Stories from Thursday, July 13, 2006

Both the McCook National Bank Seniors and First Central Bank Juniors piled up the runs Tuesday night at home against Cozad. The Seniors blasted Cozad 15-0 in a four-inning run-rule game and the Juniors scored seven runs in the bottom of the fifth inning to win a come-from-behind 17-16 decision...

The McCook High School Bison boys basketball team has had a very busy and successful summer with players attending several individual and team camps throughout Nebraska, Colorado, and Minnesota. Friday, there will be games in the senior and junior high gyms starting at 8 a.m. with the last game being played at 2 p.m. at the senior high...

ASHLAND (nebgolf.org) -- McCook High School alum Brandon Crick was selected for the fourth time to participate in the Nebraska North/South Cup, which matches the top 12 male and female junior golfers against each other in a Ryder Cup format. The 2006 North-South Junior Cup Matches pit the top 24 junior golfers from across Nebraska against one another in a Ryder Cup-style team competition...

Youth basketball starts again on Sunday The McCook Bison boys basketball program will start to work with boys in grades 3-6 again on Sunday evenings at 5:30 in the senior high gym. This Sunday will be an "open gym" for the players and the following Sunday skills, fundamentals and drills will start to be incorporated...

Nov. 15, 1922 - July 12, 2006 Virginia Lee Clifton died Wednesday (July 12, 2006) at Hillcrest Nursing Home.  She was 83 years old. She was born Nov. 15, 1922, to E. Carl and Bessie (Austin) Macy in Marion.  She graduated from McCook High School in 1940 and McCook Junior College in 1973...

March 23, 1954 - July 10, 2006 WAUNETA -- Kent Steckman, 52, died Monday (July 10, 2006) at his home in Wauneta. Services will be Friday at 10 a.m. (MDT) at the United Methodist Church in Wauneta, with the Rev. Judy Dye officiating. Interment will follow at Riverside Cemetery in Wauneta...

By LORRI SUGHROUE City Editor Democratic gubernatorial candidate David Hahn said that his opponent, Gov. Dave Heineman, is "playing hide and seek" when it comes to debates. Hahn is proposing eight debates; Gov. Heineman said he would be willing to do three, with the first debate scheduled Aug. 29 at the Nebraska State Fair...

By CONNIE JO DISCOE Regional Editor CULBERTSON -- The authors of a book about the cattle drives that trudged through Hitchcock County in the late 1800s hope to give national status to "The Western," which, according to Gary and Margaret Kraisinger, is "the greatest of all Texas cattle trails."...

The effort to raise academic standards is noble, but the McCook school board did the right thing Monday night in turning down new rules that would have tightened requirements for sports. Under the proposal, which was defeated 5-1, teachers would have been required to report all students with failing grades every Friday. Students failing two or more classes would have had a week to raise their grades, or be ineligible for sports or other extracurricular activities the following week...

This week Ann and I were privileged to watch a grandson, TJ Monzon, play baseball in the Cubs tournament at Felling Field. We were impressed with the quality of the total experience. Head Umpire Ron Kruger and his crew were superb in keeping the games, the players and even the crowd under control. The coaches are to be complimented for encouraging each boy on their teams and getting each player to do his best...

I am outraged at the decision the school board has made to turn down stiffer sports requirements. I think our school board could learn a lot by watching the movie Coach Carter, which is available for rent at the local video store. In the movie the coach was more concerned about the education of his team members than he was in whether or not the team could play. ...

Since Brad left for Wyoming in mid-April, I've been trying to find ways to keep myself occupied. I've made a trip to Southeast Oklahoma. I've tried to keep the house in decent condition. I've worked on building a new deck, which he helped me finish on his days back in McCook, and I made my final trip to Gillette...