Stories from Monday, March 24, 2003

Today was the last day for walk-in absentee voters to vote in Tuesday's election for the Republican Valley and Twin Valley school bond and merger election. An agent may pick up a ballot for a friend or family member until 7 p.m. Tuesday. All absentee ballots must be returned to the Red Willow County Clerk's Office by close of the polls at 8 p.m. Tuesday...

Hilda Mynes of Hurricane, W.Va., and Steven Flanery of Firebrick, Ky., announce the engagement of their daughter, Stephanie Flanery, to US Navy Reserve Lt. Christopher Marazon, the son of Dr. and Mrs. Daniel Marazon of Athens, Ohio. He is the grandson of Evelyn Freeburn of McCook and the late John Kopriva. ...

Amy Louise Frandsen and Brent William Bouley, both of North Platte, announce their engagement and upcoming wedding. Parents of the couple are Sam and Mary Frandsen of McCook and Ray and Jean Bouley of Cheyenne, Wyo. The bride-to-be is a registered nurse at Great Plains Regional Medical Center and the prospective bridegroom is a switchman-conductor with Union Pacific Railroad. The couple is planning a May 3, 2003, ceremony at Memorial United Methodist Church in McCook...

Jami Lea Beitler of McCook and Dallas B. Garey of Arapahoe announce their engagement and upcoming wedding. Parents of the couple are Donald and Rachel Beitler of Red Cloud and Douglas and Betty Garey of Beaver City. The bride-to-be is an early childhood special education teacher for McCook Public Schools and the prospective bridegroom is a funeral director for Wenburg Funeral Homes of Arapahoe and Beaver City. ...

The family of Ruby Ham is hosting a card shower in honor of her 80th birthday March 28. Cards of congratulations will reach her at P.O. Box 225, Wauneta, NE 69045.

The family of Vaughneta Schlager is hosting a card shower in honor of her 85th birthday March 29. Cards of congratulations will reach her at 807 West 12th, McCook, NE 69001.

As you plan your week, be sure to keep in mind two events which will take place Tuesday in McCook and Red Willow County. School Bond Election Starting at 8 a.m. and lasting until 8 p.m., voters will go to the polls in the Twin Valley and Republican Valley school districts. A large turnout is expected, as voters will be deciding the fate of a $6.9 million building project...

How refreshing, Mr. Haney fixing up or renovating the high school locker rooms using volunteer and Work Ethic Camp labor to do it. The professional volunteers will be teaching the work ethic people how to do useful projects, besides saving dollars, and the students will learn to appreciate do-it- yourself and making-do...

Nebraska faces a $761,000,000 budget shortfall, and dealing with it is going to be painful. Either we cut support for education, cut services for aged, disabled and truly disadvantaged, or we raise taxes. More likely, we will do a combination of the above...

Lori Kinne and Steve Stein of McCook announce their engagement and upcoming wedding. Parents of the couple are Bryan and Lois Kinne of McCook and the late Eldon and Evelyn Stein. The bride-to-be is a graduate of McCook High School and McCook Community College. ...

Jill E. Rippen of Culbertson and Jon R. Eberspacher of Beaver Crossing announce their engagement and upcoming wedding. Parents of the couple are Ted and Nancy Rippen of Culbertson and Richard and Karen Eberspacher of Valparaiso. The bride-to-be is a graduate of the University of Nebraska at Lincoln with a bachelor of arts degree in communication studies. ...

Hamilton the squirrel enjoys a sunflower seed lunch Sunday. Hamilton and his friends have been treated to pleasant springtime weather, with rain and snow possibly on the way.

A press conference concerning Southwest Nebraska's effort to retain the Nebraska Department of Corrections' Work Ethic Camp in McCook is set for 10 a.m. Tuesday at the McCook City Council Chambers, 302 West. 5th. The closing of the 2-year-old facility is proposed as a way to meet state budget cuts...

Twenty years ago, the outlook for the mentally handicapped was bleak. "Out of sight, out of mind" seemed to have been the goal back then. Today, that mindset is changing. That change can be seen in the people at Southwest Area Training Services in McCook...

LINCOLN -- Nebraska's auditor of public accounts indicates in annual reports that a lack of "segregation of duties" in county courts in Red Willow, Hitchcock and Hayes counties increases the risk of errors or irregularities. A segregation of duties would ensure that one staff person does not process a transaction from beginning to end...

