Stories from Monday, February 17, 2003

A blanket of crystalline frost covers the Nebraska countryside, so quiet, so calm. The frost is an artist -- sketching in the infinite details of every leaf, every tiny twig, every wisp of a blade of grass.

Mr. and Mrs. Charles Poore of McDonald announce the engagement and upcoming wedding of their daughter, Laura, to Jason Hooper, son of Mr. and Mrs. Tom Hooper of Hiawatha, Kan. Grandparents of the bride-to-be are Mr. and Mrs. Jack Poore of McDonald. The bride-to-be is a graduate of Kansas Wesleyan University and is working at Salina Regional Health Center as a registered nurse in the birth center. ...

Jody Long of Amherst and Cody Kennedy of Sumner, announce their engagement and upcoming wedding. Parents of the couple are Roy and Allaine Long of Amherst and Sharen Kennedy of Bennett. Grandparents of the prospective bridegroom are Don and Dorothy Barger of Culbertson. ...

The family of Maurine E. Hofferber, a former McCook High School instructor and University of Nebraska at Kearney professor, is hosting a card shower in honor of her 90th birthday, Feb. 21. Her children are Marilyn and husband, Barry Hammond of Bowie, Md., and Jeanie and husband, Richard Hauxwell of McCook. She has seven grandchildren and seventeen great-grandchildren. Cards of congratulations will reach her at Hillcrest Nursing Home, 309 West Seventh, McCook, NE 69001...

Ben and Marci Cribbs of Northglenn, Colo., announce the birth of a daughter, Madisen Diane. She was born Friday (Feb. 14, 2002) and weighed 6 pounds, 14 ounces. She has a two-and-a-half year old sister, Haili. Grandparents are Gary and Pattie Apple of Thornton, Colo., and Dan and Dawn Cribbs of McCook. Her great-grandmother is Winnie Cribbs of Littleton, Colo...

Tilman and Debra Adair of Omaha are the parents of a baby girl, Gracelyn Jeanine, born Nov. 9 at Methodist Hospital in Omaha. She weighed 7 pounds, 2 ounces and was 21 1/2 inches in length. Gracie's grandparents are Barbara and Gene Morris of McCook, Craig Long of Grand Island and Rosemarie and John Adair of Omaha. Her great-grandparents are Ruth and Ellis Sutton of McCook. The baby's mother, the former Debra Long, is a 1981 graduate of Palisade High School...

You can't get a better deal than this. At no charge -- absolutely none -- you can get a smoke detector installed in your home by the McCook City and Volunteer Fire Department. The offer is open to anyone in McCook. "All you have to do is give us a call," says Marc Harpham, the McCook Fire Chief...

Dear Editor, A footnote to the article which appeared on page 13 of Thursday, Feb. 13 issue of the McCook Gazette titled "York girl's illnesses blamed on pesticides" by Sarah Fox, NPA Legislative News Service. The girl's mother, Cathy Moore, grew up in Cambridge and attended McCook Community College...

Dear Editor, My friend passed away four months ago February 14th. There was a very nice light put by his grave by his family so people would always know where to look. This was done before Christmas and he would get the other light for Christmas. Not a week or two after the first light was put out it was stolen and now we don't want to put the other out for fear that it would also be stolen...

Dear Editor, I read in the paper that my facts are not right. Well, the school board wants a new school. They will never get it because the taxpayers are in charge. The ward schools buildings are still good; why tear down a good building when you can refurbish it? Let's get down to the real truth and tell it like it is...

Dear Editor, In your Monday edition, Aug. 26, 2002, you printed my letter in Open Forum. The letter concerned my recollection of traveling through McCook on a troop train on my way to ship out from the west coast to the Pacific in 1945. Perhaps it would be of interest to your readers to know that I recently published a book, Spam Cans, Rice Balls and Pearls, about my experiences in World War II, much of which took place after my brief stop at McCook for coffee and donuts. ...

Dear Editor, Do you realize we are sitting on the edge of eternity? The massive peace rallies all over the world this weekend are a powerful sign that we are very close to the end of this age. The Bible has much to say about peace and there are a number of facets to peace...

Is your abode becoming boring? Ready for a little luxury? Are your windows leaky, your carpets grungy or your kitchen in need of help? Then roll out of bed, grab a bowl of cereal and head over to the McCook Chamber of Commerce's 13th annual Home and Builders Show...

Sarah Christine Gutchewsky and Joel Mark Uerling of McCook announce their engagement and upcoming wedding. Parents of the couple are Jack and Mary Gutchewsky of Herndon and Mark and Sherri Uerling of McCook. The bride-to-be is a 1999 graduate of Decatur Community High School and a 2002 graduate of Colby Community College with an associates degree in nursing. ...

The family of Earl A. Roberts of McCook is hosting a card shower in honor of his 80th birthday, Feb. 16. He was born in 1923 in Arthur County. His children include Sandra and Bill George of Lt. Libory, Linda Fisher of Sterling, Colo., Peggy and Ron Niebur and Earl and Cindy Roberts, all of McCook, David and Mary Ann Roberts of Littleton, Colo., Nancy and Dave Low of Lakewood, Colo., Diane Cubbon of Englewood, Colo., Duane and Connie Roberts of Lakewood, Colo., and Debbie and Ed Douglas of McCook. ...

CAMBRIDGE - Dr. Tami Johnson will leave Tri Valley Health System to be the new medical director of Region II Human Services. Johnson begins her new position March 3, working in Heartland mental health clinics in Ogallala, North Platte, McCook and Lexington...

