Stories from Wednesday, September 2, 2009

McCook Community College pitcher Mike Hebert loosens up on the mound at the Jaycee Sports Complex Tuesday. Hebert, from Denver, is a sophomore transfer from Southwest Baptist in Bolivia, Missouri. "We have a good group of newcomers," said MCC head coach Jon Olsen. "They will improve our team speed, it will help our offense." MCC baseball will open its fall season at the Jaycee Sports Complex, Sept. 13, against Dodge City Community College at 1 p.m...

The family of Bill and Sharon Sitzman are requesting a card shower in honor of the couple's 50th wedding anniversary. They were married Sept. 4, 1959, in Culbertson. Their family includes three children and four grandchildren. Cards will reach them at Box 365 Culbertson, NE 69024...

BARTLEY -- Southwest Junior and Senior High School students are adapting to temporary classrooms, walking among buildings on their own "miniature college campus" while contractors finish their new school. Principal Matt Springer is impressed with teachers', students' and staff members' adaptability and good spirits as 180-some students start fall classes in the Bartley buildings that last year held 80-some students...

Volunteers continue to make progress on the Southwest Nebraska Habitat for Humanity build on behalf of the Anders family. The inside wiring is complete and once the plumbing and duct work is finished, the drywall will be installed. Volunteers plan to be painting by the end of September and are hopeful of a late October dedication. To volunteer or for more information on Habitat for Humanity, call Tammie Hilker at (308) 345-4240 (work) or (308) 345-3717...

Rural Nebraskans have the reputation of being self-reliant, and the latest Nebraska Rural Poll shows that reputation is well-founded. Self-employment is the fastest growing employment segment in rural America, according to the Internal Revenue Service, and actually accounted for all net job growth in non-metropolitan Nebraska in at least one recent year, according to Randy Cantrell, a Nebraska Rural Initiative rural sociologist who's part of the University of Nebraska Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources team that conducts the poll.. ...

Perusing online newspapers doesn't do their circulation numbers much good and I'm afraid I'm going to develop a permanent negative shake as I read story after story that confound me. Perhaps I should give it up. Oh wait, newspapers, online and otherwise, are my bread and butter. Guess I'll just have to take more deep breaths, exhaling a prayer after each one...