Stories from Monday, March 3, 2003

"I Am" is the theme for the 2003 Community Lenten Services, scheduled to begin Friday, 12:05 p.m., at First Congregational Church, 212 East E Street. The annual event begins on the Friday following Ash Wednesday and continues each Friday thereafter, concluding with a special service on Good Friday, April 18...

Angela Morthole and Shane Godtel announce their engagement and upcoming wedding. Parents of the couple are Riley and Karen Morthole of Culbertson and Ramon and Gloria Godtel of Arcadia. Grandparents of the couple are Harley and Hida Morthole of Culbertson, Cora Meyers of Hastings, Harry and Gladys Godtell of Culbertson and Tena Wimer of Colby, Kan. ...

Laura Ebmeier and Garrett Nokes, both of McCook, announce their engagement and upcoming wedding. Parents of the couple are Darold and Mary Ann Ebmeier of Maywood, Ray and Pam Nokes and Brenda and Stephen Morrell, all of McCook. The bride-to-be is Maywood High School graduate and a graduate of Doane College and the University of Nebraska at Kearney. ...

The family of Golda Zwickle is hosting a card shower in honor of her 76th birthday on March 7. Cards of congratulations will reach her at 1300 East H Street, Apt. 27, McCook, NE 69001.

The family of Doris McDonald is hosting a card shower in honor of her 78th birthday, March 9. Cards of congratulations will reach her at P.O. Box 25, Stratton, NE 69043.

Because of the financial challenges faced by the McCook community, members of the McCook Board of Education acted wisely last week when they authorized a $10,000 study of the East, West and North Ward buildings. Approval -- which came on a 4-2 vote -- sets the stage for a 60-day study, during which the staff of W Design Associates will work with a building committee appointed by the board...

Dear Editor, An open letter to State Sen. Tom Baker: Hundreds of thousands of small businesses across America and around the world will soon be closing their doors. Why? Because of the coming stock market and derivatives wipeout. Real estate will plunge to 10 cents on the dollar. A home valued at $100,000 now will plunge to $10,000. in value, but no one will be buying because hundreds of millions of people will be out of work...

Dear Editor, A solution for the work camp is to find a federal project that has federal money. How about a French resettlement camp? When we attack Iraq we can't let the French in the U.S. just sit around drinking coffee and eating cheese now can we?...

Remember back on Nov. 18? At the time, it seemed things were finally falling into place on McCook's water situation. A new City Council was in place, and the members voted unanimously to treat the water supply from the existing well field south of town...

The family of Jeanette (Hardy) and Rex Poore are hosting an open house in honor of the couples 50th anniversary, on March 15, 2003, 2-5 p.m., at the Chief Motel Poolside Room in McCook. The couple was married in Stratton on March 19, 1953.

Michelle Fredrickson of Minden and Rex Hart of Culbertson were united in marriage February 10, 2003, at the Red Willow County Courthouse in McCook.

CAMBRIDGE -- Jennie Marie Kohout and Ryan Mark Martin were united in marriage Aug. 24, 2002, at St. John's Catholic Church in Cambridge with the Rev. Robert Barnhill officiating. Parents of the couple are Francis and Joyce Kohout of Cambridge and Mark and Judy Martin and Deb and Michael Strudl, all of Lincoln...

North Platte -- McCook Community College has more full-time students and fewer enrolled part-time, for an overall decrease, but the overall Mid-Plains Community College Area shows another substantial increase in the number of students enrolled in the Spring 2003 term...

A diesel spill of up to 5 million gallons under McCook's water storage tank continues to complicate matters for the McCook City Council. A decision by the City Council in November to build a water treatment plant on the site where the storage tank is located was rejected in December by the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services...

Sgt. Joel Smith filled the shoes Sgt. Ted Mashek left behind when he retired early this year from the Nebraska State Patrol. Smith has been a trooper for the NSP for 121/2 years, almost eight of those years in the McCook/North Platte area. He graduated from Minden High School and then from Kearney State with a degree in criminal justice. ...

Red Willow District Judge John Battershell sentenced a McCook man Friday to 10-15 years in prison for his involvement in a methamphetamine lab on East Second in McCook in December. Randy McNutt, 42, pleaded guilty Jan. 17 to manufacture of meth, a Class III felony punishable by up to 20 years in prison and a $25,000 fine, or both. ...

As part of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation's U.S. Library Program, several area libraries have received new, completely equipped computers. A number of libraries in Southwest Nebraska and Northwest Kansas were on the receiving end of entire Gateway systems. McCook Public Library received two complete systems, which are up and running as part of the Eligible Library Building Grant...

Construction on Phase II of the B Street Project began today with the placement of barrels to redirect traffic. "It's happening," said Kurt Vosburg of the Nebraska Department of Roads. Vosburg said in addition to the barrels, new signage will be posted, new pavement markings placed, temporary traffic signals will be moved into position and light poles will be removed on the north side of the highway over the next three days...

Panels lay shattered on the ground around the Columbarium at Memorial Park Cemetery. Vandals also broke the lights surrounding the structure and broke one headstone, overturned another and picked up and moved a third, according to McCook Police Chief Ike Brown. ...

CURTIS -- After moving to Curtis to practice at the Medicine Valley Veterinary Clinic in Curtis, Dr. Lee Jones discovered that area producers wanting to improve or enhance their herds through embryo transfer had to go outside Nebraska -- a state known for animal agriculture and high-quality cattle. "I was surprised there was no local company providing bovine embryo transfer services," Dr. Jones said...

PLAINVILLE, Kan. -- Clarence W. Hageman, 78, died Thursday (Feb. 27, 2003) at his home in Plainville, Kan. He was born Aug. 3, 1924, in the same house that he passed away, to George and Catherine (Stahl) Hageman. He graduated from Plainville High School in 1942. He was a farmer and rancher all of his life and worked as a bridge foreman for Rooks County, Kan., for 20 years, retiring in 1993...

ATWOOD -- Albert Joseph Reeh, 78, died Friday (Feb. 28, 2003) at the Rawlins County Health Center in Atwood. He was born Feb. 22, 1925, in a sod house north of Beardsley, Kan., to Paul and Cledy Reeh. He graduated from the Forest Hill Grade School, with honors. ...

Rochelle A. Cox, 66, died Saturday (March 1, 2003) at Community Hospital of McCook. She was born Dec. 27, 1936, in Jefferson, S.D., to Louis and Eva E. (Beaubien) Girard. At the age of four, her family moved to Long Beach, Calif., where she grew up and graduated from Woodrow Wilson High School at Long Beach in 1953...

Whether to go to war or not with Iraq has become a hotter potato than talking about religion and, consequently, has generated a lot of ink in the feedback section of the Gazette. That's a good thing, I'm sure you know. Debate is always healthy, regardless of which side of the debate one is on. ...

Happy Birthday, Nebraska! Not often do I have the opportunity to say that on the actual day. One hundred thirty-six years old today and a little in debt. Still, there's no better place in the world to live than right here, so celebrate Nebraska today!...

In April of 1872, Russell F. Loomis, of Michigan, the grandfather of McCook's Mildred Zink, started out "to establish a new home in a new land -- a wild land, where the only conveniences were Air to breathe, Water to drink, and a Prairie Moon to sleep by. Where the Rattlers were your deadliest enemies, but where every white man was your friend."...

Robert Dean Potthoff passed away Wednesday (Feb. 19, 2003) in Rangely, Colo. He was born May 29, 1931, in McCook, to John and Amelia Potthoff and grew up in the Palisade area where his family farmed. He joined the Marine Corps in 1952 where he served for 10 years...