Stories from Friday, May 20, 2011

Jenna Marie Britten and Kevin James Carstensen, both of Lincoln, Nebraska, announce their engagement and upcoming marriage. Parents of the bride-to-be are Pam Britten of Council Bluffs, Iowa and the late Roger Britten. Parents of the prospective bridegroom are Jim and Joan Carstensen of North Platte, Nebraska...

Chandra Jo Criss and Austin James Lewis, both of Smith Center, Kansas, announce their engagement and upcoming marriage. Parents of the bride-to-be are Michael and Carolyn Criss of Sargent, Nebraska. Parents of the prospective bridegroom are Jim and Shari Lewis of Culbertson, Nebraska...

BARTLEY, Nebraska -- Michala RaeAnn Foster and Cooper Lee Wilson, both of Indianola, Nebraska, were united in marriage on April 16, 2011, at Kemper United Methodist Church in Bartley with the Rev. Sherry Sklenar officiating. Parents of the bride are Brian Foster and Missy Jens of Bartley, and Robin and Rick Anderson of McCook, Nebraska. Parents of the bridegroom are Leroy and Carolyn Wilson of Garden City, Kansas...

The family of Don and Glynn Fagerstone of Hayes Center, Nebraska is hosting a celebration and requesting a card shower in honor of the couple's 50th wedding anniversary. They were married June 4, 1961 in Greeley, Colorado. Their family includes children, Brian and Michelle Fagerstone of Cameron, Missouri, Gary Fagerstone of Hayes Center and Beth Ann and Brady McElroy of Lamar, Colorado. ...

The family of Wayne and Lois Larson of Oberlin, Kansas is hosting a celebration and requesting a card shower in honor of the couple's 60th wedding anniversary. They were married May 6, 1951, at St. Paul Lutheran Church in Natrona, Kansas. Their family includes children, Suzanne and husband, Jay Cooper of Wichita, Kansas, Joanne and husband, Norman Wendelin of Oberlin, Craig and wife, Karen Larson of Oberlin, Bonnie and husband, Bill Condit of Winfield, Kansas, and Brad Larson of Oberlin; 11 grandchildren; four step-grandchildren; and one great-grandchild. ...

The family of Densel W. O'Dea of McCook, Nebraska is hosting a celebration and requesting a card shower in honor of his 80th birthday, June 8. He was born in Red Willow County, Nebraska in 1931. Family includes his wife, Barbara O'Dea of McCook; children, Ken and wife, Kristy O'Dea of Commerce Township, Michigan, Jim and wife, Kim O'Dea of McCook, Patty Knaub of Kearney, Nebraska, and Pam and husband, Doug Adams of Fort Worth, Texas; 12 grandchildren; and eight great-grandchildren. ...

The family of Ann Mines of Oberlin, Kansas is hosting a celebration and requesting a card shower in honor of her 80th birthday, June 14. She was born in Denver, Colorado. Family includes her husband, Don Mines of Oberlin; children, Patrick and Sheri Coon of Georgetown,Texas, Pat and Lyn Salvo of Tucson, Arizona, and Joe and Chris Mines of McPherson, Kansas; and four grandchildren. ...

The family of Thelma Ridlen of Palisade, Nebraska is requesting a card shower in honor of her 80th birthday, May 29. She was born in Imperial, Nebraska in 1931. Family includes her husband, Ray Ridlen of Palisade; children, Charlene and husband, Grant Pfanstiel of McCook, Nebraska, Ron and wife, Nancy of Palisade, Byron and wife, Karleen of Anthony, Kansas, and Rhonda Ridlen of Palisade; and six grandchildren. Cards of congratulations will reach her at 112 N Parker, Palisade, NE 69040...

Mike and Wendy Eisenmenger of Fort Collins, Colorado announce the birth of a son, Corbin Vincent Eisenmenger. He was born Jan. 18, 2011, in Fort Collins, weighing 7 pounds, 8 ounces and measuring 19.25 inches long. He has a brother, Ethan Michael, 2. Grandparents are Larry and Ruth Blank and Larry and Mary Beth Eisenmenger, all of McCook, Nebraska...

