Stories from Monday, March 19, 2018

KEARNEY, Neb. — Like good leprechauns on the Irish holiday, McCook girls packed plenty of punch for giant Class A foes facing them at Saturday’s UNK Indoor Invitational. “The competition was a step up this year with the addition of four more teams to the Class A meet,” coach Brent May acknowledged about the annual season-opening track and field meet. “It’s always great to compete against a tough field.”...

Leo Lines IMPERIAL, Neb. — Leo Lines, 91, of Imperial, died Wednesday (March 14, 2018), at Imperial Manor. Survivors include is wife, Bethene of Imperial; children, Jerry and wife, Sherry, of Imperial, Linda Shoemaker and husband, Keith, of Oakley, Kan., and Brenda Malmkar and husband, Tim, of North Platte, Neb.; seven grandchildren, and five great-grandchildren with one on the way...

Dorothy Elizabeth (Klooz) Hansen April 24, 1921 - March 17, 2018 COZAD, Neb. — Dorothy Elizabeth (Klooz) Hansen departed this world March 17, 2018, at Cozad Community Hospital. She was born April 24, 1921, the daughter of the late Harvey and Elizabeth (Rice) Klooz. She grew up in rural Frontier County and graduated from Nebraska School of Agriculture at Curtis, Neb., in 1939. She had normal (teacher) training and taught school in Frontier County after graduation...

A total of 51 Gazette-area players earned All-Republican Plains Activity Conference basketball honors...

McCOOK, Neb. — The McCook Community College Lady Indian softball team split a pair of games against Trinidad State Sunday. MCC won the first game 7-5 and lost the second 16-6. “We played well today,” MCC Coach Josh Barnes said. “It was nice to get a split...

KEARNEY, Neb. — Only traditional track-field power Kearney and Omaha Burke could outscore McCook’s boys among the top 12 teams competing in Class A at Saturday’s UNK Indoor invitational. The Bison totaled 48.83 points with seniors DJ Gross (shot put) and Zach Schlager (55-meter hurdles) taking home individual titles. Brothers Josh Carter (second) and Joel Carter (sixth) gave McCook half of the top six pole vaulting heights while teammate Landon Towne took fourth. Carter cleared 12’ to reach the top height of his young Bison career. Fellow Bison field athletes Alec Bunger, Seth Dugger and Conner Kleckner scored huge points. Kleckner thew his career best in the shot put and placed seventh. McCook outscored teams from Hastings, Grand Island Northwest, Millard South, North Platte and Grand Island among others. Speedy sophomore Cameryn Berry nearly gave the Bison a second Class A track champion. He finished the 800 meters second only to Hastings’ Seth Simonsen. The Bison’s other best performance was their 3200-meter relay of TJ Renner, Isaac Hegwood, Josh Huff and Steven Hinze capturing fifth place. It was an excellent tuneup for outdoor competition starting at Saturday’s Sidney Invitational. McCook will host its annual Leroy Hoehner Invitational on Thursday, Mrach 29. Watch for more details. A recap of all top McCook Bison placers and personal bests at Saturday’s season-opening UNK Indoor Invitational: 55-hurdles: 1. Zach Schlager, McCook, 7.9; 2. M. Chasek, Minden, 7.93. 55 meters: 1. M. Maessner, Kearney, 6.58; 2. C. Coleman, Omaha Burke, 6.63; 6. Corban Jernigan, McCook, 6.83. 800: 1. S. Simonsen, Hastings, 2:02.44; 2. Cameryn Berry, McCook, 2:04.86. 3200-relay: 1. Kearney 8:48.98; 2. GI Northwest 8:51.06; 5. McCook 8:59.43 (TJ Renner-Isaac Hegwood-Josh Huff-Steven Hinze). Shot put: 1. DJ Gross, McCook, 52’8 1/4”; 2. T. Tracy, Kearney, 52’ 3/4”; 7. Conner Kleckner, McCook, 47’2 1/2”. Pole vault: 1. T. Hruza, Gothenburg, 15’6”; 2. Josh Carter, McCook, 13’6”; 4. Landon Towne, McCook, 13’; 6. Joel Carter, McCook, 12’. Long jump: 1. G. Edgecome, Minden, 20’10; 2. T. Lampkin, Omaha Burke, 20’9 1/4; 4. Alec Bunger, McCook, 20’5”. Triple jump: 1. R. Schliep, Northwest, 43’3 3/4: 2. C. Kitt, Kearney, 42’11”; 5. Seth Dugger, McCook, 41’4 1/2’; 7. James Mockry, McCook, 40’2”. Personal bests 55 meters: Corban Jernigan, 6.82. Shot put: Conner Kleckner 47’2 1/2”. Pole vault: Joel Carter 12’.

CURTIS, Neb. — Nebraska’s official “Easter City” will present its annual Palm Sunday Living Picture Pageant portraying the life of Jesus Christ on March 25, at 3 p.m., at the Medicine Valley Junior/Senior High School gymnasium in Curtis. A free-will offering will be accepted...

McCOOK, Neb. — Red Willow County commissioners Monday morning bought a new vehicle for the sheriff’s department and a new pull-type mower for the District 2 roads department. Of three bids received for a new patrol vehicle for the sheriff’s department, the commissioners accepted the bid from Deveny Motors of McCook for a new 2018 Dodge Durango, with a list price of $25,877 and a trade-in value of $5,700 for a 2011 Dodge Charger, for a total bid of $20,177...

There’s an old saying that laughter is the best medicine, and that’s more welcome than ever today, which someone has designated “National Let’s Laugh Day.” Not that we shouldn’t pay attention to bad things that are going on in the world; we need to stay informed and involved. But it’s no surprise that today’s 24-hour news cycle can leave many of us down in the dumps...

People don’t give much thought to World War I anymore. In a recent survey on the most important events of the 20th century World War I barely made it into the top ten. This is unfortunate. A case can be made that World War I had a profound effect on almost everything that happened for the rest of the last century—-the Bolshevik revolution in Russia, World War II, the Holocaust, the development of the atomic bomb. ...