Stories from Monday, June 22, 2015

James 'Jim' Kummer Jan. 9, 1950 - June 19, 2015 McCOOK, Neb. -- James "Jim" Kummer, age 65, of McCook, passed away on Friday, June 19, 2015. He was born in McCook on Jan. 9, 1950, to Stanley and Laura (Baker) Kummer. Jim attended and graduated from McCook High School in 1968. He then attended college at Colorado School of Mines for two years...

Police activity Activity log These items are taken from reports filed by the McCook Police Department. The locations refer to block numbers, not specific addresses. If you have information about any of these reports, call the police department at (308) 345-3450...

We don't have a "The Egg and I" restaurant in our neighborhood, but if we did, we might know some nervous chefs. We might, anyway, thanks to an egg shortage resulting from the avian flu. Millions of chickens, especially laying hens, died or had to be killed because of the disease, which began showing up in commercial Midwest turkey and chicken farms...

In the 1880s, there were no native sons in McCook. All of the early leaders in McCook were transplants from somewhere else, drawn to McCook by the possibilities and the excitement of being in on the ground floor of the railroad's newest little Boom Town...

OMAHA, Neb. -- Upcoming blood donation opportunities in Southwest Nebraska include 12:30 to 6:30 p.m. Tuesday and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday at the Red Willow County Fairgrounds Community Building, West 5th and O in McCook. amd noon to 6 p.m. Monday, June 29, in the Ag Building, Morton and Hayes in Hayes Center...

Motorcyclists gather for the annual Blessing of the Bikes Saturday morning at the New Life Christian Bookstore in downtown McCook. With the advent of summer weather, drivers are urged to keep a lookout for two-wheelers on the roads.

"The Linen Sisters" of Tri Valley Health System based in Cambridge, Nebraska, hang their linens to dry in the sunshine of a Saturday morning, on a float in Cambridge's annual "Medicine Creek Days" parade. The weekend's schedule also included fireworks, a bike ride, a "lemonade relay race," kids' games, free swimming, a rubber duck river race, a golf tournament and street dance...

With circulator Ron Thomas of Omaha looking on, Don Klein signs a petition to put the death penalty to a vote in 2016, as well as suspend the Legislature's repeal of the law until voters could decide. Some 57,000 signature are needed to bring the issue to a vote; 115,000 to suspend the repeal. Thomas, a McCook native, is a volunteer for the Nebraskans for the Death Penalty group...

Grandpa Travis Fisher of Oxford, Nebraska, teased a smile and a giggle from his 5-year-old granddaughter Baylee Kipp of Bertrand, Nebraska, as she rode round-and-round on the merry-go-round during the street carnival of the 59th annual "Oxford Turkey Days" Friday evening. ...

Twelve-year-olds Makayla Schoen of Oxford, Nebraska, and Lainey Schmeits of Kearney hang on tight to a spinning and twisting carnival ride Friday night during the 59th annual multi-day "Oxford Turkey Days." Riding with the dragon was 4-year-old Ava Burkey of Holdrege. The yearly summer celebration started with a medallion hunt and ended with a Father's Day golf tournament...