March 15, 2015 AURORA, Neb. -- Larry G. McGhghy, 61, of Aurora, died Sunday (March 15, 2015), at Lakeside Hospital. He was born to Clarance and Mildred (Bethke) McGhghy on Jan. 22, 1954, in Hebron, Nebraska. He attended Lutheran School in Davenport and later graduated from the high school in Hebron in 1972. He married Sheri Seachord on Aug. 22, 1974, in Washington, Kansas...

William L. Siegel July 17, 1927 - March 14, 2015 SCOTTSBLUFF, Neb. -- William L. Siegel, 87, of Morrill, passed away Saturday, March 14, 2015, at Regional West Medical Center in Scottsbluff. A funeral service will be 10 a.m. Saturday, March 21, 2015, at Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church in Morrill with Pastor Kenneth Humphrey officiating. Interment will follow at Fairview Cemetery in Scottsbluff...

Taking part in a McCook Area Chamber of Commerce ribbon cutting ceremony at Tobias Dental Care, from left, are Hadley Tobias, Scott Tobias, Dani Tobias, Branson Tobias cutting the 'welcome' ribbon with McCook Cordials on March 11.

McCOOK, Neb. -- Southwest Nebraska Habitat for Humanity is taking applications for a Habitat Home in McCook. If you are or know of someone interested in applying, more information is available at the McCook Housing Agency Office, 502 Missouri Ave. Circle, McCook, or by calling (308) 345-3605...

McCOOK, Neb. -- A local group of volunteers and law enforcement officers has quietly been working behind the scenes since 1981 to help resolve and discourage criminal activity in the area. Representatives from the McCook Area Crime Stoppers visited with area residents Tuesday morning during the monthly Coffee with a Cop meeting at McDonald's...

WAUNETA, Neb. -- "What is an Ox?" Is that a question that stimulates your curiosity? The answer will be given when the Great Western Cattle Trail Association of Nebraska (GWCT-N) holds its annual meeting on March 24 at the Wauneta Senior Center in Wauneta. The dinner, starting at 6 p.m. MDT, will be at a cost of $10 each...

Final concept and design images have been released for the first two phases of the McCook skatepark to be built at Kelley Park. Artists conceptions show the plan from two different angles, above, and an overlay at right shows the location in southwest Kelley Park, with north toward the top. ...

McCOOK, Neb. -- Friends plan a fund-raiser Saturday, March 28, for the family of a 6-year-old McCook, Nebraska, girl battling leukemia. Characters "Anna" and "Elsa" from the movie "Frozen" and other Disney characters will attend the event scheduled to raise travel funds for Abby Sedlacek and her parents, Korey and Brad Sedlacek of rural McCook...

You've probably heard the story. Eighteen-month old Lily was rescued 14 hours after a crash that killed her mother and left her hanging upside down in her car seat in a car partially submerged in Utah's Spanish Fork River. Several rescuers reported hearing an adult voice saying "help me" coming from the car, discovered by a fisherman that Saturday morning...

The seasons they are a-changing. We know that Friday, March 20, is the long-awaited first day of spring, or the vernal equinox, but that is not all that is changing. We will be getting a whole new set of constellations to look at. On Friday, the Sun will cross the celestial equator from south to north giving us an equinox, or supposedly equal day and night all around the world, which is what the word "equinox" means, equal day and equal night...

McCOOK, Neb. -- A local agricultural lab will make its new home in the now-vacant Alco building on West D Street in the near future. The McCook City Council unanimously approved a special exception request Monday evening allowing the commercial business to operate at the site...

LINCOLN, Neb. -- Brandon Hoyt of McCook recently won $5,000 playing MyDaY from the Nebraska Lottery. There were more than 9,500 Nebraska Lottery winners in the Thursday, March 5 drawings. Among these winners was Hoyt, who purchased his winning MyDaY ticket at Casey's General Store, 810 East B Street in McCook. The ticket contained the winning Month (9), Day (21) and Year (43) from the March 5 drawing for the $5,000 top prize...