Stories from Friday, April 3, 2009

The McCook Midget Baseball Association has extended the registration deadline from April 3 to April 10 in an effort to ensure that all kids that want to play baseball during the summer have an opportunity to sign up. The late fee during this period will be waived...

Three McCook Community College women's basketball players were honored by the Nebraska Community College Athletic Association for their play during the 2008-09 season. Skylar Johnson and Britney Bunker were named First Team all-NCCAC and Michele Price was a Second Team all-NCCAC performer...

The McCook High School varsity girls tennis team swept all nine matches against Hastings Thursday at the MHS Bison Courts. McCook competed at the North Platte Invitational today. Winning Nos. 1-6 singles matches for McCook were Hanah Swanhorst, Audrie Krepcik, Jessica Jankovits, Brianna Watkins, Kelsey O'Dea and Amy Been...

Dec. 27, 1929 - Jan. 3, 2009 AURORA, Colo. -- Betty Jean Rowland, 78, of Aurora, Colo., died Jan. 3, 2009. She was born Dec. 27, 1929, to Hershel and Irene Rowland. Betty grew up on a farm in McCook, a small town of 8,000 people. She remembers the summers being very hot and the winters being very cold, but she kept up her chores in spite of the weather...

OMAHA -- Otto Nilsson of McCook and Omaha celebrates his 92nd birthday today (April 3). Cards will reach him at 9945 Harney Parkway S, Omaha, NE 68114-4958.

The former West Ward Elementary school building could be demolished with stimulus funds, if the McCook City Council approves the proposal to apply for the money at the regular council meeting Monday, 7:30 p.m., at City Council Chambers at Memorial Auditorium...

David Bryant of BSB Construction, Curtis, removes chunks of asphalt from a City of McCook parking lot in the 100 block of East B Wednesday morning. Under the asphalt, dirt work exposed a red-tile basement foundation, a linoleum-type-tile-covered floor and small brick-lined cellar room. ...

A bright light in the dark night sky east of McCook about 8:40 p.m., Thursday, flashes multi-colored in a 30-second exposure. The light prompted several phone calls to the McCook Public Safety Center. McCook Police Chief Ike Brown said this morning that his officers determined it wasn't the space station after checking the NASA Web site. ...

Someone is walking around with a winning ticket worth $54,000. The Nebraska Lottery said today that a "Nebraska Pick 5" lottery ticket sold at Kabredlo's, 204 West B in McCook, won the jackpot. Melinda Pankonin, McCook Kabredlo store manager, said the winner has 180 days to claim the ticket and she did not have information as to when the ticket was sold...

Community Hospital administration and Board of Directors have announced their support of the new North Platte Community College Health Complex by pledging $10,000 to the project. In return, the hospital will have the honor of naming one of the ten nursing offices...

"Tell me you'll love me for a million years; then if it don't work out, you can tell me goodbye." (The Casinos) The strong winds we've had in the area recently blew my satellite dish out of kilter and, consequently, I've been without television for the past two weeks waiting for DirecTV to come and reposition it. This has not been a good experience but I'll write about that at a later date. The outage, however, has given me the chance to watch some DVD's I haven't seen in a while...

Guns in church? We can't think of anything more repulsive than a weapon of destruction in a place of worship, a place that is supposed to be a sanctuary from a troubled world. But in a few, isolated but horrific incidents, that world has intruded into that place of sanctuary, with tragic results...

"ER" treated its final patient Thursday night, ending the medical drama's 15 year run as a staple of the NBC schedule. When it premiered in 1994 -- on the same night that saw the debut of a little show called "Friends" - it was, for lack of a better word, a blockbuster. Sure, it had a pedigree: superstar director Steven Spielberg shared executive producer credit with the show's creator, "Jurassic Park" author Michael Crichton, and the day-to-day showrunner was multiple Emmy-winner John Wells...

WASHINGTON -- Nebraska's Senator Ben Nelson has introduced The SMART Energy Act of 2009, a broad-based energy bill to build an Energy Superhighway for electricity transmission, promoting further development of biofuels and providing for new domestic energy production, while laying the groundwork for action to address climate change...

Recently, the House of Representatives had a choice between two very different budget directions. Unfortunately the majority in the House of Representatives chose the path of least resistance. Families and small businesses are hurting; and too many Americans are unemployed. Our economy is facing serious challenges, and Congress should be taking steps to strengthen our fiscal stability, not taking the path of spending and taxing...

Lori Carstens of Omaha and Daniel Witte of Lincoln announce their upcoming wedding. Parents of the couple are Dean and Jeanne Carstens of Minden and Steve and Connie Witte of Cambridge. The bride-to-be is a 2002 graduate of Minden High School and a 2006 graduate of Nebraska Wesleyan University. She is employed by the Millard school district...

Lena Kolbet and Jarrod Koebel of Culbertson announce their engagement and upcoming marriage. Parents of the couple are Kenneth and Elaine Kolbet and Bud and Annie Kehler. The bride-to-be is a graduate of the University of Nebraska at Kearney with a Bachelor of Science degree. She is the founder of Koebel Industries...

Sandy VanBoening of Wallace and Quinton Pohl of McCook were united in marriage Dec. 27, 2008, in McCook with the Rev. Delano Cunningham officiating. Parents of the couple are Stuart and Lea VanBoening of Wallace and David and Cindy Pohl of McCook. Grandmother of the bride is Dolores VanBoening of Wallace. Grandparents of the bridegroom are Betty Pohl of Holbrook and Roberta and Gene Cappel of McCook...

Wedding planning in the 21st century has become so complex, an entire industry has formed around it. Color coordination, dresses, flowers, ministers, location, reception, honeymoon, it boggles the mind. We have it easy. At least when compared to a Jewish wedding in the time of Jesus. ...

LINCOLN -- The Nebraska School Activities Association Board of Control has voted to move the state volleyball tournament to Grand Island and Hastings in 2010 and 2011. Championship matches will be played at the 6,000-seat Heartland Events Center in Grand Island. Preliminary matches will be played at the event center in addition to Senior, Northwest and Central Catholic high schools in Grand Island and at Hastings High and Hastings College...