Stories from Wednesday, March 10, 2010

July 31, 1926 - March 7, 2010 Mildred Marie Long, 83, died Sunday (March 7, 2010) at the Chase County Community Hospital in Imperial. She was born July 31, 1926, at Enders to Theodore William and Susie Virginia (Herbert) Einsphar. She was baptized in Imperial on Oct. 17, 1926, and attended school at Wauneta through the 10th grade, finishing her high school education with a GED...

WASHINGTON -- Responding to a question today from Sen. Ben Nelson, U.S. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar committed to making sure that concerns about cracks in the Red Willow Dam in Southwest Nebraska are addressed in a timely manner and that repairs will be made as soon as possible...

eks, but experts say there's no reason to expect $4 this summer. The national average for a gallon of regular gasoline is up to $2.75, or 81 cents higher than a year ago, but it's already over $3 in California, with its tighter emission standards. Why won't the climb continue?...

I don't know how the newspaper reporter managed to put the words on paper. This was more than two decades ago, if not three, but the story continues to haunt me, as I'm sure it does that reporter and anyone else who read the story. I can barely stand to retell even a portion of it here...

LEXINGTON -- A witness testified Tuesday afternoon that he and the man accused of killing a rural Arapahoe wife and mother of two little girls spent the afternoon of Oct. 3, 2007 -- the day that Kasey Jo Warner died -- drinking in Oxford. Ryan Markwartt, 24, of Holbrook told defense and prosecution attorneys that Herchel Huff, 37, also of Holbrook, had consumed many beers and Jagermeister-Red Bull mixed drinks between about 2 p.m., and approximately 6 p.m., before Huff drove his blueish-green Camaro on country roads heading to Holbrook.. ...

BENKELMAN -- The Dundy County-Stratton boys basketball team might need a bigger bus for their trip to Lincoln for this weekend's Class C-2 state tournament. The Tigers are carrying a huge chip on their shoulders entering the state tournament. Call the DCS boys the "Rodney Dangerfield" of the C-2 state tourney field. Head coach Kris Freeland's team is seeded eighth in C-2, and the 16-7 Tigers aren't getting much respect in state tournament previews...

HAYES CENTER -- The Hayes Center boys are making their third straight trip to the Nebraska State High School Basketball Championships. This year is a little different situation for the Cardinals, and they are hoping the third time is charms to reach that goal of playing on center stage Saturday...