Stories from Wednesday, September 1, 2004

McCook evens record at 3-3 with 6-0 victory The McCook High School varsity softball team could score just one run in the first five innings against the Cozad Haymakers Tuesday night at Jaycees Sports Complex. But the Bison broke the game open in the bottom of the sixth with five runs to give sophomore pitcher Taryn Placzek all she needed for the victory...

McCook Daily Gazette The McCook boys tennis team played its first home matches Tuesday and shut out Hershey 9-0. The Bison got off to a great start by taking all three doubles matches. "We played our style of tennis with a lot of intensity as the scores showed," said McCook tennis coach Matt Wiemers...

Feb. 17, 1909-Aug. 31, 2004 ARAPAHOE -- Leo Warner, 95, died Tuesday (Aug. 31, 2004) at his home in Arapahoe. He was born Feb. 17, 1909, to Fred F. and Amelia (Emkow) Warner. He attended country school through the 8th grade. He began to farm with his father and later took over the farming with his brother, Herbert. Leo and Herbert moved from the farm in 1970 to a house in Holbrook...

Two bits, four bits, six bits, a dollar. If you don't like the ideas for Nebraska's quarter design, there's not much time left to stand up and holler. In fact, only a few hours. According to the schedule announced months ago, the public has until 11:59 p.m. ...

Walter Mitty (of the "Secret Life of Walter Mitty" fame) ain't got nothin' on me. My penchant for an active fantasy life first revealed itself during the lazy summer afternoons spent touring the high country in the company of my parents and four siblings...

Closed forum? Dear Editor, If the Gazette should accede to the demands of a few and establish a policy that letters about religious matters be published only on Friday, in the religion section of the paper, then OPEN FORUM would have to be changed to CLOSED FORUM and tyranny would have won out once again. Is that what we want?...

**Dear Editor, I would just like to make a comment to whether we should or shouldn't have Bible study and prayer in school. From what I understand of the First Amendment, we have freedom of speech and freedom of religion and such. I feel if the kids want to practice their beliefs in school they should be allowed to -- up to a point -- as long as it's not hurting anyone else in the process. ...

**Dear Editor, This will be my last letter to the editor. I write only to offer my bonafides and to allay the suggestion by some writers that THEY are a Christian, which implies I am not. I have had theological training. I was a licensed pastor of a christian church for several years. ...

**Dear Editor, Couldn't find Mike on your websight but just wanted to thank him for his kind words towards our band, "Blackberry Winter", who played in Indianola on Aug. 14th. His article was in your paper on August 20th regarding having a "good day"...

Even though official fall enrollment counts aren't taken until mid-October, McCook Community College officials are pleased about preliminary student counts and other first-week indicators like Brooks Hall being filled past capacity. "While enrollments occur throughout the semester, it appears that our classrooms are fuller than last fall," according to Chuck Salestrom, area director of public information and marketing...

Red Willow County's board of equalization has reduced the valuation of land and improvements owned by a rural McCook couple who have had to haul water to their property since their water wells started failing two years ago. County commissioners, acting as the board of equalization, reduced by 70 percent the tax valuation of the 12.43 acres and home owned by Robert and Colletta Parsons. The Parsonses told their tale of water woes to commissioners during valuation protest hearings in July...

A lot of the pieces have to fall into place, but a $275,000 grant has the potential to increase air service in Southwest Nebraska. U.S. Sen. Chuck Hagel announced today that the McCook Municipal Airport and North Platte Regional Airport were awarded a $275,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation to promote air service...

Sunflowers soak up the last rays of August sunshine in a scene from near Max. McCook ended the month more than two inches below normal precipitation for the month, but remains one and a half inches above normal for the year. (Bill Coe)