Swedes hit pavement: Local and area participants in the 2012 Cornhusker State Games Torch Run ran a torch through the Gothenburg area Thursday as the runners journeyed down Highway 30. More than 1,000 Nebraskans participated in the event, sponsored by the Army National Guard and Air National Guard. The torch was carried on a 1,100-mile trek from the western part of the state to Lincoln for the 2012 Cornhusker State Games. The games are July 20-29. Local and area runners were Claudine Kennicutt, Maria Anderson, Michelle Steinike, Angie Richeson, Stacy Healey, Lisa Geiken, Lisa Shimmin, Elizabeth Olsen-Jones, Robert Litzenberger of Brady, Deanna Mazour, Sharise Scherer and Elizabeth Barrett. The group ran a 16-mile segment between Brady and Cozad. Geiken organized runners for the local leg. Pictured are Richeson (left) and Steinike.