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McCOOK, Nebraska - Looking back over 34 years of doing business in the Tri-State Region, the Samway family and the staff at Samway Floor Covering & Furniture is joining in a great big "Thank You!" to customers. "Larry and I couldn't have picked a better place to settle than McCook, Nebraska, in the heart of the Golden Plains Region of Southwest Nebraska, Northwest Kansas and Eastern Colorado," said Carol Samway, who remains in daily contact with the business that she and her late husband, Larry, established in 1981.. ...

CAMBRIDGE, Nebraska - If you were to look all across the nation - at all 50 states - it would be hard to find a town of 1,000 population with the scope and quality of the health care facilities in Cambridge, Nebraska. In fact, many larger towns do not possess the impressive range of health care services available through the Tri Valley Health System...

McCOOK, Nebraska -- During the past four years, it has been exciting to watch the flurry of activity at the Quality Irrigation store on north U.S. Highway 83 in McCook. Since opening in February of 2010, the irrigation sales and service company has more than quintupled in size, going from four employees in the beginning to 22 employees in the summer of 2014...

McCOOK, Nebraska - When the Curly Olney dealership in McCook became a part of Titan Machinery in 2012, farm, home and construction equipment customers throughout Southwest Nebraska and Northwest Kansas benefitted in two significant ways. Maintaining an extended record of service, the purchase of Curly Olney's Inc. ...

McCOOK, Nebraska - After years of working with the leading farmers and ranchers in the Golden Plains, Sam O'Toole saw the need for a nationwide service offering premium equipment to ag producers. As a result - after forming alliances with Tractor House and Ag Direct - O'Toole launched a new business, called New Frontier Ag, to offer top quality farm machinery to farmers throughout the nation...

McCOOK, Nebraska -- Large cities are not the only place with skyscrapers. We have them in small towns, too. Here, they're called grain elevators. This fact -- which is apparent when you travel through the Tri-State Region -- is a major reason for the success of Doak Construction, a millwright, construction, sales and service company which has been serving the grain storage and handling needs of a wide region of Southwest Nebraska, Northwest Kansas and Northeast Colorado for 54 years...

McCOOK, Nebraska -- Upon his arrival in McCook in July of 2004, Dr. Rob Hinze already had 12 appointments booked at the brand new High Plains Podiatry clinic. "My wife, Jennifer, did all the preparation. She researched the need for podiatry services in the McCook area. And, after determining the need was great, she arranged the financing, organized the office and did the advertising."...

McCOOK, Nebraska -- When Dr. Fred Shank arrived in McCook in 1944, he brought with him a belief in the value of a clinic approach, teaming up with other doctors to provide health care services. With World War II drawing to a close, the idea quickly caught on and other well-known McCook doctors -- including Dr. Karrer, Dr. Batty and Dr. James -- joined Dr. Shank in the 1950s to establish McCook Clinic on West Seventh Street, across from where Hillcrest Nursing Home now stands...

CAMBRIDGE, Nebraska -- As you travel through Southwest Nebraska, cast your eyes upon the skies above the vast landscape. When you do, you may glimpse one of the 22 cellular towers which soar high into the sky, providing the newest telecommunications technology to the farmers, ranchers and townspeople who live in and visit the Golden Plains of America...

McCOOK, Nebraska - Through the years, an increasing number of customers have turned to Longnecker Jewelry in McCook for jewelry design and repairs. "I am gratified by the growth," says the store owner and jeweler, Bill Longnecker. "It's personally very satisfying because of the pride of creation."...

McCOOK, Nebraska - Every weekday morning at eight o'clock, the eight-member crew gathers at Wilcox Well Drilling's shop and office alongside U.S. Highway 83 south of McCook. Shortly afterwards, armed with assignments, the Wilcox team is on the road, headed to locations in a wide section of Southwest Nebraska and Northwest Kansas to take care of the water well, windmill, pumping and trenching needs of rural residents, farmers, ranchers and oil drillers...

McCOOK, Nebraska - Although Mc- Cook is located many miles from America's population centers, Terry Peterson says jewelry customers in this area can choose from an excellent se- lection of diamonds and jewelry from around the world. "I travel to up to four shows a year in the United States to select all types of jewelry and colored stones," he said. ...

