Stories from Wednesday, April 23, 2003

Jan Blank and Helen Allen have paintings on display at Lincoln Federal Savings Bank, 211 Norris Avenue, during the month of April and May. The bank is open Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m. The art is from McCook Art Guild members. Blank's painting (upper left) of an abandoned farmstead show the ruts of traffic long since past. Allen's painting shows a weathered barn surrounded by a wooden corral...

Steve Stramel, you have to stop this. Your article of April 22 is the funniest yet. Do you suppose they have a Supreme Court in Iraq, too?

Support from judges If you haven't yet read the letter from Lancaster County's District Judges, which appeared on page 2 of Tuesday's Gazette, please take the time to do so. It's a masterpiece of support, spelling out in clear and logical terms why the Work Ethic Camp in McCook should be kept open...

Jason Van Pelt, associate pastor at McCook Christian Church will appear in concert Wednesday, April 30, 7:15 p.m., at The Pepper, 212 East B Street, performing cuts from his latest Christian CD, "every moment, every day." According to Van Pelt, everyone is welcome and the variety of music planned will bring "something for everyone." There is a $3 cover charge...

Stacey Ellington of Culbertson renewed her driver's license just in time to get one of the first new digitized licenses issued at the courthouse in McCook Tuesday morning. Stacey went through the painless process and walked away with what Nebraska Gov. Mike Johanns calls one of the most secure driver's licenses in the nation...

McCook residents were awakened by thunder early this morning, with substantial rain falling throughout the morning. By 7 a.m. today, .46 of an inch of rain was reported at Swanson Reservoir near Trenton, .12 at Hugh Butler Lake north of McCook and .01 of an inch at the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation office in McCook...

North Platte -- The creation of a dedicated Distance Learning fiber-link "hotline" system between North Platte and McCook, along with instructor and administration hires, contract approvals, personnel searches and board policy revisions will be the main centers of attention at Wednesday night's Mid-Plains Community College Board of Governors regularly scheduled monthly meeting...

The well-received annual barbershop show is back May 3, at McCook City Auditorium. The show will feature local barbershop quartets Key of Gee, which includes Charles Coleman, Merlin Brown, Russ Ankersen and Carl Philo, and Coon Creek Connection with Jay Wilson, Arlan Wine, Jack Reichenbach and Dr. Don Blank...

McCook Fire Department's investigator blames a burning candle for a fire that chased a man from his home really early this morning -- and into the arms of police. McCook Fire Chief Marc Harpham said fire investigator Mark Eiler determined a candle in Brandon Doyle's bedroom caught the drapes on fire. ...

Imagine my dismay Monday on hearing that several churches had fallen victim, along with businesses and schools, to thieves over the past week. I had to chuckle when a co-worker, speaking specifically about the church burglaries, exclaimed, "Well, they're not going to get away with it, God knows who did it."...