Stories from Wednesday, November 7, 2018

BASSETT, Neb. — The cold winds of trouble arrived as soon as Jake Heerten started resembling Patrick Mahomes mixed with some Tim Tebow Tuesday night. Heerten threw two touchdown passes, directed North Central’s season-best ground attack and made who knows how many improvised plays in a 50-14 state quarterfinal victory over Dundy County-Stratton...

People ask me, as I wander around the highways and byways of Southwest Nebraska and Northwest Kansas (an area I call the Golden Plains), why do you call your column “Morris on Norris?” Well, folks, the time has finally come. I’m going to level with you. ...

OMAHA, Neb. — McCook senior Laurel Schmidt joined juniors Candace Coleman and Kaylin Martin as Bison softball players who received Class B all-state softball honors from omahaprepzone.com this week.

McCOOK, Neb. — The McCook Community College volleyball team has signed its first recruit for the 2019 campaign – McCook High School’s Jayceea Hanson, a 6-0 senior middle blocker. “It’s been my dream to play college volleyball since I was a little girl,” Jayceea said at a signing ceremony at MHS Tuesday. ...

BEAVER CITY, Neb. — After elections Tuesday, Furnas County has a new sheriff, Cambridge has a new mayor, two incumbent county commissioners are unseated and the Oxford village board will be rearranged. Doug Brown, a write-in candidate for sheriff, came out ahead of Sheriff Kurt Kapperman, 1,118 votes to 955. These are the initial vote totals and are final until after the county’s canvassing board meets...

McCOOK, Neb. — McCook voters retained two members of their City Council and added a new face to the mix during the general election Tuesday. In other contested races in Red Willow County, Indianola voters needed to select two members from three candidates for City Council and vote for a mayor from among write-in candidates...

McCOOK, Neb. — Water and sewer rates will go up as approved unanimously Monday night by the McCook City Council. The rate increases were approved on their third and final reading and were recommended by the financial management firm, PFM Financial Advisors, based on moderate inflationary increases, trends in water usage and planned capital purchases. PDF recommended for this year and in upcoming years small, incremental increases for both departments...

WAUNETA, Neb. — The largest fundraising campaign in the history of the Golden Plains shifted into high gear Sunday afternoon when the leadership team for the 2019 Nebraska Cattlemen’s Ball congregated at the Senior Center in Wauneta for an action-packed strategy session...

Despite the scoreboard, elections are not a zero-sum game. Yes, the Democrats took control of the House by taking away seats from the Republicans, and the Republicans maintained control of the Senate by taking away a couple of seats from the Democrats...

How do we as Christians address the immigration issue? We are so blessed to have been born in this wonderful country. I think everyone in the world deserves the same opportunity, but it must be done the right and legal way. We have a responsibility to take care of our own in this country first. The illegal immigrants that are here are costing our taxpayers $279 billion. How will we save our country from imploding if we keep piling up the national debt?...

I would like to respond to your full page political letter. Since I’m not as prosperous, I will use the Open Forum. I, too, am in favor of immigration, but it must have some degree of order. I’m here because of immigration being available. My first relatives who came to America arrived in 1630. Several stories to comment on to justify my opinion...