Stories from Thursday, January 28, 2016

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...

CURTIS, Neb. -- The Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture at Curtis announced academic honors for the fall semester of 2015. Eleven students were named to the Dean's List with a 4.00 grade point average and 51 students were named to the Dean's Honor Roll with 3.50-3.99 GPA, said Ron Rosati, NCTA dean...

NORTH PLATTE, Neb. -- Bob Phares of North Platte, current chairman of the University of Nebraska Board of Regents, has indicated his intention to file for re-election to represent District 7. In announcing his intention to officially file later this week, Phares said, "It has been a privilege to represent this part of Nebraska on the Board of Regents. ...

McCOOK, Neb. -- Recent criticism of specific campaign contributions made to a group of state legislators prompted District 44 State Sen. Dan Hughes to unveil his biggest contributor this morning, himself. "I am the biggest contributor to my campaign by a long ways," said Hughes with a chuckle during the McCook Area Chamber of Commerce legislative conference call at the Keystone...

NORTH PLATTE, Neb. -- Rules won't require that one-third of Mid-Plains Community College athletes be from Nebraska, following action by the board of governors Wednesday night. After the board approved the change in policy on third and final reading, McCook Community College Baseball Coach Jon Olsen said he won't stop in-state recruiting...

McCOOK, Neb. -- Three pieces of white wicker furniture that once graced the first-floor sun room at St. Catherine's Hospital have now found a home at the Museum of the High Plains Historical Society in McCook. Bette Rice of McCook purchased the pieces from Carol Borgman, who was a registered nurse and director of nursing at St. Catherine's Hospital and Community Hospital of McCook...

McCOOK, Neb. -- Ornamental grasses are under-utilized in landscaping designs, according to a Nebraska Extension horticulturalist who presented a "Master Gardener" class on native prairie grasses in McCook Jan. 21. Native grasses are ideal for a "Nebraska style" landscape that naturally conserve water and nutrients...

Somewhere in a filing cabinet we've got a blank application packet for NASA's "Journalist in Space" program. If you haven't heard of that, it's because there never was a "Journalist in Space," because the project was shelved after an event 30 years ago this morning...

I felt the need to offer some analysis on the governor and his research institute's flawed assertions that formed the basis for Wednesday's Gazette editorial. The Governor and the Platte Institute have seemed to have gotten it quite wrong with their characterization of the Arkansas private option Medicaid model. The Stephen Group, an independent research firm who studied the Arkansas model, concluded it has been a large success...

I saw a post the other day from a mom with toddlers and little kids complaining about never getting to go to the bathroom by herself. I giggled, remembering those days when the girls were tiny and all the times I wished I just had 15 minutes to myself to take a shower or a bath ... alone! But then as I sat smiling, it hit me, "Wait a minute! What am I thinking? I still don't get the bathroom to myself and my girls are nowhere near toddler age."...

Jerold Leroy Lambert April 15, 1941 - Jan. 27, 2016 McCOOK, Neb. -- Jerold Leroy Lambert, age 74, passed away Jan. 27, 2016, at Community Hospital in McCook. Jerold was born to Clifford Lambert and Louise Gunderman on April 15, 1941, in Benkelman, Nebraska. He attended school in Parks and Benkelman, graduating from Benkelman High School in 1958...