Stories from Wednesday, March 16, 2005

ABILENE, Texas -- The McCook Community College baseball team improved its record to 13-4 with two victories Tuesday on its spring break trip to Abilene, Texas. McCook defeated the Abilene Chritian junior varsity 4-3 and 13-5. In the first game, MCC scored four runs on six hits and committed two errors. ACU scored three runs on three hits and made two errors...

Feb. 26, 1922-March 14, 2005 KEARNEY -- Lois M. Dawson, 83, died Monday (March 14, 2005) at Good Samaritan Hospital in Kearney. She was born Feb. 26, 1922, to Joseph and Anna (Haffey) Hays northwest of Oxford. She attended Hardscrabble School for eight years and then graduated from Oxford High School with the Class of 1939. After graduation, she taught school at District 7 in rural Gosper County...

Oct. 26, 1915-March 10, 2005 Opal Pearl Gillen, 89, died Thursday (March 10, 2005) at Hillcrest Nursing Home in McCook. She was born Oct. 26, 1915, in Edgar to George and Margaret Seals. She was raised in the area and graduated in 1933 from Havana High School. She went to teachers college in Lincoln and taught for two years...

Aprili 29, 1926-March 13, 2005 Pedro "Pete" Monzon died Sunday, March 13, 2005, at Bryan LGH East Hospital in Lincoln. He was 78 years old. Pete was born in McCook on April 29, 1926, to Jesus and Francisca (Melendez) Monzon. He graduated from McCook High School in 1947 and attended McCook College. He entered the U.S. Navy on March 25, 1944, and served during World War II. He was honorably discharged on April 28, 1946...

Chad and Amy Kehler of McCook announce the birth of their son, Eli Michael Kehler, Feb. 11, 2005 at Good Samaritan Hospital in Kearney. He weighed 6 pounds, one ounce and was 19 inches long. He has a two-year-old sister, Emma. Grandparents are Tom and Mary Vontz of McCook and Charlene Kehler of Beaver City and the late Michael Kehler. Great-grandparents are Pat and Maxine Ele of McCook and Alice Bobbitt of Beaver City...

Kent and Deena Schlager of Dallas, Texas announce the birth of their daughter, Sydney Reese, Feb. 11, 2005. Grandparents are Dell Dodson and Patsy Dodson of Oklahoma City, Okla., and Richard and Judy Schlager of McCook. Great-grandmothers are Clarice Bauer and Vaughneta Schlager, both of McCook...

Brandon and Valerie DeJonge of Hastings announce the birth of their son, Riley Everett, Feb. 11, 2005, at Mary Lanning Hospital in Hastings. He weighed 8 pounds, 8 ounces and was 21 inches long. Grandparents are Ed and Rita McConville of Indianola, Alan and Joyce DeJonge of Johnson and Deanna Lewis of Wichita, Kan. Great-grandparents are John and Bernadetta Sis of Indianola, LaMoine and Garnet McConville of McCook, Ommo and Marilyn DeJonge of Humboldt and Don and Gale Yoesel of Stella...

Chris and Mackenzie Wiemers of Omaha announce the birth of their daughter, Makenna Mae Wiemers, Jan. 28, 2005. She weighed 6 pounds, 7 ounces and was 19 1/2 inches long. She has two sisters, Morgan, 8, and Malainey, 2, and one brother, Cameron, 4. Grandparents are Tom and Mary Vontz of McCook and Gene and Delores Wiemers, formerly of McCook. Great-grandparents are Pat and Maxine Ele of McCook...

The $2 million bond that would have financed the construction of new classrooms and a new gym on the Hayes Center junior-senior high campus failed 216-213 at the polls Tuesday. No matter which way they cast their ballots, it was obvious that Hayes County voters felt very strongly about the bond issue, and recorded an almost unheard-of 79 percent voter turn-out...

MAYWOOD -- The tax levy lid override that would have given the Maywood school district a little breathing room for three years failed 209-169 at a special election Tuesday. The 20-cent override for each of three years would have allowed the district to retain its current levels of programs and personnel. It would also have helped the district recoup some of its losses in state aid and those caused by decreases in Frontier County's property valuation...

Welders attach roofline brackets on a prefabricated concrete gymnasium wall at the North Ward single-site elementary school on Tuesday. Playground equipment, center, was left untouched while tons of earth was moved to make way for the construction project...

Adolescence is a time of transition, a time of new freedoms, new risks and vulnerabilities. Ideally, young teenagers will accept new possibilities responsibly and enjoy the opportunities increased maturity brings. And, McCook Junior High officials would probably say the vast majority of students in their charge do just that...

**Dear Editor, I will try to be concise in this twofer, Mr. McPhillips ["Shares grief" (http:// www.mccookgazette.com/story/1091217.html)]; being a combat veteran of a similar military misadventure I am under no illusion that our withdrawal would rectify a situation we created or greatly exacerbated...

Thankfully, I am not well-versed in courtroom decorum. Oh, I've been in them a time or two, but only once facing my own time before the judge. It was a daunting experience. Though it was a mere traffic violation, I was convinced of my innocence and really wanted to clear my good name. After all, I'd not had a single moving violation charged against me, ever, prior to this event...