Stories from Tuesday, October 27, 2015

McCOOK, Neb. -- The public is invited to join the Nebraska State Historical Society and the Senator George W. Norris State Historic Site on Saturday, Nov. 7 for a memorable "Sessions with the Senator" event in honor of Veteran's Day. Local veteran Dan Stramel will be sharing a video about what it is like to be an American veteran and then will participate in a question and answer session. ...

McCOOK, Neb. -- Orders for Prairie Land Food's November packages are due by Monday, Nov. 9. The pick-up date in McCook, Nebraska, is Friday, Nov. 20, from 7 p.m. until 8 p.m., at the Family Resource Center at 1010 E. Sixth, McCook. Prairie Land Food is a food buying group that provides quality foods at prices up to 50 percent off retail prices. The program is open to everyone...

Jamie and Sydney Ulrich of McCook, from left, just before hauling off a unique bench they found for sale during the 2015 Junktoberfest Saturday afternoon. The bench was handmade from old doors by vendors Keith and Diane James of McCook. The James have participated in the craft fair all three years it has been hosted in McCook and said their success has grown with the popularity of the event...

McCOOK, Neb. -- The McCook Gazette and McCook's downtown merchants will kick off Halloween in a big way this year when they host hundreds of young trick-or-treaters at the 2015 Downtown Halloween Parade. Guided by costumed Gazette employees and volunteers from the McCook Area Chamber of Commerce, the outpouring of young trick-or-treaters will parade up and down the brick streets of mid-McCook, collecting goodies from business places and scaring onlookers with their Halloween masks and make-up...

McCOOK, Neb. -- Marilyn Malleck doesn't mind the mud that can make the rear of her school bus slide, the snow and ice that cake the windshield, the kids who get a little too loud. It's the other drivers on the road that can be a problem. One of McCook Public Schools route bus drivers, Malleck was driving kids to school one morning on the two-lane highway between McCook and Culbertson, with dense fog making visibility difficult. ...

Monday morning, Dalton Koetter, left, and Tyler Hayes and other representatives of McCook Community College's welding class volunteer their time to help during the first donation day of the annual McCook, Nebraska, Coat Closet and Winter Clothing Giveaway. ...

Check out the Gazette's Facebook site, http://on.fb.me/1LFdXsp on Thursday to vote on your favorite employee's costume. We also hope you'll bring the kids to the Gazette/McCook Area Chamber of Commerce Halloween Parade at 10 a.m. Saturday at the Keystone Business Center, 402 Norris Ave. in downtown McCook for the annual Halloween parade...

John L. Behnke March 14, 1945 - Oct. 25, 2015 KEARNEY, Neb. -- John L. Behnke was born in McCook, Nebraska, March 14, 1945, to Bernard and Daisy (Anderson) Behnke. He passed away Oct. 25, 2015, in Kearney. O'Brien Straatmann Redinger Funeral Home in Kearney is serving the family. Condolences may be shared online at www.osrfh.com...

MCCOOK, Neb. -- Dari Olson, Community Hospital Safety Director, was honored in October as Community Hospital's 2015 Caring Kind recipient during the Nebraska Hospital Association (NHA) annual convention in La Vista. During the convention, Olson was a guest at the Caring Kind luncheon along with other recipients from across the state...

McCOOK, Neb. -- Local construction activity appears to be rebounding after experiencing a down year in 2014. The City of McCook reported more than $12 million in construction activity through the first nine months of 2015, an increase of more than $4.8 million when compared to prior year...

Jean Richard May 23, 1931 - Oct. 26, 2015 ST. FRANCIS, Kan. -- Jean Ann Richard was born on May 23, 1931, in Gunnison, Colorado, and adopted at the age of four months by William Douglas and Blanche (Morehouse) McDowell. As a young girl she grew up on the family farm in Kansas between Bird City and Benkelman, Nebraska. She attended country grade school and graduated from Bird City High School in 1949. She was also the football homecoming queen that year...

Okay imagine that you are a business-person with your own company. You farm raising corn and soybeans. You own and have paid off all the machinery needed to work the acres that you now till. Now the neighbor across the road offers to sell you a quarter section of ground just like you farm. You put the pencil to it and figure that yes you can meet his price, borrow the money, and pay it off in eight years. Your return on the investment (ROI) is adequate to let you make the deal...