Stories from Friday, March 21, 2008

June 5, 1926 - March 18, 2008 Cecelia Rose McConville, age 81, died Tuesday, March 18, 2008, at Good Samaritan Hospital in Kearney. She was born June 5, 1926, to Oscar Allyn and Martha Victoria (Behnke) Teel in Freedom. She graduated from Havanna High School in 1943...

Jan. 2, 1925 - Feb. 29, 2008 ATWATER, Calif. -- Lt. Col. Thurber L. Hoyt, 83, died Feb. 29, 2008, at his home in Merced County, Calif. He was born Jan. 2, 1925, in Culbertson to Homer and Nettie Hoyt. In 1945, he married his wife, Betty. He served in the U.S. ...

Oct. 6, 1937 - March 20, 2008 HUTCHINSON, Kan. -- Gary Paul Coker, 70, passed away March 20, 2008, at Hutchinson Hospital. He was born Oct. 6, 1937, in Ness City, Kan., the son of Fred and Emma (Fercking) Coker. A long time Hutchinson resident he was a retired construction worker. On Dec. 27, 1967, he married Margaret P. Barnett in Dighton, Kan., she survives...

By CONNIE JO DISCOE Regional Editor District 44 State Sen. Mark Christensen said Thursday morning that LB 1157 -- legislation requiring state tests of Nebraska students' learning and progress -- may not come back onto the floor in the 14 days remaining in the second session tentatively scheduled to convene April 17...

Nebraska lawmakers' passage of LB 1157 would change everything about the way Nebraska schools assess how well their students are learning and progressing. Gayle Sharkey, McCook Public Schools' curriculum director, told school board members at their monthly meeting March 10 that LB 1157's passage in its final form and approval by Gov. Dave Heineman would require state tests of students' achievement...

McCook Midget Baseball Association opened the 2008 enrollment period and will host a one day enrollment at Sports Shoppe from 1:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. on Saturday. Enrollment will be open until April 3rd. Forms have been distributed to local schools. Forms, starting Monday, will be available online at www.mccookbaseball.org and at the Sports Shoppe, and McCook National Bank...

Nebraskans, tired of large, out of state corporations getting into and out of farming when it benefitted boards of directors in distant cities, voted in Initiative 300 in 1982. The constitutional amendment restricted non-family farm corporations from acquiring or otherwise obtaining an interest in any title to real estate used for farming or ranching, or engaging in farming or ranching in Nebraska...

When a man and a woman shop for an automobile, they each look for different things. That's why both husband and wife need to be there. If the man went alone, he might come back with a vehicle that would go 200 miles an hour and do zero to 60 in less time than it takes to sneeze, but… it might not have a windshield. He's thinking about the power, not the fact that bugs inhabit the air that he would be plowing through at 200 miles an hour...

CAMBRIDGE -- Wauneta-Palisade's Blair Dixon swept four events in the girls in the Don Stine Invitational track meet Thursday afternoon in Cambridge. Dixon won the 100 meter hurdles with a time of 16. 4 seconds, the 100 meter dash in 12. 9 seconds, the 400 meter dash in 1:01. 3 and the 200 meter dash in 27. 2 seconds...

By CONNIE JO DISCOE Regional Editor NORTH PLATTE -- The McCook High School girls track coach was impressed with times and distances recorded by his tracksters in their first meet of the season, against the North Platte Bulldogs Thursday on the Bulldog track...

Dundy County-Stratton girls and boys track teams won the Maywood track invitational in McCook Thursday. The Tigers won the girls 4x400 and 4x100 relay. Kyle Glidden led the DCS boys with a win in both the discus and shot put. The boys also won the 4x800 relay and were second in the 4x400...

McCook 7 North Platte 2 Varsity Singles 1. Brianna Watkins lost to C. Marshall, 8-3 2. Hanah Swanhorst def. M. Goodwin, 8-6 3. Melissa Lyster def. A. Carl, 8-3 4. Amy Lester def. M. Allberry, 8-1 5. Cody Korus def. Laura Edwards, 8-2 6. Amy Been def. C. Cain, 8-0...

McCook Community College pitcher Jennifer Deal, pitched a no-hitter with 8 strikeouts against Brown Mackie Thursday. The no-hitter is the first ever in MCC softball. MCC highlights Amber Thompson hit 2 home runs and 3 RBI's. Tiffany Lokken hit the first home run of her career, 2 RBI...

In game one, McCook Community College had an 8-1 lead in the fourth inning but gave up a big inning and lost the game 16-10. "We just had a really hard time slowing their bats down in game one. We went through three different pitchers in the fourth inning of game one, and we didn't walk anyone or make any errors. They just hit," said coach Jon Olson...

April 19, 1928 - March 19, 2008 Richard LeRoy Baxter, age 79, died Wednesday, March 19, 2008, at Methodist Hospital in Omaha. Richard was born in Palisade to Arlie J. and Margaret E. (West) on April 19, 1928. He graduated from Palisade Public School in 1946...

Grant Strunk/McCook Daily Gazette Cambridge senior, Lance Shifflet passes the last hurdle on the way to a Don Stine Invitational meet record in the boys 300 meter hurdles Thursday. Shifflet posted a time of 41.60 seconds in the event. For more photos go to www.mccookgazette. com.

McCook school children, kindergarten through eighth grade, are encouraged to participate Wednesday in McCook's "Walk to School Day," to promote healthy lifestyles and kick off the school district's "Walk to School Month" activities in April. The "Walk to School" activities are supported by a "Safe Routes to School" grant awarded to the McCook school district by the Nebraska Department of Roads, according to McCook Elementary Principal Lynda Baumbach...