Stories from Friday, April 16, 2021

GOTHENBURG, Neb. — McCook High girls battled until the final step, stride and second Thursday which resulted in another track/field invite championship. Coach Brent May’s Bison rallied past a strong Sidney Red Raiders squad, 115-112, to cap an exciting 10-team Dutch Zorn Invitational...

McCOOK, Neb. – Sen. Dan Hughes told constituents that the investigation into St. Francis Ministries is important and there needs to be “some very bright light shone on the process” of awarding and managing the contract to provide child welfare services in Douglas and Sarpy counties for the State of Nebraska...

Velma Marie (Wilson) Walker Feb. 15, 1925 - April 10, 2021 MAYWOOD, Neb. — Velma Marie (Wilson) Walker of Maywood, age 96, passed away on April 10, 2021, at Linden Court. She was born Feb. 15, 1925, at Culbertson, Neb., the eldest of seven children to Dorsey and Lula (Gray) Wilson. She was united in marriage to Lenord L. Walker on June 7, 1943. To this union four children were born: Dixie, Judy, Larry, Rodney...

My bucket list includes strange items! One such item involves getting placards on the business buildings listing who built the building and the main businesses that resided in it. I like complicated goals apparently, but when people start wandering through memories, asking what was in this building seems to be a number one question...

McCOOK, Neb. — All systems are go at the Innovation Studio at the McCook City Library. Postponed from last year due to the pandemic, state-of-the-art technology tools will be available to the public in the library’s basement. This includes a 3-D printer, laser cutter, embroidery/sewing machine, camera/video green screen kit, Lego robotics kit and more. “These machines allow the community to experience technology they can’t get anywhere else,” said Jodi Crocker, library director...

McCOOK, Neb. — Red Willow County Commissioners will consider a bridge and an armor coating project, a contract for commercial reappraisal and courthouse security cameras next week. Opening the meeting at 9 a.m. Monday, the board will meet with David Blau of Miller & Associates at 9:15 a.m. ...

LINCOLN, Neb. — Unemployment was 2.1% in March in the Red Willow-Hitchcock Labor Market Area, down from 2.2% in February and 3.3% in March 2020, according to the Nebraska Department of Labor. Nebraska’s unemployment rate was 2.9% for March and 3.1% in February, down 0.2% both for the month and for the same month last year...

McCOOK, Neb. — McCook Community College sophomore Ricardo Hernandez (Ponce, Puerto Rico) has become the second straight player from the McCook Community College baseball team to win Region IX player of the week honors, and fourth player this season to claim top weekly honors...

Editor’s note: Recent league pool champions will be featured in Tuesday’s McCook Gazette. McCOOK, Neb. — Shonda Jacob and Eric Skeen, both from McCook, came up just short of advancing to the American Poolplayers Association’s (APA) Jack & Jill 8-Ball Doubles Championship in Las Vegas...

HASTINGS, Neb. — Trees lining the long fairways could have represented great distance from Class A golfers the McCook Bison Thursday . Break out the chainsaws, because those state -tested Bison were more than ready to compete! Senior Payton Craw matched his 77 at Tuesday’s Lexington Invitational as the Bison outgolfed host Hastings and were only two strokes behind Class A North Platte Thursday...

GOTHENBURG, Neb. — Baton passing has never looked better this season along with McCook Bison who were using poles or clearing bars Thursday afternoon. All three Bison relays ran their fastest times of 2021 as two took home Dutch Zorn Invitational championships...

We have a problem in this country of extreme political divisiveness. The concept of governance for the common good seems to be long forgotten. It concerns me. I believe it has resulted in incivility at a disturbing level which we are experiencing in both our major cities, on social media, and at the voting booth. If I were inclined to blame, I could blame the political class, or mass media, or education...