Stories from Tuesday, February 10, 2009

WASHINGTON -- Nebraska's Sen. Ben Nelson delivered these comments on the Senate floor today (Feb. 9, 2009) about the bipartisan economic recovery compromise he co-authored with Sen. Susan Collins of Maine. The Senate voted to accept the Nelson-Collins amendment and moved toward a final vote on February 10...

OGALLALA -- The McCook High School junior varsity boys and girls basketball teams came up short to Ogallala Friday night. Ogallala defeated the Bison girls 48-39. Jesse Sughroue led the Bison with 9 points. Gretchen Sehnert followed with 8 points and Adrian Lambing had 6...

NORTH PLATTE -- The McCook High School swim team competed at a double dual Friday at North Platte against North Platte and Hastings. Girls results 200 yard medley relay -- 1.North Platte 2:07.3; 2.McCook A (Sydnie Stamm, Madeline Shaddock, Whitney Korgan, Jayde Aufrecht) 2:10.3; 3.Hastings A 2:12.8; 4.McCook B (Jordan May, Morgan Johnson, Kayla Fahrenbruch, Emily Wood) 2:26.7; 5.North Platte 2:30.7; 6.Hastings 2:36.15...

Three local student-athletes have been selected as NAIA Scholar Athletes, Garrett Rippen, Culbertson, Nebraska Wesleyan; and Jeff Klug, McCook and Joseph Frecks, Culbertson, from Hastings College. Rippen and Klug are McCook High School graduates and Frecks is a Hayes Center High School graduate...

SOUTHWEST -- Hilary Wilson lit up the boards for 23 points to lead the Dundy County-Stratton girls basketball team over Southwest 52-39 Saturday. Amanda Downey added 17 points for the Tigers. Jordan Brooks scored 12 and Megan Conway 10 points for the Roughriders. Abby Houghtelling added 9...

NORTH PLATTE --The McCook High School sophomore boys basketball team suffered a 47-30 loss to North Platte Monday night in their final game of the season. It was the Bison squad's second loss of the season to the North Platte sophomores. McCook lost an earlier meeting this season 37-25...

COZAD -- The McCook Junior High School seventh grade boys basketball A, B and C teams wrapped up the season Monday at Cozad. The A team lost 29-28, the B team won 12-6 and the C team won 17-8. Mack Alspaugh led the Bison A team with 16 points. Hunter Felker added 5 and Austin Wright 4...

LINCOLN -- John Levorson's future with the Nebraska football team seemed uncertain late Saturday, according to an article in the Lincoln Journal-Star. Nebraska head coach Bo Pelini said Levorson was "not with the team right now," but added that the freshman defensive back remains on scholarship at Nebraska...

Sept. 24, 1954 - Feb. 7, 2009 OBERLIN -- David E. Koerperich, 54, died Saturday (Feb. 7, 2009) at Great Plains Regional Medical Center in North Platte. He was born Sept. 24, 1954, in Oberlin to Eugene N. and Dolores M. (Reitcheck) Koerperich. He grew up in Oberlin and attended Oberlin Elementary School and Decatur Community High School, graduating in 1972...

Oct. 10, 1959 - Feb. 8, 2009 TRENTON -- Virginia J. Hanes, 49, died Sunday (Feb. 8, 2009) at Community Hospital in McCook. She was born Oct. 10, 1959, at Cambridge, to Boyd and Evelyn (Brown) Wagner. She grew up in Furnas and Red Willow Counties and attended high school at Lebanon...

The family of Christine Relph is requesting a card shower in honor of her 97th birthday on Feb. 15. Cards will reach her at 1500 East 11th Street, Willow Ridge No. 23, McCook NE 69001

The family of Ron and Donna Jacobs of McCook is requesting a card shower in honor of their 40th wedding anniversary. They were married Feb. 15, 1969, in Schoenchen, Kan., at St. Anthony's Church. Children of the couple are Shannon and Chad Bricker and Brandon and Jenifer Jacobs of McCook and Alison and Craig Ogden of Lincoln. They have nine grandchildren. Cards of congratulations will reach the couple at 1010 East 4th, McCook, NE 69001...

The family of Arlyn and Pauline Myers is requesting a card shower in honor of the couple's 45th wedding anniversary Feb. 14. Cards of congratulations will reach the couple at 1115 C Street, Benkelman, NE 69021.

