Stories from Thursday, September 1, 2011

Sept. 30, 1946-Aug. 28, 2011 BENKELMAN, Nebraska -- Barbara Jo (Kollmorgen) Horner was born Sept. 30, 1946, in Jacksonville, Florida, to Martin and Clara (Porter) Kollmorgen. Barb left this earth, and her beloved family and friends, on Sunday, Aug. 28, 2011, at Good Samaritan Hospital in Kearney, Nebraska...

Oct. 14, 1915-Aug. 30, 2011 FORSYTH, Missouri -- Nora Luella (Graham) Slusher peacefully passed away Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2011, at her home in Forsyth, Missouri. Nora was born Oct. 14, 1915, in Danbury, Nebraska, to Fred and Hazel Graham. She attended school in Danbury and Business School in Denver, Colorado...

McCOOK, Nebraska -- What Red Willow County commissioners thought was a done deal has turned out to be not so done after all. Mary Kircher, director of the housing committee of the McCook Economic Development Corp., sent e-mails to commissioners last week telling them that she won't be needing the house that the county donated for the committee's rehabilitation project...

McCOOK, Nebraska -- When Russ Dowling and Fern Cassell decided to get married, the price of gas was 10 cents, the Great Depression was in full force and the cost of a stamp was three cents. Today, gas is $3.60, the economy is still recovering from "the Great Recession" and e-mail has almost obliterated the use of stamps...

The process is moving at a glacial pace for those of us who enjoy Hugh Butler Lake, but it's good to see things are moving along. The lake has been drained since multiple cracks were found in the south end of Red Willow Dam in late 2009, and after a couple of delays, bids for repairs were opened Tuesday...

We have been looking at the large constellations and some of the other "big boys" of the astronomical world, how about if we shift to a few of the smallest. These three won't be too difficult to find, they are all very near to each other. Let's start with the "where." All three of these small constellations are quite near Aquila, the Eagle. Altair, the brightest star in Aquila is one of the stars of the Summer Triangle and we have all had practice finding it...

I think every mom has a day, once in awhile, where they feel like they look like a million bucks. Their hair worked out perfect that morning and they're dressed in a brand new outfit with matching super-cute shoes. This combination causes them to walk with their heads a little higher than usual, with a confident smile on their face...

By law, the Executive Branch is required to annually document and make public the number of new regulatory actions it plans for the coming year. The Obama Administration recently posted information for 2011 online which revealed the regulatory onslaught is not being scaled back, but rather expanded...

It's the Nebraska Class B high school football equivalent of the Super Bowl Friday night, Sept. 2, at Weiland Field. Hope all the sports fans (and everyone else) are making plans to be on hand when our McCook Bison host the Aurora Huskies in another edition in the classic high school football rivalry that has developed over the past few years...

There probably won't be any Knute Rockne "Gipper" speeches necessary from the coaching staffs of the McCook High School and Aurora football programs this week. Two of the top Class B prep gridiron programs in the Cornhusker State will renew their rivalry Friday, Sept. 2, at Weiland Field in McCook. The Bison and Huskies are set to kickoff at 7 p.m...

The new feature film "Our Idiot Brother" is a sweet-natured but slight comedy that benefits from a delightful central performance from Paul Rudd and a few very funny scenes, but doesn't quite manage to wrap itself up satisfactorily as the third act plays out...