Stories from Thursday, June 2, 2016

Dick Cappel, left, McCook Knights of Columbus scholarship chairman, and Bob Burns, far right, Grand Knight, present $500 scholarships to Kasey Clifford of Hayes Center, Neb., and Bret Baumbach of McCook. Scholarship winners were chosen based on essays written by 2016 area seniors. Kasey plans to attend the University of Nebraska-Kearney for elementary education and Bret plans to attend the University of Nebraska-Lincoln for business...

Gov. Ricketts has drawn criticism for his opposition to expanding Medicaid and his penchant for treating state government like a business, but his type of fiscal conservatism has placed Nebraska next to the top when it comes to financial health. Eileen Norcross, a senior research fellow with the Mercatus Center at George Mason University leads its State and Local Policy Project, which seeks to take the mystery out of financial reports...

HAIGLER, Neb. -- TAKING WHAT YOU GET --A Collection of Short Stories--Volume II is the title of the just published book by local Haigler author. S. L. Carlock. As in Volume I, WHERE WE BELONG, published in 2011 by Morris Publishing Company; this collection of 52 fascinating short stories is based on happenings in everyday life. ...

WEST POINT, N.Y. -- Cadet Cale Alan Brown, son of Mark and Jill Brown of Trenton, Nebraska graduated from the U.S. Military Academy on Saturday, May 21. Brown graduated from Hitchcock County High School in 2012. While at West Point, he concentrated his studies in Environmental Engineering. He was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army within the Armor branch and will report to Fort Bliss, Texas, for his first assignment...

Marcus Gonzales tops off Boutique Air's Pilatus PC-12 this morning in time for a half-dozen passengers to board a 9:10 a.m. flight to Denver today. Boutique Air took over commercial air service at McCook Ben Nelson Regional Airport June 1. The McCook to Denver route takes about 45 minutes of flight time, and one-way fares are priced at $49 and $99...

McCOOK, Neb. -- One show is a sell-out, seats are filling fast on the "History's Mysteries" bus tour and organizers are making final preparations to celebrate "Twenty Years of Storytelling" when McCook hosts the 20th annual Buffalo Commons Storytelling and Music Festival June 10-11...