Stories from Wednesday, November 18, 2015

Vernon James Martin Feb. 7, 1944 - Nov. 17, 2015 ARAPAHOE, Neb. -- Vernon James Martin, 71, of Arapahoe, died Tuesday (Nov. 17, 2015), at Cambridge Memorial Hospital in Cambridge, Nebraska. He was born Feb. 7, 1944, in McCook, Nebraska, to James V. ...

50th anniversary The family of John and Ginger Bruner of McCook are hosting an open house in honor of the couple's 50th wedding anniversary. They were married Nov. 21, 1965, at the Methodist Church in Ogallala, Nebraska. The open house is Saturday, Nov. ...

Today, I'm going to take you back -- way back -- to McCook's first few years as a frisky Frontier City. The years were 1882, 1883 and 1884. Those times were exciting -- sometimes ever rough and rowdy -- because the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad had just given this brand-new city an unbelievably important gift...

Sarah Calvin, the daughter of Jerry and Robin Calvin of McCook, has joined the carrier division of the Nebraska State Patrol. Sarah graduated May 1, 2015 after 23 weeks of schooling. She is working out of the Patrol office in North Platte, Nebraska. Sarah's grandparents are Ken Frick and Lois Mae Calvin...

Storyteller Garrison Keillor once spun a tale about the nation's last enclave of smokers, holed up in a remote mountain village, facing a seige of federal regulators arriving in helicopters. Things haven't gone quite that far, although smokers forced outside into Tuesday's blizzard might disagree...

The recent Gazette story about the donation of the former Elks Lodge to McCook Community College is of keen interest to me. I extend my sincere thanks to Mr. & Mrs. Perry Case for their generosity. The building is easily large enough to have multiple uses and I would like to propose one...

A cold, steady rain Tuesday morning and afternoon finally turned to huge, sloppy snowflakes about 5 p.m., eventually dumping about six inches of white stuff on McCook, Nebraska, through the night. With darkness, the wind gusts of 40-45 miles-an-hour diminished, so the snow didn't drift much. ...

McCOOK, Neb. -- Hillcrest Nursing Home plans a job fair from 1 to 5 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 24. Officials will be doing on-site interviews that day, and a human resources representative will be available to discuss benefits. The Hillcrest Nursing Home Foundation also will be on hand to discuss scholarships to further your medical career...

Above, Duane Tappe of Habitat for Humanity joins Wells Fargo volunteers in painting the latest Southwest Nebraska Habitat for Humanity home, 1713 W. Third in McCook. Right, volunteers from the McCook Evangelical Free Church pitch in during a recent Service Sunday event. ...

McCOOK, Neb. -- A McCook man, who an arresting officer believed would have killed his girlfriend during a domestic assault in August were it not for law enforcement intervention, was sentenced to jail time earlier this month in Red Willow County District Court...

All 4-H'ers pledge loyalty and service to their community, country and world, and Monday morning, Annie Trail of McCook, Nebraska, witnessed the community service ethic and generosity of a 4-H club in Colorado. After the mail arrived, Ann sorted through a 44-lb. ...

Annie Trail, of McCook, Nebraska, is very often in tears. "But they're happy tears," she insists, tears brought on by the open hearts of children writing to the soldiers they know are protecting their lives, their freedoms and their families. For many years, Ann has participated in an "Adopt-A-Chaplain" program in which she and her corps of volunteers stuff donated items into "we care" packages that are then shipped to chaplains and U.S. ...

Alvina F. Gamblin March 17, 1934 - Nov. 17, 2015 OBERLIN, Kan. -- Alvina F. Gamblin, 81, died Tuesday (Nov. 17, 2015), at Good Samaritan Society in Oberlin. She was born March 17, 1934, in Decatur County, Kansas, to Wenzel and Theodora (Barenberg) Brown. She grew up on a farm near Achilles in Decatur County. She attended country school in Decatur County...