Stories from Friday, September 23, 2011

The family of Edna Ficken is requesting a card shower in honor of her 95th birthday. She was born Sept. 28, 1916 in Frontier County. Her family includes daughters Jan and husband Bob Hein of McCook, Nebraska, Joan and husband Larry Burke of Elwood, Nebraska and Carole and husband Bob Dreher of Kearney, Nebraska. She has seven grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren. Cards of congratulations will reach her at Apt. #44, Willow Ridge Apts., 1500 East 11th Street, McCook, NE 69001...

The family of Russell and Lavena Marks is requesting a card shower in honor of their 57th anniversary. They were married Sept. 19, 1954 in Culbertson, Nebraska. Cards of congratulations will reach them at Box 233, Trenton, NE 69044

Jason and Stephanie Neseth of Bartley, Nebraska, announce the birth of their daughter, Natalie Paige Neseth. She was born July 19, 2011, at McCook Community Hospital. She weighed 6 pounds, 11 ounces and measured 20 inches long. She has one sister, Elizabeth, 3-years- old. Grandparents are Bob and Cindy McConville of Indianola, Nebraska, and Ron and Cecilia Neseth of Alda, Nebraska. Great-grandparents are LaVera Brooks of McCook, Nebraska and Robert and Kathy McConville of Indianola...

The family of Harold and Jeane Yohe of McCook is requesting a card shower in honor of the couple's 63rd wedding anniversary. They were married Sept. 24, 1948 in Omaha, Nebraska. They have two children, Mary Lee Nichols of Culbertson, Nebraska and Jerry Yohe of Chadron, Nebraska. They have 12 grandchildren and 4 great-grandchildren. Cards of congratulations will reach them at 1003 West 14th, McCook, NE 69001...

SCOTTSBLUFF, Nebraska -- The search for 8-year-old Kerra Wilson has ended with the discovery of her body in a remote area of Sioux County. In the early evening hours of Thursday, Sept. 22, investigators from the Nebraska State Patrol and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) were notified by a local rancher alerting them to an area that he felt needed to be examined. ...

Joe and Kristen Lienemann of Lincoln, Nebraska, announce the birth of their son, Camden John Lienemann. He was born Sept. 3, 2011 in Lincoln, weighing 6 pounds, 10 ounces and measuring 19 1/2 inches long. Grandparents are Kim Miller, of North Platte, Nebraska, Kelvin and Leigh Ann Miller of McCook, Nebraska and Doug and Mary Lienemann of Lincoln. Great-grandparents are Nadena McCarty of Sidney, Nebraska and Del Lienemann Sr., of Lincoln...

The family of Robert and Marian Ellis is requesting a card shower in honor of the couple's 50th wedding anniversary. The couple was married Oct. 1, 1961. Their children include Don and Rhonda Ellis of Minden, Nebraska, Gina and Robert Stamm of McCook, Nebraska, and four grandchildren. Cards of congratulations will reach them at 708 9th Avenue, Benkelman, NE 69021...

The family of Ervin Schaffert is requesting a card shower in honor of his 88th birthday. He was born Sept. 30, 1923, in Bartley, Nebraska. A life-long resident of Southwest McCook, he attended St. John's Lutheran Church/Ash Creek for more than 50 years and farmed southwest of Indianola until age 80. ...

The family of Valeria (Schuetz) Rhoades, of Lincoln, Nebraska, is requesting a card shower in honor of her 80th birthday. She was born Sept. 22, 1931 in McCook, Nebraska. She has two daughters, three granddaughters and two grandsons. She will be in McCook this weekend for Heritage Days. Cards of congratulations will reach her at 5211 Calvert No. 318, Lincoln, NE 68506...

LINCOLN, Nebraska -- Renee Augustyn of Lincoln, Nebraska and Jesse Cushman, also of Lincoln, were united in marriage on Oct. 2, 2010, at St. Peter's Catholic Church in Lincoln with the Rev. Michael Christensen officiating. Parents of the couple are Charles and Marilyn Augustyn of Lincoln, Lois and Les Little of Beatrice, Nebraska and the late Daniel Cushman...

