Stories from Monday, October 21, 2013

Sherri Irene Kennedy Ruf March 11, 1965 - Oct. 18, 2013 OBERLIN, Kansas -- Sherri Irene Kennedy Ruf was born March 11, 1965, in Norton, Kansas, to Jerry and Imogene (Scott) Kennedy. She went home to be with her Lord on Friday, Oct. 18, 2013, surrounded by her loving family...

Billy Dean Williamson Aug. 21, 1929 - Oct. 18, 2013 ARAPAHOE, Nebraska -- Billy Dean Williamson,84, of Arapahoe, died Friday (Oct. 18, 2013), at the C.A. Mues Good Samaritan Center in Arapahoe. He was born Aug. 21, 1929, in Stratton, Nebraska, to William and Georgia (Thomas) Williamson. ...

McCOOK, Nebraska -- For Blaine Budke, more display space trumped a B Street location. The lure of 6,000 square feet was just too much, and by early October, Blaine was moving his Tri-State Spas and Tri-State Auto Plex from the top of the hill on West B in McCook, Nebraska, to the corner of 210 W. Third, eight blocks east and one block north...

LINCOLN, Nebraska -- Lincoln was the fifth and final stop for the Tax Modernization Committee's tour of Nebraska, and committee members heard many of the same themes they have in earlier hearings in Scottsbluff, North Platte, Norfolk and Omaha. The committee started its series of public hearings Sept. ...

McCOOK, Nebraska -- Annie Trail wondered, after her most recent chaplain returned from military service in the Middle East, if she should continue her involvement in the "Adopt-A-Chaplain" program, as she had done for at least seven or eight years. She told her husband, Dick, "I'll say a prayer ... let God decide."...

A play called "SCRAPS" -- identifying the bully, the target and the bystander -- is presented Tuesday to McCook, Nebraska public school fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth graders. SCRAPS defines exclusion and verbal, physical, social and cyber bullying as ways to use relationships to harm others. ...

A spotlight tucked into the green summer grass casts a green sheen on Patty Keene's resin replica of a "moai," the monolithic stone figures on Easter Island, off the coast of her native Chile. Patty says, "There are many legends about how the moai were made and how they were moved. Some believe they walked." Patty firmly believes this, as she woke up one morning and found her 200-pound moai in her neighbor Laverna Ely's front yard. "They DO walk," Patty laughed. The 887 stone figures on Easter Island were carved between 1250 and 1500 by the Rapa Nui people from rock on the island. Many remain at the main quarry, but hundreds were transported -- How? -- to sit on stone platforms around the island's perimeter. Patty's replica is about five-six feet tall; the tallest moai was 33 feet high and weighed 82 tons. Patty enjoys sharing the history of the moai and a bit of her Chilean culture with passersby. She helps many learn Spanish, but offers a short-cut to pronouncing the name of her statue: "Say Hawaii -- mo-waii."

A cooperative program between Nebraska hospitals and a state agency is giving kids who struggled in high school a chance to excel in the workforce. Spotlighted as part of October's National Disability Awareness Month, Project Search offers training and opportunities that seem to us to be good ideas regardless the young person's abilities. Funded through Nebraska Vocational Rehab, a division of the Department of Education, Project Search originated at Cincinnati Children's Hospital in 1996, and has been established in Grand Island, Kearney and Hastings. The Hastings program gives students who struggled at Hastings and Adams Central high schools a chance to build confidence and experience through individualized one-on-one on-the-job training in tasks that mirror actual jobs at Mary Lanning Hospital in Hastings and other medical facilities, such as materials management, pre-op surgery, housekeeping, cardiopulmonary, sub-acute; in-patient nursing, human resources and switchboard. In addition to job skills, the program helps students with basic life skills such as how to budged and other independent living skills. In the first year at Hastings, all five students were placed in jobs upon completion and continue to hold those jobs today. Last year, three of four completed the program and are now employed in medical field positions, and the director is optimistic all six students from this year's class will be placed in jobs by the end of the school year. It's not an easy course -- students must express a desire to be competitively employed, be in their last year of school eligibility and have an individualized educational program in place and be actively working in the Nebraska Vocational Rehab program. While Project Search is aimed at students with disabilities, many students, even those who might normally be channeled into college-track academics, could benefit from hands-on training -- apprentiships, if you will -- and life-skills education to help them be successful whatever their occupation. With traditional four-year college costs and student debt skyrocketing, and with new opportunities in technology and other trades that don't require liberal arts educations, we can all learn something from students involved with Project Search.

