Stories from Wednesday, May 15, 2002

Janelle Johnson's students at Lakeside Central High School at Trenton display their cat statues at the McCook Fine Arts Gallery, 209 Norris Ave. The project is modeled after J. Does of Omaha and the Cow Parade of Kansas CIty. The design for each cat required research by the students which was incorporated into the finely detailed work. ...

Ashley Hamilton, Joseph Haag and Lindsey Meixner are honor students who were not listed in the McCook High School graduation article in the Monday edition.

Lions, tigers and no bears, oh, my! The Shrine Circus is coming to McCook on Wednesday, May 22, at the Red Willow County Fairgrounds. Tehama Western Shrine will host the Plunkett Circus, which includes animals, clowns, aerial acts and concessions. Shows are at 2 and 7 p.m., and tickets are purchased at the gate. Children through the eighth grade are free and adult tickets are $5...

Red Willow County commissioners decided at their meeting Tuesday they'll let county residents suggest a flag to honor the county. Counties are designing flags in a state-wide effort, Commissioner Steve Downer said. "Red Willow County's should hold some historical significance, incorporating a little bit of artistry."...

CULBERTSON -- Members of the Stone Church, south of Culbertson on Highway 17, will be having a spring clean-up this Saturday at 10 a.m. Workers are encouraged to bring cleaning materials.

Flags at the Red Willow County Courthouse and elsewhere around the state are flying at half-staff today for Peace Officers Memorial Day. The observation honors peace officers who have given their lives over the years.

Chase County residents selected their new sheriff during Tuesday's election and Furnas County's race for sheriff is narrowed for the fall election. A run-off between four Republicans in Chase County resulted in a victory for a man living in Kearney...

Low voter turnout was no surprise to election officials in Red Willow County at the 2002 Primary Elections on Tuesday. Only 2,060 of the 7,856 or 26 percent of the registered voters in Red Willow County showed up to cast their vote for local offices...

Anyway you slice it, the turnout for Tuesday's primary election in Nebraska was down ... way down. Secretary of State John Gale had predicted 24 percent, but even that turned out to be an optimistic estimate. When the votes were counted, election officials determined the total turnout represented only 17 percent of the registered voters in Nebraska...

Dear Editor, Terrible rains and flooding in the eastern half of the United States and awful drought and forest fires in the western half of the U.S. An earthquake in California and tornadoes ripping up towns, leaving them in rubble. The hurricane season is just ahead folks. How soon will there be an Arab oil embargo?...

Motherhood. For all of the young mothers out there, I just want to say, "Hold on. It really will be worthwhile, someday." Weekend before last, I was gifted with a visit from my daughter-in-law, Marci and granddaughter, Haili. This past weekend my daughter and son-in-law, Lisa and Aubrey, dropped by. ...

BENKELMAN -- Don Eugene Whiteley, 78, died Saturday (May 11, 2002) at Dundy County Hospital in Benkelman.  He was born May 24, 1923, to Roy and Helen (Cooper) Whiteley in Chase County, Nebraska.  He attended grade school at Hiawatha and graduated from Chase County High School...