Stories from Friday, April 26, 2013

The best meals offer loads of fresh flavor and are best served with a side of originality. Let your pantry serve as your starting point for creating memorable meals the family will love. Proper Pantry Practices Before letting those creative culinary juices flow, take inventory of your pantry. If you find items that are too old, that have never been touched, or that you hardly ever use -- get rid of them...

Declan and I were halfway through an afternoon drive home recently when he struck up a religious conversation with me, in a manner only he could pull off. "I asked G.O. to make me not pick my nose anymore," he informed me. I stuttered a bit before replying, confused by several aspects of his statement...

Nebraska has no shortage of patriotic young people willing to serve their country. Each year, young men and women from the Third District attend our nation's prestigious Service Academies. These institutions provide a first-rate higher education and unmatched opportunities for young people looking to achieve their potential in education and service...

Clay B. Grilli Jan. 20, 1973 - April 24, 2013 BEAVER CITY, Nebraska -- Clay B. Grilli, 40, died Wednesday (April 24, 2013), at Cambridge Memorial Hospital in Cambridge, Nebraska. He was born on Jan. 20, 1973, at Boulder, Colorado to Bill and Barbara (Harris) Grilli...

Evelyn E. Balderston ARAPAHOE, Nebraska -- Evelyn E. Balderston, 95, of Beaver City, Nebraska, died Thursday (April 25, 2013), at Phelps Memorial Hospital. Services are pending and will be announced later Condolences may be left at wenburgfuneralhome.com...

80th birthday The family of Charlie Thielbar is hosting an open house in honor of her 80th birthday. The open house is Sunday, April 29, 2 p.m. at the McCook Eagles, 805 East B Street.

95th birthday The children of L. Arvene Myers of McCook, Nebraska, are hosting an open house in honor of his 95th birthday. He was born May 6, 1918, to Alex and Vivian (Haller) Myers, south of Culbertson, Nebraska. The open house is Saturday, May 4, 2013, from 1-3 p.m. at the Willow Ridge Retirement Community at 1500 East 11th Street, in McCook, in the Conservatory. Cards of congratulations will reach him at 1500 East 11th St. Apt 304, McCook, NE 69001...

Volker, Solko Erica Volker of Culbertson Nebraska and Rodney Solko of McCook, Nebraska, announce their engagement and upcoming wedding. Parents of the bride to be are Boyd and Kim Volker of Stafford, Kansas. Grandparents are Harvey and Claudia Griggs of Culver, Kansas...

Greyson Mark-Thomas Heskett Adam and Larissa Heskett of McCook, Nebraska, announce the birth of their son, Greyson Mark-Thomas Heskett, born Jan. 8, 2013, at North Platte, Nebraska. He weighed 6 pounds, 10 ounces and measured 20 1/2 inches long. He has one brother, Beckett, 6-years-old. ...

90th birthday The family of Hannah Hageman of McCook, Nebraska, formerly of Cambridge, Nebraska, is hosting an open house in honor of her 90th birthday. She was born May 1, 1923, in Holbrook, Nebraska. Her children include Bob and Tina Marts of Bartley, Nebraska, Jerry and Frani Chambers of McCook and the late Jim Marts. The open house is Sunday, May 5, 1:30-3:30 p.m. at Highland Park, 610 East 14th in McCook. Cards of congratulations will reach her at 610 East 14th, McCook, NE 69001...

50th anniversary The family of Gayle and Barbara (Hall) Ruggles of McCook, Nebraska, is requesting a card shower in honor of the couples' 50th wedding anniversary. They were married May 5, 1963, at the United Methodist Church in McCook. Their family includes children, Pam and husband, Kevin Wood of North Platte, Nebraska, Art Ruggles of McCook, Nanci and husband, Jay Martin of Wood River, Nebraska, eight grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. ...

By Susan Doak SW Nebraska Genealogy Society The things I think about in the middle of the night! While others might be pondering Korea's obnoxiousness, I wonder why my mother's side of the family used celery in just about every dish they made. I was a super lucky person because even though I was born when my mother was approaching her 40s, all of my grandparents and two of my great-grandmothers were still alive. ...

McCook Elementary students keep a tight hold on their paper links in the wind as they form a "paper chain" around the entire school block Thursday. Students made a paper ring for each Accelerated Reader book they read and passed a test on, spurred on by the challenge of McCook Elementary principal Tim Garcia, who promised to dye his hair if the combined rings reached around the school. ...

Looking more like a cluster of miniature grapes, these lilac blossoms are a welcome sight in and around McCook, demonstrating that spring is here, in spite of the recent wintry weather. Spring masquerades as summer in the coming days, with highs forecast for the low to mid-80s by Monday...

