Stories from Monday, May 18, 2015

Robert Wayne Rath May 11, 1941 - May 11, 2015 MISSOULA, Mont. -- Robert Wayne Rath, 74, of St. Regis, Montana, passed away Monday, May 11, 2015, at Village Health Care Center in Missoula, MT. He was born May 11, 1941, to Wayne and Marjorie (Beattie) Rath...

McCOOK, Neb. -- A plea agreement was reached earlier this month in Red Willow County District Court with a McCook man accused of violating a protection order by harassing his ex-girlfriend, smashing her windshield with a tire-iron among other actions, and scaring the couple's three children...

McCOOK, Neb. -- Dog owners in the McCook area are being asked to show their letter carriers some love by making sure their pets are in separate rooms with closed doors before accepting mail from a carrier at their front door. Dogs have been known to burst through screen doors or plate-glass windows to get at strangers. That's one of the key messages as the Postal Service launches National Dog Bite Prevention Week, May 16-22...

Tourism officials once touted the "Great Lakes" of Southwest Nebraska, and while we never lost them, the rising water level in Hugh Butler Lake is certainly improving prospects for water sports in our area. If it's been a while since you've had the boat out, don't relearn safety lessons the hard way...

McCOOK, Neb. -- Official results from the 2015 Red Willow County Special Election indicate voter turnout was increased by the mail-in format and election officials offered praise in other areas. A total of 1,821 ballots were cast out of a possible 4,735 registered voters, according to the Red Willow County Clerk's Office, producing last week's reported 38 percent voter turnout. ...

Ricky Lambert of Wiggins, Colorado, pursues a black calf across the Kiplinger Arena in McCook, Nebraska, Saturday morning, during the first round of the annual "Wayne Boyer Memorial." Event coordinator Garrett Nokes of rural McCook was very pleased with the weekend. ...

McCook, Nebraska, Junior High eighth grader Delaney Jumps looks for nematodes through the microscope at American Agricultural Laboratory in downtown McCook, during the eighth grade's annual "Ag Tour" Wednesday, May 13. Bob Olsen, left, the founder of Olsen's Agricultural Laboratory (the predecessor of the American Ag Lab owned by Christine and Kevin Grooms) explained to students that chemists in the lab test soil, leaves, feed, water, manure and compost samples sent for analysis from 35 to 40 states and from Canada, Mexico, South America and throughout Europe. ...

Hunter Quinn of Southern Valley lines up his putt during District C-5 play Monday at Heritage Hills Golf Course in McCook.

Anna Mae Vandervort Sept. 7, 1928 - May 15, 2015 OMAHA, Neb. -- Anna Mae Vandervort, age 86, passed away Friday, May 15, 2015, at Good Samaritan Society in Omaha. Anna was born Sept. 7, 1928, to John and Carrie Mae (Meissner) Brumgard in McCook, Nebraska. She graduated from McCook High School in 1947...

Norma E. Karre Dec. 24, 1932 - May 16, 2015 HAYES CENTER, Neb. -- Norma E. Karre, 82, of Hayes Center, passed away May 16, 2015, at Great Plains Health. She was born Dec. 24, 1932, to Dewey and Ethel (Bodell) McConnell at Hershey, Nebraska. Norma graduated from Hershey High School in 1950 and later was united in marriage to Robert W. ...

Richard F. 'Dick' Pauls April 5, 1926 - May 16, 2015 SELDEN, Kan. -- Richard F. "Dick" Pauls, 89, died Saturday (May 16, 2015), at Trego County Lemke Memorial Hospital in WaKeeney, Kansas. He was born April 5, 1926, in Leoville, Kansas, to Peter D. and Margaret A. ...

Joan R. 'Judy' Allen July 15, 1925 - May 17, 2015 McCOOK, Neb. -- Joan R. "Judy" Allen of McCook, Nebraska, passed away Sunday, May 17, 2015, at Community Hospital in McCook. She was 89 years old. Judy was born on July 15, 1925, at Concordia, Kansas, to parents, Homer Paul and Katherine (Donahue) Charbonneau. She attended school in Concordia...

Note: Memorial Day 2015 marks the 80th Anniversary of one of Nebraska's greatest tragedies, the 1935 Flood of the Republican River. In reviewing the stories about the 1935 Republican River Flood in Southwest Nebraska one finds stories of heroism, of ingenuity, of luck, both good and bad, and tragedy -- the loss of property and of human life. ...