Stories from Monday, May 19, 2003

CAMBRIDGE -- Walter Morgan Phillips, 82, died Saturday (May 17, 2003) at the Good Samaritan Hospital in Kearney. He was born Aug. 2, 1920, at the family home on the Medicine Creek in Frontier County, to William and Isabel (Morgan) Phillips. He attended District 15 school in Frontier County and graduated from the Nebraska School of Agriculture at Curtis in 1938...

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- Senior Airman Ryan Schauer and his wife, Stacey of Springfield, Mo., announce the birth of a son, Lucas Michael, born Monday (April 14, 2003). He has a three-year-old sister, Faith to welcome him home. Grandparents are Kevin and Candra Schauer of Springfield, formerly of McCook. Great-grandmothers are Velda Markland of Springfield, also a former McCook resident, and Roma Schauer of McCook...

War makes changes in everyone's life. Some are asked to sacrifice much, for their country, even their lives. In the recent war in Iraq members of the National Guard and the Reserve Forces willingly left their civilian jobs to serve for, they knew not how long, in military positions for which they had been trained...

The following story may or may not be appropriate for graduation time. I like to think that it is. A Gazette article of June 2, 1943, told of the McCook City Library receiving a "Pioneer Woman's Phamplet" by Mrs. Catherine Andrews, the grandmother of Mrs. Helen McCarl Cashen (of Helen's Hats) and the great grandmother of Kay Cashen Flaska...

If you're a music lover in any sense of the word, there's no reason why you shouldn't tap your feet to the sounds of your favorite groups this summer. For the first time since I started doing this annual round-up every summer, it has taken three columns to fit everything in that's going on. It should be a very musical summer...

Welcome to a totally unrelated mess of stuff that's floating around my head. If you are looking for a theme, forget it. So here it goes: - This is the end -- We're getting down to it. District track is this week and weekend in the state of Nebraska. Next week (May 22-24) is the Nebraska State Track and Field Championships at Omaha Burke High School...

It is possible to mean well and still not do what's best for those you serve. This thought comes to mind because of Gov. Mike Johanns' call for a 10 percent, across-the-board reduction in state spending. No doubt, the governor was thinking about the state's taxpayers when he made the proposal. By asking for the most severe spending cutback in more than 70 years, the governor was trying to ease the burden on citizens already besieged by economic troubles and the drought...

Dear Editor: Finally some young adults that truly understand the meaning of the word PRANK. While not totally original, it has the true earmark of a great prank. They were innovative, creative and most important, they were not destructive. If the "culprits" are ever found out, they should not be punished, but congratulated on doing something of this nature the right way...

It's been a long time coming, but finally the southwestern school districts in Nebraska are cooperating on a wide-ranging study which could revolutionize the way education is provided to students in this vast, but thinly populated region. After more than 75 years of continuing school closings and consolidations, the six remaining districts from McCook west to the Colorado state line are pooling funds to pay for a feasibility study regarding possible reorganization...

CAMBRIDGE -- Darlene E. Premer, 78, died Saturday (May 17, 2003) at the Cambridge Memorial Hospital in Cambridge. She was born Jan. 25, 1925, in Red Willow County near Bartley on the family farm. She attended school in Bartley and graduated from Bartley High School. ...

NORTH PLATTE -- Patrick and Nicole Cribbs of Wellfleet announce the birth of their daughter, Harley Nicole on Tuesday (May 13, 2003). She weighed 8 pounds, 2 ounces and has a three-year-old brother, Brayden. Grandparents are Ron and Cindy Sabin and Dan and Dawn Cribbs, all of McCook. Great-grandparents are Marilyn and Dan Sabin of Lexington; Fay Claflin of Farnam; and Winifred Cribbs of Littleton, Colo...

PAPILLION -- Teresa and Troy Greve of Papillion announce the birth of their son, Trae Dean, May 2, 2003. He weighed 5 pounds and 6 ounces. Grandparents are Gilbert and Karen Larson of Curtis, Diana Tappe of McCook and the late Dean Greve. Great-grandmothers are Agnes Johnson and Elsie Larson, both of Gothenburg...

IMPERIAL -- Bob and Lori Mendenhall of Imperial announce the birth of their daughter, Lindsey Erin, Friday (May 9, 2003) in Imperial. She weighed 6 pounds and 0.1 ounces. She has a brother, Logan, who is two-years-old. Grandparents are Bob and Judy Mendenhall of Champion and Dan and Susan Ladenburger of Stratton. Great-grandparents are George and Dorothy Ladenberger of Oakley, Kan., and Vera Mendenhall of Imperial...

Deanna Carpenter (top right), one of McCook Senior High's newest graduates, hugs fellow graduate Stuart Frazier. Graduate Jessica Allberry (center) gets a hug from her little sister, 11-year-old Shayna, of North Platte, after graduation ceremonies. Jessica plans to play volleyball for Central Community College in Columbus. Tyler Randolph (right photo) and Nolan Brown celebrate their graduation from MHS Sunday afternoon. The two are members of the 118th graduating class of MHS...

