Stories from Thursday, March 11, 2010

Aug. 6, 2008 - March 7, 2010 INDIANOLA -- Ariel Marie O'Brien, age 19 months, went to be with her Lord and Savior on Sunday, March 7, 2010, at McCook Community Hospital, McCook, Neb. Ariel was born on Aug. 6, 2008, at McCook to Eric Vincent and Larisa Jean (Pohousky) O'Brien. She lived with her family in the country near Indianola where she loved to pet the horses and play with her cats and dogs...

Aug. 24, 1924 - March 10, 2010 BARTLEY -- Darrell L. Earl, 85, died Wednesday (March 10, 2010) at the Cambridge Manor. He was born Aug. 24, 1924, in Bartley to Harry and Lexey (McCord). He attended Bartley Schools. In 1945, he was inducted into the U. S. Army. He was sent to the Asiatic -- Pacific Campaign and was discharged in 1946...

June 13, 1928 - March 7, 2010 Emerson Duane Schwenk was born on the south divide of Wauneta, Neb., to George and Leona (Buffington) Schwenk Paustian on June 13, 1928. He passed away on Sunday, March 7, 2010 at his home just across the road from where he was born...

Eleanore J. Demmer March 1, 1916 - March 9, 2010 OBERLIN -- Eleanore J. Demmer, 94, died Tuesday (March 9, 2010) at the Decatur County Good Samaritan Center. She was born March 1, 1916, in Decatur County, Kan., to Benjamin Bryan and Birdie Harshman. She grew up in the Traer area, attending District 98 schools and graduating from Decatur Community High School in 1933...

March 20, 1918 - March 10, 2010 Gerald E. Sines, 91, died Wednesday (March 10, 2010) at Community Hospital in McCook. He was born on March 20, 1918, at Marion to Lester and Lela (VanPelt) Sines. He served in the U.S. Air Force during World War II from 1942 to 1945...

Nearly 70 years after the fact, more World War II heroes are finally receiving the honor they are due. We've heard and read about the Honor Flights that have carried so many of the "Greatest Generation" to the World War II memorial in Washington, and our only regret is that it didn't happen sooner...

Okay, okay, I hear you, Venus is appearing in the west, not the east as I said last time. All I can say is I didn't have my trusty Boy Scout compass with me when I was out looking. But, Venus is making a very nice showing these evenings and will do so clear into late March and early April when it will be joined by sister inner-planet Mercury...

If you haven't been contacted already about the census, you soon will be. It is extremely important that you complete the census form and return it in a timely manner. Make sure you include ALL members of your family/friends who primarily reside in your household...

In response to the articles being written demeaning Sen. Nelson for his 60th vote in the health care issue: When it was first proposed, it was for ALL states with regard to Medicaid (not Medicare). It was decided that was too costly, so Sen. Reid took the initiative to change it to Nebraska only...

LEXINGTON -- A 3-year-old girl thrown out of the path of a speeding car 2 1⁄2 years ago wanted nothing more than the mother who sacrificed her own life to save her daughter's. One of the first people on the scene of the accident that killed Kasey Jo Warner of rural Arapahoe on Oct. ...

Debate began this week on a bill that would provide funds for performance-based teach-er pay. Although no one disagreed with the concept, some senators are concerned how the funds will be managed, said Sen. Christensen this morning at the McCook Area Chamber of Commerce Legislative conference call...

With the 2010 census officially under way, workers are still needed in western Nebraska. About 700 are working in the 52 counties in this part of the state, said Vic Gentry of the North Platte Census office. Gentry said collectively across the state, 900 workers will be employed by the 2010 Census. For Red Willow County and parts of Frontier County, about 40-50 people are still needed, he said...

When high school football fanatics in the Cornhusker state talk about gridiron traditions, the McCook teams of the past decade probably pop up somewhere on that list. Back-to-back undefeated state champion teams, a 71-game home winning streak, many other seasons with a lone loss in the Class B playoffs are just some of the highlights for the Bison under head coach Jeff Gross...