Stories from Thursday, July 7, 2011

WAUNETA, Nebraska -- A declining population, more in-home services and stricter requirements are being blamed for a decision to close a Wauneta nursing home. Vetter Health Service Inc., which operates Heritage of Wauneta, issued a news release that it "has made the difficult decision to discontinue operation" of the facility...

CURTIS, Nebraska -- The Middle Republican Natural Resources District will hear information pertaining to the Central Platte Natural Resources District lawsuit and a proposed Dakota Aquifer water study at its monthly meeting Tuesday, July 12, 7:30 p.m. at the Curtis Memorial Community Center...

We remember, it doesn't seem that that long ago, when one of the first cellular phones in town rated a front-page feature story. Computer use was confined to a few nerds on a local "bulletin board," who dreamed of local Internet access. How things have changed...

Our old friends, the stars of the Summer Triangle, are above the eastern horizon by 9 p.m. and a planet, Saturn, is available for our viewing pleasure. Saturn is located in the constellation Virgo, the Maiden located along the southern horizon. There are two bight objects in Virgo, one is Saturn and to its left is Spica, the brightest star in the constellation...

For us, it's the "third kid" excuse, but for other families, it could be "fourth kid" or "fifth kid," whichever, but for us, the last kid is being raised a whole heck of a lot different than the first. Before our third daughter was born, I had a friend that was always referring to "third kid."...

The McCook Midget Baseball League's 2011 season will come to a close this weekend. The MMBA Cubs Division will hold its post-season championship tournament at Felling Field, with three first-round games scheduled Thursday, July 7, starting at 5:30 p.m. The tournament continues with second-round action Friday, July 8, starting at 5:30 p.m., then a full schedule of nine games Saturday, July 9, in the championship and elimination brackets, with Saturday's first game set for 8 a.m...

The Wednesday night, July 6 Legion baseball results between the McCook National Bank Seniors and Colby, Kansas revolved around two at-bats. McCook rallied with six runs in the bottom of the sixth inning to claim a 7-6 win in the opening game at the Jaycees Sports Complex. Colby came back in the second game, scoring eight runs in the top of the sixth to claim a 13-4 victory...

USA Network has, in recent years, developed into a strong provider of top-notch escapist fare, especially during the long summer months. USA's shows tend to be the equivalent of what the publishing industry regards as "excellent beach reading," which is generally interpreted to mean that the content might be lighter than air, but there's still something compelling about it...