Stories from Thursday, December 30, 2004

GRAND ISLAND -- The McCook boys basketball team is moving on at the Greater Nebraska Activities Conference Tournament in Grand Island. The Bison defeated North Platte 60-48 on Wednesday. McCook fell behind in the game just twice, and not for very long. McCook had runs of 11-0 and 8-0 each time to regain the lead...

Feb. 13, 1919-Dec. 27, 2004 McDONALD -- Dorothy Faye (Archer) Pickett, 85, died Monday (Dec. 27, 2004) at the Sutherland Care Center in Sutherland. She was born Feb. 13, 1919, to Major William and Clara (Ough) Archer in Strang. She attended elementary school and was a graduate of McDonald High School. After her mother's death, she was raised by her aunt and uncle, Otis and Ellen Archer...

April 6, 1945-Dec. 27, 2004 ATWOOD -- Mary Ann (Ryan) McMillin, 59, died Monday (Dec. 27, 2004) at Rawlins County Health Center in Atwood. She was born April 6, 1945, to Mark J. and Mary Adeline (Mentlick) Ryan in Colby, Kan. She attended grade school at White Dove No. 86 in Rawlins County and middle school in parochial school in Sequin, Kan. She graduated from DeSalles High School in Walla Walla, Wash., in 1963. She attended one year of college at Seattle University in Seattle, Wash...

Nov. 10, 1912-Dec. 28, 2004 BENKELMAN -- Velma Mabel Hansen, 92, died Tuesday (Dec. 28, 2004) at Sarah Ann Hester Memorial Home in Benkelman. She was born Nov. 10, 1912, in Dundy County to Emery and Bertha (Rickard) Miller. She attended schools in Dundy County and was the salutatorian of the 1932 graduating class of Benkelman High School. After high school, she was an elementary teacher for one year at District No. 21 in Dundy County...

PALISADE -- Edward L. Maloof, 61, of Palisade, died Tuesday (Dec. 28, 2004) at Community Hospital of McCook. A private inurnment will be at a later date. Carpenter Breland Funeral Home of McCook is in charge of the arrangements.

Nov. 7, 1919-Dec. 28, 2004 Donald D. Lehl, 85, died Tuesday (Dec. 28, 2004) at his home in McCook. He was born Nov. 7, 1919, to Conrad and Katie (Arndt) Lehl in Fort Morgan, Colo. Since 1922, he had lived mainly in McCook. He attended McCook High School and graduated with the class of 1937. He attended the University of Iowa...

Brad and Courtney Williams of McCook are parents of a son, Krayten Zain, born Dec. 27, 2004, at Community Hospital of McCook. He weighed 7 pounds, 3 ounces, and was 21 1/2 inches long. He has a sister, Lexis, 8. Grandparents are Larry and Linda Williams of Parks, Jerry and Robin Wonderly of Bartley and Tim and Mary Williams of Cambridge. His great-grandparents are Russell Childers of Colby, Kan., and Ruthella Jones of McCook...

McCook Daily Gazette An unsolved murder, assault and burglary were among the crime stories in McCook this year, but major new businesses, construction projects and other good news made the pages of the newspaper as well. A month-by-month review includes:...

Former heavyweight boxing champion Michael Spinks poses with Ben Coburn (right) owner of Sports Nightclub in McCook on Wednesday night. Coburn saw Spinks fight Muhammad Ali on Sept. 15, 1978, in New Orleans, when Ali regained his title in 15 rounds after losing it to Spinks earlier that year. Spinks was in town this week visiting friends...

The other day I was watching a young couple on television as they ice skated gracefully across a frozen pond. "That would be fun," I told myself. In my younger days I spent a lot of time ice skating. Don't get me wrong, I was anything but graceful, but I did manage to stay on my feet at least 90 percent of the time...

One thing about Texas, they know how to do things big. The latest is the Trans-Texas Corridor project, a $175 billion, 50 year project financed mostly, if not entirely with private money. The corridor would include megahighways, up to a quarter-mile wide, with six lanes for cars, four for trucks, railroad tracks, oil and gas pipelines, water and utility lines, and even broadband transmission cables...