Stories from Thursday, August 21, 2025

McCOOK, Neb. - On Tuesday afternoon, McCook learned that it would have an uninvited guest. The drama began to take shape on Saturday, August 16, when Governor Jim Pillen—on what was presumed to be a campaign visit—was accompanied by Rob Jeffreys, director of the Nebraska Department of Correctional Services. During remarks to guests assembled at McCook’s Citta Deli, Pillen acknowledged Jeffreys but offered no explanation for his presence...

McCOOK, Neb. - What, if any way that the Work Ethic Camp’s transformation into an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention facility can benefit the region has yet to be seen. Federal dollars coming into the community and the potential creation of additional jobs may be a benefit, but as yet, few people are celebrating...

Dear Editor: My family and I lived in McCook for eight and a half years, and though we now reside in southern Arizona, our hearts remain with this town. It is with that love that I write to express my profound concern about the proposed conversion of the McCook Work Ethic Camp into a 300-bed ICE detention facility. ...

It’s hard to know where to begin a discussion about the Work Ethic Camp’s impending transition to an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention facility—but I know how to end it. We will get through this. We had a series of downtown fires in the early 20th century and, in 1928, tornadoes that touched down on the west side of McCook, starting with the 700 block of West 4th Street and demolishing houses all the way to the canyon at the city’s north edge. ...