Note: Most of the following material was taken from the "McCook Columbian Souvenir 1893", a publication offered by the McCook Times Democrat, as a promotion piece, for Fairgoers at the Chicago Columbian Expedition, which celebrated the 400th Anniversary of Christopher Columbus Voyage of Discovery to the New World---an introduction the "good life in McCook and Southwest Nebraska" to Fairgoers, from all over the United States and Europe, and to encourage prospective settlers to come. At the close of the close of the great Civil War, thousands of our brave boys returned home only to find the business places they had once occupied filled by others, business of all to kinds at a standstill, and practically every avenue of business closed to them. Naturally enough, the great West, with its millions of neglected acres, and grand opportunities attracted their attention ... the tales of the great, almost unexplored land west of the Missouri River ... that the stories of the Great American Desert were a myth ... the plains of Nebraska swarmed with game ... and diversion could be found in hunting Indians when other sports became monotonous. Nebraska: 30 years ago travelers or homesteaders were told that the "dead line" was the Missouri River ... lands lying to the west were unfit for cultivation. Now that Great American Desert has become the seat of Empire. Over 12M acres within the State of Nebraska are under cultivation and the cultivated area is increasing at the rate of 1M acres per annum ... For 25 years Nebraska has led all her sister states in every proportion of increase. In 1860 her population was less than 30,000---In 1890, 1,058,910. In proportion to her population, Nebraska furnished more grain, cattle and hogs ... than any state in the Union. Nebraska produces 2/5s of the beet sugar in the United States, the output more than 8M pounds per annum. The state is literally gridironed with Railways, having a mileage of 5,400 miles ... probably 6,000 miles in the next year ... 4/5s of the farmers in the state are within 12 miles of a railway station. Nebraska has a greater railway mileage than all of New England. Red Willow County: Lying west of the 100th Meridian, with its southern boundary boarding upon the State of Kansas is Red Willow County, 24X30 miles, containing 460,800 acres. The County was organized in 1873, but its first Post Office was established in 1872, near the mouth of Red Willow Creek, by Nelson Buck, and was called Red Willow. Red Willow County has 115,208 acres, under high cultivation of Wheat, Corn, Alfalfa, but also 32,000 fruit trees, 1M forest trees, and 1,200 grape vines, to say nothing of farm crops such as meadow, barley, flax, broom corn, rye, and potatoes. According the County Assessor, there are also 6,375 horses, 11,774 cattle, 341 mules, 8,517 hogs. Climate: A healthful climate is of paramount importance to the prosperity of any country. If, for instance, the cold winter is intense, the efforts of the producing classes are suspended, and much time is wasted. Or, if the summers are so warm as to enervate and enfeeble, similarly disastrous results follow. Or, if, again, through the existence of an unfavorable altitude or any other of the hundreds of disease breeding elements, ill health is the rule, development is handicapped, and a deplorable condition of affairs ensues ... To touch upon the climate of this greatly abused country is to develop one of its strongest points. The main basis for its excellence lies in the altitude of the region, which ranges from 1,500 to 1,800 feet above sea level.. The atmosphere is invigorating ... the catarrhs and rheums, the neuralgia and the consumption of the east are unknown, except such cases as were contracted before coming here. Although, in summer the thermometer ranges, high sultry heat is, of course impossible at such an altitude. To be perfectly comfortable in the hottest weather, it is only necessary to keep out of the direct rays of the sun. The nights are always cool. It must be noted that as regards heat and cold there is a great difference between Dakota and Kansas for instance. This is merely a question of latitude, but take a medium latitude, such as Southern Nebraska, and there you can find as near perfect climate as the United States affords. As between wintering in Southwest Nebraska and Florida, there is much in favor of the former. McCook: According to Government census, in 1886 McCook had a population of 2,346. Today it is over 4,000. The town originally covered 480 acres, but has expanded in every direction, and has four distinct districts. West McCook is a good sized town in itself. South McCook, near the river is on a level plain. East McCook is also called Willow Grove Addition. Main Town ... slopes gradually from the north to the railroad to the south to the river. The roads leading to McCook from every direction are in good shape and are duly appreciated by the pleasure-loving citizens, many of whom own dashing turnouts and fine horses. The businesses in the city are in a flourishing condition. The stores are full with well-selected stocks with everything the market affords. A number of brick blocks ornament Main Street, and a new Public Hall, with stores underneath is to be built this summer. The business men in town are enterprising and public spirited. Every branch of business necessary for an agriculture centre is represented. McCook has two grain elevators, one flour mill, three cigar manufactories, five hotels, three banks, and a multitude of minor establishments representing every line of trade. A view of the business streets on a Saturday is enough to convince the most skeptical of the commercial activity prevalent, and suggests age and size. McCook as a Medical Center: The dryness of the air and the elevation of the land produce nervous exaltation, which creates enthusiasm, energy, and vigor ... men are converted into boomers and hustlers. Expression is strong and suited in the time and place. Faith and enthusiasm animates every citizen and rejects the impossible, with lofty disdain. Ambition, hope, and belief in the future of the town are the prevailing sentiments. The low death rate will prove the healthfulness of the climate. Malarial and lung troubles do not find a home here. From the Souvenir's paid ads: Castle Cure Company, McCook. $1,000 reward Will be given to any case of Piles, or Hemoroids that cannot be cured at this Institute ... We also give treatment for the Liquor, Opium, Morphene, Tobacco, and Neuresthemia. Our charge for professional service and medicine is $25 per week ... $4-$6 per week board and room, according to inclinations and purses. Dr. L.J. Spickelmeir, Medical Director. Burlington Route B.& M.R.R. Don't be a clam! Of course you're going to visit the World's Fair ... Now be sure and buy your excursion tickets over this line ... and say, don't forget to stop at McCook, the Queen of the Southern Tier! McCook (1893): A reply to jealous critics: There is always gross criticism and ignorance prevalent in regard to a newly settled region, but particularly is this true of 'Western Nebraska and Kansas ... over enthusiastic tourists see only the advantages and beauties of this section ... others, are disappointed, and write doleful newspaper articles about droughts, mortgages, cyclones, deserted towns, sharpers, etc., enough to frighten the most sanguine. We evenly qualify any enthusiasm that might creep into a description of this section. Throughout the entire tributary of the great Burlington Route are scattered cultivated farms, comfortable houses and barns, cattle ranches great and small, fields of growing grain, ... a healthy moving forwards to a prosperous future, particularly for Red Willow County and McCook. While envious competitors are misrepresenting, McCook has gone steadily on, until today she has become THE CITY between Lincoln and Denver. The Burlington Railroad ... is considered one of the most important Railroad systems in the country ... its head in Chicago, connecting with branches ... from the Atlantic to the Pacific, with McCook on its Main Line.