The family of Mike and Dawn (McDanield) Hall of McCook is requesting a card shower in honor of the couple's 25th wedding anniversary. They were married Feb. 14, 1984, in McCook. Children of the couple are Zachary Hall and wife, Josefina Hall, Jessica Hall and PFC Matthew Hall. Cards of congratulations will reach the couple at 610 West 2nd, McCook, NE 69001...

The family of Clarence and Lois (Stillman) Helms is hosting a card shower in honor of the couple's 65th wedding anniversary. They were married Feb. 16, 1944, at St. Matthew's Church northwest of Arapahoe. Their four sons are Lanny and wife, Martha of Broomfield, Colo., Randy and wife, Linda and Dick and wife, Bonnie, all of Arapahoe and Bruce and wife, Sue of Holbrook. ...

Movie Review - Push Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and action, brief strong language, smoking and a scene of teen drinking. Starring Dakota Fanning, Chris Evans, and Camilla Belle. Push is a sci-fi/thriller about a group of people who have paranormal abilities that allow them to do extraordinary things. ...

The family of Loretta Felker of Culbertson is requesting a card shower in honor of her 90th birthday on Feb. 12. Cards will reach her at 72463 Road 372, Culbertson, NE 69024.

The absolute support of the schools' curriculum director and several teachers convinced the McCook Public Schools board of education Monday evening to purchase a computer software learning system designed to help at-risk students recover class credits and get closer to earning their high school diplomas on time...

Two men who escaped in October from the Nebraska Department of Corrections Work Ethic Camp in McCook pleaded guilty in Red Willow County District Court Monday. Peter P. Payton, 30, and Charles Meister, 19, both sentenced to the WEC from Sidney in Cheyenne County, escaped from the WEC Oct 12 around 8:10 p.m. ...

Stories of celebrity downfalls are a staple of entertainment and sporting news queues -- Alex Rodriguez's admission that he used a performance-enhancing substance in the days before major league baseball banned them being only the latest example. But the Grammy-night arrest of up-and-coming R&B singer Chris Brown, after an alleged assault, reportedly on his singer girlfriend Rihanna, is especially sad...

Congress will soon vote on the Omnibus Public Land Management Act, a far-reaching bill that would protect wilderness areas, rivers, heritage sites, and parks on public lands across the United States. These wilderness areas and other protected lands provide great benefits to rural economies by increasing property values, providing new economic opportunities in recreation and tourism, and creating desirable places for people to live and work...

As current McCook Rotary Club officers, Kellie Soden and I were pleased and proud to accept the Community Service Award for our club during the annual McCook Area Chamber of Commerce banquet Saturday night. We couldn't help but notice that about 40 percent of our community-minded fellow club members were also in attendance...

The Fourth Grade at Aviston Elementary, located in southern Illinois, is learning about the United States and the different environments, climates, resources and highlights found in each region. The kids in the class think it would be fun to receive postcards, souvenirs, resources, or any information about our great country from each of the 50 states...

Councilman Aaron Kircher was excoriated by his fellows and the City Manager at the last McCook City Council meeting. Aaron started the perfect storm when he stated that it was against his principles to ask for unneeded largess from the huge spending bill currently passed by the House and Senate but not yet cleared by the joint committees that will iron out the final compromise...

LINCOLN -- With fewer than 10 days to go before the original national digital television deadline, NET Television will stay with its plans to turn off its final analog transmitters on Feb. 17, officials announced Tuesday. NET was also recently granted power increases by the FCC in six of its transmitter areas to help improve viewers' reception of the NET signal throughout Nebraska...

KSNB is ceasing analog broadcasting on Feb. 17, 2009 at 9 a.m. At that time, the following will take place: n KSNB-TV Full power analog (current channel 4) will end and KSNB-DT full power Digital HD will begin on channel 4.1 n KTVG (current channel 17) will remain full power analog until further notice. KTVG-DT (current channel 19) will continue to broadcast in Digital-HD until further notice...

KHGI and KWNB (NTV) are ceasing analog broadcasting on February 17, 2009 at 9:00AM. At that time, the following will take place: n KHGI-TV Full power analog (current channel 13) will end and KHGI-DT full power Digital HD will begin on channel 13.1 n KWNB-TV Full power analog (current channel 6) will end and KWNB-DT full power Digital will begin on channel 6.1...