Red Willow County

CONNIE JO DISCOE Regional Editor McCOOK, Neb. — The ink was barely dry on their certificates of completed training when two of the newest CASA volunteers were immediately assigned to cases in Furnas County. Cathy McDowell of McCook, CASA director, said the program is always seeking new volunteers, and particularly in the six Southwest Nebraska counties around Red Willow. She was thrilled Tuesday morning that two of the newest volunteers will serve children in Furnas County...

McCOOK, Neb. — At their weekly meeting Monday morning, Red Willow County commissioners approved a conditional use permit for an irrigator to use waste water from a dairy northeast of McCook. Brad Randel of rural Indianola, representing Randel Family Ltd. and Randel Family Trust, sought the county’s permission to pump waste water from Kingdom Dairy to irrigation pivots (an existing system and a system to be installed) in Section 34, Township 4, Range 29...

Connie jo Discoe Regional Editor McCOOK, Neb. — The Red Willow County sheriff and his deputies investigated “accordion style” accidents involving seven vehicles Friday afternoon and evening, blaming slick roads and white-out conditions on a winter-like spring storm that roared in on 60-70-mile-an-hour north winds...

OXFORD, Neb. — The Red Willow Household Hazardous Waste Program plans collection events in Furnas County Saturday, April 7. The schedule will be: Oxford fire hall, 8-9 a.m. Beaver City county shop, 9:30-10:30 a.m. Arapahoe county shop, 11 a.m.-noon...

McCOOK, Neb. — Myra Stoney, the director of the Southwest Nebraska Public Health Department headquartered in McCook, told Red Willow County commissioners during their meeting Monday that SWNPHD provided $135,426 in services to county residents between July 2016-June 2017, at no cost to the county...

McCOOK, Neb. — Red Willow County commissioners were surprised, and pleased, that they received five bids for tuck-pointing the county’s 92-year-old three-story limestone and brick courthouse. This will be the first time the courthouse, which measures 70x100 feet, is tuck-pointed since its dedication on May 25, 1927. ...

McCOOK, Neb. — Red Willow County commissioners and roads superintendent Tyson Bardsley discussed possible armor coating projects for the summer of 2018 during the commissioners’ weekly meeting Monday morning. Each year, the county tries to do about 10 miles of armor coating; the average cost is usually $15,000-16,000...

McCOOK, Neb. — A company from North Carolina indicated an interest last year in building a solar farm in Red Willow County, and in response, the county’s planning commission recommended a set of solar farm zoning regulations which were adopted Monday morning by county commissioners...

McCOOK, Neb. — Red Willow County commissioners Monday morning bought a new vehicle for the sheriff’s department and a new pull-type mower for the District 2 roads department. Of three bids received for a new patrol vehicle for the sheriff’s department, the commissioners accepted the bid from Deveny Motors of McCook for a new 2018 Dodge Durango, with a list price of $25,877 and a trade-in value of $5,700 for a 2011 Dodge Charger, for a total bid of $20,177...

LINCOLN, Neb. — Nebraska District Court Judges J. Russel Derr of Omaha and Judge David W. Urbom of McCook have been invited to sit with the Nebraska Supreme Court on Wednesday, April 4th of the April argument session. The court session will be held in the Supreme Court Courtroom in the Nebraska State Capitol beginning at 9:00 a.m. ...

McCOOK, Neb. — During their weekly meeting Monday morning, Red Willow County commissioners signed an interlocal agreement with Frontier County detailing the two counties’ cooperation to remove two bridges and replace them with culverts, and ultimately get reimbursed 55 percent by the Nebraska Department of Transportation...

McCOOK, Neb. — Red Willow Western fire chief Bill Elliott is banning absolutely any burning of any kind — even in a burn barrel. There will be no burn permits issued for any reason, Elliott said. The fires “are coming too fast and furious,” he said. “And we ain’t done yet. It’s too dry. We’re sitting on a powder keg.”...

McCOOK, Neb. — Red Willow County commissioner Earl McNutt told McCook's economic development director he sees "no drawback" in asking to be a part of the federal government's very, very new "Opportunity Zones" program that saves private investors capital gains taxes while they invest in low-income communities and counties like McCook and Red Willow...

McCOOK, Neb. — For lack of a licensed land surveyor in the county, Red Willow County commissioners signed an agreement Monday morning with a licensed surveyor from Holdrege to fill the vacancy created by the resignation two weeks ago of county surveyor Gary Dicenta...

LINCOLN, Neb. — On Feb. 12, the Nebraska Department of Transportation Highway Safety Office awarded the Red Willow County Sheriff’s Department four hand-held alcohol breath testing units. The traffic safety grant award is part of the state’s ongoing effort to prevent underage drinking and alcohol-related traffic crashes, injuries and fatalities. The units are valued at $1,180...

McCOOK, Neb. — The immediate need is for more space for pigs. Members of the Red Willow County 4-H Council told the county’s fair board Wednesday evening that the number of swine entries at the county fair continues to rise, and some changes are necessary to accommodate not only the growing number of hogs, but to keep all the animals comfortable in the hot Nebraska summer...

McCOOK, Neb. — At their weekly meeting Monday, Red Willow county commissioners discussed a construction and operating permit issued by the Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality to what is known locally as “the east dairy” north of McCook. Commissioners will check with the county’s zoning administrator and planning board to ensure that the state’s permit and the county’s zoning regs are consistent in regard to changes proposed at Powerline Dairy LLC, owned by Ted Boersma of Cimarron, Kan...

McCOOK, Neb. — Officials in Red Willow and Frontier counties hope that, by bidding together on the purchase of materials for two bridge projects, they’ll get a break on the cost. At their weekly meeting Monday morning, Red Willow County commissioners and Gary Dicenta, the county’s roads superintendent, discussed Red Willow County’s and Frontier County ‘s approval for 55 percent match funding from the Nebraska Department of Transportation’s 2018 bridge match program. ...