McCOOK, Nebraska -- I have found it is significantly more rewarding to write a weekly column on the food page, coupled with the gratitude that follows from local mothers for giving them their Saturday morning chuckle, than it is to write the local crime and City Council stories. ...

Family Features If you love to entertain and want to support a good cause, now you can do both at the same time. Now in its 10th year, Cook for the Cure presented by KitchenAid is a program that gives people with a passion for cooking a way to support the fight against breast cancer. Through culinary-based fundraising, events, auctions and the sale of pink products, the partnership between KitchenAid and Susan G. Komen for the CureŽ has raised over $8 million for the cause...

April 8, 1959 - Sept. 15, 2011 RIVERTON, Wyoming -- David Alan Degener, the son of Madge J. (White) and Robert Degener, was born May 8, 1959 at Red Cloud, Nebraska. He departed this life unexpectedly at his home in Riverton, Nebraska, on Thursday, Sept. 15, 2011, at the age of 52 years, 4 months and 7 days...

The primary role of the Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality (NDEQ) is to help ensure that our state's natural resources are protected from contamination. Nebraskans can take pride in the high quality of Nebraska's air, land and water. Under the direction of Mike Linder, the 215 employees of NDEQ work with businesses, communities and individuals toward the common goal of protecting the environment. ...

On Friday, September 23, a group of 25 World War II veterans from the Third District visited our nation's capital as part of the Hall County Hero Flight. The non-profit Hall County Honor Flight program provides free transportation to and from Washington, DC for local World War II veterans to visit for the first time the National World War II Memorial, which was built in their honor. ...

McCOOK, Nebraska -- State staffing reductions in court houses in McCook, Benkelman, Hayes Center and Stockville were avoided during the 2011-12 appropriation process, but the Nebraska Bar Association warns that further cuts would hurt rural areas most of all...

McCOOK, Nebraska -- Sen. George Norris, father of the Nebraska unicameral, would give voters today a failing grade, according to former State Sen. Tom Vickers. Vickers, the keynote speaker at the McCook Heritage Days Prayer Breakfast Friday, said that term limits may be the death of the non-partisan legislature we have today...

If the turnout for Thursday night's reception for Mickey Stubblefield is any indication, participation will be high in this weekend's "Back in the Day" Heritage Days celebration. While we knew Stubblefield helped bridge the gap between the Negro Leagues and the majors, Aggie Roberts recalled how he helped give women their first chance to show their skills on the softball diamond...

We've all heard of individual identity theft. This occurs when your credit card numbers or your checking account number is hijacked by a bad guy in a myriad of ways and then they proceed to drain your checking account and run your credit cards up to the max. This has all sorts of negative consequences for the victim and it's a tragedy whenever it happens...

LINCOLN, Nebraska -- The Department of Health and Human Services reports the state's first death from listeriosis, a foodborne illness. Test results indicate that a man in his eighties from the western part of the state died earlier this month from listeriosis...

McCook managed only 10 offensive plays from scrimmage in the first quarter against Grand Island Northwest Friday, Sept. 23 at Weiland Field. Northwest ran 22 plays in that same time frame. The Bison had 54 yards of total offense in the first 12 minutes, compared to 40 for the visitors...

HAYES CENTER, Nebraska --Michael J. Scott, 50, of Hayes Center ,died Tuesday (Sept. 20, 2011) at his rural Hayes Center home. Memorial services are Friday, Sept. 30, 2011, at Carpenter Breland Funeral Home with the Rev. Luke Wolford officiating. Inurnment will follow at Hayes Center Cemetery in Hayes Center...

We've all heard of individual identity theft. This occurs when your credit card numbers or your checking account number is hijacked by a bad guy in a myriad of ways and then they proceed to drain your checking account and run your credit cards up to the max. This has all sorts of negative consequences for the victim and it's a tragedy whenever it happens...