Stories from Friday, April 15, 2011

Hope Irene Bartlett and Matthew Peter Witt announce their engagment and upcoming wedding. Parents of the bride-to-be are Joe and Julie Meyer of Okoboji, Iowa. Parents of the prospective bridegroom are Dick and Paula Witt of Hastings, Nebraska. Grandparents of the prospective bridegroom are Bill and Elaine Witt of McCook, Nebraska...

Tanner Jo Richards and Skylar Hill of Hayes Center, Nebraska announce their engagement and up coming wedding. Parents of the bride-to-be are Larry and Starla Richards of Hayes Center. Parents of the prospective bridegroom are Eric and Karmajo Hill of Lexington, Nebraska...

Jacqueline Roberts of Greeley, Colorado, and Adam Hendrickson of Jamestown, North Daokota, announce their engagement and upcoming marriage. Parents of the bride-to-be are Rick and Wendy Roberts of Greeley, formerly of McCook, Nebraska. Parents of the prospective bridegroom are Arvin and Virginia Hendrickson of Jamestown...

Paul and Nicole (Anderson) Geisinger of Yukon, Oklahoma announce the birth of a daughter, Brynn Lee Geisinger. She was born March 14, 2011, in Yukon, weighing 7 pounds, 5 ounces and measuring 19 inches long. Grandparents are Lonnie and Peg Anderson of McCook, Nebraska, the late Sandra Anderson, Keith and Wendy Gammon of Seiling, Oklahoma, and Earl Geisinger of Marlow, Oklahoma...

Travis and Christie Rice of Beatrice, Nebraska, announce the birth of a daughter, Elizabeth Sophia Rice. She was born March 23, 2011, at Beatrice Community Hospital in Beatrice, weighing 8 pounds, 11 ounces and measuring 20 inches long. Grandparents are Tony and Patricia Rice of Wilsonville, Nebraska. Her great-grandmother is Arlene Rice of Wilsonville...

Fauna Kinne of McCook, Nebraska announces the birth of her daughter, Zoe Rosalyn Kinne-Garcia. She was born April 1, 2011, at Tri Valley Health Systems in Cambridge, Nebraska, weighing 7 pounds, 13 ounces and measuring 20 inches long. Her Grandfather is Paul Kinne of McCook and her great-grandmother is Geneva Cain of McCook...

The family of Raymond and Mildred Tillotson of Farnam, Nebraska is requesting a card shower in honor of the couple's 60th wedding anniversary. Cards of congratulations will reach the couple at 441995 East Hwy 23, Farnam, NE 69020.

The family of Steve and Sherry Gonzales of McCook, Nebraska is requesting a card shower in honor of the couple's 40th wedding anniversary. They were married April 24, 1971 in McCook. Their family includes children, Stacey and Stuart Porter of McCook, Shelley Gonzales and Anthony McKinney of Omaha, Nebraska, and the late Robert Hammond. They have five grandchildren. Cards of congratulations will reach the couple at 206 E 3rd Street, McCook, NE 69001...

The family of Phyllis Myers of Palisade, Nebraska is having an open house in honor of her 90th birthday, April 24. The open house is Sunday, April 24, 2-4 p.m. at the Palisade Auxiliary Hall. Cards of congratulations will reach her at P.O. Box 122, Palisade, NE 69040...

Sina Ruggles, of rural McCook, Nebraska, celebrated her 93rd birthday April 13, with 93 red roses.

As the 2010-11 TV season winds down, the networks are moving the last of their regular inventory onto the prime-time schedule, hoping that something they've held back might connect with an audience. Fox and ABC have new half-hour comedies airing on Wednesday nights, hoping to keep viewers after the credits roll on their most successful shows ("American Idol" for Fox, "Modern Family" on ABC)...

Recently, I joined with business and development officials from the public and private sector in announcing a new partnership created to help strengthen Nebraska small businesses and startup enterprises through mentorship. This mentorship effort is aimed at creating a new generation of homegrown business success stories in Nebraska...

McCOOK, Nebraska -- Superintendent Grant Norgaard told board members that making the move to electronic documents would be "a positive move," improving efficiency and organization for board members, board committee members and administrators. Board members would be able to log onto a web-based service to access agendas, documents needed for board meetings, policies and meeting minutes. Electronic documents have the capability of reducing paper use and costs and manpower hours, Norgaard said...

PALISADE, Nebraska -- Southwest Public Power District crews are struggling to restore power following weather-related outages Thursday afternoon and Friday. Power outages began about 7 p.m. Thursday when a Nebraska Public Power District 115 kV line went down, cutting off power to SWPPD. ...

McCOOK, Nebraska -- Red Willow County Commissioners plan to appoint members to a jail planning committee Monday. The board meets at 9 a.m. in the commissioners room in the courthouse, with the committee issue set for 10 a.m. Other items include opening bids for motor grader cutting edges, a proposal for a security system for the courthouse and a request for a pauper burial...

McCOOK, Nebraska -- The McCook City Council will consider a recommendation from the Tree Advisory Board to increase the rebate amounts for the Tree Rebate Program during their semi-monthly meeting, Monday evening, at council chambers. After seeing a sharp decline in the number of trees planted from 2009 to 2010, board members voted in their March meeting to recommend city council increase the rebate. ...

Despite the spring storm, we're well into spring and weather for outdoor activities is predicted to be back this weekend. With spring and summer, however, comes the added risk of injury and death. Like illness, most cases of injuries and death are predictable and preventable, according to Dr. Joann Schaefer, chief medical officer of the Nebrsaka Health and Human Services System...

The past 24 hours have been pretty remarkable weather-wise. In fact, yesterday I saw a first. During our severe thunderstorm yesterday afternoon, we had thunder, lightning, hail that covered the ground, sleet and snow, all at the same time. I'm not sure when the snow started falling in earnest because I went to bed but when I got up this morning, it sure looked a lot more like January than April...

The market will be moved for the year 2011 to the Senior Center parking lot. The address is 1312 W. Fifth Street in McCook. The entrance for the vendors is the west entrance east of the state yards on West M Street. We will park the vehicles facing east and west in the first entrance and place them where they will fit in well...

PALISADE, Nebraska -- Service has been restored to all of Southwest Public Power District substations except for one south of the Enders dam. "We anticipate that substation to be back on in a matter of minutes," SWPPD manager Don Suda. "We are now working on isolated locations. ...

HASTINGS, Nebraska -- Mother Nature ruled the Hastings Invitational boys golf meet, but the McCook High School squad wasn't too far behind. The Thursday, April 14 competition at Lochland Country Club north of Hastings was shortened to nine holes due to unfavorable weather conditions...

Mother Nature flexed her spring muscles April 14-15, causing headaches for area high school activities directors, spring prep sports teams, coaches and fans. The McCook High School track and field teams were scheduled to visit Gothenburg Friday, April 15, for the Dutch Zorn Invitational. But Gothenburg school officials decided, with help from Ma Nature's influence, to postpone the meet until Monday, April 18...

The family of Ila (Blecha) League of Stratton, Nebraska is requesting a card shower in honor of her 80th birthday, April 23. She was born in 1931. Family includes her spouse, Roy League of Stratton; children, Gary League and Reta League of Elbert, Colorado, and Denis and Deb League of Stratton; four grandchildren; and six great-grandchildren. Cards of congratulations will reach her at P.O. Box 37, Stratton, NE 69043...