Stories from Monday, March 2, 2009

GRAND ISLAND -- The McCook High School boys basketball team advanced to Monday's semifinal round at the Nebraska Class B-5 district tournament by winning opening round games Saturday at the Grand Island Senior High School gymnasium.

HASTINGS -- The McCook YMCA Swim Team competed in its final regular-season meet Feb. 21 in Hastings. Swimmers from Hastings, Grand Island, Omaha and Lincoln also competed. The McCook team had a very good showing, with many kids improving their times and others swimming new events...

Movie Review - Slumdog Millionaire Starring Dev Patel, Irrfan Khan, Anil Kapoor and directed by Danny Boyle. Rated R for some violence, disturbing images, and language. Synopsis: British director Danny Boyle takes another intriguing career turn with this heartfelt underdog tale. ...

Jan. 6, 1940 - Feb. 27, 2009 ARAPAHOE -- Audrey R. Warner, 69, of Holbrook died Friday (Feb. 27, 2009) at Cambridge Manor in Cambridge. She was born Jan. 6, 1940, in Cambridge to Richard B. "Bud" and Lorene (Dolph) Hyatt. She grew up and attended school at Cambridge. After her schooling, she worked as a waitress for restaurants in Indianola and Cambridge...

Jan. 2, 1929 - Feb. 25, 2009 BARTLEY -- Dwight Marion Ginther was born Jan. 2, 1929, to John and Velma Ullom Ginther on their family farm six miles north of Bartley. Dwight went to meet the Lord on Feb. 25, 2009, at the age of 80 years, 1 month and 23 days, while receiving care at the Veterans Hospital in Portland, Ore...

June 19, 1944 - Feb. 27, 2009 STROMSBURG -- Kathleen Marie (Stinson) Roesener, 64, of Stromsburg, Neb., passed away Feb. 27, 2009 at Midwest Covenant Home in Stromsburg, Neb. Funeral services will be Wednesday, March 4, 2009, at 10 a.m. at St. Joseph Catholic Church in York, Neb., with Father Mark Tasler officiating...

Instantaneous communication has been with us since the days of the telegraph, but there's more to news than just the hard facts. Yes, Walter Cronkite may have delivered the news, but most of us really didn't know what to think about it until we heard Johnny Carson's spin on it that night...

It seems that when major scams are uncovered (and there have been a lot of them lately), the news media always finds someway to bring forward the name Ponzi, or Ponzi Scheme, to explain how investors have gotten ripped off by someone who built a financial pyramid without having real assets at the base of that pyramid. It might be interesting to take a look at the infamous man who is forever identified with this scheme...

LB 651, the Water Resources Revolving Loan Fund Act, was heard last week in the Natural Resources Committee. I would like to discuss it, other related water issues, and some amendments I offered to the committee. LB 651 was introduced to establish a state fund for Natural Resources Districts -- NRDs -- to use as a financing mechanism for local water resource projects to assist with water management. The concept is similar to the Drinking Water Revolving Fund...

OBERLIN, Kan. -- An Oberlin business man will be sentenced Tuesday, March 24, for setting fire to and destroying the bowling alley he co-owned in Oberlin. A jury Feb. 19 found Kenneth Morgan guilty of one count of arson, for the fire that destroyed Centennial Bowl and the Red Crown Lounge on May 30, 2005. He was found not guilty of a second arson charge...

Doug Stewart of Stewart Construction, Indianola, Neb., reaches across rubble to knock down the roof of the former ice house at the corner of East Second and A in McCook Friday morning. Mark Friehe, manager of Frenchman Valley Farmers Co-Op, which owned the building, said the roof of the structure had deteriorated too much to allow cost-effective repairs and maintenance. ...

WASHINGTON -- There are more than 7 million flex fuel vehicles on the nation's roads today. Problem is, there are only 1,985 pumps capable of dispensing E-85 to those 7 million vehicles. It is in the best interests of top ethanol producing states like Nebraska to get more E-85 pumps around the country...

Since coming to Congress, I have had the honor of witnessing history being made on several occasions. Watching President Barack Obama deliver an address to a joint session of Congress recently was one of those moments. On that night he struck the right tone between caution and optimism. ...

Just one week after signing a $787 billion economic stimulus bill, President Obama unveiled the outline of his $3.55 trillion budget proposal. Many provisions within this framework are concerning to me. For example, it would eliminate direct farm payments based on gross sales. ...

Oct. 29, 1938 - Feb. 26, 2009 TRENTON -- William P. "Oscar" Chapman died Thursday (Feb. 26, 2009) at his home in rural Trenton, Neb., at the age of 70. He was born Oct. 29, 1938, at Trenton the son of the late Harvey and Florence (Blue) Chapman. William grew up at Trenton where he graduated from Trenton High School, where he lettered all four years in the following sports: in football as a defensive safety and halfback, basketball as a guard and a sprinter in track. ...