Stories from Thursday, December 9, 2010

Feb. 23, 1919--Dec. 7, 2010 HOLDREGE, Nebraska -- Vera M. Vontz, 91, died Tuesday (Dec. 7, 2010), at the Christian Homes Care Community in Holdrege. She was born Feb. 23, 1919, in Russell County, near Bunker Hill, Kansas, the sixth of seven children born to John J. and Laura Agnes (Farrell) Chenoweth. She received her primary education in Concordia, Kansas and Pauline, Nebraska through the eighth grade and then graduated from Hastings High School in 1937...

McCOOK, Nebraska -- Perhaps the secret is in the preparation. Water steams while you measure loose tea leaves into an infuser, preparing cups while visiting with a friend. The tea steeps while you find your place in a favorite book, the aroma emanating from the steaming pot. Most likely, it's the ingredients themselves that provide the calm, the serenity, the healthful effect, both physical and mental, that can be found in a simple cup of tea...

OBERLIN, Kansas -- Five Wisconsin men have been charged in Oberlin, Kansas, with poaching trophy mule deer; the evidence was 16 dead deer loaded on a Kansas game warden's trailer and parked Wednesday morning outside the Decatur County Courthouse in Oberlin...

We hear the same lamentations every year -- Christmas is too commercialized, people have forgotten the true meaning -- and yet when the weather turns cold and the lights come out, few of us can stave off all signs of the holiday spirit. One thing the most secular and devout among us should be able to agree upon, however, is that Christmas is about giving and receiving, about generosity with no strings attached...

For all of my LOTR friends I must apologize for missing Durin's Day. For all of the non-LOTR friends, Durin's Day is the Dwarf's New Year in honor of their ancient and first king, Durin I. According to a passage from "The Hobbit," Durin's Day is when the last moon of autumn can be seen in the sky at the same time as the sun at sunset...

In Nebraska high school softball, McCook's Amanda Einspahr epitomizes the phrase: "Big things come in small packages." Einspahr was a spark plug on the Bison team during her prep career. Her hard work and hustle have paid off with her acceptance of a softball scholarship to Chadron State College...

Coaches in any sport can usually find a little bit of criticism on the performances of their athletes and teams. Most coaches will always find a little fault with some facet of their team's and individual athlete's effort, in an effort to keep the athletes and teams striving to get better...

Basketball teams learn from experience, what works and what doesn't, and the McCook Community College men's team drew upon a previous loss to help notch a 'W' Wednesday night. The Indians made several key defensive stops and hit key free throws down the stretch to claim a 98-93 win over Northeastern Junior College of Sterling, Colorado. The Region IX contest was played at True Hall gym on the MCC campus in McCook...

2010 CATTLE TRAIL INVITATIONAL BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT Tuesday, Friday-Saturday, Dec. 7, 10-11, at McCook GIRLS DIVISION Tuesday, Dec. 7, First-Round Results Dundy County-Stratton 72, Maywood 33 Hayes Center 49, Southwest 33 Hitchcock County 66, Medicine Valley 12...