Stories from Monday, September 10, 2007

The family of Lynn and Carol Kerst is hosting an open house in honor of the couple's 50th anniversary. They were married Sept. 20, 1957. The open house will be Sunday, Sept. 16, at the Legion Hall in Bartley from 2-4 p.m. Children of the couple are Rick and Alberta Kerst of Bartley and James and Brenda Edwards of Poplarville, Miss. Cards of congratulations will reach the couple at 40252 Rd 715, Bartley, NE 69020...

Denise and Bob Kelley of North Platte announce the birth of their son, Shawn Luke, on Aug. 23, 2007, at Great Plains Regional Medical Center in North Platte. He weighed 8 pounds, 11/2 ounces and was 21 inches long. He has a 21-month-old sister, Hanna. His grandparents are Jack and Carol Kelley of McCook and Charles and Wilda Foran of Arnold. His great-grandmother is Vieva Foran of Arnold...

Amy Kunkee and Kenton Smith of Colorado Springs, Colo., announce their engagement and upcoming wedding. Parents of the couple are Jean Kunkee of McCook and the late Ray Kunkee, John and Sandy Weigel of Oberlin and Cary and Sharon Smith of Venice, Fla...

Monte and Lori Else of McCook announce the birth of a daughter, Brianna Lane Else. She was born July 2, 2007, at Community Hospital in McCook, weighing 8 pounds, 3 ounces and measuring 20 and 1/2 inches. She has a sister, Ansley, 4, and a brother, Caleb, 2. Grandparents are Roger and Jody Nelson of Mead and Dennis and Cheri Else, also of Mead...

Jackie and Bill Taylor of Grant announce the birth of their son, Billie Jack, who was born Sept. 6, 2007 in Grant. He weighed 7.6 pounds and was 20 inches long. He has two brothers, Huntin James and Henry. Grandparents are Karen and Ben Lashley, Robin and Anita Engel, Paul and Kathy Taylor and Connie Taylor...

Kacey Raile of Benkelman and Eric Harper of St. Francis, Kan. announce their engagement and upcoming wedding. Parents of the couple are Randall and Loretta Raile of Benkelman and George and Debra Harper of St. Francis. Grandparents of the prospective bridegroom are Demby and Norma Harper of Benkelman and Norvin and Donna Northrup of St. Francis...

Roberta and Theresa Brush of McCook announce the birth of their son, Derrick James Brush on Aug. 16, 2007, at Community Hospital in McCook. He weighed 9 pounds, 13 ounces and was 21 1/4 inches long. He has a 13-year -old sister, Amanda. His grandparents are Gordon and Donna Gessleman of Culbertson, Phyllis Brush formerly of Hayes Center and the late Dale Brush...

Nov. 8, 1930-Sept. 6, 2007 Sylvester D. Fuchuck of McCook, Neb.. died Thursday (Sept. 6, 2007), at Good Samaritan Hospital in Kearney, Neb.  He was 76 years old. Sy was born on Nov. 8, 1930, in Boston, Mass., to William and Helena (Kormanicky) Fuchuck.  He graduated from Everett High School, Everett, Mass., in 1948.  He continued his education at Suffolk University in Boston with a Bachelors Degree in Accounting. ...

Sept. 4, 1928-Sept. 8, 2007 CURTIS -- Lloyd "Gus" Wolgamott, 79, died Saturday (Sept. 8, 2007), at the State Veterans Home in Grand Island. He was born Sept. 4, 1928, on a farm south of Elwood to Ray and Catherine (Force) Wolgamott.  He attended Curtis Public School and graduated from Nebraska School of Agriculture in 1946...

Feb. 18, 1960-Sept. 8, 2007 LaDonna "Donnie" Kay Anderson-Poore died Saturday (Sept. 8, 2007), at McCook Community Hospital after a courageous battle with cancer. She was 47 years old.  Donnie was born on Feb. 18, 1960, at St. Francis Hospital in West Point, Neb., to Kenneth Sherman and Deloris Kay (Vieth) Anderson. ...

Jessa Sughroue 2nd, Bison boys place 9th BROKEN BOW -- The McCook High School girls cross country team placed third and the Eustis-Farnam girls fourth at the Broken Bow Invitational cross country meet Saturday. Broken Bow won the girls title with 26 points, followed by Gothenburg 59, McCook 72, Eustis-Farnam 81, Ainsworth 87, Minden 99, Valentine 126, Ord 132, Gibbon 146, Ogallala 194 and Wood River 207...

In the last 125 years of McCook's existence there have been a great many crimes in our town -- maybe no more and probably less than in other Midwestern cities of our size. Never-the-less, when these crimes do occur there is considerable disbelief in the community that "such a crime could happen here!"...

It always seems like it's happening to someone else, somewhere else. A tsunami in Southeast Asia. A hurricane in the southern United States. But remember the ice storm in Holdrege, the massive tornado in Greensburg, Kan., or even the Republican River flood of 1935?...

The speaker for the 2007 Heritage Days Prayer Breakfast will be Charles Peek, an English professor at the University of Nebraska at Kearney. The breakfast, sponsored by the George W. Norris Foundation, will be at the Heritage Senior Center, beginning at 7 a.m. Friday, Sept. 28. Mark Graff, chairman of the McCook National Bank, will serve as master of ceremonies. Stan Goodwin, a McCook attorney, will give the invocation and the Key of Gee, a barbershop quartet, will provide musical entertainment...

Members of the public will get a chance to voice their views on the 2007-08 budget of the Middle Republican Natural Resources District, at an open budget hearing 7 p.m. Tuesday at Memorial Auditorium, West Fifth and C streets in McCook. MRNRD board members will then be asked to approve the budget at their regular meeting, to follow at 7:30 p.m...

McCook Public Schools' board of education plans budget and public hearings on the school district's proposed $19.1 million budget and $5 million tax request today, starting at 6 p.m., in the junior high conference room. Budgeted disbursements and transfers increased from $16,398,457 in 2006-07, to the proposed disbursements and transfers of $19,071,309 for 2007-08...

The epic picture from the 1935 flood is etched in memory. It still sends shivers down my spine. How could any man, no matter how strong, cross the raging river hand-over-hand on a power line? It was an amazing feat then; it remains an amazing feat to this day...