Stories from Monday, March 14, 2016

MCCOOK COMMUNITY COLLEGE McCOOK, Neb. -- It has been a year since Abbee Terry threw out the first pitch for the college softball game between McCook and North Platte. It was all part of an effort to raise awareness for epilepsy. Softball players and coaches from both teams wore purple "Team Abbee" gear. Baseball players wore purple pre-game shirts. The basketball, volleyball and golf teams all pitched in to help raise money and attention to Abbee's condition...

McCOOK, Neb. -- Six years ago, the historic Keystone Hotel sat empty on a main corner of downtown McCook. Today, through the work of the McCook Economic Development Corporation, that hotel has become the thriving Keystone Business Center and has helped launch 14 new businesses that are now providing jobs and services to Red Willow County and beyond...

ST. FRANCIS, Kan. -- Callicrate Cattle Co., of St. Francis will host a worldwide leader in regenerative agriculture for an in-depth 10-day training and design course for farmers, gardeners, landscapers and anyone interested in creating a healthy, resilient environment...

District 44 State Sen. Dan Hughes, left, and Middle Republican Natural Resource District board member Rick McConville of Indianola, Nebraska, visit following a meet and greet at the Bieroc Cafe, Friday afternoon. Attendees were provided a legislative update from Sen. Hughes, followed by a question and answer session. The event was coordinated by the McCook Area Chamber of Commerce and the Middle Republican Natural Resource District...

OMAHA, Neb. -- Six Nebraska businesses have been recognized by the Nebraska Business Development Center (NBDC) to receive the annual Business of the Year awards. The awards will be presented formally during a luncheon March 18 at the Capitol in Lincoln that will include representatives from the Unicameral, Nebraska Economic Development Director Courtney Dentlinger, and Lt. Gov. Mike Foley...

Darrell Scott performs Saturday night at the Fox Theatre in McCook, accompanying himself on piano for much of the concert. The McCook Area Chamber of Commerce fundraising event drew a large crowd to the downtown venue.

Ed Merritt's border collie "RJ" teaches youngster "Cinch" how to herd sheep, and "Red" learns just how high lambs can jump Saturday, during a monthly clinic hosted by the Stock Dog Club of the Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture in Curtis. Stock dog club advisor Judy Bowmaster owns 9-month-old Red; NCTA student David Johnson of O'Neill owns 1 1/2-year-old Cinch. ...

It's a perfect storm when it comes to lost productivity. This might not be the most engaging space in the newspaper, but if you find your mind drifting today, you can probably blame it on the sleep you lost over the weekend. The time change has more serious consequences; a study of mining injuries across the U.S. showed a spike in workplace injuries of nearly 6 percent on the Monday following the shift to daylight saving time...

One of the treasures at the Museum of the High Plains in downtown McCook is the desk of Nebraska State Sen. Matthew Cheney, donated to the museum by members of the Cheney family. Matthew's son, Luke was a prominent attorney in McCook for many years. Luke had two sons, Wendell and Newel, and the family is still represented in McCook by Newel's daughter, Carol Lashley...

A bill which took up a large amount of time this week was LB 745, which would increase available funds for Nebraska's Game and Parks Department, by allowing the department to charge more for some types of permits. Nebraska long ago decided on responsible fiscal policy toward our natural resources by working to ensure that much of the operations of Game and Parks would be funded by fees collected by the department...

Dorothy Marie Wilson Feb. 15, 1924 - March 13, 2016 MCCOOK, Neb. -- Dorothy Marie Wilson, age 92, McCook, passed away at Community Hospital in McCook on Sunday March 13, 2016. She was born in Kaufman, Texas, on Feb. 15, 1924, to Bar B. and Eva (Stanfield) Clopp. Dorothy grew up during hard times, picking cotton to help supplement the family income...