(Clockwise, from upper left) Firefighter/paramedic Bob Allen (left) and McCook Police Officer and D.A.R.E. instructor Jerry Calvin pass out fire prevention and drug abuse education information -- and candy -- to Marisa (left) and Hailey Esch. Kacee (right) and Kaylee Samway visit with Dakota, the family pet and mascot for Gaston Lawns and Landscapes and Pet Pros of McCook. ...

Mandy King (left) and Linda Pick rehearse Motown music for McCook Senior High vocal music department's annual Cabaret Show Tuesday, Feb. 18, at McCook's Memorial Auditorium. The dinner, catered by Arby's, begins at 6:30 p.m., followed by the program at 7:30 p.m. ...

The McCook City Council is expected to take its first step toward asking city residents if they want to continue paying the city sales tax at its next meeting, Monday, 7:30 p.m. in the Council Chambers at Memorial Auditorium. If the council moves ahead with a proposal to continue the sales tax, the two questions on the ballot will be relatively simple: Should the city of McCook continue imposing a sales and use tax at a rate of one percent for goods and services sold in McCook and, if yes, should the city raise that tax rate an additional one-half percent?. ...

The Nebraska Arts Council Artist in Schools and Communities Program and McCook Arts Council are co-sponsoring a residency for Trish Place of Omaha, at North Ward Elementary, Feb. 24-28, for students in prekindergarten through fourth grade. Trish Place has entertained audiences throughout the state of Nebraska with her puppet shows adapted from familiar children's stories. ...

The annual fund raiser at Hillcrest for the American Heart Association got underway Friday with the selection of the (from left) 2003 Princess Nellie Silver, Queen Katherine Hastings, King Gerald Ogg and Prince Hank Heilers. Votes were $1 and a total of $481 was raised. ...

In response to the increasing number of methamphetamine labs being discovered in Southwest Nebraska and Northwest Kansas, area law enforcement agencies are looking at ways to keep the public informed. Six agencies are coming together to educate chemical and fertilizer dealers, farmers, landlords, store owners and anyone else interested on signs of a possible meth lab...

Photo courtesy of John Paul Devers, Inland Marine Svcs. Jeremy Faucher of Inland Marine Services, Denver, emerges from the city's 4 million gallon water tank after vacuuming manganese from the concrete walls and floor. The tank also won a clean bill of health from John Paul Devers, who said the tank showed no significant wear.The city of McCook will be chlorinating the city's water supply over the next three to five days as a precautionary measure following the cleaning of the tank. ...

CAMBRIDGE -- Cambridge and Arapahoe public schools will share one superintendent, according to a news story in the Cambridge Clarion. The Clarion reports the Cambridge and Arapahoe boards of education approved an interlocal agreement to share the services of Arapahoe's superintendent, Cindy Wendell, from July 1, 2003 through June 30, 2004...

Joan Meister hands a light bulb up to Scott Hunt Friday afternoon at the old Stage store in Westview Plaza in preparation for the opening of this weekend's 13th Annual Home & Builders Show. Meister and Hunt work for Trenton Electric. The show continues Saturday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is $1 for adults, children 12 and under free...

Twenty-seven-year-old Katie Stern learned about hope and the value of blood donations in the worst possible way on a cold winter day. She was driving on the Interstate on her way to a dinner date with friends when her tires lost traction on the ice and her car slid helplessly into a semi-trailer. Katie's car was crushed and she was unconscious and losing blood...

The cutline under a picture called "Grandpa's Blind" in Friday's Gazette gave the wrong date for the Southwest Nebraska Ducks Unlimited banquet. The banquet will be Saturday, March 22, at 5:30 p.m. at the American Legion hall in Benkelman. Sealed bids on outdoor and wildlife prints, which will hang at Sehnert's Dutch Oven Bakery and North Shore Marina, will be accepted until the banquet...

KEARNEY -- Nebraska Army National Guard soldiers from the 734th Transportation Battalion will leave Kearney for Fort Riley, Kan., March 5, for training in the United States war against terrorism. Master Sgt. Bill Carlson of Minden, formerly of Trenton, said Friday morning the soldiers are training in Kearney now and will receive more training at Fort Riley...

In 1948, The Cleveland Indians were engaged in a tight pennant race with the New York Yankees in the American Baseball League. The Indians' pitching staff needed help. Some of the sportswriters were saying that it would take a miracle to hold off the Yankees. Bill Veeck, the owner of the Cleveland Indians, felt he had just the miracle they needed. He activated Superman, in the form of a pitcher from the Negro Leagues, by the name of Satchel Paige...

Yesterday we celebrated the most important day of the year for those who are truly in love. Hope you didn't forget. Although we should celebrate the love we share with our soul mate EVERY day, unfortunately most of us don't. Which always brings up the question in many peoples' minds, "If he/she treats me so special on Valentine's Day, why don't they do it the rest of the year?" That's really the problem with "special" days. ...

Remember Ed Hering, the New Jersey kid at the McCook Army Air Base looking for the girl he dated when he was here? Well, Betty e-mailed me from her home in Boise, Idaho, saying that her friend in McCook had sent her my column asking if anyone knew where she was. ...

BOUNTIFUL, UTAH -- Vada Naomi Wolfe Groothuis, 88, died Wednesday (Feb. 12, 2003) at Rocky Mountain Care of Bountiful, Utah. She was born April 7, 1914, near Bird City to Sherman and Emma Rosella (Van Guilder) Wolfe. On May 16 , 1937, she married Ed Groothuis in Culbertson. He died in 1991...

ATWOOD -- Bernard Gabriel Sis, 74, of Atwood, died Saturday (Feb. 15, 2003) at his home following a short battle with cancer. He was born Jan. 24, 1929, to Joseph and Anastasia "Daisy" (Sabatka) Sis at his home. He attended country school at Prairie View through the eighth grade...