Stories from Tuesday, July 21, 2015

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. 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...

Gov. Pete Ricketts is authorizing the Nebraska National Guard to allow additional National Guard personnel to be armed. In light of last week's shooting that killed four Marines and a sailor, it makes sense. The order includes recruiting offices like one of the targets last week...

I was headed north on Highway 83. To the northwest I noted a huge column of ugly brown-grey smoke rising to form a familiar mushroom shape. "Gee I hope it is not one of the hangars at the old McCook Army Airbase" I told myself. In a few miles I topped a hill and suspicions confirmed it was the south hangar, the one built to service B-29s during World War II. ...

McCOOK, Nebraska -- A Maine coon cat named "Switch" and a blue Walker coonhound named "Huckleberry" will represent McCook. Nebraska, and area animal lovers on a pack of playing cards to be created and sold by "The Cat Pack" as the teen group's latest fundraiser for the McCook Humane Society and Animal Shelter...

Nine-year-old Clayton Veldhuizen of Curtis, Nebraska, ropes a dummy during 4-H competition at the Frontier County Fair in Stockville Saturday morning. Clayton, the son of Brian and Shelly Veldhuizen, rides 10-year-old "Okie." In the muggy heat of a mid-summer morning, Clayton and other 4-H'ers competed in working ranch horse, pleasure, horsemanship, trail class, reining, poles and barrels...

McCOOK, Neb. -- Dismal passenger counts at McCook Ben Nelson Regional Airport have prompted city officials to begin exploring options and even consider hiring a consultant to solicit airline bids. Monday evening the McCook City Council directed city staff to contact Great Lakes Aviation to discuss whether continuing commercial air service with the Wyoming based airline was feasible. ...

Prairie Gold Homes graduated its first class Monday at the new home-construction inmate-training facility located in the former Public Safety Center. Graduates were met by a crowd of more than 50 including family members, friends, local community leaders and state officials. From left, graduate Rick Randall shares a heartfelt and often humorous summary of his experience with the program as instructor Stephanie Poulsom and fellow graduates Nathaniel Berghuis and Steven Luedtke share a laugh...

Owen Eugene King, Sr. Dec. 18, 1937 - July 20, 2015 McCOOK, Neb. -- Owen Eugene King, Sr., age 77, passed away Monday, July 20, 2015, at Hillcrest Nursing Home in McCook. Owen was born Dec. 18, 1937, in Cedar Bluffs, Kansas, to Jim and Mabel (Kuhns) King. When he was two, the family moved to Oberlin so his oldest brother, Merle, could attend high school. Owen attended Decatur Community High School until he joined the Navy...

McCOOK, Neb. -- Christina's world will be getting a lot easier in the near future. The 23-year-old, who lives with her mother, Tammy Barber, was born 11 weeks premature and weighed one pound. Soon after, doctors found she had cerebral palsy, a neurological condition that stiffens the muscles in the body. As a toddler, Christina was able to "army crawl" on her arms to get to her toys, Tammy said, but has since lost that mobility. Now, she uses a wheelchair and needs 24-hour care...