Stories from Monday, February 19, 2007

OMAHA-- Troy Stanley and Michelle Reeh were united in marriage at the historic Joslyn Castle in Omaha June 10, 2006. Parents of the couple are Dale and Theda Beth Stanley of Wilsonville and Warren Reeh of Blair and the late Ruth Reeh. Bridesmaid were Andrea and Ashley Reeh, sister and neice of the bride. ...

NORTH PLATTE -- Amanda Doucette and Aaron Burks of Lincoln were united in marriage on Oct. 28, 2006, at Becky's Hall of Celebrations in North Platte, with the Rev. Randal A. McCoy officiating. Parents of the couple are Ed are Bonnie Doucette of North Platte and Geoff and Pam Burks, formerly of Stratton, of North Platte...

The family of Vernon Mitchem of McCook is hosting a card shower and open house in honor of his 91st birthday. He was born Feb. 22, 1916, at Silma, Colo. His children are Carolyn McNabb of Denver, Colo., Gerald Mitchem, James Mitchem and Gloria Brown, all of McCook. ...

The family of Berdeen Thorpe is hosting a card shower in honor of her 80th birthday on Feb. 19. Her family includes her husband, George and sons, Dan Yost, Ron Yost and Randy Yost. Cards of congratulations will reach her at Sutherland Care Center, P.O. Box 307, Sutherland, NE 69165-0307...

The family of Bus and June (Sines) Bahl of McCook are hosting are card shower in honor of their 72nd wedding anniversary. They were married Feb. 16, 1935, in McCook. Their children are Jack and June Bahl of North Platte and Janet and Ron Thompson of Idaho Falls, Idaho. Cards of congratulations will reach the couple at 402 Missouri Ave.Ct #5 McCook, NE 69001...

Dustin and Kelsey (Sellers) Vakiner announce the birth of their daughter, Gracie Marie Vakiner. She was born Jan. 11, 2007 at the Mary Lanning Hospital in Hastings. She weighed 7 pounds and 9 ounces and was 20 inches long. Her grandparents are Bud and Donna Vakiner of Snyder, Pam Sellers of McCook and Paul Sellers of McCook. Great grandparents are Vernice Vakiner of Snyder, Art Koetter of McCook and the late Pat Koetter...

Steven and Melissa Weskamp of Denver, Colo., announce the birth of a daughter, Megan Paige Weskamp. She was born Jan. 22, 2007, at Littleton Adventist Hospital in Littleton, Colo. She weighed 6 pounds, 9 ounces and was 19 1/2 inches long. She has an older brother, Andrew, 23 months. ...

Chelsey Tiller of St. Joseph, Mo., and Lee Benes of Savannah, Mo., announce their engagement and upcoming wedding. Parents of the couple are James and Theresa Tiller of Curtis and Lona Benes of Valparaiso and the late Melvin Benes. The bride-to-be is a 2006 graduate of UNK and is the Angus Source Administrator for the American Angus Assiciation. The prospective bridegroom is the manager at RS&T Simmentals. A June 2, 2007, wedding is planned at the United Methodist Church in McCook...

Southern Valley's Daniel Stoelting finishes 2nd at Class C 215 pounds OMAHA -- McCook High School junior Sam Frazier fought his way through the consolation rounds to place fourth in Class B at 189 pounds at the Nebraska State Wrestling Tournament Saturday at the Qwest Center in Omaha...

BEATRICE -- The McCook Community College men's basketball fought off Southeast CC-Beatrice 80-77 Saturday night at Beatrice. MCC improved to 13-16 overall and 4-4 in the Nebraska Community College Athletic Conference. Four Indians scored in double figures, led by Clinton Napoleon with 19 points. Christian Lewis scored 18, Jeremy Mallard 15 (on five 3-pointers) and Kyle Wamsley 14...

COZAD -- The McCook High School boys basketball team will enter Nebraska Class B-5 district play next week on a winning note. After beating Grand Island Northwest 53-51 on Friday, the Bison boys handed Cozad a 60-43 loss Saturday at Cozad. McCook (11-13) will take a three-game winning streak into the Class B-5 district tournament. McCook will play GINW on Feb. 26...

Dec. 11, 1926 - Feb. 16, 2007 Virgil R. Woodhams, 80, died Friday (Feb. 16, 2007) at Community Hospital in McCook. He was born Dec. 11, 1926, in Denver, Colo., to George H. and Hazel M. (Lucas) Woodhams. He graduated from Manual High School in Denver in 1944...

Nov. 13, 1936 - Feb. 16, 2007 Roger John Ball, died Friday (Feb.16, 2007) at his home in McCook at the age of 70. He was born Nov. 13, 1936, at Brooks, Alberta Canada, the son of the late Archie and Neva (Fassler) Ball. In 1943, the Ball family moved back to McCook where he grew up and graduated from McCook High School in 1955...

HOLDREGE -- Bradlee and Renelle Hartzog of Holdrege announce the birth of a son Landon Barrett Hartzog. He was born Feb. 9, 2007. He weighed 8 pounds, 6 ounces and was 21 inches long. His grandparents are Mike and Barb Hartzog of Orleans and David and Marilyn Moore of Oxford. Great-grandparents are Harold and Marion Moore of Bartley, Irene Wiens of Anoka, Minn., June Boehler of Orleans and the late Conrad Boehler, Mary Lou Hartzog of Ogallala and Ron Hartzog of Ogallala...

Builders, remodelers, decorators -- and dreamers -- gathered at the annual home and builders show in McCook Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Pam Harsh, director of the McCook Area Chamber of Commerce, which sponsors the home show, said this morning that she and vendors were very pleased with the turnout of the three-day event. ...

In this 125th, Quasquicentennial year of the founding of McCook, Nebraska it is interesting to look back at some of the people and events in our past that have served to make McCook the city it is today. Where better to start than with the fellow for whom McCook is named, General Alexander McDowell McCook...

Be careful, next time you go through the drive-through, that you pay the right mount for your meal. That's because the U.S. Mint's latest attempt at getting us to use a dollar coin will start to appear in your change. You remember, first it was the two-bit Susan B. Anthony dollar, released in 1979, that was silver-colored and very easily confused with a quarter...

I was outside the auditorium during the Matheny funeral on Friday. Kudos to the Patriot Guard. They brought with them a beautiful display of American flags, and behaved like perfect gentlemen and ladies. For a while, a group of them marched a short distance down West C Street, where they stood in ranks, holding their flags aloft to block from view the laughably small group of troglodytes gathered at West 4th and C Streets at the legally prescribed 300 feet from the funeral location...

I erroneously wrote in my Saturday column in the McCook Gazette that Fred Phelps was one of the four members from his congregation that came to McCook to demonstrate prior to the memorial service for Sgt. Randy Matheny on Friday. Mr. Phelps was not part of the group. I apologize for the error...

Rise up, people of rural America! You have a lot going for you. I know because I have just completed work on the McCook Daily Gazette's 2007 Progress Edition. What I found out -- during a full week of editing, design and headline writing -- is that the future of rural America is in good hands. The proof comes from the burst of business activity which is taking place in the communities of the Golden Plains...

I am writing this letter to the editor on behalf of myself and some of the local and out-of-state people who reside in the Village of Wilsonville that are sick and tired of the recent letters that you have received. Wilsonville is a beautiful little village, yes, we may have water issues and buildings falling down, but what other villages in the valley don't?...