Mechanic to share his small-engine passion McCOOK, Nebraska -- When he was in his small engine repair shop people always told Thomas Whipple he should teach a class about his life-long passion. Now that he is retired, the Arapahoe man plans to do just that by offering an eight-hour class at McCook Community College on small engine repair with an overview of two-stroke and four-stroke cycle and associated components...

Spend any time traveling across Nebraska, and it's easy to see that agriculture is a big part of our economy. Nearly every stretch of road in our state is flanked by rolling hills of grazing cattle or long rows of field crops. You don't have to go far to find picturesque scenery of our rural way of life, complete with grain bins, windmills or an old red barn...

No one is telling the how of it, perhaps the wind blew the letters around, but whiring is definitely out at the McCook Wendy's Old Fashioned Hamburgers restaurant. The McCook Gazette would love to showcase your weather photos. Readers can contribute to our daily weather page, subject to space and color availability, by emailing photos to editor2@ocsmccook.com or bringing them into the Gazette offices at West First and E Streets. ...

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. Activity log These items are taken from reports filed by the McCook Police Department. The locations refer to block numbers, not specific addresses. If you have information about any of these reports, call the police department at (308) 345-3450...

LINCOLN, Nebraska -- Believable Brands and Bailey Lauerman, on behalf of the Nebraska Tourism Commission and its travel partners, is conducting image perception and brand research on the state of Nebraska. As part of this process, the commission is conducting a survey of key industry stakeholders, Nebraska residents and anyone who has expressed recent interest in visiting Nebraska through the commission's website...

.Edna Criger July 24, 1916 - Oct. 21, 2013 BENKELMAN, Nebraska -- Edna Ferguson Criger was born July 24, 1916, the third child of Henry and Mae (Bales) Ferguson outside Morsenville, Kansas. On Thanksgiving Day, 1922, her family moved to Southwest Nebraska, where she lived the remaining time...

Keith Barnett Aug. 11, 1929 - Oct. 21, 2013 ATWOOD, Kansas -- Keith Barnett, 84, died Monday (Oct. 21, 2013), at the Good Samaritan Society in Atwood. He was born Aug. 11, 1929, in rural Rexford, Kansas, to Ray and Daisy (Myers) Barnett. He was raised on a farm north of Rexford. He attended Hawkeye County School and graduated from Decatur Community High School in 1946...