Stories from Monday, January 18, 2016

Okay, I know this is premature, but my column-writing buddy, Walt Sehnert, and I have come up with an early favorite in the McCook nick-naming race. Ready or not, here it comes: Our favorite, after thinking about it long and hard and finally deciding to go public is: "Cookietown, USA!"...

Okay, I know this is premature, but my column-writing buddy, Walt Sehnert, and I have come up with an early favorite in the McCook nick-naming race. Ready or not, here it comes: Our favorite, after thinking about it long and hard and finally deciding to go public is: "Cookietown, USA!"...

McCOOK, Neb. -- Students awarded Junior Bison awards for the second quarter at McCook Junior High include: 6th Grade Logan Foster Lee Glaze Dylan Harvie Xander Hazen Krysta Henning Britney Hernandez Jadon Karp Sierra Kotschwar Hanna Messersmith Matthew Nichols...

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. Police activity Activity log...

McCOOK, Neb. -- Finding a new president is one of the first orders of business for the McCook Area Chamber of Commerce this year. President Chad Arasmith is taking a new position with Orschelns in Manhattan, Kan., and Jamie Mockry will fill out the term until a February election, said Tacie Fawver, chamber executive director...

McCOOK, Neb. -- The heartache of the loss of a dear friend goes deep. It's deepened when that friend is a servant of God killed in a senseless terrorist attack halfway around the world. It hurts when terrorism "somewhere else" hits so close to home .....

Melissa Stritt of McCook National Bank's IT Department serves "Heart Attack Potato Soup" to John Brown Friday morning, during the McCook Rotary Club's first-ever "Soup-R-Bowl" fund-raiser for the McCook Pantry. MNB was one of 13 McCook businesses serving soups and competing for bragging rights and the designation of "People's Choice" super soup. ...

McCOOK, Neb. -- A local group calling for expansion of the roadway between McCook and North Platte will likely have to set their sights on a long-term goal, at least according to one state senator. District 44 Sen. Dan Hughes said state leaders were looking at moving $150 million from the rainy-day fund to help expedite several road projects but the McCook project wasn't among those being talked about...

"Ollie" eases into the comfort of a $679 La-Z-Boy recliner donated by Samway Floor Covering and Furniture of McCook to the 10th annual "Shoot for the Shelter" pool tournament fundraiser for the McCook Humane Society and animal shelter. Raffle tickets for the chair and other raffle items will be available during the tournament, Saturday, Jan. ...

Newspapers tend to categorize news to help readers make sense of the world, and the Gazette gives local stories top priority for the simple reason most of our readers live here. But today's communication and transportation have made it more difficult to categorize stories into the "local," "national" and "world" slots...

With the Power Ball Lottery reaching above the billion dollar mark for the first time ever, there seems to be a great deal of interest in this form of gambling, by an increasingly large number of players. The odds of an individual winning this grand prize have been calculated to be in the range of 1 in 292 million -- very slim indeed...

Herbert L. Peck Dec. 3, 1933 - Jan. 17, 2016 McCOOK, Neb. -- Herbert L. Peck, age 82, of McCook, passed away at his home on Sunday, Jan. 17, 2016. He was born in Arnold, Nebraska, on Dec. 3, 1933, to Edwin and Gertrude (McComb) Peck. Herb attended school through the eighth grade in Custer County. ...

Charles 'Chuck' R. Johnson May 23, 1931 - Jan. 17, 2016 STRATTON, Neb. -- Charles "Chuck" R. Johnson of Stratton, passed away Sunday, Jan. 17, 2016, at the Sarah Ann Hester Home in Benkelman, Nebraska. He was 84 years old. Chuck was born on May 23, 1931 at Britton, South Dakota, to parents, Charles F. and Ada (Witham) Johnson. Shortly after his high school graduation, he entered the U.S. Navy and served during the Korean War. He was honorably discharged on April 29, 1955...