Stories from Thursday, June 24, 2004

Nov. 1, 1929-June 20, 2004 Warren Herbert Frazier, 74, of McCook, died Sunday, June 20, 2004, at Bryan LGH East in Lincoln. He was born Nov. 1, 1929 in Oakley, Kan., to Samuel E. and Mary Jane (Pickett) Frazier. He attended school at Oakley Public Schools...

July 25, 1926-June 21, 2004 TRENTON -- Doris Elaine Hovey, 78, died Monday (June 21, 2004) at her home in Trenton. She was born July 25, 1926, to Clarence and Ella (Seybold) Taul in Trenton. She grew up in Trenton. She graduated from Trenton High School in 1943...

The family of Bill and Naomi Osborn is hosting an open house in honor of the couple's 55th anniversary June 26, 1-3 p.m., at the Rainbow Fountain Park in Benkelman.

Jan. 26, 1910-June 22, 2004 Louis Albert Girard, 94, died Tuesday (June 22, 2004) at Community Hospital of McCook. He was born Jan. 26, 1910, to Ed and Josephine (McCullough) Girard in Clyde, Kan. He grew up in Jefferson, S.D., where he received his education...

Nov. 12, 1926-June 23, 2004 CAMBRIDGE -- Virginia Lee Harsch, 77, of Bartley, died Wednesday (June 23, 2004) at Cambridge Memorial Hospital. She was born Nov. 12, 1926, to Lester and Lela (Van Pelt) Sines in Marion. She graduated from the University of Nebraska School of Agriculture in Curtis in 1946. ...

Six-year-old Dustin Payton insists he's a "nice little boy." His three sisters contend, "He's a mean little boy." The good-natured arguing at the Payton house goes back and forth, and ends with everyone giggling and the girls rolling on the couch. Everything at the Payton house looks and feels absolutely normal, and Brian and Mary try to keep it that way, despite the unbelievably hard wait for the second surgery on their young son's brain...

CHESAPEAKE, Va. -- Maj. Nathan and Susan Allerheiligen of Chesapeake, Va., announce the birth of their triplets, Sarah Beth, Rachel Ann and Isabel Marie, May 10. They have three siblings, Ashley, James and Marc. Nathan is a 1988 graduate of McCook High School...

CAMBRIDGE -- Laurn and Kay Oltmer of Curtis announce the birth of their daughter, Bailey Anna, April 29, 2004, at Cambridge Memorial Hospital. She weighed seven pounds, eight ounces and was 21 inches long. She has three siblings, Matthew, Holli and Cara. Grandparents are Dorothy Oltmer of Schuyler, the late Laurn Oltmer Sr., and the late Fred and Betty Kircher...

LANSING, Mich. -- Chris and Angie Seip of Lansing, Mich., announce the birth of their daughter, Tabitha Grace, April 23, 2004. She was 6 pounds, 5 3/4 ounces and was 19 inches long. Grandparents are Rick and Marcia Seip of Wallace and Kent and Cheryl May of Hayes Center. Great-grandparents are Bud and Doris Clemens of Wallace, Lillian Seip of Venengo and Lois May of Hayes Center...

At long last, the city of McCook has its act together on the water and wastewater issues, but now the state and federal bureaucracy is dragging its feet, causing considerable frustration and inconvenience for the City Council, the city staff and the citizens of McCook...

**Dear Editor, I read with interest your June 21 editorial about citizens getting up committees and such to help form what I'll call a "McCook Improvement League." What I noticed, however, that I read of no concrete suggestions. What issues should these committees look at?...

"Anyone can be a father but it takes a man to be a dad" is an admittedly rough paraphrase of a quote containing a profound truth. And, just as my mother warned me that once I became a mother I would be a mother the rest of my days, so Danny discovered that once he became a dad, he'd be a dad the rest of his life...

When summer camp is over in Barnett Park, young campers will devise a management plan to maintain a healthy water system and a healthy goose population at the same time. Marla Smith of Imperial, coordinator of the Barnett Park summer camp, said the plan will be designed to manage the park's overpopulation of geese...

"Anybody have any ideas?" That question -- posed by Doug Stephens in an Open Forum letter in Wednesday's Gazette -- could be the start of an organized Community Improvement effort in McCook and the other communities of Southwest Nebraska and Northwest Kansas...

Last night, Brad and I stopped by my mom and dad's to drop off their camper and my mom presented me with a family tree. While I don't pretend to understand genealogy, I did find out that my great- great- great- great- great- great- great- great- great-grandparents are also the great grandparents (seven times over) of Abraham Lincoln, the great grandparents (seven times over) of Grover Cleveland, the great grandparents (12 times over) of Gerald Rudolph Ford Jr. ...

We were driving around town and were surprised at the burned-out houses still standing. The one on West Third was burned years and years ago. The one on East Sixth Street has had nothing done to it. They get insurance money and disposing of the burned property should be first priority. I thought the city had an ordinance about cleaning up property. Maybe the city could clean it and charge the people. Let's put a time limit on unsightly property...

HERNDON -- The founders of Herndon would surely be pleased that so many residents and neighbors joined to celebrate the community's 125 anniversary June 12. Herndon's never been really, really big, and its present-day population is about 170. But, during the community's 125th birthday, the town's population -- as well as the residents' pride -- burst at the seams, as hundreds and hundreds of people watched the parade on Main Street, listened to "Grandpa Harley's Band" in the shade in the park, and enjoyed roast beef sandwiches barbecued in traditional ox-roast style.. ...