McCOOK, Nebraska -- The City of McCook made public two letters from City Manager Jeff Hancock sent earlier this month to the owner of the city's contracted trash hauling company, Steve Fritz. The letters show that city staff expressed concern about a buildup of trash at the transfer station, an issue they also raised in September 2012 and cited then as the need for the emergency purchase by the city of two semi trucks and subsequent monthly rental expense of two trash hauling trailers...

Pam Potthoff of rural Stratton, Nebraska, reports a series of grass fires along Highway 34 between Trenton and Stratton Thursday evening. Potthoff said the fires, this one at Road 358, serve as "a good reminder that, even though we have had some rain, those pastures are still dry enough to burn."...

Darold 'Hawk' DeMoss Jan. 18, 1947 - April 25, 2013 SYRACUSE, Kansas -- Darold "Hawk" DeMoss, 66, of Syracuse, Kansas died Thursday (April 25, 2013) at St. Catherine Hospital in Garden City. He was born Jan. 18, 1947, in Denver, Colorado, to Donald and Marjorie Elaine (Sonday) DeMoss...

Nebraskans are familiar with the old photographs, by Solomon Butcher, of the sod houses in Custer County. The homesteaders usually are seated in the front yard of their homes, where there was plenty of light for the wet glass plate photography of the time, with their prized possessions, such as a piano, an organ -- even one famous photograph of a cow standing on the roof of their dugout home...

The Powerball jackpot is up to over $91 million dollars this Saturday (immediate cash value) and after a 25% hit from the IRS, the winner, if there's just one, will take home over $69 million dollars. That's been my favorite number for as long as I can remember so I thought this would be a good week to write about it...

IMPERIAL, Nebraska -- An interesting new ant has been found near Smith Harvester's at Champion, according to Robert Tigner, Southwest Four extension educator. It is the western thatch ant. Last week phone calls came into the UNL Chase County Extension office about several mounds along a tree line and red ants. After obtaining samples of the ants, they were identified...

The rolling hills south of Highway 89 between Wilsonville and Hendley, Nebraska, prove that Nebraska has plenty of roller coaster roads if you can find them. This photo was taken March 31. Thanks to the April (snow) showers, everything is greening up as spring progresses inexorably toward summer. ...

Dear Friend, INTRO Is the Bible relevant for our day or is it just a book of myths, not to be taken seriously? What we are seeing on our T V screens, hearing on our radio's and reading in our newspapers was all prophesied 2,000 to 3,000 years ago. The Old Testament and the New Testament PROPHETS foretold exactly what was going to take place in the LAST DAYS! Jesus Himself was the greatest prophet of all and you can read His prophecies in Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. ...

When I was a bit younger and a bit braver, a group of friends and I shot the rapids on the Ocoee River in southeast Tennessee. The Ocoee, which I think is the Cherokee word for "terrified rafter" is a world class whitewater adventure. Now, I'm no world class athlete, and that became evident on the river. ...

McCOOK, Nebraska -- McCook Bison and Memorial United Methodist Church joined hands Saturday April 20,, to raise funds for Imagine No Malaria. The effort raised $200.. On behalf of Memorial United Methodist Church we want to say 'Thank you, McCook Bison for helping us to spread awareness on how to fight and prevent malaria. By participating in this camp our children were able to help their brothers and sisters in Africa, lives were saved and we had fun doing it."...

The Return of Katnip World and The Adventures of Super Switch still inspire adopting strays and being kind to animals

In the Gospel of Matthew and the eighteenth chapter we read of a discussion between Jesus and his disciple Peter. The subject of forgiveness was at hand, when Peter asked, "Lord, How many times should I forgive my brother, seven times?" I'm sure Peter was implying the number seven as a number of perfection. ...

Maywood, Nebraska, Public Schools fifth grader Karlie Gerlach plants a Brandywine maple tree presented to her and the school this morning -- Arbor Day -- after she won one of 10 statewide prizes in an "811: Call Before You Dig" poster contest sponsored by Diggers Hotline of Nebraska. Karlie's teacher is Jamie Silas, left; she is the daughter of Lisa and Russ Gerlach of Wellfleet...

McCOOK, Nebraska -- You want to do what is best for your children. You know about the importance of car seats, baby gates and other ways to keep them safe. But did you know that one of the best ways to protect your children is to make sure they have all of their vaccinations?...

The writer of Ecclesiastes reveals that God has "set eternity in the human heart," and the fellowship at McCook's First Assembly of God Church is offering a production they hope will awaken that sense of eternity in the hearts of those attending "The Big Deal," at 6 p.m., Friday, Saturday and Sunday, May 3-5...

David Gregory Denton CAMBRIDGE, Nebraska -- David Gregory Denton, age 48, of Wilsonville, Nebraska, died at the Cambridge Memorial Hospital on April 26, 2013. He was born in Virginia Beach, Virginia. The family moved to Pekin, Illinois, where David grew up...