Stories from Friday, January 16, 2004

STERLING, Colo. -- The McCook Community College men's basketball team suffered a setback to Northeastern Junior College 86-72 on Wednesday night. Peere Shackelford went 6-for-10 from 3-point range and led MCC with 20 points. Brandon Butler added 16 points and 8 rebounds for MCC...

HAYES CENTER -- The Hayes Center boys basketball team cruised to a 53-32 win over Brady on Thursday, led by 12 points from Nolan Brott. Teammate Jerry Deaver finished with a double-double of 11 points and 10 rebounds. Brett Brown added another 10 points. Nathan Griffiths had a team-high 11 rebounds, while Nolan Brott pulled down 9...

Several landowners and Frontier County officials have decided if the city locates a new well field in their county they want compensation. In a radio interview this morning, Dale Dueland, a Frontier County farmer, and Gerald Huntwork, Frontier County Zoning Administrator, said the county as well as the farmers affected by the well field should receive compensation for loss of county revenues, loss of irrigated land and the increased need for county law enforcement...

A revised petition was submitted to the city of McCook Thursday after an earlier petition was refused by the McCook city clerk. The first petition, to rescind land contracts with two Frontier County farmers presented to the McCook City Council by Don Klein, Richard Bair and Mike Allen on Monday, was denied because of improper wording...

The TeleFuture Opportunities" conference set for McCook Community College next week includes a youth portion focusing on technology entrepreneurship and opportunities, and a general session on economic development. Sponsored by the McCook Economic Development Corp., Southwest Nebraska Resource Conservation and Development and MCC, the event is Wednesday and Thursday at True Hall Gymnasium...

In visits with people from other states, we are sometimes asked, "Why are you guys in Nebraska considering a former football coach as a candidate for governor? How does coaching a football team for a quarter of a century qualify him to be your state's chief executive?"...

Stop the treadmills. Hop off the elliptical machines. Step off the stair climber. You say you can't because you've already fallen off (to put it nicely) your diet 15 times (a low guess) since New Year's Day and that is not including weekends, when you ignore the diet?...

**Dear Editor, Another water issue opinion Are the City Council members walking around with blinders on? Isn't time they all step back and take a look at the whole picture? Have they thought about: 1. The high cost of drilling test wells on the two selected farms?...

**Dear Editor, My fellow Americans: Now that President Bush has nearly won the war on terrorism, there are still some evil-doers outside the Free World. They are far worse than all the terrorists could ever hope to be: The communists! Where are they? No one knows, but the CIA is going to find them. Or, if they can't, then the FBI. Somebody must find them or our freedom will be taken away...

The city of McCook's water problems remind me so much of every day life. Think of the City Council as a husband, and its present water system as a loving wife. She's not "perfect," but she's reliable, faithful and already in place, catering to her husband. Husband (council) begins to think that the grass is greener on the other side of the county line (new water wells) and starts pursuing an affair until his friends (city of McCook dwellers) find out...

Dear Editor, In the Tuesday, Jan. 13, edition of this paper there was a letter to you, the editor. I would like to take a few minutes to respond to the letter from Monte Phillips of San Leon, Texas. On the front page of Tuesday's Gazette, the same edition in which Monte Phillips letter to the editor appeared, was an article covering the farewell ceremony of approximately 126 National Guard soldiers. ...

mcCook fire and rescue personnel respond to a two-vehicle accident at 8:45 a.m. today, at the corner of West First nd H in McCook. No one was injured, despite the SUV rolling onto its side and the front end of the car sustaining extensive dmage. Details of the accident will be released as they become available from the McCook Police Department, which investigated the accident...

Robert "Bob" Fenner, 81, of Goodland, died Tuesday (Jan. 13, 2004) at Goodland Regional Medical Center. He was born Dec. 18, 1922, in Denton, Mont., to Mona (Carl) and Elmer Fenner. He graduated in 1941 from Sherman County High School in Goodland. From 1942 through 1946, he served in the Navy aboard carrier ships including the USS Yorktown during World War II...

