Stories from Monday, June 2, 2014

Thomas H. 'T Bone' Barron June 22, 1946 - May 30, 2014 McCOOK, Neb. -- Thomas H. "T Bone" Barron passed away Friday, May 30, 2014, at Community Hospital in McCook. He was 67 years old. T Bone was born on June 22, 1946, at Rochester, New York, to parents, Thomas Arthur and Ruth Irene (Farnan) Barron. He attended school in Penfield, New York...

Elaine R. (Hilty) Jensen July 10, 1932 - May 30, 2014 GOODLAND, Kansas -- Elaine R. (Hilty) Jensen, 81, formerly of St. Francis, Kansas, died Friday (May 30, 2014), at Goodland,Kansas. She was born July 10, 1932, in Cheyenne County, Kansas. She was a homemaker...

Geraldine J. Leibbrandt March 18, 1929 - May 30, 2014 CAMBRIDGE, Neb. -- Geraldine J. Leibbrandt, age 85, died at the Cambridge Manor in Cambridge on May 30, 2014. She was born in McCook, Nebraska, on March 18, 1929, to Archie and Neva (Fassler) Ball. She attended school in McCook...

ARAPAHOE, Neb. -- Several area fire departments responded to a fire at St. Germanus Catholic Church Sunday, when lighting struck the bell tower around 11:15 a.m. Only one person was in the structure, who got out safely when the bell tower went up in flames, after the 9 a.m. worship service already over. A volunteer fire fighter at the scene directing traffic said a women who was in the church got out safely...

CULBERTSON, Neb. -- School Janitor Craig Schmitz's bright smile and friendly hello can always be found in the halls of the school. And when you ask the students about Craig, they will tell you they consider him a friend. Darin Neben and his two brothers had only started school here last August, Jaret in Kindergarten and Travis in fourth grade. (Youngest brother Cort turned two last summer.) Even though the Neben boys were new, they quickly found Craig to be a friend...

McCOOK, Nebraska -- The City of McCook is heading back to court as part of an ongoing fight with a local dog kennel operation. The City Council rejected the original application for a special exception from Dan and Lizann Miller in 2007, only to have their decision overturned by Red Willow County District Court Judge David Urbom a few months later...

One of the beauties of rural life is the solitude it offers for those who prefer their peace and quiet. Unfortunately, that solitude offers opportunity for those who want to use that isolation to enrich themselves at the expense of unsuspecting rural residents...

(Note: On Memorial Day we rightly honor our men and women who died while serving our country in past wars. At this time it is interesting to think about those men from the McCook Army Air Base who served during World War II. Today, we revisit a story that first appeared in the Gazette in 2003. Al passed away in 2009)...

Harry A. Strunk Dec. 18, 1957 - May 27 2014 KEY LARGO, Florida -- Harry A. Strunk, 56, of Key Largo and formerly of Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, passed away May 27, 2014. Harry was born on Dec. 18, 1957, to Allen D. and Norma Rose (Bobinmyer) Strunk in McCook. He graduated from McCook Senior High in 1976 and received his journalism degree from the University of Nebraska in 1980...