Stories from Friday, December 29, 2006

HASTINGS -- The McCook High School boys and girls basketball team both suffered tough losses in their opening games Thursday at the Greater Nebraska Athletic Conference Holiday Tournament at Hastings. The Bison boys dropped to 3-4 with a 59-36 loss to North Platte and the Bison girls fell to 2-6 with a 41-26 loss to Columbus...

SIOUX CITY, Iowa -- The Hastings College women's basketball team, the defending NAIA Division II champions, outscored Morningside College 48-28 in the second half Thursday at Sioux City, Iowa, and posted an 86-64 victory. Hastings, ranked No. 23 in NAIA II, improved to 10-4. Morningside, No. 9, dropped to 12-4...

GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- Kelsey Griffin produced her fifth double-double of the season to lead four Huskers in double figures as the Nebraska women's basketball team advanced to the championship game of the State Farm Classic with a 94-74 win over NC State at the O'Connell Center on Thursday afternoon...

OMAHA -- Three McCook Community College sophomore volleyball players are honorable mention selections to the Omaha World-Herald's All-Nebraska Junior College Volleyball Team. They are Cayla Skaritka, 5-foot-9 right-side hitter, McCook and Southwest High School; Sara Cappel, 5-5, libero/defensive specialist, McCook and McCook High School; and Crystal Zwickl, 5-8 outside hitter, Wellfleet and Maywood High School...

As area residents continue to clean up after last week's ice storm, another massive storm approaching the region has been predicted to dump up to 10 inches of snow. McCook is on the dividing line of this winter storm, said Brad Michelson of the national weather station out of Goodland Kan...

Making the budget process more transparent is the reasoning behind the financial policy McCook City Manager Kurt Fritsch proposed at the Dec. 18 City Council meeting. Fritsch plans to bring the policy as a resolution for the council to adopt at its Jan. 2 meeting...

Oncoming traffic meets a northbound Nebraska Department of Roads snowplow seven miles south of McCook on Highway 83 midmorning today. Despite the blading, the highway disappeared quickly under huge snowflakes.

A billion dollars is a lot of money in a state like Nebraska, even spread out over four years as proposed by Gov. Dave Heineman. If he can pull it off, his tax cut proposal could really make a difference for the taxpayers it targets. A family of four with an adjusted gross income of $30,000 a year would save $120 or 44 percent, a family earning $50,000 would save $227 or 20 percent and a family earning $75,000 would have a $504 or 19 percent reduction in income taxes...

With only a few days until the beginning of new year, it's time to start working on those resolutions. For many of us, it may be the same resolution which has been considered the past five years. Others may be trying something new this next year. Either way, how you address the resolution may determine whether you will succeed or fail since half of all resolutions are abandoned by February 1. ...

The recent exhibit at the historical society, "Painting Music: Ryhthm and Movement in Art," has closed. Hurray! It was a complete eyesore and an embarrasment to McCook. And, also a waste of money. The essay in the catalogue was boring enough. The author, Sharen Kendidy, or whomever, sounds like another graduate student with a first job...

TELLURIDE, Colo. -- Kent Jay Carter, 47, died Friday, Dec. 15, 2006, at his home in Telluride, Colo. He was born July 20, 1959, in McCook, and graduated from McCook Senior High in 1977. He obtained his insurance, real estate broker and investment broker license, and worked for Gateway Realty. He became a career agent with the Marr Agency with Ohio National. He obtained "VIP of the Year" his first full year...

COLBY?--?Nadine Bernice Shull, 74, died Nov. 5, 2006. She was born Sept. 16, 1932, in McCook, to Bernard and Elnora (Lans) Balius. She graduated from McCook High School and moved to Colby. She married Donald Dean Shull on Feb.11, 1953, in Colby. They lived in Colby. She worked as a bookkeeper for their business, Don's Drive-In Café in Oakley, for 25 years. She was also a homemaker and a seasonal receptionist for the Maciejewski CPA firm in North Platte...

CITRUS HEIGHTS, Calif. -- Doris A. Bower Ball, 86, died Nov. 26, 2006, in Citrus Heights. She was born in a family of 11 children in Danbury on June 22, 1920. She graduated from Danbury High School. She was married to Arlie Bower of McCook for 50 years. He preceded her in death in 1990. She lived in Richmond, Calif. and worked as a chief bookkeeper at the Richmond Independent newspaper for 14 years...

Marilyn Gladys Rucker, 78, died Thursday (Dec. 28, 2006) at Good Samaritan Hospital in Kearney. Services will be Tuesday, 1:30 p.m., at Union Congregational United Church of Christ in Hayes Center with the Rev. Fay Ann Blaylock officiating. Visitation will be Sunday from 2-4 p.m., at Carpenter Breland Funeral Home in McCook and from 11 a.m., until the time of service at the church in Hayes Center on Tuesday...