OMAHA -- Kamron Scott Fegley, 7 months-old, of Akron, Iowa, died Wednesday (Jan. 14, 2004) at Children's Hospital in Omaha. He was born May 22, 2003, to Rich and Bobbi (Wagner) Fegley in Omaha. He is survived by his parents, Rich and Bobbi Fegley of Akron; one sister, Isabelle Fegley of Akron; maternal grandparents, Don and Donna McCully of Rocky Ford, Colo.; paternal grandparents, Ray and Connie Wilson of Brunsville, Iowa and Rich and Carol Fegley of Indianola; maternal great-grandmother, Kenneth and Berdina Fegley of Ainsworth; two uncles, Jeromy McCully and wife, Mandy of Kearney and John Fegley and wife, Marcie of Cambridge; and two aunts, Heather McCully of Rocky Ford and Crystal Zeller of Cedar Rapids, Iowa.. ...

CAMBRIDGE -- Dr. Charles E. Richards, 90, died Tuesday (Jan. 13, 2004). He was born July 9, 1913, in Holdredge to the Rev. William and Laura (Hamilton) Richards. He attended high school in David City. He graduated in 1935 from Hastings College in Hastings. ...

Olive Pearl Harris, 99, died, Tuesday (January 13, 2004) at Hillcrest Nursing Home. She was born Aug. 26, 1904, in Ottumwa, Iowa to James and Georgia Payne. She moved to Western Nebraska as a young child, grew up, married and spent her adult life in the area. She was a housewife who loved doing things for her many friends...

Harold L. Hewitt, 72, died Thursday (Jan. 15, 2004) at his home in McCook. He was born April 13, 1931, to Clarence and Anna Elizabeth (Cunningham) Hewitt in Hayes County. He grew up in Palisade and Wauneta where he attended the Palisade and Wauneta School systems...

STRATTON -- Lisa and Aubrey Vrbas of Stratton announce the birth of their daughter, Alycia Dawn. She was born Thursday (Jan. 15, 2004) at Dundy County Hospital. She weighed 6 pounds, 10.8 ounces and measured 20.5 inches. Grandparents are Ronda and Gaylord Vrbas of Stratton and Dan and Dawn Cribbs of McCook. Great-grandmothers are Alice Vrbas of Stratton and Winifred Cribbs of Littleton, Colo...

GARDEN CITY, Kan. -- Joan M. (Stolpe) Easterday, 79, of Atwood, died Thursday (Jan. 15, 2004) at St. Catherine Hospital in Garden City, Kan. She was born June 23, 1924, in Topeka, Kan., to Paul Victor and Louise (Benfer) Stolpe. She graduated from Topeka High School and attended Washburn University for three years...

BLUE SPRINGS, Mo. -- Kevin Leroy Vernon, 45, died Wednesday (Jan. 14, 2004) at his home in Blue Springs, Mo. He was born Oct. 2, 1958, in Oberlin to Glenn Eldon and Florence "Tiny" L. (Hoppes) Vernon. He was raised in the Norcatur area. He attended Norcatur Grade School and Dundy County High School. He graduated from Salina South and Emporia State University...

McCook City Manager John Bingham is hoping an action item on Monday night's City Council agenda will finally put the issue of the McCook's water well field to rest. The council will be asked to direct the staff with any changes it wants to make in implementing the water problem solution. Specifically, the council is being asked five questions:...

EUSTIS --  Judith Ogden could have relocated her pie-making shop in a factory setting. Or she could have found a strip mall location. Where she ended up, however, fits exactly the persona ... the character ... the image ... she wants her "Village Pie Maker" pie shop to portray. Judith has moved her pie shop from Sumner into the old creamery -- yes, the tile building with the incredible cow-and-calf relief by the front door -- in Eustis...

At the same time that George W. Norris was running for his first term in Congress, Arizona was seeking statehood and feedlot history was being made in Danbury. Interesting times. The Nov. 7 McCook Tribune included a story from the Danbury news of Oct. ...

As I mentioned in this column a month or so ago, I'm teaching a class at the college this semester that focuses on domestic violence. The class is close to being full and already we have heard horror stories from some of the students who have already been victims at the hands of people who supposedly loved them. It is a class that is long overdue and I'm proud to be offering it to our area and student population...

IMPERIAL -- Wendell H. Prior, 83, died Thursday (Jan. 15, 2004) at Chase County Community Hospital in Imperial. Survivors include his wife, Lila of Imperial; son, Merlin and wife, Janet Prior also of Imperial; two daughters, Janeta Fong and husband, Nelson of Underwood, Iowa and Marcia Prior-Miller and husband, Lynn of Ames, Iowa; one sister, Jean Hollinger of Grand Junction, Colo.; 11 grandchildren; and seven great-grandchildren...