Stories from Monday, August 8, 2011

May 2, 1945-June 2, 2011 INDIANOLA, Nebraska -- Frederick L. Helm DVM, U.S. Army Colonel retired, died at his home in Hilo, Hawaii. Funeral services are Friday, Aug. 12, 2 p.m., at St. Catherine's Catholic Church in Indianola, Nebraska. Inurnment is Aug. 19, 2011, at Punch Bowl Military Cemetery in Honolulu, Hawaii...

July 1, 1972-Aug. 3, 2011 GRAND ISLAND, Nebraska -- Jason Allan Cline, 39, died Wednesday (Aug. 3, 2011) at St. Francis Medical Center in Grand Island, Nebraska. He was born July 1, 1972, in Grand Island, the son of Roger and Elizabeth (Peterson) Cline. He grew up in Grand Island graduating from Grand Island Northwest High School with the Class of 1991...

WAUPACA, Wis. -- With the help of George W. Norris's great-grandson, the most precious heirlooms from the late senator's vacation cottage in Wisconsin have been saved for perpetual public display in McCook, Nebraska, the community which was Norris' home during the last half of his life...

The war hit close to home again this weekend with word that another Nebraskan was killed in Afghanistan, Sgt. Patrick Hamburger, 30, a member of the Nebraska Army National Guard. He had only been in Afghanistan a week, serving with the 2-135th General Support Aviation Battalion, when he was among 30 Americans and seven Afghan soldiers, an interpreter and search dog killed when their CH-47 Chinook helicopter was brought down by enemy fire...

I was very impressed with the Aug. 2 opinion piece by Dick Trail titled, "Crisis in Washington." It frankly showed an insightful appraisal of the debt ceiling and out of control spending crisis that has occupied so much of the debate in DC these last nine weeks...

I was a late comer to the Korean War. I was through with the University in 1949. My roommate, a Naval aviator in World War II, had resigned from the Naval Reserve in early June 1950, and was certain that he would be called back when the war began on June 25, 1950, but he never was, and went on to have a fine career with the Caterpillar Corp...

McCook emergency responders tend to the driver of a car involved in a three vehicle accident near the intersection of West B and West Fifth streets, Monday afternoon. At least one individual involved in the accident was taken via ambulance to Community Hospital...

The headline on the front page of the July 11, 2011, Time magazine was intriguing: "Want to Make More Than a Banker? Become A Farmer!" I was very proud of our state when I read the story and found Nebraskan John Willoughby and his farm as the photo backdrop for the piece. The article featured a discussion on the profitability of agriculture, and talked about what that has meant for our state...

Dec. 31, 1928-Aug. 5, 2011 OBERLIN, Kansas -- Henry Stuart Euhus was born Dec. 31, 1928, at the family farm west of Oberlin, Kansas, to Henry F. G. and Hildegard (Lueders) Euhus. He passed away Friday, Aug. 5, 2011, at Good Samaritan Hospital in Kearney, Nebraska, at the age of 82...

Feb. 14, 1920-Aug. 5, 2011 McCOOK, Nebraska -- Loren E. Townsend, 91, died Thursday, Aug. 5, 2011, at Community Hospital of McCook, Nebraska. He was born Feb. 14, 1920, at a farm southeast of Smith Center, Kansas, the third son of Harry H. and Grace (Goble) Townsend. He began his education in Smith Center then moved to Kensington, Kansas, graduating in 1938. He attended Kansas Wesleyan University until the start of World War II...

August 4, 2011 -- Today, Nebraska's Senator Ben Nelson announced that he and Senator Mark Udall (Colo.) have introduced a balanced budget amendment to the U.S. Constitution that would control federal spending without weakening Social Security and Medicare...