Stories from Friday, February 5, 2021

McCOOK, Neb. — McCook American Legion Baseball has announced head coaches entering the 2021 baseball season for McCook National Bank Seniors and First Central Bank Juniors. Kaden Sitzman will coach the MNB Bank Seniors. He takes over for co-coaches Scott Smalley and Jeff Holthus, who are pursuing other activities this summer with family...

OGALLALA, Neb. — Ogallala's girls erased a 13-point, fourth-quarter deficit while the Indian boys won by 13 over McCook, 60-47, in their varsity basketball sweep Friday night. The Bison girls (7-13 record) were leading 39-26 through three periods, but Ogallala (9-9) caught them at 43-43 then won 49-46 after an overtime period. McCook fell short despite senior Tiara Matson's 16 points...

BARTLEY, Neb. — Sophomore Caylin Barnett's 22 points and 21 rebounds powered a 37-31 Southwest Roughrider upset of Dundy County-Stratton Friday evening. "We've now beaten all of our subdistrict opponents," coach Dennis Hentgen said as Southwest (8-10 record) also knocked off Cambridge among others earlier this season...

90th birthday The family of Vonnie Tiller of McCook is requesting a card shower in honor of her 90th birthday on Thursday, Feb. 11, 2021. She was born in Frontier County. She has lived her entire life in Frontier County and McCook. Her family includes children, Don (Patty) Tiller of Fort Collins, Colo., Jim (Pete) Tiller of Frontier County, Kathy (Milan) Hanson of Fort Collins, John (Lori) Bartels of Frontier County; 11 grandchildren and 18 great-grandchildren. ...

It doesn’t hurt anyone to eat a little crow once in a while and it is apparently my turn to savor the dish. This column is going to center around McCook in the year 1909 which thankfully, is very well documented, through a Sanborn Map and the McCook High School 1909 class annual. Both of these are available for you to research on our website, www.swngs.org. The website is free for anyone to use!...

McCOOK, Neb. — The McCook Board of Education will be asked to approve hiring Jeff Gross, McCook High School principal who retired this year as head football coach, as the school district business manager, at the regular meeting Monday, Feb. 8, 6:30 p.m. at conference room B at the high school...

LINCOLN, Neb. - Is locating a Nebraska state agency or headquarters outside Lincoln or Omaha as crazy as “launching a rocket to the sun”? Two proposals before the Nebraska legislature would move the Nebraska Game and Parks headquarters from Lincoln to someplace outside the metro areas. ...

McCOOK, Neb. – Funding schools is an issue that State Sen. Dan Hughes has been discussing with his fellow “agriculture senators.” There are several proposals now in committee that try to create a better system for funding education while limiting property tax growth...

Dozens of law enforcement personnel from far and wide pay tribute to Sheriff D. Bryan Leggott, 65, who died unexpectedly Jan. 29. A Lexington, Neb., native, Leggott was Stratton, Neb., police chief before being elected Hitchcock County Sheriff in 1987, a position he held at his death. Services were Thursday in McCook, with interment in the Elwood Cemetery...

McCOOK, Neb. – The Red Willow County Fairgrounds will be home to The Big Show, taking place this weekend, Friday 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. and Saturday 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Jesse Stevens, general manager at Hometown Family Radio who sponsors the show, said the event has about 50 vendors setting up at the fairgrounds and will feature everything from shrimp to home security. ...

Local meetings open to individuals interested in setting natural resources goals for Nebraska McCook, Neb. -- A Local Working Group that provides advice on the priorities for many U.S. Department of Agriculture conservation programs will meet February 23rd at 1:30 pm. Due to Covid restrictions, the LWG meeting will be held virtually. If you are interested in attending this meeting virtually, contact Jason Kennedy at 308-345-4163 ext. 3...

Sen. Deb Fischer and her Republican colleagues should be commended for their resolution, unlikely as it is to be successful, proposing a constitutional amendment to balance the budget. Unless the national debt is brought under control, so much of the federal budget will go toward interest on the debt that there will be little left to pay for important government expenditures...

Dear Editor, Congratulations to the Hitchcock County GOP (Republican Party) for planning an emergency meeting Saturday, Feb. 6, 2 p.m. to consider a resolution of censure against Sen. Ben Sasse for his vote to have an impeachment of Pres. Trump. Don’t think about it, just do it and get 100s of Republican signatures that are registered and live in the state G.O.P. ...

