Anna LaBay

McCOOK Neb. - When you step into Longnecker Jewelry on Norris Avenue, it doesn’t feel like a store competing with big-city showrooms across the Midwest. It feels like what it is—a small, independent shop where customers are greeted by name, repairs are done in-house, and owner Bill Longnecker can often be found at the bench with a loupe in hand.  But behind that small-town storefront sits a much bigger story.  Recently, a marketing company contacted Bill offering to sell him a plaque...

McCOOK Neb. — When Tanner Lytle turned 40, he gave himself a birthday present most people only daydream about: he decided to bet on his art full-time. “Starting today, I will be a full-time tattoo artist at the shop,” he wrote in a recent Facebook announcement, sharing that he’s “jumping all-in” at The Clever Fox Tattoo & Body Piercing in McCook, specializing in black and grey realism. It sounds sudden. It isn’t. A long road back to art Lytle has always been an artist. His grandmother and...

McCOOK Neb. — Southwest Nebraska Public Health Department (SWNPHD) is encouraging residents to take proactive steps to protect their mental well-being this holiday season, a time when emotional strain, stress, and crisis situations often become more frequent. While the holidays can bring joy and celebration, they can also magnify feelings of grief, financial pressure, loneliness, and family conflict. This can create moments when people feel overwhelmed, making early awareness and support...