Stories from Wednesday, August 16, 2017

IMPERIAL, Neb. -- Jonathan Beverly starts every morning with a run...

Opal Agnes Dolan Aug. 31, 1926 - Aug. 15, 2017 CAMBRIDGE, Neb. — Opal Agnes Dolan, age 90, passed away Tuesday, Aug. 15, 2017, at the Cambridge Manor in Cambridge. Opal was born on Aug. 31, 1926, to Peter T. and Mary C. (Giespert) Schneider in Hayes County, Nebraska. She was proud of the fact that she grew up in a sod house. She graduated from Hayes Center High School in 1944...

Veda Heisel OBERLIN, Kan. — Veda Heisel, of Lenora, Kan., 98, died Sunday (Aug. 13, 2017). Services are pending with Pauls Funeral Home in Oberlin.

McCOOK, Neb. —The donation of new game pants for the high school football team was unanimously approved by the McCook School Board Monday night, with several commenting that donations of this sort are common in the district. McCook football coaches made the donation of $3,540 with funds they earned at football coaching camps. Pants were purchased at cost from the Sports Shoppe in McCook, where school board member Bob Elder is the manager...

McCOOK, Neb. — The McCook School District will be tightening its belt on the budget this year, due to a 9 percent decrease in state aid, according to the district’s business manager. Whether or not that means the tax levy increases is still up in the air...

McCOOK, Neb. — Budgets of the Red Willow County Fairgrounds operations and the Kiplinger horse arena facilities continue to be separated as much as possible. Deb Lafferty, fair board secretary, told county commissioners Monday morning that she takes expenses associated with the Kiplinger buildings out of the Kiplinger, or “horse arena,” budget. ...

McCOOK, Neb. — A new mentoring program at McCook Community College can be a win-win for businesses and students alike. Called the “Success Mentor Program” (SMP), it will pair college students once a month with a mentor in a field similar to their career field. First-year college students will be especially encouraged to participate...

McCOOK, Neb. — McCook High School has room for 125 students optioning in from other districts. That number was part of the “Option Enrollment Resolution” the McCook Board of Education unanimously approved Monday night at its regular meeting. The resolution must be approved yearly per state law and sets the number of students that can option in from other school districts. The number is derived from program capacity in each grade, minus projected enrollment...

McCOOK, Neb. — A plea agreement was reached recently in Red Willow County District Court with a Bartley man found asleep at the wheel of a running vehicle in June, which was stopped halfway through a rural intersection. The man, 28-year-old Troyce R. Thomas Jr., was subsequently scheduled for sentencing at 3:15 p.m. on Sept. 11, 2017...

It’s a transition time for many families, with McCook children heading off to school today, offering new adventures and challenges for both the students and their parents. Just how much freedom should be offered to a child at any given age? How much privacy should a child be allowed, and how far should parents go when it comes to monitoring their activities?...

KEARNEY, Neb. – The University of Nebraska at Kearney soon will get 25 percent of its electrical energy from the new $11 million solar park being built in Kearney. In an effort to make campus more sustainable, UNK is purchasing 51 percent – or about 3,600 shares – of the solar capacity available from Nebraska Public Power District and SoCore Energy...

Yup, kindergarten was quite a year. I kissed a girl named Sandy Wilson for the first time and she immediately released one terrifying shreeek!!! before running to find her mom. A valuable life lesson that would prepare this youngster for many, many years ahead...

McCOOK, Neb. — Their sharp McCook Bison black shirts will lead to a special time of enlightenment on Cambridge’s Cross Creeks Course Thursday. “Normally, coaches aren’t supposed to talk with players out on the course much,” new Bison coach Joel Arterburn explained. “But being the first (meet) of the season, they are going allow us to work with the players a little more.”...

CULBERTSON, Neb. — The Nebraska State Patrol, with assistance from the Hitchcock County Sheriff's Office are currently investigating a suspicious death of 49-year-old male, Todd E. Miller in Culbertson, Nebraska. The case is under investigation and an autopsy has been scheduled for tomorrow morning in Scottsbluff...

LINCOLN, Neb. — Four reports from Omaha and one from Holdrege of a woman posing as a child protective services employee seeking admission into homes have been received by the Department of Health and Human Services in the last two weeks. The woman was not given permission to enter the homes after she was unable to provide identification. She stated she wanted to talk to the parent...