Stories from Wednesday, April 14, 2004

By JOHN J. MESH Gazette Sports Editor The McCook High School girls tennis team swept all nine varsity matches against Ogallala Tuesday at the Bison Courts, but won just 2-of-9 matches against Holdrege. Kim Serbousek, Regina Rawlings, Tausha Escher, Alicia Shaffer, Natalie Brooks and Angela Abercrombie won singles matches against Ogallala...

Lawson claims medalist honors LEXINGTON -- The McCook High School boys golf team claimed first-place honors at the Lexington Invitational Tuesday. The meet took place at the Johnson Lake course. The Bison posted a 304 score, led by Tyler Lawson's first-place 70...

GOODLAND, Kan. -- The Oberlin boys golf team tied for ninth place at the Goodland Invitational Tuesday. The Red Devils tied with Hoxie with a 361 score. Atwood tied for seventh with Scott City at 352. Oberlin's Matt Mondero captured second-place medalist honors with a 75. He shot 38 on the front nine holes and 37 on the back nine...

ARAPAHOE -- A conservationist and avid fly fisherman from 17th-century England would be proud today of a group of outdoor enthusiasts from Arapahoe. Izaak Walton, dead since 1683, should be smiling in his grave. A group of men from Arapahoe have resurrected the community's "Izaak Walton League of America," and -- in the name of the man for whom the league is named -- encourages the protection, wise use and restoration of America's soil, air, woods, water and wildlife...

At his request, Marty Conroy, McCook Public Works Director has been given permission to relinquish his duties supervising city water and city sewer services. In a memo to City Manager John Bingham, Conroy wrote: "On Jan. 19, 2002 I accepted the additional duties of the utilities director position. Over the past 27 months, and more particularly, in the last 90 days, these duties and responsibilities have increased to a level that requires the attention of a full-time utility director...

Watch closely. The final two days of the 2004 Nebraska legislative session will be packed with action. In a telephone interview Tuesday from his office in Lincoln, State Sen. Tom Baker predicted that two constitutional amendments -- one dealing with casinos and the other with the state fair -- will be placed on the November ballot by the lawmakers...

**Dear Editor, It's probably a good thing our troops in Iraq didn't see the program Primetime Thursday on 4/8/04 that showed the deplorable conditions in two V.A. hospitals, one in Cleveland and the other in Texas, or they would all be bailing out. It seems the hostess, Dianne Sawyer, and crew, had inspected these hospitals two years ago. They were bad then, and even worse now. There was filthy bedding, bed sores, feces, mice and mouse droppings, plus lack of care by the nursing staff...

**Dear Editor, Just as you have a checking account to save and keep track of your dollars, so it is a nice idea to save your water until you need it. Put a few drops of dish soap in it to kill skeeter eggs and even a screen during the hot summer to double your defense. ...

I learned the art of diplomacy at my father's knee. Actually, a more accurate observation would be to say that I learned the art of diplomacy "over" my father's knee. Dealing with Dad was a lot like dealing with a two-headed serpent. Not only did he have a volatile temper, he was unpredictable as well. Just as soon as we five kids thought we had figured out what would or wouldn't set him off, it seemed he'd go off in a totally unexpected direction...

C.J. Jaeger tackles the dandelions that encroach on her yard from the ditch along U.S. Highway 6-34 east of McCook. C.J. said she may use some weed killer on the dandelions closer to the highway, but she digs the one near her yard. "They won't come back if you dig 'em," C.J. said...

Dec. 20. 1911-April 13, 2004 DENVER -- Josephine "Jo" Filothea Matisek, 92, died Tuesday (April 13, 2004) in Denver, Colo. She was born Dec. 20, 1911, to Joseph F. and Anna (Kytner) Matisek in rural Atwood. She attended grades 1-8 at Hawkeye School No. ...

The Bison Alumni Newsletter staff has compiled a complete list of lost McCook High School alumni. The staff is asking Gazette readers to help us find any of these "missing persons" so the newsletter can be sent to them. In addition, if you went to school here but didn‚t graduate and would like to receive the newsletter, send us your address with the year you would have graduated and we will put you on our mailing list...

The South Platte United Chambers of Commerce is celebrating 70 years.