Stories from Friday, July 26, 2002

Nebraska Gov. Mike Johanns brought reassuring news to nursing homes in Southwest Nebraska today. In his first stop on a five city tour, Johanns told residents and administrators from Hillcrest Nursing Home and other nursing homes in Nebraska they can rest assured their funding will remain intact through the upcoming special session...

Dear Editor, Thank you, thank you. Within 24 hours I received a phone call from Rex Cross in Florida; (we) talked about three hours. And, I received an e-mail from Roger Cross in Columbus, Neb., and Terry Cross is also located in Columbus. Such a neat and surprising thing you did to help me (in) the cousin search...

The state senator from Southwest Nebraska, Tom Baker, shared the podium with Gov. Mike Johanns this morning during the governor's appearance at Hillcrest Nursing Home in McCook. It was appropriate that the state's chief executive asked Sen. Baker to share his thoughts...

A team from Community Hospital raising funds for the American Cancer Society's Relay For Life is surprising people with a new type of yard ornament. They decorated a discarded pink toilet with pink and purple balloons and lettering, "Flushing Out Cancer" and began delivering the 'pot' to front yards on Monday...

Mark Brooks of Brooks Construction, Bartley, starts the basement for a new house in McCook that will be built primarily with recycled/recyclable products. The $200,000 "American Green Dream House" was the grand prize in a nation-wide contest sponsored by "America Recycles Inc." two years ago. ...

TRENTON -- A 26-year-old Palisade man is in jail in Trenton, charged in Hitchcock County court Wednesday with first degree sexual assault and sexual assault of a child. Hitchcock County Judge Cloyd Clark set bond for Joey Daniel Podoll at $200,000, with a 10 percent provision, and bound Podoll's case over to district court...

WASHINGTON -- U.S. Rep. Tom Osborne, who will be in Southwest Nebraska next week, has introduced legislation to lower the tax burden on producers forced to sell their herds because of the drought or other natural disasters. "This is a first critical step in providing relief for our agricultural producers suffering at the hands of drought," Osborne said. "Livestock producers should not be penalized for having to sell their herds to stay afloat."...

A group of St. Alban's puppeteers, under the direction of Dee Friehe and Sally Williams, is preparing for a mission trip that will take them to New Mexico, California, Colorado and Nevada. The mission trip will take them to such places as the Navajo Area Missions in New Mexico to Grace Cathedral in San Francisco...

Signs, signs, everywhere there's signs Along with massive quantities of fried fast food and too many trips to gas station bathrooms, out-of-town trips provide the chance to survey a variety of signs. Signs can say a lot about a community as well as its attitude...

ST. FRANCIS -- Harriette F. Draper, 85, died Wednesday (July 27, 2002) in St. Francis. She was born May 1, 1917, to Margaret Mae Mossburgh in Concordia, Kan. She married Charles Draper. She was a homemaker. She was preceded in death by one granddaughter, Heather Draper in 1996...

KEARNEY --  Phillip P. Brown Jr., 39, formerly of Indianola, died Tuesday (July 23, 2002) at Kearney. He was born, May 24, 1963 to Phillip P. and Anna L (Sprenkle) Brown at Boulder, Colo. He graduated from McArthur High School in San Antonio, Texas, in 1983. He was employed by Captain's Table, Saline-Kenworth Trucking and most recently by Wal-Mart in Kearney...