Courtney and Jared Holub of Papillion, Nebraska announce the birth of a daughter, Aliza Grace Holub. She was born Feb. 8, 2011, at Bergen Mercy Hospital in Omaha, Nebraska, weighing 7 pounds, 11 ounces and measuring 20 inches long. She has a sister, Addison, 5. Grandparents are Vernetta Gohl of Omaha, Jim and Connie Gohl of Culbertson, Nebraska, and Albert and Linda Holub of Culbertson. Great-grandmothers are Elaine Bedore of Culbertson and Patricia Oller of Marion, Kansas...

Aaron and Laura Plas of York, Nebraska announce the birth of twins, a girl, Kennedy Ann Marie Plas, and a boy, Cooper Graham Plas. They were born April 6, 2011, in Lincoln, Nebraska. Cooper weighed 5 pounds, 7 ounces and measured 18.75 inches long. Kennedy weighed 5 pounds, 3 ounces and measured 18 inches. Grandparents are Phil and Diane Lyons, Jim and Patty Phinney, all of McCook, Nebraska; and Jeff Plas of Lincoln, Nebraska...

The family of Loran Wright of Palisade, Nebraska is requesting a card shower in honor of his 88th birthday, May 31. Family includes his wife, Irene Wright of Palisade; daughter, Bonnie Johnson and husband, Lloyd of Ogallala, Nebraska; son, the late Bob Wright; and two grandchildren. Cards of congratulations will reach him at P.O. Box 333, Palisade, NE 69040...

July 10, 1934-May 18, 2011 OGALLALA, Nebraska -- Phyllis Jean Brush, 76, formerly of Hayes Center, Nebraska, passed away on Wednesday, May 18, 2011, in Ogallala. She was born July 10, 1934, in Curtis, Nebraska, the daughter of Morgan and Ada (Staples) Smith. Phyllis grew up and attended schools in the Curtis area...

Jan. 15, 1971-May 18, 2011 TRENTON, Nebraska -- Robert "Rob" A. Seybold, 40, passed away Wednesday, May 18, 2011, in Lincoln, Nebraska. Rob was born to Robert G. and Linda L. (Westrand) Seybold in Kearney on Jan. 15, 1971. He graduated from Trenton High School in 1990. Following graduation he began working on the family farm and ranch northwest of Trenton. In addition to taking over the family farm, he had owned and operated Seybold Construction since 2000...

Human beings always have watched the sky. Job 9:9 of the old Testament mentions the Pleiades, Arcturs and Orion. Psalms 8:3 includes a statement about the sun, moon and stars. My childhood memories include some field trips to the science department at the University of Denver. It was exciting to see the constellation of Orion, the great hunter. Betelgeuse, a red star, marked his shoulder. Very faint stars outlines the sword hanging from his belt...

If your cell phone company seemed especially nosy recently, maybe it wasn't actually your cell phone company at all. The recent incident involved Verizon Wireless and one other company, but it could have been any business with an online presence, and illustrates how sophisticated hackers can stay one step ahead of security...

The annual Central Elementary track meet was canceled because of the drizzly weather today, but few of us who have spent much time in Nebraska will complain. We are finally ahead of normal precipitation -- .15 of an inch as of midnight and 6.86 inches for the year -- but 4.21 of that fell this month...

We hear about these things all the time anymore; food addictions, gambling addictions, marijuana addictions, sex addictions, relationship addictions, etc. etc. We have more addictions than Carter has pills and every week it seems like a new one is added to the list. The problem with that is that the above mentioned behaviors AREN"T addictions...

OBERLIN, Kansas -- Students at Decatur Community Public Schools in Oberlin, Kansas, were evacuated Thursday from the grade school and junior/senior high school following a bomb threat. According to Kimberly Davis, managing editor of the Oberlin Herald newspaper, the threat came in at 10:30 a.m., and students were evacuated from the buildings to undisclosed safe locations...

CAMBRIDGE, Nebraska -- When a national chain store pulled its store out of Cambridge, Nebraska, in January, the building left behind echoed. All that was left were bare shelves and an empty check-out counter. Six months later, there's no echo in that main street building because a new business has restocked those same shelves with nearly 187,000 pieces of merchandise...