Stories from Tuesday, April 20, 2010

The family of Geraldine "Gerry" Murray is requesting a card shower in honor of her 70th birthday on Wednesday. Cards will reach her at 1500 East 11th, No. 117, McCook NE, 69001.

WAUNETA, Nebraska -- Vonna Mody, 60, died Saturday (April 17, 2010) at the Chase County Community Hospital in Imperial. Survivors include her four cousins, Jean Adams and husband, Chuck of Imperial, Georgia Ann Whitcomb and husband, Dick of Hudson, Wisconsin, Sherry Berlin and husband, Ray of Denver, Colorado, Mary Gage and husband, Keith of Wauneta, Nebraska...

Oct. 23, 1927 - April 16, 2010 ARAPAHOE, Nebraska -- John Wayne DeVries, 82, of Yuma, Arizona, formerly of Cambridge, passed away on Friday (April 16, 2010). He was born on a farm near Arapahoe, Nebraska, on Oct. 23, 1927, to Tobias and Elsie Clara (Hein) DeVries. Wayne graduated from Arapahoe High School in 1945...

Oct. 28, 1964 - April 17, 2010 JENNINGS, Kansas -- Terry E. Rogers Jr., 45, died Saturday (April 17, 2010) at Sheridan County Hospital in Hoxie, Kansas. He was born Oct. 28, 1964, at San Antonio, Texas, to Terry Eugene Rogers Sr. and Carylon Elaine Newton. He grew up in the San Antonio area, graduating from Fox Tech High School in San Antonio, later attending trade school in Missouri...

The family of Melba Herrmann is requesting a card shower in honor of her 90th birthday. She was born April 23, 1920, at Atlanta, Nebraska. Family includes her son, Michael and wife, Mary Lea Herrmann of Detroit, Michigan; four grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren. Melba will celebrate her birthday with her family in Detroit. Cards of congratulations will reach her at 1109 East 5th, McCook, NE 69001...

A recommendation from the Airport Advisory Commission to go with SeaPort Airlines for service at McCook's airport was shot down by the City Council. By 3 to 2, the council voted against the recommendation. Mayor Dennis Berry and Councilman Aaron Kircher voted in favor of SeaPort, while Councilmen Lonnie Anderson, Jerry Calvin and Mike Gonzales voted against it...

HOLBROOK, Nebraska -- When Loida Whitson of Holbrook made the decision to become a U.S. Citizen, she had no idea it would become a learning experience for her entire family, but that's exactly what happened. Originally from the Philippines, Whitson came to Nebraska in November 1998 after marrying Dorville Dale Whitson Jr. Although at first she was content with the status of being a permanent resident, some prompting from her nine-year-old son, Abraham, changed her mind...

Responsible parents face a dilemma: how to talk to their children about alcohol without creating a mystique to make drinking all that much more attractive. It's quite a balancing act, but during Alcohol Awareness Month, Scot Adams, director behavioral health for the Department of Health and Human Services offers some tips to help parents stay on an even keel...

It was the smell of jet fuel (actually exhaust) that triggered a hundred memories last Wednesday. I was standing on the ramp with brilliant sunshine and a stiff Oklahoma breeze at Vance AFB. A cacophony of sound from T-1s, T-6s and T-38s all noisily coming and going added to the moment. Like Yogi said, "It was déjà vu all over again!" because exactly fifty years ago I was in the same place learning to fly the T-33 on my way to earning silver Air Force Pilot's Wings...

A new poll released on Tuesday, April 20, found that a strong majority of Nebraska voters (79 percent) favors requiring electric utilities to use renewable energy sources for at least 20% of the electricity they generate. The poll also showed that Nebraska voters have overwhelmingly favorable impressions of wind power (94 percent favorable, 69 percent strongly favorable)...

The McCook National Bank Hot Summer Nights Concert Series returns to Norris Park a little earlier than normal this summer. MNB was approached by Bison 2010 event coordinator Cheri Beckenhauer about the possibility of having one of the performances earlier in the summer. Beckenhauer and the Reunion Committee felt that a MNB Hot Summer Nights concert was a great way to bring everyone together Friday evening, July 2, to help kick off the event...

Werner Schwenzfeier, right, shares a 1950 Gazette newspaper clipping (below) with Cloyd Clark of McCook during the Garden Grove, California, man's first visit to McCook since he lived here in the early 1950s. Schwenzfeier's father, Otto, was a German prisoner of war who was sent to Southwest Nebraska after being captured in Africa in World War II. ...

Recognizing the land that has brought us so much prosperity and reminding us of our own individual responsibilities to preserve it, Arbor Day offers a welcome opportunity to dispose of partisan banners and unite for a common cause. It is especially insightful and relevant in today's climate of mandates and regulation...

From the start of the season to now, McCook Community College softball coach Liz Jacoby might think she recruited some new players for the MCC roster. After a rugged start, the Indians are playing solid softball as the Region IX post-season tournament is just over the horizon. McCook split a pair of double-headers last weekend at the Jaycees Sports Complex...

If it would have been recorded on video, an McCook Community College baseball player's fete may have made ESPN's Sports Center highlights. Kyle Gamble made a highlight-worthy defensive play last Sunday to help the MCC squad sweep four key Empire Conference weekend games from Northeastern (Colo.) Junior College at the Jaycees Sports Complex. ...