Stories from Friday, February 2, 2007

SOUTHWEST -- Southwest and Wauneta-Palisade's girls moved into the championships of the Golden Plains Activities Conference, after rallying back in their semifinals games on Thursday. Southwest battled Maywood for the chance at the GPAC title. The Roughriders fell behind the Tigers in the first half 32-22, but fired back in the second part of the game to take the 60-54 win...

GOTHENBURG -- McCook's seventh grade boys basketball teams were 2-1 against Gothenburg Thursday. The Bison won the A game over the Swedes 35-19 and the C game 14-9, but came short 16-15 in the B game. Joel Baker led the Bison boys in the A game with 10 points. Tanner Lake followed with 7 and Justin Fenny had 6...

NORTH PLATTE -- Fifteen wrestling teams competed in the Irish invite in North Platte Saturday. Anselmo-Merna won the event with Hershey coming in second and Southwest's wrestlings taking third. North Platte St. Pats finished in fourth and Chase County and Dundy County were fifth and sixth. Cambridge finished just out of the top ten at the No. 11 spot and Bertrand was No. 12...

OGALLALA -- McCook's eighth grade boys basketball team battled it out with Ogallala Tuesday night. The Bison came up short by 1 point in the A game and blasted the Ogallala team in the B game. Conner Larson led the Bison in the A game with 29 points Cody Goltl trailed with 7 and Drew Shields had 6...

Aug. 11, 1927 - Jan. 31, 2007 DRESDEN, Kan. -- Pauline M. Ritter, 79, died Wednesday (Jan. 31, 2007) at Decatur County Hospital. She was born Aug. 11, 1927, in rural Dresden, to Frank J. and Anna M. (Meitl) Dempewolf. She grew up on a farm in the Dresden area and attended Fairview No. 77 and Dresden High School. She graduated from Leoville High School in 1945...

HAYES CENTER -- For years, five Hayes County families dreamed of supplementing their farming and ranching operations, creating something that benefitted the community and, at the same time, encouraging young people to stay at home. With the creation of "Blackwood Hunting and Recreation LLC," the five families are achieving those goals...

BARTLEY -- A levee most Bartley residents didn't give a second thought was first listed Thursday as being in danger of failing under the onslaught of Republican River water, then disowned today by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Village board chairman Jim Morris said the levee started as part of Dry Creek on the west edge of town, which was straightened in the early 1950s to allow any Republican River flood water to drain back into the river...

About 500 A.D., the Celtic people in Europe believed that animals had supernatural powers on days that are halfway between the Winter Solstice and Spring Equinox. People in Germany and France thought that when marmots and bears came out of their dens too early, they were frightened by their shadow and went back inside for a month and a half...

Ten items or less After explaining that city workers were likely busy with other duties such as snow removal and power restoration since the holidays passed, I asked my kids if they had looked at the outside of their own house lately. While we never did get our Christmas lights up around the roof, a few wreaths and strands of lights adorned our patio over the holidays  where they still hang as we enter February. ...

It has been a month since Central Nebraska was introduced to the New Year by one of the worst -- if not the worst -- ice storms in public power's history. Amid the thousands of broken power poles and crumbled, steel towers were countless examples of customers exhibiting astonishing patience and understanding...

Good news! After hundreds of years of ministers, a model pastor has been found -- one who will please every church member. He is 26 years old and has been preaching for 30 years. He is tall, short, thin, heavyset, handsome and has one brown eye and one blue eye. His hair is parted in the middle (blond), left side (dark and straight) and on the right side (brown and wavy)...

March 15, 1937-Jan. 31, 2007 Donald Wayne Marvin, 69, of McCook, passed away Wednesday, Jan. 31, 2007, in Lincoln at Bryan LGH East. He was born March 15, 1937, in Fowler, Colo., to Lloyd and Emma (Glennemeir) Marvin. He graduated from Fowler High School in 1955. On Feb. 14, 1960, Donald married Pat Soden in Rock Ford, Colo...

The city manager would be allowed to purchase goods and services up to $20,000, without public bids, under a proposed Purchasing Procedure ordinance that is up for council approval at the McCook City Council Monday night. The meeting begins at 7:30 in City Council chambers...

Leslie Nolette of Oberlin found this photograph of a Civil War soldier tucked inside a box of towels she purchased at an estate auction at The Gateway in Oberlin in July or August, 2006. A handwritten note on the back of the photo reads: "We, the Wilson's, think this is Wm. ...

Kershaw pours in 30 points for Hitchcock County Falcons BENKELMAN -- Wauneta-Palisade and Hitchcock County's boys basketball teams will face off for the Golden Plains Activities Conference title Saturday. The two teams battled to the top of the GPAC bracket Friday. The Broncos defeated Hayes Center 96-54 and the Falcons edged by Wallace 54-44...

OGALLALA -- The McCook High School boys basketball team had one get away Friday night as Ogallala's Russell Thomas hit two free throws with 8 seconds left to lead the Indians past the Bison 54-53. McCook, which missed some key free throws in the waning seconds, missed a shot at the buzzer. The Bison led 53-50 with about a minute left and 53-52 with 30 seconds remaining...