Stories from Thursday, February 11, 2016

McCOOK, Neb. -- Central Elementary students were relocated as a precautionary measure Thursday afternoon after a gas smell was noticed in the school building. Students were transported to the McCook Learning Center south of the High School and will be dismissed from that location...

Jonathan Charles Wacker Sept. 6, 1956 - Feb. 8, 2016 LINCOLN, Neb. -- Jonathan Charles Wacker, of Murdock, Nebraska, died Feb. 8, 2016 in Lincoln. He was born Sept. 6, 1956, in Sidney, Nebraska, to Rev. Alex Wacker and Lois (Brokaw) Wacker. He was baptized at First Lutheran Church, Potter, Nebraska. He graduated from Alliance High School, Alliance, Nebraska, attended Midland Lutheran College and graduated from Kansas University. He attended graduate school at New Mexico State University...

McCOOK, Neb. -- Legislation introduced at the state level in response to a hazing incident involving a Cambridge High School student could find success as part of a package deal. District 44 State Sen. Dan Hughes said this morning LB 710 will likely be bundled with several other juvenile justice bills and receive committee priority to advance to a floor debate...

McCOOK, Neb. -- City police officers backed-off enforcement of sidewalk snow removal following last week's unprecedented snowfall. The police department sent notice earlier this week indicating it was time to ensure walkways are cleared again. The McCook Police Department issued a reminder Wednesday afternoon and said it continues to receive complaints of residents who have not scooped the snow from their sidewalks and will begin enforcement actions at 8 a.m., Friday morning. ...

McCOOK, Neb. -- A McCook man with a history of assault and weapons charges received jail time last week in Red Willow County District Court on a pair of felony drug and weapons charges. The offender, 29-year-old David M. Griffitt, was arrested in November after he caught the attention of local law enforcement officers while taking a midnight bicycle ride dressed in all black. ...

Imagine you went into a coma in 1986. It was morning in America, Ronald Reagan was in the White House, and the Evil Empire was only a few years from collapse with the end of the Soviet Union. Now that you've miraculously regained consciousness, someone named Barack Hussein Obama is ready to complete his second term as president of the United States and the leading candidates to replace him are a boastful billionaire and a 74-year-old man who proudly describes himself as a democratic socialist...

So thanks to the Snow Storm of 2016 that nailed our poor town a week ago, my girls and I were forced to have some bonding time for a few days, which we loved, by the way! I know there were several other families that were as happy us but you couldn't wipe the smile off our shocked faces. For the first time in forever, it really snowed ... and HARD, and it wasn't another fake out like so many other times. We couldn't believe school was cancelled and could hardly contain our excitement!...

McCOOK, Neb. -- A "Love and Respect " seminar for couples will be offered in McCook on Saturday, Feb. 20. The day-long seminar is from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., at Community Hospital of McCook. Taught by Ed Putnam, MA, LMHP, of Christian Counseling Services in McCook and sponsored by the McCook Ministerial Association, the seminar is open to married couples ($50 per couple) or individuals ($25 per person). Light breakfast and lunch is included...