Stories from Friday, December 12, 2003

The Republican Valley and Dundy County boys and girls basketball teams each advanced into the championship bracket at the Cattle Trail Invitational tournament with wins on Thursday. In the girls division, other winners from Thursday night's opening round were Hayes Center and Medicine Valley...

GOODLAND, Kan. -- The McCook High School boys and girls basketball teams swept Wray, Colo., Thursday in the first round of the Goodland, Kan., Topside Tipoff Classic Tournament. The Bison boys (2-1) blasted Wray 76-58 on the strength of a 25-point effort by senior forward Paul Putz...

CAMBRIDGE -- Using an 11-6 fourth quarter, Wauneta-Palisade edged Cambridge 52-51 in girls basketball Thursday night. Three Broncos reached double-digits, led by 14 from Stacy Alberts. Ashley Hunt added 12 and Janae Harris 11. Hunt led in rebounding with nine off the boards...

**Jessica Allberry earns honors for volleyball at CCC-Columbus COLUMBUS -- Jessica Allberry of McCook was named to the All-Tournament Team at the Little King Invitational and received All-Nebraska Community College Athletic Association, All-Region IX East and Region IX All-Tourney Team volleyball honors...

BIRD CITY -- At two months old, Kade Matthew has fretful days, but he sleeps at night. He likes to rock and he prefers Mom to a babysitter. Kade's a blue-eyed doll. Really, he's a doll ... a toy ... a plaything. The doll is Shellie Felzien's "son," an experiment in her child development class at Cheylin High School...

CURTIS -- Finding funding for many issues will be difficult this year, and the Legislature will have other issues requiring special attention, State Sen. Tom Baker told members of the Middle Republican Natural Resources District board of directors at an annual awards and recognition luncheon...

COLUMBUS -- Today, the Nebraska Public Power District Board of Directors gave its management the authority to construct a 30-megawatt wind farm near Ainsworth, with the ability to expand up to 75-megawatts. Management will work to complete negotiations with Omaha Public Power District and Jacksonville Electric Authority for 10 megawatts each, and will market an additional 25 megawatts to other public entities...

Everywhere you go in Nebraska these days, the hot topics of discussion are (1) The firing of the University of Cornhuskers' head football coach, Frank Solich; and: (2) Speculation about who will replace him as the Huskers' head man. All sorts of names have been bandied about, ranging all the way from coaches in the National Football League to current Nebraska assistants Bo Pelini and Turner Gill. ...

The phone rings and it's a solicitor claiming to represent a state patrol association or the sheriff's department alliance. My mind starts racing: Is the dog locked up? Are my license plates up-to-date? Did they figure out I lied about my height AND weight on my driver's license?...

**Dear Editor, I would like to send my congratulations to Sheriff Mahon. I've been in Law Enforcement for 23 years and owe everything I know to the training, dedication and friendship I received from then "Sgt. Mahon" during my formative years as an officer with the McCook Police Department...

**Dear Editor, Another try for more secrecy in government is about to be made. University of Nebraska Regent Kent Schroeder of Kearney believes the state's sunshine law restricts the number of applicants for public positions. Schroeder feels having taxpayers in the loop scares away some applicants who don't want their present employers to know they are looking for another job...

James "Jim" Brooks, 70, died Thursday (Dec. 11, 2003) at his home in McCook. Mass of Christian burial is Tuesday, 10:30 a.m., at St. Patrick's Catholic Church in McCook. The rosary will be recited Monday, 7:30 p.m., at Carpenter Breland Funeral Home of McCook...