Stories from Tuesday, December 23, 2025

McCOOK, Neb. - Until a new director is identified, the McCook Chamber of Commerce will act as the Interim Tourism Director for Red Willow County. That was one of the few takeaways from a short, year-end meeting of the Red Willow County Board of Commissioners and Board of Equalization on Monday morning...

McCook, Neb. - Community Hospital opened the doors last Thursday to its newly constructed ROOTS student housing building in downtown McCook, inviting the public to tour the facility as final construction work continues. Hospital leadership outlined the vision for the project during a brief program attended by Nebraska Sen. Dave Murman, representatives from U.S. Sen. Deb Fischer’s office, McCook Chamber of Commerce officials, city leaders, and hospital staff...

My family, Mom, Dad and we four kids, had just attended the Stone Church Christmas Eve service. Santa had appeared and passed out paper sacks of goodies. Then he Ho Hoed off into the night. I knew that he wasn’t the real Santa, just a stand-in. Driving home in our Model A Ford, I remember standing up between my mom’s legs and seeing sleigh tracks in the fresh fallen snow of the road. ...

I had a conversation with an area stakeholder last week, and the word that lingered longest in my mind afterward was “polarized.” The individual was concerned that McCook’s polarization was impeding progress, which is, by any measure, a legitimate concern...

Dear Editor, We want to inform your readers, and our neighbors, of a troubling development affecting our region. Key Lime Air, the parent company of Denver Air Connection, which serves the McCook Ben Nelson Regional Airport, has secured a $1.5 billion federal contract with ICE. ...

CAMBRIDGE, Neb. — Southern Valley-Arapahoe proved to be a winning combination with three championships at Saturday’s Cambridge Girls Wrestling Invitational. The SV-A tea took third overall with 108 points while Laney Becker (110 pounds), Hayley Serfontein (120) and Natalie Breining (135) went 9-0 with nine pins...

McCOOK, Neb. — Check out these five McCook boys who won championships at the Bison JV Wrestling Invitational on Thursday. 132 pounds: Alec Osborne, MC, won the championship while scoring 14 points. He pinned M. Stone, MC, in 2:39; pinned J. Henning, MC, in 1:59; and pinned L. Fredricks, Kearney, in 2:30...

VALENTINE, Neb. — McCook High placed six girls and reached the top nine of a 22-team Valentine BadgersWrestling Invitational last weekend. Junior KayLeigh Steinbeck’s runner-up heavyweight finish paced the Bison. Top 10 teams among 22: 1. Ord 163, 2. Valentine 147.5, 3. O’Neill 127, 4. Alliance 111, 5. Chadron 101, 6. Gordon-Rushville 97.5, 7. S-E-M 86, 7. Todd County, S.D., 86; 9. McCook 84, 10. North Central 76.5...

VALENTINE, Neb. — McCook High’s boys finished top six at both Valentine on Friday and in Saturday’s Holdrege Werstling Invitational. Senior Tristan Campbell won two titles. The Bison competed against 21 teams at Valentine with these results. Top teams: 1. Winner, S.D., 194.5 points; 2. Hastings 178, 3. Amherst 138, 4. O’Neill 128, 5. Gothenburg 115, 6. McCook 113, 7. Mullen 108, 7. Valentine 108, 9. David City 95, 10. Chadron 89.5...

McCOOK, Neb. — All area top placers from Tuesday’s McCook High girls wrestling invite: 105 pounds Guaranteed Places 1st Place - Capri Sayer, Southwest (13-3 record) 2nd Place - Saviana Carrizales of Wauneta-Palisade (5-5) Round 1 Carrizales pinned A. Stutzman, Sandhills Valley, in 1:24...

McCOOK, Neb. —Tied at 29 through three quarters, Holdrege’s 22-8 final surge decided a 51-37 victory over the McCook girls Saturday evening. Sophomore 6’ Gracie Johnson really sparked the Dusters comeback because McCook built a 13-5 lead through that opening eight minutes...

Dennis Dee Gardner, age 79, of Arapahoe, Nebraska passed away on Wednesday, December 17, 2025, at Memorial Community Care, in Aurora, Nebraska. He was born on December 30, 1945, in Arapahoe, Nebraska to Vernon and Marjorie (Stagemeyer) Gardner. Dennis was the oldest of three...