Leslea Williams and Brady McKillip announce their engagement and upcoming wedding. Parents of the couple are Kenna Williams and the late Bruce Williams and Randy and Sherry McKillip of McCook. The bride-to-be is attending Graceland University in Lamoni, Iowa majoring in elementary education. ...

Trena Dejmal of Wahoo and Robert T. Miller of Cambridge announce their engagement and upcoming wedding. Parents of the couple are Joe and Candy Dejmal of Oberlin and Kim and Kathy Miller of Cambridge. The bride-to-be received her bachelor of arts in education from the University of Nebraska at Kearney. ...

Elizabeth Coates of McCook and Thomas Kehler of Culbertson announce their engagement and upcoming wedding. Parents of the couple are Gary and Carole Coates of Parks and Marcella Kehler of Culbertson and the late William Kehler. The bride-to-be is employed with Community Hospital of McCook and the prospective bridegroom is employed with Farmers Coop of Culbertson. The couple is planning a June 16, 2003, ceremony at the Rock Creek Fish Hatchery in Parks...

The family of Robert and Veronika "Verna" (Sis) Dame are hosting an open house Sunday, 2-4 p.m., at Heritage Senior Center in McCook in honor of the couple's 50th wedding anniversary. They were married June 9, 1953, at St. John's Catholic Church in rural Atwood. Their children are David and wife, Cindy, Doug and wife, Brenda and Roger and wife, Linda, all of McCook. They have eight grandchildren. Cards of congratulation will reach them at 809 West J Street, McCook, NE 69001...

Sabrina Maddux of Platteville, Colo., and Christopher Sandavol of Longmont, Colo., announce their engagement and upcoming wedding. Parents of the couple are Teresa Maddux of Platteville, Colo., Mr. and Mrs. Mike Maddux of Wauneta and Mr. and Mrs. Rick Sandavol of Longmont. Grandparents of the bride-to-be are Mr. and Mrs. Robert Keating of Palisade and Mr. and Mrs. Joe Maddux of Wauneta. The couple is planning an Aug. 9, 2003, ceremony at the KMR Angus Ranch in Platteville...

The family of Jack and Carol Kelley of McCook are hosting a card shower in honor of the couple's 40th anniversary, May 25. Children of the couple are Barb and husband, Mike Czarnick of Omaha, Bob of North Platte and Laura and husband, Kevin Erskine of Lincoln. The couple has five grandchildren. Cards of congratulations will reach the couple at 1311 West Third, McCook, NE 69001...

The family of Jack and Carol Kelley of McCook are hosting a card shower in honor of the couple's 40th anniversary, May 25. Children of the couple are Barb and husband, Mike Czarnick of Omaha, Bob of North Platte and Laura and husband, Kevin Erskine of Lincoln. The couple has five grandchildren. Cards of congratulations will reach the couple at 1311 West Third, McCook, NE 69001...

The family of Freda Olson are hosting an open house and card shower in honor of her 92nd birthday May 24, 2-4 p.m., at Riverside Lodge in Grand Island. She was employed for the Red Willow County Courthouse for many years. Cards of congratulations will reach her at Riverside Lodge, 404 Woodland Drive, Room 22, Grand Island, NE 68801...

The family of Burdell Thurston is hosting an open house and card shower in honor of his 80th birthday, May 25, 2-5 p.m., First Baptist Church, 1010 East Sixth. Cards of congratulations will reach him at 109 Sioux Road, McCook, NE 69001.

The decision of whether two local engineering firms will develop the city's new water well field will once again be before the McCook City Council at its regular meeting Monday night. The same proposal was tabled at the council's May 5 meeting. McCook city administrators asked the council to approve contracts with Miller & Associate and W Design to develop the city's proposed wellfield north of McCook...

Dwain Claypool of Port Orchard, Wash., takes a breather at Mac's Drive In in McCook earlier this week, on his way to Garden City, Kan., and then to Padukah, Ky., where he will begin retracing the path of the Lewis & Clark expedition on his bicycle. Over the years, Claypool, who retired from the Bremerton, Wash., shipyard, has bicycled across Canada, through Alaska, to Cape Cod and Florida...

McCook High School senior Jill Hansen looked back Sunday afternoon on classroom lessons that taught her the periodic table of chemical elements, and on life lessons that taught her honesty ... integrity ... compassion. She learned both kinds of lessons, she said, in school. And while she may not always remember the periodic table, Jill told her fellow graduates she'll forever remember lessons that taught her how to build and nurture relationships...

Mary Dueland accepts a plaque from Duane Tappe, after she was named "McCook Area Educator of the Year," for 2002-2003. The purpose of the award is to encourage and recognize outstanding performance in the field of education, with special emphasis on motivating students to reach their highest potential. ...

ST. FRANCIS -- The 21st Annual Stearman Fly-In is set for Saturday and Sunday, June 14-15, at the Cheyenne Co. Airport in St. Francis. Admission is free. Breakfast and lunch will be available on the field, and a barbecue is set for Saturday night in the park. Saturday night's activities also include a special Amelia Earhart performance. Tandem skydives also will be available...

