Stories from Tuesday, March 24, 2026

McCOOK, Neb. - Fortunately, losses were limited south of McCook over the weekend due to the efforts of the Red Willow Western Rural Fire Department and assisting mutual aid departments. Around 4:30 p.m. Saturday, the department was dispatched to a blaze three miles south of McCook. Winds were high, and the fire jumped east across U.S. Highway 83. Thick smoke created hazardous driving conditions, prompting the Red Willow County Sheriff’s Department to redirect traffic...

McCOOK, Neb.-Sheriff Kevin Darling submitted his resignation to the Red Willow County Board of Commissioners on Monday morning, setting off a discussion among commissioners about how to handle an interim appointment in the middle of a contested election...

Craig passed away on March 19, 2026 at his home in McCook. He was 47 years of age...

McCOOK, Neb. — Sondra Rae Hahle was called to her heavenly home on Saturday, March 21, 2026, in McCook, NE...

Joseph William “Joe” Matson, also known to many as J.W., a longtime resident of Trenton, passed peacefully on March 3, 2026...

CAMBRIDGE, Neb. — All Gazette-area champions from the Trojan Relays Invitational on Saturday at Cambridge High School’s track. GIRLS 800 meters: 1. Dundy County-Stratton 1:54.73 (Clara Spargo-Emily Schack-Ava Lutz-Abi Spargo). 1600: 1. DC-S 4:26.13 (Clara Spargo-Emily Schack-Ava Lutz-Abi Spargo)...

She loved it. Formally it was a funeral, but for us it was a family gathering to celebrate a long life well lived. The celebration was for my sister Margaret Trail Nielsen, and I’ve known her for some 88 years. Margaret, nicknamed Maggie, was the eldest of four children and loved stepping in to take over during any temporary absence of our mother...

It must be campaign season. I took a survey on my morning drive to the office, and the candidate-to-roofer yard sign ratio Norris Avenue was 48:10. Yard signs are the flower of the season, as are candidate forums. When I first moved to McCook in the mid-to-late 1990s, candidate forums were held at the McCook Senior Center and sponsored by the League of Women Voters, Business and Professional Women, or both. ...