Stories from Friday, March 27, 2009

Where once a long line of mature trees stood in Norris Park, a new generation has sprouted. A total of about 40 trees have been removed from the park since last year, after city staff and an arborist hired by the city determined the trees were in poor condition due to age...

ALLIANCE -- An Alliance police lieutenant pulled the driver of a pickup truck out of harm's way to foil a carjacking and end a manhunt for three Indiana fugitives that swept across the Nebraska Sandhills on Thursday. The high-speed pursuit of the fugitives into western Nebraska involved officers from multiple agencies, and slowed down and ended when tire spikes disabled the escapees' stolen van and Alliance Police Lt. Ken Hart foiled one of the men's attempted carjacking...

The United States is worried about the insurgency, with its guerilla tactics, car bombs, grenades and roadside IEDs. The Obama administration has announced its intention to send millions of dollars to help the beleaguered government deal with the crisis, but no troops -- yet...

Wow! Let's bring the electric chair to McCook, the method of punishment finally ruled as "cruel and unusual" by the Nebraska State Supreme Court, the last state to abolish its use, on February 8, 2008. That means it was deemed as a cruel and unusual way to take a convicted felons life by all the states in the U.S. except Nebraska; the state that abolished it last...

Used to be that the cheap movies in the aisle displays at your friendly neighborhood Alco or Wal-Mart store were -- for lack of a better term -- the cheap movies. I can remember perusing racks full of titles in the public domain. A few are fresher in my mind than others, and not just because they were the eight different versions of "It's A Wonderful Life."...

This week I would like to discuss Legislative Bill 63, introduced by Sen. Friend, which advanced to Select File on March 11. LB 63 is a comprehensive criminal justice bill that targets repeat felons, and those who commit violent crimes. For about two and half years the Attorney General's Office working together with the Nebraska County Attorney's Association, the Nebraska Sheriff's Association, the Police Officers Association of Nebraska, and the Police Chief's Association of Nebraska have put together a bill to enhance penalties for violent crimes, harmonize certain offenses with federal law, and create new offenses targeted at gang violence... ...

LINCOLN -- Even though the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) hasn't issued paper food stamp coupons for 6½ years, if there are any still out there, they need to be used by June 17, 2009. After that date, retail food stores can no longer accept the paper coupons. The U.S. Department of Agriculture has already notified retailers of the deadline...

Each year thousands of the best and brightest young men and women seek appointment to one of the U.S. service academies -- undergraduate educational institutions for the training of officers for the United States Armed Forces. There are five service academies: Air Force, Naval, Military, Merchant Marine, and Coast Guard. ...

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- Erica Cartwright of Grand Island and Daniel Douglas of West Layayette, Ind., were united in marriage on Sept. 27, 2008, at Grand Island Leiderkranz in Grand Island with the Rev. Matthew Fowler officiating. Parents of the couple are Jim and Susie Cartwright of Grand Island, Bill Douglas of Darlington, Ind., and Linda Redding and husband, Dick of West Lafayette, Ind...

NORTH PLATE -- Kimberly Laird of Hayes Center and Seth Kunnemann of Imperial, were united in marriage on Dec. 27, 2008, at Berean Church in North Platte with the Rev. John Engbrecht officiating. Parents of the couple are Scott and Patty Laird of Hayes Center and Dennis and ZoAnne Kunnemann of Imperial...

Erica Reitz of McCook and Jeremy Zywiec of Columbus announce their engagement and upcoming marriage. Parents of the couple are Deb and Jerry Reitz of McCook and Ed and Margo Zywiec of Columbus. The bride-to-be is a graduate of Colby Community College of Colby, Kan., and Wayne State College in Wayne. ...

The family of Marvin Potthoff of McCook is requesting a card shower in honor of his 75th birthday on April 2, 2009. Cards of congratulations will reach him at 123 West O Street, McCook NE 69001.

Andy and Calena Ohlson of Holdrege announce the birth of their daughter, Isabelle Meredith Ohlson on Dec. 9, 2008, at Phelps Memorial Health Center in Holdrege. She weighed 6 pounds, 11 ounces and measured 19 inches. She has two brothers, Alec and Aden. ...

The family of Noel and Claudia Schnabel is requesting a card shower in honor of the couple's 50th wedding anniversary. Noel DeWayne Schnabel and Claudia Christine Frank were married April 4, 1959 at St. James Catholic Church in Trenton. Cards of congratulations will reach them at P.O. Box 462, Trenton, NE 69044...

Tyler and Carrie McCarty of Omaha announce the birth of their son, Cruz David McCarty on Jan. 8, 2009, at Lakeside in Omaha. He weighed 7 pounds, 6 ounces and measured 21 inches. His grandparents are Dave and Angela McCarty of McCook and Gary and Cherry Warrick of Fort Calhoun. Great-grandparents are Earl and Letha Svoboda of McCook, Larry McCarty of McCook and Johnny Siebert of Omaha...

TRENTON -- Hitchcock County sheriff's officers followed a trail of litter to Cheyenne County, Kan., in search of a stolen flatbed trailer and the fertilizer and chemicals on it. Hitchcock County Sheriff Bryan Leggott reports that the 2001 black fifth-wheel flatbed PJ trailer was stolen from a farm nine miles south of Trenton on Highway 25 some time between March 1 and March 3...

KEARNEY -- Dustin Dizmang, 22, died Friday (March 27,, 2009), at Good Samaritan Hospital in Kearney. He is survived by his father, John Disman of Seward; his mother, Ruth Dismang of Imperial; sister, Desiree Barrett and fiance Craig Loeffler of Imperia; a step-brother, Scott Dismang of Sterling, Colo.; and a step-sister, Tiana Dismang of Colorado...