Stories from Friday, May 23, 2003

LINCOLN -- Both of McCook High School's doubles teams posted first-round wins at the Nebraska Class B State Girls Tennis Championships Thursday at Lincoln. The Bison's No. 1 doubles team of seniors Kelsey Lyster and Moriah Gull defeated Adams Central's Tera Nguyen and Bonnie Valentin 6-4, 6-4...

ARAPAHOE -- Donna Louise White, 82, died Wednesday (May 21, 2003) at the Cambridge Memorial Hospital in Cambridge. She was born Dec. 29, 1921, at Harper County, Ohio, to Oscar and Ruth (Folk) Craig. She was raised and attended school at Kenton, Ohio, and graduated high school from Kenton High School with the Class of 1939...

After coming perilously close to being shut down, the Work Ethic Camp in McCook is celebrating today with a day-long open house and a ceremony featuring state officials. When the event was originally planned-- more than six weeks ago -- no one was certain what the status of the camp would be. In fact, by now, the camp could have been on its last legs, as continued funding for the camp was denied in the first vote of the legislature's Appropriations Committee...

By now nearly everyone who has watched ESPN or CNN or read the Omaha World Herald or surfed the net knows that 18-year-old high school basketball phenom LeBron James has signed a lucrative $90 million shoe deal with a well-known mega-conglomerate. Nearly everyone knows the name of the shoe giant James has signed an endorsement deal with, but because of personal reasons I would prefer not to divulge because it would take up two or three more columns, I won't use the name...

Knee high by the Fourth of July. Growing up, that was a yearly saying about the corn fields as my family and I drove across Iowa -- a place which receives rain on an annual basis, not just every four years like we do. With that thought in mind, I finally planted my garden recently and realized that I'd be lucky if my corn and every other row of my garden made it to the July holiday...

Memorial Day services are on tap for Monday, flags have been ordered to half-staff and the Nebraska State Patrol will be out in force for the traditional start of the summer season. The McCook American Legion Post 203 and McCook VFW Post will conduct a Veterans Memorial Day Service at 10:30 a.m. Monday at Memorial Park Cemetery...

In a typical year, the McCook swimming pool would see its first swimmers this weekend, Memorial Day weekend. But this is not the typical year and the pool will not be ready for swimmers by this Saturday, Sunday or Monday -- not for at least a couple of more weeks...

WASHINGTON -- Nearly $45 million in Nebraska projects, including a $3 million project for the McCook area, are part of the Department of Authorization bill approved by the Senate today. "Our men and women in uniform put their lives on the line in defense of our nation. ...

McCook hunting guide and outdoor enthusiast Scott Snyder sits atop the polar bear he shot during a recent hunt in Nunavut, Canada, above the Arctic Circle. The hunt was conducted on a dog sled on the Arctic Ocean where the temperature was -30 degrees. Look for the full story of Snyder's polar bear hunt this fall in his column "The Scout" on the outdoor page of the McCook Daily Gazette on Fridays...

A tractor compacts the earth at the District 8 school southwest of McCook, in preparation for construction of a new building It will include two classrooms, restrooms, a multipurpose room and stage. The handicapped-accessible metal structure, to be built for $277,000, will be 50 feet by 108 feet. The present building will continue to be used...

Memorial Day Weekend is synonymous with baseball, and McCook's American Legion teams will be doing more than their part. The Seniors and Juniors host the McCook Legion Baseball Boosters Memorial Day Tournaments at Jaycees Sports Complex. The Juniors Tournament is slated for Sunday and the Seniors Tournament is Monday...

BENKELMAN -- Leo Barnell, 99, died Wednesday (May 21, 2003) at the Dundy County Hospital in Benkelman. He was born Dec. 20, 1903, on a farm near Sutton, to Sumner and Anna (Watipka) Barnell, and attended school in Sutton. He graduated from Sutton High School in 1922 and went on to attend the University of Nebraska Ag College, and graduated in 1926...