As they approach 100 years of combined service to this region, the partners who guide and direct Southwest Nebraska Physical Therapy are joining to pay tribute to the people and communities they serve. "We are appreciative of all the support we have received," said the partners. "Since we pooled our resources to form Southwest Nebraska Physical Therapy in 2001, the number of people we serve has continued to increase, requiring us to nearly double the size of our staff during the past 12 years."...

When we open our hearts and minds, and take on new challenges, it's amazing to behold all the things that happen to us in a short amount of time. Certainly that's true for Lisa Wilcox, who three and a half years ago entered the business world by purchasing New Life Christian Book Store at 211 Norris Avenue in McCook...

Soon after entering the water treatment business in the 1960s, DeWayne and Sandra (Schlager) Hanes realized that softening the water was not enough to meet the clean, safe water needs of their customers. And so -- in the years which followed -- DeWayne and Sandra began working on a system that not only softened water but also removed a wide range of contaminants, including nitrates, arsenic, radon and uranium...

Many, many years ago -- in a store building located at 307 Norris Avenue in McCook -- an idea was born which resulted in a business which has grown into the most complete music store in the Golden Plains of Southwest Nebraska and Northwest Kansas. The business -- now known as Hershberger Music Company -- came into being when a long-time furniture store owner and oil investor, Joe Rothmeyer, took a young teacher, Floyd Hershberger, under his wing and suggested he start a piano and organ company...

Walk into the McCook Carpets Plus / Color Tile store at 206 Norris Avenue and you can immediately see the vastness of the floor store's immense inventory. With 7,000 square feet of open space, Carpet Plus's stock of carpet rolls, color tile, wood flooring, sample racks and accessories are readily visible to all who stop to shop and visit. ...

The Culture of Life - a New approach Opinion by Sondra Jonson Special to the McCook Gazette How do we build a culture of life? While our country is divided on the justice of legal abortion, most Americans agree that abortion is a radical and traumatic procedure that should be seldom used...

When time allows, take a drive to the northeastern edge of McCook. There -- where the town turns to country -- you will discover a large connected village of one- and two-bedroom apartments and garden homes. The impressive retirement living center is called Emeritus at Willow Ridge and, during the past 20 years, it has made a tremendous difference in how senior citizens in the McCook area spend their Golden Years...

With a willingness to tackle any welding project -- whether it's large or small, near or far away -- JLB Welding of McCook is building a region-wide reputation for the quality, durability and long-lasting effectiveness of their work. As a result, the welding enterprise has grown rapidly, expanding from a one-man, sideline business in July of 2010, to a multi-purpose firm with a new 4,000 square foot shop and eight full-time employees in September of 2013...

Come one! Come all! It's time to celebrate! A legendary McCook business -- D&S Hardware, Nursery and Appliance Center -- has reached an important milestone in its life of service to McCook and the surrounding region of Southwest Nebraska and Northwest Kansas...

As McCook's oldest continuously run family business, Klein's Motor & Electric stands by the same principles that have been their hallmark since the business began 83 years ago. "Our philosophy is pretty simple," says Don Klein. "Without customers, we have nothing. So, from the start, Klein's Motor & Electric has been dedicated to taking care of customers, doing whatever it takes to keep them going, whether that be service or parts or equipment."...

When the Uerling family built their Cape Cod style home east of McCook in the early 2000's, it not only gave them a new place to live ... it gave them a new career. "I always have liked to build things," Mark Uerling said, "but it wasn't until we built the house that I realized this is what I wanted to do for a living."...

When Blaine Budke started Tri-State Spas as a sideline business in 2000, few took notice. After all -- looked at from a national perspective -- not much was expected because of the limited population of McCook and the surrounding area. But, 13 years later, the state and the nation are taking notice. ...

When Bill Longnecker was a young boy, he remembers being fascinated as he watched Bill Schilz at work in his McCook jewelry store. However, it was not until years later that Longnecker realized the jewelry business was what he wanted to do as his life's work...

During his senior year at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Todd Hinze was inspired to choose chiropractic care as his career. "What attracted me was the opportunity to help people without reliance on drugs and surgery," he said. It was a life-changing decision for Todd, who pursued his chosen profession by enrolling at Parker College of Chiropractic in Dallas, Texas. ...

Like many farm and ranch families in Southwest Nebraska, Bryan and Ami Hauxwell have had a life-long interest in 4-H and FFA. Ami, whose maiden name was Ruf, was involved in 4-H projects in Furnas County, while Bryan was active in 4-H in Red Willow County...