Stories from Wednesday, January 8, 2003

Area resident Lonnie Weyeneth and former McCookite Susan Stuart will be performing Friday at the Nebraska Governor's Inaugural Ball. Weyeneth, of Danbury, will be performing with his band Blackberry Winter, a 10-member rock band that produces a bold fulfilling sound with nine pieces; two keyboards, a bass guitar, drums, a lead guitar, two trumpets, a trombone and a saxophone. Five members also provide vocals for the band. The group plays mostly '60s and '70s classic rock...

Few events carry more suspense than the activity unfolding in the Red Willow County Fairgrounds community building this morning. The bid was $1.5 million as this was being written, with the auctioneers taking offers for 10 parcels separately. At the end of the day, the City Council will have to decide which offer or offers to accept, if any...

Kenneth and Jessi Keslin of McCook announce the birth of a daughter, Kora Lea, born Thursday (Oct. 31, 2002). She weighed 8 pounds, 7 ounces. Grandparents are Robert and Mary Keslin and Marion and Sandy Brown all of McCook. Great-grandparents are Kenneth and Judy Martin and Leslie Stewart of McCook...

SILVERLAKE, Kan. -- Shane and Brandi (Drum) Ruse of Silverlake, Kan., announce the birth of a son, Zachary David, born Saturday (Nov. 30, 2002). He weighed 6 pounds and 14 ounces. Grandparents are Pamela Drum of Silverlake, Jeffery Drum of North Alamo, Colo., Sherri (Custer) Ruse and Rick Ruse of Topeka, Kan. Great-grandparents are Grace Pasley of Silverlake, Ida Nicholson of Indianola, D.P. and Sarah Custer and Carole Ruse of Topeka...

Russ Dowling of McCook (left) and John Horn of Lincoln take in the Sheldon Memorial Art Gallery's annual traveling exhibit, "Town and Country," which will be on display at the Museum of the High Plains in McCook now through Feb. 2. The exhibit of landscape paintings and photographs is sponsored in McCook by the McCook Arts Council. ...

Discussion of the diesel spill near the city's 4 million gallon water tank has brought some old news back to the front page of the McCook Daily Gazette. While at least one council member argued that the city was unaware of the diesel spill, as Public Works Director Marty Conroy pointed out in Monday night's meeting, the council granted easements in April 1995 for Burlington Northern Railroad to install groundwater monitoring equipment...

A 19-year-old McCook man faces numerous charges after local police officers chased the man across the city of McCook. The man, whose name has not been released, was pursued Jan. 5, around 4:02 a.m., for reckless driving. McCook police officers attempted to pull him over near East 11th and H when the man continued to avoid arrest by traveling in a vehicle on H Street and then up Country Club Drive and through the reservation area of Northeast McCook and then down Norris Avenue. ...

CULBERTSON -- Hitchcock County Agricultural Society Inc. hosted a grand opening Tuesday for the new $340,000 Hitchcock County Ag Complex. The building will bring to the 3,750 residents of the county an exhibit hall and a community center. The USDA Rural Development agency, which funded the structure, presented a symbolic funding check to the society in celebration of the complex's completion...

Red Willow County Judge Cloyd Clark Tuesday afternoon bound over to district court four defendants charged with the manufacture of methamphetamine. Waiving their right to preliminary hearings in county court were Randy McNutt, 42, of McCook; Candy Anderson-Roark, 25, of McCook; Chad Mathies, 20, of McCook; and Daryl Banzet, 20, of Oberlin...

Red Willow County commissioners sold a used motor scraper and discussed with the sheriff a grant that would help pay expenses for a citizens' emergency response group. The board also made another payment, $57,973, to JL Construction of McCook for ongoing construction of the Kiplinger Equestrian Arena on the fairgrounds in McCook...

More than 100 spectators and some 40 registered bidders showed up for the beginning of today's auction of the McCook Army Air Force Base property at the Red County Fairgrounds. Don Hazlett opened the process with a $1.5 million bid by an undisclosed bidder. At press time five bidders were on the board for the separate tracts, and the total bid so far was $1,565,280...

They say that the longest journey begins with a single step. It took thousands of well-spoken, enthusiastic words to convince Danny that we ought to journey to Albion, Iowa, where my great-uncle and great-aunt still maintained the family farm I visited when I was 6...

CURTIS -- Leon Banzhaf, 52, died Tuesday (Jan. 7, 2002) at the Great Plains Regional Medical Center in North Platte. He was born March 20, 1950, to Roy and Mildred (Lemmon) Banzhaf in Cambridge. The family farmed north of Cambridge until 1965. He attended Orafino School in rural Frontier County where he graduated from the eighth grade. The family moved to Nampa, Idaho in 1965, where he completed his education. In the fall of 1987, the family moved back to Cambridge...

Clara L. Hoppe, 95, died Monday (Jan. 6, 2003) at Hillcrest Nursing Home in McCook. She was born April 21, 1907, in Frontier County, to Elmer and Nancy Lee (Campbell) Shepherd. She grew up in Frontier County and graduated from high school in Kimball. She also graduated from Chadron State College with a degree in education. She began teaching school in Wyoming and later at Maywood...

BEAVER CITY -- Hazel Christensen, 86, died Monday (Jan. 6, 2003) at the Beaver City Manor. She was born March 9, 1916, at Beaver City, to Fred and Catherine (Inman) Hardenbrook. She was a life long resident of the Beaver City area and graduated from Beaver City High School with the Class of 1933...