NORTH PLATTE -- The Mid-Plains Community College Board of Governors will meet for a Board Retreat from 3:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. CDT on Wednesday at the Holiday Inn Express in North Platte. The Board is expected to discuss organizational structure, the upcoming North Central Review of the institution and the community college foundations...

Final details for the upcoming open house at the McCook Work Ethic Camp were made Thursday afternoon at the WEC Community Involvement Committee meeting. The open house is set for Friday, May 23, and will include an opportunity for the general public to tour the two-year-old facility...

It is possible to mean well and still not do what's best for those you serve. This thought comes to mind because of Gov. Mike Johanns' call for a 10 percent, across-the-board reduction in state spending. No doubt, the governor was thinking about the state's taxpayers when he made the proposal. By asking for the most severe spending cutback in more than 70 years, the governor was trying to ease the burden on citizens already besieged by economic troubles and the drought...

Dear Editor: Finally some young adults that truly understand the meaning of the word PRANK. While not totally original, it has the true earmark of a great prank. They were innovative, creative and most important, they were not destructive. If the "culprits" are ever found out, they should not be punished, but congratulated on doing something of this nature the right way...

The Shrine Circus will be in McCook Wednesday, with performances at 2 and 7 p.m. at the Red Willow County Fairgrounds. Ticket sales help to pay for transportation and other expenses for children treated at Shriner's hospitals. Children from Southwest Nebraska and Northwest Kansas receive treatment at hospitals in St. Paul, Minn., Chicago, Ill., and Galveston, Texas...

This 1932 Ford Sedan, owned by Ken Gupton of Brighton, Colo., drew plenty of lookers at the Atwood Early Rod Run over the weekend. Approximately 350 vehicles were registered for the event with nearly 100 of them taking part in the drag races on Saturday afternoon. The weekend capped off Sunday with a poker run in the morning and plaque and trophy presentations at noon...

McCook High School junior Lisa Friehe spins into motion during her first-place effort in the girls discus competition at the Nebraska Class B-6 District track meet Thursday at Ogallala. Friehe qualified for state with a throw of 129 feet, 4 inches. Her season-best mark is 129-9. The Nebraska State High School Track and Field Championships starts Thursday and comcludes the following Saturday. Omaha Burke will host the state meet...

The McCook School Age Special Olympics team participated in district-level bowling, swimming and track and field this season. Athletes that placed first, second and third qualified for the state meet in Omaha Thursday through next Saturday (May 24)...

OBERLIN -- The St. Francis girls track team claimed third place at the Northwest Kansas League track meet Friday, scoring 87 points. Oberlin placed fourth with 75 points, while Hoxie was sixth with 64 points. The Colby girls won the team title with 124 points...

SCOTTSBLUFF -- Several area volleyball players have been selected for the 19th annual Western Nebraska All-Star Volleyball game, scheduled for Saturday, June 7 in Scottsbluff. The 12 members for the East and West squads were selected from nominations by their respective high school coach...

LINCOLN -- Forty-three of Mitch Light's family members attended the Lincoln Marathon May 4, to run, walk or cheer in celebration of the completion of Mitch's Mission, which he completed in August and returned from Quatar to join his family this year in the marathon...

HASTINGS -- The McCook High School girls tennis team finished seventh at the Greater Nebraska Athletic Conference meet Saturday at Hastings. Lexington won the team title with 34 points, followed by Scottsbluff 30, North Platte 29, Kearney 26, Hastings 15, Columbus 15, McCook 12 and Norfolk 7...

OBERLIN -- Atwood High School golfers Jordan Hagler and Chris Lamb finished as the first- and second-place medalists at the Northwest Kansas League tournament Friday. The tournament was played at the Oberlin Country Club. Colby won the team title with a course-record 319 score. The Eagles eclipsed the old mark of 322 set by Oberlin in 1983...

Heavy rain the night before made for extra work to get the McCook Speedway tracks in racing condition Friday. David Murray of Oberlin, Jason Schoenberger of Russell, Kan., and McCook drivers Kent Davis, John Berry Leelan Bieker and Darren Berry showed they were in racing condition, winning the night's A Features...

NORTH PLATTE -- Less rain during the week made for a racier track at Lincoln County Raceway in North Platte on May 17. Promoters Brien and Amy Black helped make four youngsters faster in the neighborhoods as they gave away four bicycles during intermission...

SCOTTSBLUFF -- McCook will be well represented at the 26th annual Western Nebraska All-Star Football Game, with four players from the Class B championship team. McCook players include Rocky Esteraich, Luke Olson, Nathan Reicks and Spencer Walter, Republican Valley will have three representatives on the East squad with Buck Haag, Blake Shuler and Chad Stewart selected to the West team...

It's been a long time coming, but finally the southwestern school districts in Nebraska are cooperating on a wide-ranging study which could revolutionize the way education is provided to students in this vast, but thinly populated region. After more than 75 years of continuing school closings and consolidations, the six remaining districts from McCook west to the Colorado state line are pooling funds to pay for a feasibility study regarding possible reorganization...