Stories from Friday, December 8, 2006

GOODLAND -- McCook's boys and girls basketball team battled it out in with Goodland and Ottawa in the Topside Tipoff tournament in Goodland Thursday. The Bison boys team came away with a tough 58-56 loss to Goodland in overtime. The girls were also edge out by Ottawa, 55-42...

April 9, 1924 - Dec. 6, 2006 LUDELL -- Joseph "Joe" F. Schmaderer 82, died Wednesday (Dec. 6, 2006) at Hays Medical Center in Hays, Kan. He was born April 9, 1924, on a farm in Red Willow County. He grew up on a farm north of Herndon and later moved with the family to a farm southeast of Atwood in 1938. He attended rural one-room schools both in Nebraka and Kansas...

July 28, 1940 - Dec. 6, 2006 PITTSBURG, Kan -- Robert L. Burham, 66, died Wednesday (Dec. 6, 2006) at Golden Living Center. He was born July 28, 1940, in McCook to Don and Doris (Banks) Burham. He graduated from McCook High School in 1958. He married Charlene Price on Aug. 1, 1969, in McCook. They moved to Pittsburg, Kan., in 1975 from California...

Blame it on global warming -- and a dwindling customer base. Those factors and more were given by representatives for the Kinder Morgan gas distribution company Thursday night in McCook at a Nebraska Public Service Commission hearing. The hearing, one of nine across the state, was conducted by the commission and part of the process needed for Kinder Morgan to raise its rates...

On Friday, Dec. 15, Gov. Dave Heineman, the Department of Natural Resources, all of the Republican River Basin Natural Resources District board members and managers, are expected to be in attendance at a water meeting in McCook.   The governor has the floor beginning at 10 a.m. until about 2 p.m., central time, in a public meeting at the Republican River Valley Event Center, (old Elk's Club) at 905 7th St. E, McCook...

Santa's mailbox is ready and waiting for kids' letters to be published on Dec. 18. To be included, they must be received by this Monday, Dec. 11. Drop them by the McCook Daily Gazette office at West First and E Street, or mail them to: Letters to Santa, c/o McCook Daily Gazette, P.O. Box 1268, McCook NE 69001...

If it looks like a duck, quacks like a duck and walks like a duck, then it must be ... a chicken. That's what the Liquor Control Commission would have us believe. Following a legislative battle, complete with a slew of amendments by Sen. Ernie Chambers that effectively killed a bill to reclassify flavored alcoholic beverages, the commission waved a wand last July and suddenly, the "alcopops" as they are known by opponents, became "beer."...

Ideally, I would like to say all of my meaningful, thoughtful presents are bought, the lights are hung and the baby Jesus figurine is always in its rightful location in the miniature Nativity scene in the living room. Realistically, I have randomly bought some presents, the lights are still sitting in their storage box on the front porch and baby Jesus makes an appearance for a few hours before disappearing for days at a time...

Aug. 25, 1931-Nov. 17, 2006 TORRINGTON, Wyo. -- Robert "Bob" Louis Solko, 75, died Nov. 17, 2006, in Eugene, Ore. He was born Aug. 25, 1931, to Herman and Luella (Kompus) Solko on a farm near Herndon. He graduated from Herndon High School in 1949. He served in the U.S. Army during the Korean War from 1951-1953...

PALISADE -- A new sign sits on Palisade's main street and tells the story -- abridged, of course -- of how people of different cultures can work together and trust each other even during the world's worst times. The sign explains how German prisoners of war helped Hitchcock County farmers during the heart of the Second World War...

If there is such a thing as a community heirloom, Santa Claus Lane qualifies, It was a big deal when I was a child, it was a big deal to my children and my grandchildren as well as thousands of youngsters from all over the region. Sadly, it has been allowed to deteriorate to a point that approaches embarrassment. ...