Stories from Thursday, February 14, 2013

Nine movies are nominated for the Best Picture prize at this year's Academy Awards. Here's some compelling reasons why each of these films could take home that honor, and some reasons why they won't. Why "Amour" wins: This foreign drama about an elderly couple has been near the top of the list for a number of prizes, both from critics' groups and those inside the film industry. It's serious and sad and moving, not to mention that it comes from a respected writer-director...

Norman Troester Jan. 29, 1931 - Feb. 10, 2013 DENVER, Colorado -- Norman Troester, 82, died Feb. 10, 2013 in Denver. Services are 10 a.m., Tuesday, Feb. 19, 2013, at Redeemer Lutheran Church, 3300 West Nevada Place, Denver, Colorado, Burial is at Fort Logan National Cemetery in Denver...

John S. 'Jack' O'Toole Sr. June 10, 1924 - Feb. 11, 2013 OBERLIN, Kansas -- John S. "Jack" O'Toole Sr. died Monday, Feb. 11, 2013, at Falls City, Nebraska. He was born June 10, 1924, in Alma, Nebraska, to James "Emmett" and Elizabeth Chapiesky O'Toole...

This information is gathered at the McCook Public Safety Center, the McCook office of the Nebraska State Patrol, the Red Willow County Courthouse, the Red Willow County Sheriff's Office and the McCook Humane Society. Police activity Activity log...

Joy Molcyk has her hands full late Wednesday afternoon, walking her dogs, Shadow, left and Buddy. She was on her way to Norris Park. (Lorri Sughroue/McCook Daily Gazette)

McCOOK, Nebraska -- Sen. Mark Christensen praised Gov. Dave Heineman's appointment Wednesday of Lavon Heidemann to be the Lieutenant Governor of Nebraska. "An excellent choice, he's done a great job on appropriations," said Sen. Christensen to members of the McCook Area Chamber of Commerce during their weekly legislative conference call this morning...

OMAHA, Nebraksa -- The American Red Cross is offering a number of opportunities to donate blood in the upcoming week. They include: Furnas County -- Feb. 21 from 12-6 p.m. at Spirit of the Rock Church, 331 Ogden St. in Oxford, Nebraska. Red Willow County -- Feb. 19 from 12:30-6:30 p.m. at McCook Fair Building, West Fifth and O streets in McCook, Nebraska...

McCOOK, Nebraska -- The City of McCook will coordinate a public hearing to outline its one- and six-year proposed plan for new construction of local roads and streets, Monday evening. The hearing is scheduled to begin at 7:30 p.m. in City Council chambers at the McCook Municipal Facility...

McCOOK, Nebraska -- As the economy goes down, usage at the McCook Pantry goes up. Higher food prices, increasing costs of utilities and gas, extended unemployment, weak wage growth, part-time jobs without benefits ... paychecks that just will not stretch from one payday to the next...

TRENTON, Nebraska -- The Nebraska State Patrol cited a 15-year-old juvenile for possession of marijuana at Hitchcock County High School in Trenton Tuesday. State Patrol Sgt. Joel Smith said that school officials alerted the Patrol to the possibility of a student in possession of marijuana. Sgt. Smith said he confirmed it was marijuana, less than an ounce, and charged the student with possession of a controlled substance...

We once were criticized for describing the appearance of street-level viewing on Google Earth as "unsettling." Somehow, we weren't supposed to be concerned that someone in Kazakhstan could log on and find out what color our bedroom windows are, or who's sitting on our porch smoking a cigarette...

The last two objects on our easy-to-find, quick-view list are the star Capella in the constellation Auriga, the Charioteer, and one of our very best old friends, the Big Dipper. Capella is also known as the "Goat Star" due to its association with three small nearby stars in a small triangle (Almaaz, and Hoedus I and II) which are called "The Kids."...

I know they've been out for a while now, these new jeans with the bedazzled bums covered in shiny rhinestones. I never have been a huge fan of the new bling jeans, mostly because I'm a simple Sally but also because they cost a hair less than a thousand dollars. I never realized that the price of rhinestones was comparable to gold these days, and I just couldn't justify spending more on my jeans than I do on my electric bill...

This country meadowlark thinks Feb. 8, 2013, is still too cold to stand up straight and sing. But at least he's sitting on a post instead of all bunched up in the middle of the gravel road. The McCook Daily Gazette would love to showcase your weather photos. ...

Eilene Pollmann models a sparkly beret in her mother Courtney Pollmann's downtown-McCook, Nebraska, shop, "The Loft." Courtney opened her shop in the loft of Accents Etc., at 307 Norris Avenue on the bricks in November 2011, fine-tuned the shop's eclectic vintage/primitive atmosphere and outgrew her floor space in 2012, and plans to expand into the main floor in 2013. ...