Stories from Monday, February 9, 2009

Congress has been actively discussing legislation I believe charts a troublesome course for our country in the years to come. Last weekend, we were summoned to the Senate floor to debate what has been acclaimed as an economic stimulus bill, but in reality, will have little stimulative effect. The price tag for this legislation is mind-boggling, especially considering that there is no plan to pay for it...

On Tuesday, Feb. 3, we began the first round of debate on LB 5, my bill to repeal the ban on county roadside trapping. There were four amendments introduced and two of those were adopted. One of the amendments adopted was AM132 allowing any county to enact a resolution prohibiting the trapping of wildlife in county road rights-of-way. ...

OGALLALA -- Despite being short-handed due to illness and injuries, the McCook High School girls basketball team fought off Ogallala 61-55 Friday night at Ogallala. The McCook boys fell to Ogallala 41-40 on a last-second shot. The Bison girls played without the services of senior Hanah Swanhorst, who stayed home with the flu...

ARAPAHOE -- Class D1's top-ranked Arapahoe boys blasted Hitchcock County 83-31 Saturday. Garth Walbridge led the Warriors with 19 points. Korie Ross scored 15 and Ivan Simic 10 points. Cale Brown scored 13 points for the Falcons. Arapahoe will take their 20-0 record to Cambridge Tuesday...

SOUTHWEST -- Medicine Valley wrestlers won the Southwest Invitational Saturday at Southwest High School. Tell Deatrich and Vince Chancellor took home first place medals for the Raiders. Decatur Community took third and Southwest was fourth. Heath Teel, Tanner Teel, Josh Gates and Nate Herrman finished first for Southwest...

HASTINGS -- The McCook High School wrestling team competed in the Greater Nebraska Athletic Conference tournament in Hastings Saturday. There were eight teams represented and the Bison finished in fourth place. This is the best finish by the Bison wrestling team in the last five years, said McCook wrestling coach Nick Umscheid...

The McCook Community College men's and women's basketball teams were swept by Western Nebraska Saturday at True Hall Gymnasium. The MCC men lost 76-53 and the women lost 83-41.

Aug. 13, 1912 - Feb. 7, 2009 ARAPAHOE -- Minna Emma Noltensmeier, 96, died Saturday (Feb. 7, 2009) at C.A. Mues Good Samaritan Center in Arapahoe. She was born Aug. 13, 1912, to Henry and Mary (Grafe) Ziems in Bellingham, Wash. She was confirmed on May 13, 1928, at Salem Lutheran Church, south of Elwood in Gosper County. She attended school at Bertrand, Elwood and Holbrook...

Jan. 20, 1925 - Feb. 8, 2009 Geraldine "Jerry" R.M. Dorwart died Sunday, Feb. 8, 2009, at Community Hospital in McCook. She was 84 years old. On Jan. 20, 1925, Geraldine was born in Bartley to Charles John and Rose Kathryn (Schaffert) Barth. Geraldine attended grade school in Bartley and high school in Longmont, Colo. She moved back to McCook to attend McCook Junior College...

Feb. 11, 1930-Feb. 5, 2009 Don Allen Moorhous died Thursday, Feb. 5, 2009, at University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha, Neb., at the age of 78. Don was born Feb. 11, 1930, in rural Culbertson, the son of Charles Fay and Minnie Margaretha (Leimbach) Moorhous. Don was baptized (1930) and confirmed (1945) at St. John's Lutheran Church in Culbertson, Neb...

Law enforcement officials and emergency responders searched country roads, field roads and cattle trails throughout the evening and night Sunday looking for a rural McCook woman who is still missing this morning. The woman was last seen Sunday afternoon driving a black four-door 2008 Toyota Corolla with Nebraska license plate 48-C64. She is believed to be on rural roads between McCook and Indianola, particularly in an area north of Indianola...

A new book chronicling the rich history and tradition at McCook Community College, will be introduced at a book signing party Thursday at the Weeth Theatre in conjunction with the college's Valentine's program. "The History of Mid-Plains Community College: Volume 1" is the first of two planned volumes, and its five writers will be on hand Thursday to sign copies of the book...

A humble -- and somewhat embarrassed -- Cal Siegfried of McCook is named the 2008 "Ag Builder" by the McCook Area Chamber of Commerce at its annual banquet Saturday evening. Behind Siegfried's countrified radio ads and emceeing talents that make any crowd at any event feel perfectly at ease is a serious lifelong involvement in and promotion of farming and livestock production. ...

With pro-choice forces in power in Washington, Nebraska is among 12 states where pro-life forces have succeeded in introducing proposed legislation to require pregnant women to view ultrasounds, or at least make the ultrasounds available, before undergoing abortions...

Some folks flee the rigors of a Nebraska winter by going to the South, to Florida or Texas. Some try the tempting climes of Arizona or Hawaii. Through a difficult set of circumstances my wife, Jean and I were forced to change our address for the winter, but instead of those favorable winter destinations, we chose to go east --to the eastern edge of McCook. ...

Hunting, fishing, and just generally enjoying the great outdoors are big business in Nebraska and provide a major economic stimulus for our beautiful state. A survey by the Census Bureau found that 650,000 residents and non residents spent $640 million in 2006 on fishing, hunting, and observing wildlife in Nebraska...

CAMBRIDGE -- The Class C2 No. 2 ranked Cambridge girls stay perfect (17-0) on the season with a 45-22 win over North Platte St. Pat's Saturday. Traci Keyser collected 16 points, 10 rebounds and 2 assists to lead Cambridge. Frankie Petersen scored 11 points with 9 rebounds...