Dear Editor, I am writing this letter to complain about the lack of consistency in how the rules are being followed by the area schools as to policy some say has to do with the NSAA and the state board of education! I for one think this is all about control that each school’s administration wants to stick out their chest and act like little banty roosters!...

I’m trying my best not to write about politics and viruses. One is painful and the other is tiresome. I have been fascinated by politics most of my life, but if I am feeling fatigued, my guess is that I have lost a few of you folks long ago. I have already written articles about my dog and my cars, which is largely the sum total of my earthly existence, so that leaves one obvious topic of discussion: food...

Faith is a bird that feels dawn breaking and sings while it is still dark.” ~R. Tagore 1-31-2012. The long dark arms of night held tightly to the wee hours of the crisp January morning. In the ebony predawn, two families fell sobbing to their knees. One with keening grief as a strong heart was gently lifted from a now lifeless body; another with prayerful tears of thanksgiving as that same heart brought new life to a mother’s dying son...

Several factors roll into Round Belly’s Super Bowl picks such as: Eye-patch wearing editor Bruce Crosby against Gazette production leader/strong Chiefs fan Kristeena Brittain. Crosby has resembled a cool Pirate while recovering from recent eye surgery. Yet Brittain brings treats for every Gazette employee’s birthday seemingly...

CURTIS, Neb. — The Wauneta-Palisade Broncos rumbled to their 14th win this season with a 51-39 victory over Medicine Valley Thursday evening. Coach Matt Cox’s team showed terrific balance with four double-figure scorers. Sophomore Cali Cox scored 13 points, freshman Peyton Cox 12, junior Alexa Sandman 11 and senior Haylee Sandman 11...

McCOOK, Neb. — Jisell Chumacero, a 5’11” middle blocker from Eaton High School in Colorado, has signed her letter of intent to play volleyball this fall at McCook Community College. Chumacero grew up in Eaton and attended school there since kindergarten...

McCOOK, Neb. — Red Willow County Commissioners will open bids for a video security system for the jail, and conduct a quarterly inspection of the jail on Monday. Opening the meeting at 9 a.m. in the commissioners' room of the courthouse, the board will also review and discuss bridge inspection reports...

COLLEGE STATION, Texas – The McCook Community College baseball team got a one-hit pitching performance in the first game of the year, a couple home runs from freshmen playing in their first games and a two-out, five-run fifth inning in the second game Thursday to sweep Texas Post Grad 4-1 and 13-6...

McCOOK, Neb. — No fewer than nine McCook freshmen sent shots through the nets to earn a 52-50 victory over Hershey Monday afternoon. Mykuh Hanson’s 13 points and 10 from Adyn Meyer led the balanced Bison. Hershey’s boys are having a fine basketball season as their varsity currently owns a 17-2 record...

BENKELMAN, Neb. — Dundy County-Stratton senior Delton Haines (seated) confirmed he’ll be taking his football talents to NCAA Division II Chadron State College during “National Signing Day” on Tuesday. He’ll bring a winning streak since the DC-S TIgers went 12-0 while capturing their historic first Class D-1 state football championship last fall (trophy at left)...

McCOOK, Neb. — A stunningly painful fall struck Alec Langan before he even wrestled one match under McCook High’s bright primetime lights. “I was so fired up, I thought I could jump to the roof,” the Bison senior said about his first varsity home match many, many moons (or three-plus years) ago. “I was going to do a basketball layup in the lift building, but my feet were a little wet because it just snowed.”...

McCOOK, Neb. — The McCook High swim-dive team make their final home appearance with today’s invite in the Ed Thomas Family YMCA. Diving begins the action at 4 p.m. and swimmers will follow. Parents will attend to join Bison honored on “Seniors Night.”...

The McCook Community College volleyball team rebounded from a first-set sweep in the opening match of the MCC Invite Friday to sweep Frank Phillips College in the second match. MCC won 25-20, 25-17, 25-21. In the morning match against Colby, MCC fell 24-26, 13-25, 16-25...

McCOOK, Neb. — McCook Community College's final match of the home volleyball tournament on Saturday will be Dodge City (Kan.) College at 4 p.m., not 6 p.m. against Eastern Wyoming. The information office reported this change Friday evening.

ATWOOD, Kan. — Sadie Sramek scored 29 points to keep the Rawlins County girls rolling with a 70-28 trouncing of Greeley County Thursday night. SRAM scored 20 points before halftime with 10 in each quarter for 7-8 Rawlins. Senior Kierstyn Domsch and Rylee Unruh added eight points apiece...