Stories from Wednesday, August 7, 2002

"What's In There," entry 664, by Jean Miracle of McCook, took first place and $50 in July's People, Pets & Places photo contest. "My First Catch," entry 638, by Jimm Whipple of Cambridge (below, left), took second for $35, and Luann Wortman of Hayes Center took third with entry 613, "Ready, set, jump!"...

Millie Petsch of Palisade is the McCook Art Guild's Vault Artist for the month of August. Petsch has been painting for 25 years. She has taken classes at McCook Community College from Bob Coppin and Don Dernovich. She has taken workshops in Halsey by Tom Haqs and Charles Rogers. She has also participated in workshops offered by the Art Guild from a variety of artists...

It happens around the country and around the world -- a large group of volunteers comes together in support of a common cause -- and this weekend its happening right here in McCook. The annual American Cancer Society's Relay for Life fundraising event has brought together 28 teams of participants, and several volunteers who have a common goal -- to do their part in donating to cancer research...

Dear Editor, I would like to thank the Red Willow Western Rural Fire Department and all of the McCook volunteers, including the McCook Police Department, McCook Fire Department, Red Willow County Sheriff's Department and McCook city utility crews for all of the support that you gave Nebraska Public Power District after the high winds-storm that McCook had on the night of July 21...

The staff and management of Mexico Lindo, 311 Norris, is sponsoring a benefit dinner Sunday from 11:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. for Brooke Rugg. A special menu will be offered and all proceeds will go to the Brooke Rugg family to help with expenses. Brooke, the four-year-old daughter of Jamie and Tonya Rugg, has been diagnosed with heart and lung disease. She is currently a patient at Children's Hospital in Omaha...

Ericka Hoyt wants to do something for her grandmother, Linnaea Budke, that the family matriarch hasn't been able to do for herself for 25 years. Run. On Dec. 7, Ericka and her mother, Taryn Witt of Phoenix, Ariz. will participate in the Reggae Marathon in Jamaica, a 26.2 mile marathon to raise money and awareness for the American Stroke Association, in honor of Linnaea Budke...

Red Willow Western, Maywood and Wellfleet firefighters douse a blaze on the U.S. Highway 83 right-of-way 22 miles north of McCook late Tuesday afternoon. "If the fire had been on the west side of the highway in pasture grass, we'd have had a terrible mess," said Red Willow Western Fire Chief Bill Elliott. ...

A St. Francis woman has been elected to the Kansas School Board of Education and a request for a 20 cent mill levy for the Rawlins County Health Center was defeated in the Kansas primary election Tuesday. Connie Morris, a teacher from St. Francis received 60 percent of the votes for the 5th District seat with all precincts reporting. Incumbent and Board Chairman Sonny Rundell of Syracuse received only 40 percent of the votes...

CURTIS -- It's hard to find shearers, and there's little, if any, local market for the wool anyway. Two Curtis-area sisters have turned these sheep-raising obstacles into opportunities, and are raising a new breed of sheep that doesn't have wool...

BENKELMAN -- The centerpieces of any carnival are the ferris wheel and the merry-go-round. Thanks to the ongoing efforts and the spirit of Dundy County residents, the county's three-year-old home-owned carnival now has both. "The whole carnival is quite a testament to community spirit," said Pat Rotherham, a member of the carnival committee formed by the county's Ag Society in January 2000 to investigate the possibility of building a carnival from scratch...

Nebraska Public Power district crews work at a substation on East 11th Street in McCook following a brief power outage this morning, caused by failure of a electrical component. The outage caused production difficulties which delayed printing of today's issue...

The first few days following the September 11 terrorist attack brought a patriotic fever to our nation such as hasn't been experienced since the early days of World War II. In the intervening months, patriotism continues to remain at the fore-front of virtually all of our national celebrations. ...

Larry E. Forbes, 65, died Tuesday (August 6, 2002) at Bryan LGH East in Lincoln. He was born June 18, 1937 to Ralph Kenneth and Alma Gail (Puckett) Forbes at Sedan, Kan. He grew up in Sedan and graduated from Sedan High School in 1956. He served in the U. S. Navy July 3, 1956 through July 2, 1960, as an Aviation Ordinance man. He moved to McCook in 1962...