Nebraska Assistant Attorney General Dave Cookson will provide an update on the settlement of the Kansas-Nebraska Republican River lawsuit during the Middle Republican Natural Resources District's annual water conference Wednesday, April 9, at 9 a.m., in the community building on the fairgrounds in McCook...

With an announcement the enrollment at the McCook Work Ethic Camp is continuing to grow, the importance of the people who staff the camp becomes more evident. Raleigh Haas, superintendent at the 100-bed facility told Sen. Tom Baker Thursday enrollment is now at 80. The innovative corrections facility is expecting to reach its highest count of 87 on Monday...

WAUNETA -- Longtime Wauneta resident Maryan (Feese) Rider died Thursday at Heritage of Wauneta, at the age of 102. Rider and her late husband, Dr. Frank Rider, built the theater in Wauneta in 1937 and operated it until the 1960s. The Chamber of Commerce purchased the theater in 1971, and has completely renovated the building...

The "I Am" statements are Christ's own testimony of his divinity according to the Rev. Dr. Jeff Thurman, pastor at Memorial United Methodist Church. "John's gospel is a favorite of many, revealing the depth of Christ's character and love" said Thurman. ...

LOGAN, Kan. -- Evelyn A. Perrill, 84, died Friday (March 21, 2003) at the Logan Manor in Logan, Kan. She was born Feb. 20, 1919, in the Devizes Community in Norton County, Kan., to C. Leslie and Viva B. (Thompson) Mathes. She graduated from Norton Community High School. She lived in Pasadena, Calif., for a time before moving back to Norton...

WAUNETA -- Maryan Rosamond (Feese) Rider, 102, died Thursday (March 20, 2003) at Heritage of Wauneta in Wauneta. She was born Dec. 24, 1900, to Urias D. and Elizabeth (Zerbe) Feese at Alma. She grew up on a farm north of Alma. She graduated from Alma High School in 1919. ...

OBERLIN -- Agnes Brown, 94, died Friday (March 21, 2003) at the Decatur County Good Samaritan Center in Oberlin. She was born Jan. 28, 1909, in Herndon to Adam and Theresia (Ecker) Wahrman. She attended Bolte School and Herndon High School. On April 14, 1942, she married Charles Brown at St. Mary's Assumption Catholic Church in Herndon. She was a farm wife and homemaker. She resided in Herndon until moving to the Decatur County Good Samaritan Center in Oberlin...

OBERLIN -- Mileham "Miles" E. Ray, 87, died Monday (March 17, 2003) at Swedish Medical Center in Englewood, Colo. He was born June 22, 1915, at Orleans, to Jesse and Eva (Robertson) Ray. He graduated from high school at Republican City and later graduated from Denver University...

HAMLET -- Darrel Donald "Jim" Taylor, 74, died Thursday (March 20, 2003) at the Chase County Community Hospital. He was born June 22, 1928, on the family homestead six miles south of Wauneta, to Frank and Mabel (Hartzer) Taylor. He attended grade school at the country school south of Wauneta and graduated from Wauneta High School in 1946...

One of the interesting cultural developments of recent years has been the concept of "politically correct" speech. Although the phrase tends to mean different things to different people, it essentially implies that no one should say anything that might offend someone else. That's a pretty tall order...

Al Weibel, managing editor of the McCook Gazette in 1943, was invited to dinner at the McCook Army Air Base mess and wrote about it for the readers in the April 22 paper. He wrote that he had to pick his words carefully describing the delicious food, as his wife at home might just speak to the draft board and arrange for him to eat there from then on. Not saying how great it was though wouldn't be fair to the mess sergeant and his crew or to Lt. Dave Fromer who paid for his meal...

EDITOR'S NOTE -- Much of the following narrative was taken from the unpublished manuscript, "Nebraska Light & Power Company, McCook, Nebraska. The Republican River Flood in Southwestern Nebraska as it affected the Power Plant 1935." This paper was written by James R. Jaquet, General Manager, Nebraska Light & Power Co. 1935. It is on file at the Museum of the High Plains, McCook...

WAUNETA -- Maryan Rosamond (Feese) Rider, 102, died Thursday (March 20, 2003) at Heritage of Wauneta Nursing Home in Wauneta. Survivors include one son, Gene and wife, Marilyn of Wauneta; daughter-in-law, Marcia Rider of Imperial; five grandchildren; three great-grandchildren; and one great-great-grandson...