Stories from Tuesday, September 23, 2003

OGALLALA -- McCook High School junior Katherine Morell claimed the second-place individual medal at the Ogallala Invitational girls golf tournament. Morell tied with Ogallala's Ellen Anderson for first place in regulation with a 77. She shot 41 on the front nine holes and 36 on the back nine. Anderson defeated Morell in a playoff for the first-place medal. The McCook girls golf team placed seventh out of nine teams with a 420 score...

SCOTTSBLUFF -- McCook football coach Jeff Gross is a big believer in the 80-yard drive. He likes it when his team grinds out the long drives, particularly when they end in points. He doesn't mind it when opposing teams try to march down the field and consume time off the clock, especially when the Bison defense keeps the opponent off the scoreboard...

Elise Myer, the 4-year-old daughter of Phil and Sally Myer of McCook, stands beside a 3 1/2-foot-tall Victorian dollhouse handcrafted by Wayne and Ruth Joy of Trenton. The Joys have donated the house to help raise funds for Habitat for Humanity and the McCook Pantry. ...

By CONNIE JO DISCOE Regional Editor Red Willow County commissioners Monday morning authorized the county treasurer to proceed with foreclosure actions on 10 properties whose owners are at least three years in arrears on their property taxes. County Treasurer Marleen Garcia told commissioners that these property owners now have two years during which they can redeem the properties before sheriff's sales...

Steve and Mary (Morell) Cuellar of Culbertson will celebrate their 25th anniversary Sept. 23. They were married in 1978 in McCook. Their children are Louis Cuellar and Lauren Cuellar, both of Kearney.

The family of Jack and Valerie Blauvelt is hosting a card shower in honor of the couple's 25th anniversary Sept. 23. They were married at the United Methodist Church in Arapahoe. Their children are Darcie and Rick Johnson of Culbertson, Mark and Amy Hurdle of McCook, Dawn and Travis Rogers of Jackson, N.J., Tammy and John Ernst of Council Bluffs, Iowa, Steven Blauvelt of Casper, Wyo., and Christiane Blauvelt of Spokane, Wash. ...

The family of Theda Beth and Dale Stanley are hosting a card shower in honor of the couple's 40th anniversary Sept. 29, 2003. Their children are Laura Ritter of Selden, Kan., Ellen Meissner of McCook, Jay Stanley and Troy Stanley, both of Omaha. They have nine grandchildren. Cards of congratulations will reach the couple at 70856 Road 414, Wilsonville, NE 69046...

Bible accurate Dear Friends, I want to thank Dave Franke for his insightful letter on the 10 Commandments. Since the Warren Supreme Court ordered that they be removed from the walls of our school classrooms in 1963 our nation has gone down, down, down...

With a mixture of excitement and anxiety, the planning committee for McCook's 2003 Heritage Days celebration gathered this morning to wrap up preparations for the Wednesday-through-Sunday event. "Every year it amazes me the support we receive," said Marie Owen, the executive director of the McCook Area Chamber of Commerce. ...