Stories from Wednesday, December 18, 2002

The Museum of the High Plains Historical Society, 423 Norris Avenue is featuring three Christmas trees during the month of December. The trees include an old-fashioned one with a train set that runs around it (left); a tree provided by the Quilting Club (second from left) with quilted fabric ornaments (second from right) on it and a tree provided by the Daughters of the American Revolution that features a popcorn chain and a paper link chain. ...

Dear (Sports) Editor, While you are recuperating from the flu which so many of us have had, you really ought to get your facts straight before you print ridiculous opinions that have nothing whatsoever to do with the truth. I personally feel that you owe the Republican Valley School and especially the girls basketball team and their coaches a huge apology...

Dear Editor, I'm grateful for the holiday season as it stands as a reminder of the birth of the only begotten Son. Because of His perfect life we can all be made perfect through the atonement. I'm grateful Heavenly Father sent His Son, even Jesus Christ, so that imperfect people, like myself, can overcome sin and return and live with Him again. ...

Because we are so closely connected to our schools, it is staggering to consider all that has taken place in Nebraska in the past seven decades. The first two sentences in Michelle Seeker's consolidation story in Tuesday's Gazette brought the truth crashing home. "In 1930, Nebraska had more than 11,000 school districts. Today there are 245."...

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- Randy and Leah Atchley of Knoxville, Tenn., announce the adoption of Miriam Faith. She was born June 23, 2001. She has two sisters; Chrissy, 18 and Emily, 12. Her grandparents are Don and Joan Grafel of Herndon and Paul and Jean Atchley of Knoxville...

NORTH PLATTE -- The Mid-Plains Community College Board of Governors will consider a plan to pick up the slack in providing the space and personnel for upper division distance learning class offerings at North Platte and McCook campus sites. The meeting is set for 5 p.m. today at the technical campus, 1101 Halligan Drive in North Platte...

BENKELMAN -- A Stratton man accused of felony assault and a firearms offense pleaded not guilty Tuesday morning in Dundy County district court in Benkelman. During other court action, a Benkelman man was released from probation after the judge gave him credit for "good behavior."...

Community Hospital received high marks in patient satisfaction in its annual survey conducted this summer, board members were told today. The results from the survey, conducted by an independent third party as a requirement of the National Program for Quality Assurance, show the hospital has received above average marks in all eight categories...

Former McCook Community College student, Charles J. Hill, pleaded not guilty to two counts of sexual assault. Hill, 22, a former resident of Brooks Hall Dormitory, was arraigned in Red Willow County District Court Dec. 11 on two Class II felony charges of rape...

A cloudless sky becomes partly cloudy as jetliners leave vapor trails over Southwest Nebraska. The weather promises to continue to be pleasant for the next few days, allowing residents to do serious Christmas shopping or put up a few more decorations...

Red Willow County commissioners hired a McCook woman to take over as the county's zoning administrator, effective Jan. 1. Darcy Eckhardt will replace the interim administrator, Sue Doak, who has resigned the interim position. Doak accepted the position on a temporary basis when the county's zoning took effect in October 2001...

Raleigh Haas, Director of the McCook Work Ethic Camp said he is looking forward to the evaluation of his facility by the University of Nebraska at Kearney Department of Criminal Justice. Haas said the evaluation will take three years to complete. The study will examine the process from start to finish. "They will be looking at everything from the referral process, to the staff, to tracking how the offenders are doing after they've left the facility," Haas explained...

This truck (and others like it) could be seen whizzing around the early morning streets of McCook on a daily basis. What a wonderful business concept -- home delivery of milk. In the wintertime the cream on top of the milk would freeze and push the cardboard lid off the top of the bottle. Ernst's was located at 104 West N Street...

Gene O. Morris, publisher of the McCook Daily Gazette, (center) presents autographed and framed printing plates featuring McCook Senior High's state championship football team to Head Coach Jeff Gross and Pam Klug, president of the McCook Boosters. The plates feature the Bison lined up for the National Anthem during a home game at Weiland Field. A third plate was auctioned off during a tailgate party prior to the championship game in Lincoln...

A power and cable television outage experienced at around 10:30 this morning appeared to have been caused by a high profile vehicle traveling along a road west of McCook, according to Brian Vassa of Nebraska Public Power District. Vassa said the outage appeared to have been the result of a the vehicle catching a cable conductor on an NPPD pole. The conductor flipped up into the electrical lines which caused a short circuit, blowing fuses at the sub-station on Q street...

It promises to be a landmark Christmas for my daughter and son-in-law as they host Christmas dinner at their home next week in Stratton. Certainly, they will always remember it. I am looking forward to it myself. After all, the only thing that Lisa has asked for is that I get there a little early, pie in hand. Easy enough...

MERRIAM, Kan. -- Joe Bill Tickles, 59, died Monday (Dec. 9, 2002) in Branson, Mo. He was born Feb. 20, 1943, to Charlie and Ada Katrina (Hamm) Tickles Jr., in Banner, Va. In 1961, he moved to the Kansas City area. On June 26, 1982, he married Yvonne S. Rice at the Trinity Lutheran Church in Overland Park, Kan. For 30 years he worked as a truck driver for Safeway, Food Barn and Associated Grocers...