Stories from Thursday, December 4, 2025

Production Manager Russ Kennedy explains the finer points of color registration to St. Patrick’s School’s fourth-grade class on a recent field trip to the Gazette.

McCOOK, Neb. - Although Karrer Park remains closed, city staff are working to resolve the issues that led to its shutdown and to address broader concerns about the misuse of public spaces in McCook. City Attorney Nathaniel Mustion is in the throes of crafting a string of city ordinances that will address the increasing issue of misuse of public spaces in town, mainly the city parks, where people have been sleeping in restrooms and “doing other inappropriate things” to cause unsafe environments for park-goers.. ...

KEARNEY, Neb. - In late November, the Gazette attended a panel discussion at the Museum of Nebraska Art (MONA) led by MONA director Karissa Johnson on the work of Dana Fritz. Fritz has a multi-project exhibit currently up at MONA featuring black-and-white photography from the Nebraska National Forest near Halsey, Nebraska...

I know that I’m in the minority on a lot of thoughts and opinions. Perhaps the most obvious is my love of winter versus summer. Every June and July, I hear people expressing their desire for hot weather over cold temperatures. With sweat dripping in their eyes and their thighs sticking to their carseats, people relish the sun and heat...

Last week, I had an experience worth noting. A random drive through town rendered an idyllic, if not exaggerated, snapshot of our recent progress in McCook. I had driven from the Gazette office to the North Pointe subdivision to grab a photo for our reporting on the Coffee Talk discussion with MEDC housing director Amanda Engell...

A farmer Harlow was, and a farmer he remained, until he left this earth to join his wife in heaven on December 1, 2025. Warren Harlow Wilhelm was born on the family farm, November 11, 1930, to parents Frank and Elsie (Weyeneth) Wilhelm, the third of three children...

Donna (Fish) Flammang Janssen, age 92, passed away peacefully on December 1, 2025, in McCook, Nebraska, at Hillcrest Nursing Home. After spending a blessed Thanksgiving with nearly seventy members of her family, she suffered a stroke the next day. She passed into the loving arms of Jesus surrounded by love from all six of her children...

Bryce Warren Evans, 52, of McCook, Nebraska, passed away on November 28, 2025, surrounded by the love of his family. Born in Hastings on July 9, 1973 and raised in Nebraska, Bryce grew up with a deep appreciation for the land, the outdoors, and the people who filled his life with meaning. ...

Ronald Eugene Seeker was born December 31, 1943 in Dayton, Ohio to Kenneth and Dorothy (Wombold) Seeker. He grew up between Lewisburg, Ohio and Verona, Ohio and graduated as the youngest in his class from Verona High School in 1961. He drove a truck for a local lumber yard until he was old enough to get a job working in the factory at Inland/Delphi which was a division of General Motors. He worked there for 31 years, retiring in 1993...

Patrick Lee Dion, age 58, of McCook, NE passed away on Monday, December 1, 2025 in McCook. Pat was born November 28, 1967 in Panama City, Panama to parents Larry and Mary (Ackermann) Dion. He was one of six children. Pat graduated from Roaring Fork High School, Carbondale, CO, with the Class of 1985. ...

Jerry Petersen, aged 89, passed away on December 6, 2025, in Elwood, Nebraska. Gerald “Jerry” Lee Petersen was born on June 27, 1936, on a farm north of Orafino, Nebraska, to Elmer and Gladys (Estergard) Petersen. Jerry grew up with a deep appreciation for farm life, hard work, and family—values that shaped him throughout his life. He attended grade school in Orafino and graduated from Cambridge High School in 1953 at just 16 years old...