Stories from Tuesday, June 17, 2025

The McCook Rebels 10-and-under softball girls have qualified for Class C state later this month after placing top six at last weekend’s district fastpitch tournament. Coach Jay Johnson’s Rebels earned some big wins in this 16-team event, losing only to the eventual district champion and third-place finishers. ...

In the coin collecting world, many people look for errors. They can be quite hard to find, especially the most famous ones. I have only found two error coins in the three years I have collected coins, and I don’t even know if the second one is an actual error, or simply a scratch...

ARAPAHOE, Neb. — Here are various champions from Saturday’s Plains Tsunami Swim League meet with McCook set to host another this weekend at the new outdoor pool facilities. 100 long freestyle: 1. Margaret Thatcher, Indaianola, 2:02.46; 1. Benjamin Thatcher, Indianola, 2:41.72; 1. Saylor Ahrends, Frontier County, 1:45.4; 1. Bruce Thatcher, Indianola, 2:07.93...

COZAD, Neb. — Justin Chancellor pitched four innings of two-hit baseball in the Pinnacle Bank Juniors’ 10-0 conquest of Cozad Monday. The 14-and-under Legion team rolled behind Kohyn Cock’s two-RBI double and Justin Chancellor singling in another McCook run...

McCOOK, Neb. ­— Dad was hopefully watching because Kooper Rakes sent out truly one of the fastest Father’s Day gifts anyMcCook fan could possibly see on Sunday. “That might have been the hardest baseball hit I have ever seen in high school (or Legion) baseball,” McCook National Bank coach Chris Conroy declared about Rakes’ three-run homer against the Scottsbluff Westco Zephyrs. “I wish we had a speed gun to see the exit velocity on that one. It was a line drive that went right over the fence.”...

OKLAHOMA CITY -- The Thunder's 18-point lead had been sliced all the way down to two when the ball swung to Jalen Williams on the right wing. Williams, a first-time All-Star in his third NBA season, rose to the occasion by rattling in a 3-pointer to halt the Indiana Pacers' momentum...

McCOOK, Neb. — At Prairie Plains CASA, success isn’t always about dramatic courtroom victories. Instead, it’s the small moments that define the organization’s work and often mean the most to the children and families they serve. Caitlin Whitehead, program director for Prairie Plains CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates), believes in celebrating every step forward. ...

McCOOK, Neb. - Deadlines and delivery routes will soon give way to T-ball games and lemonade stands for McCook Gazette Publisher Shary Skiles. Effective July 1, Skiles will be stepping away from her role to spend more time with grandsons – Owen (3) and Lane (2) – who live in Papillion, Neb. Grandson number three is due to arrive in October...

Yes, it is a Federal Holiday and the banks will be closed. Juneteenth, observed on June 19, recognizes the official end of slavery in the United States. Actually, it was 71 days past the surrender of General Robert E. Lee and the Confederate Army to end our nation’s Civil War. ...

During our recent Buffalo Commons festival, the Norris House hosted a garden party that proved both charming and unsettling in its resonance with current events. Beneath the shade of a few old trees, we were treated to a Chautauqua-style presentation of Senator George W. ...

McCOOK, Neb. - Shari Ann McConnaha passed away in her home, in McCook, Neb. on June 13, 2025, at the age of 75. Memorials are suggested in Shari’s name to the McCook Humane Society, PO Box 13, McCook, NE 69001. A memorial service will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Thursday, June 19, 2025, at the West First Chapel in McCook, Neb., with Johnny Walker officiating...

McCOOK, Neb. - The McCook City Council met in regular session Monday evening, voting unanimously on a series of measures, including a substantial redevelopment project, nuisance property resolutions and contract agreements. Alternating between its roles as the City Council and the McCook Community Redevelopment Agency—and including a public hearing along the way—the council convened, recessed, reconvened, and adjourned its way through a series of procedural steps during Monday night’s meeting. ...