Stories from Wednesday, November 28, 2012

LINCOLN -- The Legislature's Health and Human Services and Appropriations committees held an interim study hearing Tuesday afternoon on the cost efficiency of a Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act. The Supreme Court ruled that the Medicaid expansion proposal would be optional for states, rather than a required part of the ACA...

With the Powerball jackpot expected to hit $500 million tonight, we thought it might be a good idea to write about what to do if you win -- you know, stay anonymous as long as possible, assemble a team of lawyers and financial advisers, sign the ticket and lock it in a safety deposit box...

Dogs were treated better than Native Americans in Nebraska towns bordering the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, said American Indian Movement leader and activist Russell Means sometime before the 71-day siege of Wounded Knee that began Feb. 27, 1973, a little more than a month after a Unity Conference held in Scottsbluff, Nebraska...

We received a Thanksgiving surprise Sunday evening when the elder of my two younger brothers, Dave, and his wife of 37 years, Joyce, appeared at our back door. We hadn't seen Dave and Joyce for several years -- another quick visit before they traveled to the Mayo Clinic searching to discover what ailed my little brother. (Little is a bit of a misnomer, Dave is well over six feet tall.)...

OBERLIN, Kansas -- They're not "in competition" with each other. Each enhances antique marketing opportunities for the other. Each of its antique shops helps make Oberlin, Kansas, an antique shoppers' mecca -- a destination place for those who want to own or give as gifts something old, something rare ... something from a time long-gone...

McCOOK, Nebraska -- Auditions for the Southwest Nebraska Community Theatre musical "South Pacific" will be 7 to 9 p.m. Monday and Tuesday at the McCook High School Auditorium. The cast calls for 13 women, 21 men and two children between 7 and 11. All talents are welcome from northwest Kansas and Southwest Nebraska. No special audition preparation required. The show will be given two weekends beginning March 16, directed by Don Harpst and musical director Christy Stevens...

WALLACE, Nebraska -- The newly formed Nebraska Cooperative Republican Platte Enhancement Project will hold a public hearing Friday to gather input on aspects of the project including possible pipeline routes. The public hearing will begin at 10 a.m. Central time at the American Legion Hall, 217 South Commercial Ave., in Wallace...

James J. Milleson Aug. 24, 1924 - Nov. 25, 2012 LANDER, Wyoming -- James J. Milleson of Lander died Sunday, Nov. 25, 2012, at Lander Valley Medical Center. He was 88 years old. Funeral services will be at 10 a.m. Friday, Nov. 30, 2012, at the First United Methodist Church in Lander with Pastor Mark Calhoun officiating. Interment will follow at Mount Hope Cemetery. Military honors will be provided by the Friday-Truan Detachment No. 683 Marine Corps League and Veterans...

Daniel C. Harris Nov. 6, 1949 - Nov. 27, 2012 COLBY, Kansas -- Daniel C. Harris, 63, of Colby, died Tuesday (Nov. 27, 2012), at the Good Samaritan Center in Atwood, Kansas. He was born Nov. 6, 1949, in Oberlin,Kansas, to Donald F. and Imadene "Dene" (Johnston) Harris. He graduated from Decatur Community High School in Oberlin in 1968 and attended Fort Hays State University in Hays for two years...

Roberta Cross Nov. 20, 1937 - Nov. 22, 2012 FOUNTAIN HILLS, Arizona -- Roberta Cross, beloved mother, sister, grandmother, mother-in-law, and friend, passed away surrounded by loved ones on Nov. 22, 2012, at the age of 75 due to complications from heart surgery...

NORTH PLATTE, Nebraska -- Tony Weidner of Grand Island, the winner of a 1962 Chevrolet Nova that was raffled by Mid-Plains Community College in September, paid a visit to North Platte Community College on Nov. 2 to claim his prize. "This is just great," he said. "I still can't quite believe it."...

With the jackpot at $550 million, ticket sales are more than brisk for Powerball lottery tickets. Clerks at Casey's said today that they usually average $200 per day in Powerball tickets, but reached that amount before 8 a.m. this morning. The chance of winning a Powerball jackpot is one in 175,223,510, according to CNN News, but doesn't stop hopefuls like Roz Buddeberg of McCook, who buys a $2 ticket from Danielle Arden at Casey's The drawing for the jackpot is tonight...

Canada and Chinese geese in Barnett Park, on the Republican River on the south edge of McCook, Nebraska, bask in the warm sunshine and open water. A warming trend assures our feathered friends of more of the same through the weekend and into early next week, with the potential for more record highs being set. Thus far in 2012, McCook has set or tied 16 record highs and five record lows...

Hitchcock and Dundy County Magistrates receive Supreme Court's Innovation Award

A lot of time has been spent discussing how the fiscal cliff will impact our nation's economy. In Nebraska, a large part of our economy is based on agriculture, so it's worth studying how these tax increases and automatic spending cuts will affect our state's ag producers...