Stories from Friday, February 24, 2012

Patricia 'Pat' Jean Cook Nov. 29, 1928 - Feb. 23, 2012 ST. FRANCIS. Kansas -- Patricia "Pat" Jean Cook, 83, of St. Francis, Kansas, died Thursday (Feb. 23, 2012), at the Hays Medical Center in Hays, Kansas. She was born Nov. 29, 1928, in Chicago, Illinois...

I regularly hear people marvel at the accomplishments of housewives of old. The many roles they played, the physical labor involved that has since been replaced by advances in technology. It is impressive, to say the least, and makes it easy to understand why only one member of the household typically worked full time...

Family Features Whether you're having a friend or two over for a casual lunch, or hosting a weekend party, you want to serve great tasting food that's easy to make. Chef Justin Timineri, known as the Florida Chef, and Florida Tomatoes have created some fabulous recipes that make serving a delicious meal a breeze...

McCOOK, Nebraska -- Samantha Wheelbarger and Jason Shepherd, both of Colby, Kansas were united in marriage June 11t, 2011, at the First Congregational Church in McCook with the Rev. Steve Bales officiating. Parents of the bride are Don Wheelbarger and Shirley Wheelbarger. Parents of the bridegroom are Fred and Pam Shepherd all of McCook. The bride's grandmother is Gloria McKenna of McCook...

INDIANOLA, Nebraska -- Brooke Marie Ryan and Kyle Patrick Teel, both of Indianola, Nebraska were united in marriage July 16, 2011, at St. Catherine's Church in Indianola, Nebraska with the Rev. Thomas McGuire officiating. The bride's parents are Jack and Lisa Ryan of Indianola. The bride's grandparents are Marvin and Florence Potthoff of McCook, Nebraska and Nellie Ryan of Cambridge, Nebraska and the late James Ryan...

50th anniversary The family of Ron and Sharon Peterson is hosting an open house March 4, 2012, in honor of the couple's 50th wedding anniversary. The open house will be at 2 p.m., at Becky's Hall of Celebration, 3515 Rodeo Road, North Platte, Nebraska...

Stockton Jesse Amateis Ryan and Brook Amateis announce the birth of their son, Stockton Jesse Amateis, who was born Jan. 5, 2012 at Regional West Medical Center in Scottsbluff, Nebraska. He weighed 7 pounds, 9 ounces and measured 21 inches long. He has one sister, Kambrey Lynn. ...

Robert "Bob" E. Berls Sept. 8, 1940 - Feb. 23, 2012 OBERLIN, Kansas -- Robert "Bob" E. Berls, 71, of Oberlin, Kansas, died Thursday,(Feb. 23, 2012), in Oberlin. He was born Sept. 8, 1940 in Selden,Kansas. Services are pending with Pauls Funeral Home...

It been a roundabout trip, but Rob Shaffer finally made his way home in 2011, following his passion to bring the good news of the gospel to anyone and everyone. "When I was first saved," Shaffer said, "I was like, 'Wow! Jesus loves ME! And he loves you, too!" His enthusiasm knew no bounds and he well remembers a more mature Christian encouraging him with the words, "Don't worry, it gets better."...

Angel Carrillo and his wife, Selix, left Florida in November 2011 to accept the Lord's call to minister at McCook Harvest Church. Formerly an electronics engineer, Angel could not ignore the Lord's call on his life nor the desperate need of the world to hear the truth of the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ...

LINCOLN, Nebraska -- Public informational meetings regarding the Conservation Reserve Program are scheduled around the state, according to the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission. Area meetings include: March 6 6:30 pm MST Public Library Imperial; March 12 6 p.m. Fire Hall Community Room, Culbertson; March 14, 6 p.m. Bulls Bar & Grill, Hayes Center; March 14 1-3 p.m. Community Building, Beaver City; March 15, 2 p.m., Maywood Village Hall, Maywood; March 15 6 p.m. 4-H Building, McCook...

McCOOK, Nebraska -- Red Willow County, Nebraska, commissioners have a full agenda for their weekly meeting Monday, at 9 a.m., in their office on the third floor of the courthouse in downtown McCook, Nebraska. The county's new law enforcement center will be the center of discussion for public information at 10:15 a.m., followed at 11:45 a.m. ...

McCOOK, Nebraska -- A bill prioritized by Nebraska Sen. Brad Ashford earlier this month drew support from City Manager Jeff Hancock during the McCook Area Chamber of Commerce legislative conference call, Thursday morning. Hancock said that LB 357 provided an opportunity for additional sales tax that could be used for joint projects between entities such as the City of McCook and Red Willow County. ...

First class mail service is likely to take a day or two longer, and there are no guarantees for the future, but the threat of having McCook's mail shipped out of state before being sorted is over, for now. The North Platte processing center was on the list of possible cuts before the U.S. Postal Service's announcement Thursday that Norfolk, Grand Island and Alliance would have their centers closed, instead...

Two years into the Presidency, most people believed that the Republican presidential candidate would easily defeat Obama, regardless of who the candidate was. Two years later and only eight months before the election, that's not a sure thing anymore and the reason lies as much in the numbers of the 2008 election as they do with anything that has happened recently, something I think the Republicans are overlooking as they battle each other for the nomination...

"The Way is a person, and that person is Jesus Christ," said the Rev. Steve Bales Friday afternoon to a community congregation of more than 100 gathered at St. Alban's Episcopal Church for the inaugural lesson of the 2012 Community Lenten services. Bales' journey on the way to the Way included paths of darkness, drug abuse and death. ...

NORTH PLATTE, Nebraska -- The Mid-Plains Community College board of governors will discus the annual budget, tuition, fees, room and board rates at a work session Wednesday afternoon, and then consider action on those items at its regular monthly meeting that night...

McCOOK, Nebraska -- Author David Almany, who spent tim in McCook, as well as Linton, North Dakota and Canadian, Texas, will be in McCook March 13-14 signing copies of his book, "Prairie Blitz: High School Football on America's 50-yard-line." He will be at McCook High School at 6:30 p.m. ...

McCOOK, Nebraska -- "Talking about Alcohol, Drugs and You," an eight-hour alcohol and drug education class provided by Region II Human Services, will be 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at Heartland Counseling, 1012 W. Third, P.O. Box 818, McCook, NE 69001. Cost is $120, and must be paid five days before the class. Pre-registration is required, and may be done by calling the Heartland office at (308) 345-2770...

Religious liberty is America's first and founding principle. Our nation was built and settled by generations of people who fled the tyranny and religious oppression of their homelands. Our Founders sought to preserve religious liberty by ensuring this nation protected against the establishment of any law impeding the free exercise of one's religious beliefs. ...