Stories from Tuesday, May 31, 2005

After the storms had passed Monday, the McCook National Bank Seniors created a little thunder of their own to open up the McCook Memorial Day Baseball Tournament. In the opening game of the day, the MNB Seniors picked up their first win of the season by defeating district opponent Gothenburg 12-4...

It's not very often that a state qualifier for the Nebraska State High School baseball tournament travels several hours west. Saturday night, the Beatrice Seniors were in town and had their way with the McCook National Bank Seniors, defeating them 10-0 in six innings...

WICHITA, Kan. -- The Rawlins County-Atwood High School girls track team tied for fourth in the Kansas State Track and Field Championships Friday and Saturday at Wichita State University's Cessna Stadium. The Buffaloes scored 33 points. Hoxie took first with 44 points, St Francis second with 39.5 and Decatur Community-Oberlin came in 11th with 22.5...

Bison Wrestling Camp slated for June 20-23 The 2005 McCook Bison Wrestling Camp is slated for June 20-23 in the McCook High School wrestling room. This camp is for anybody interested between the grades of 3-12. Cost for the camp is $25 and includes a camp T-shirt...

(Nov. 10, 1923 -- May 28, 2005) SYRACUSE -- Ruth V. Poush, 81, formerly of McCook, died Saturday (May 28, 2005), at the Good Samaritan Center in Syracuse. She was born Nov. 10, 1923, in Hastings to Elmer and Christina (Glantz) Yost. She married Moner Poush on May 15, 1947, in Hastings. She was a school teacher and librarian. She was formerly of McCook and Hastings, and moved to Syracuse in 1987...

LAS VEGAS -- Jana Pfeffer and Kirt Messinger, both of Kearney, were married May 7, 2005, at the Canterbury Chapel in Las Vegas, Nev. with the Rev. Richard Lee Conrad officiating. Parents of the couple are Dave Pfeffer and Deb Hudgens of McCook, and Larry and Moody Messinger of Waukesha, Wis...

The family of Gerald Bryant of Grand Island, formerly of Beaver City, is requesting a card shower in honor of his 80th birthday. Cards will reach him at 1313 W. Hagge, Grand Island, NE, 68803. His family includes his wife, Joyce Bryant, and children, Lee and Rae Bryant of Houston, Texas, Jay and Gina Bryant of West Windsor, N.J., and Carol Bryant of Grand Island. He has three grandchildren...

Virginia M. (Reynolds) Bolles, formerly of McCook, will celebrate her 80th birthday June 5. Cards of congratulations will reach her at 3329 North Trinity Drive, Springfield, MO, 65803, email at bgboll@ocsmccook.com, or call (417) 833-9181.

Steven and Mary Weber, of Lincoln, announce the birth of their son, Tyson Martin Weber on April 1 at the Bryan LGH East Medical Center. He weighed 7 pons, 9.2 ounces, and was 20 inches. He was a two year old brother, Jacob. Grandparents are Bill and Sue Sughroue of Indianola, and Dareld and Carolyn Weber of Sterling. Great-grandmother is Bertha Eilers of Adams...

Rob and Jenny Bentley of Big Rapids, Mich., announce the birth of their daughter, Addison Ann, born May 2. She weighed 8 pounds, 15 ounces, and was 21 1/2 inches. Grandparents are Tim and Jayne Hill of Dalhart, Texas, and Roger and Rita Bentley of McCook. Great grandparents are Peggy Bode of Okeene, Okla., Doris Hill of Hereford, Texas, and Bob and Helen Sell of Stamford...

Don and Janine Hall are requesting a card shower in honor of their 35th anniversary on May 31. Cards of congratulations will reach them at Box 365, Trenton, NE, 69041.

The family of Gary and Joyce (Roethemeyer) Jesse of North Platte are requesting a card shower in honor of their 40th anniversary. The couple were married June 4, 1965. The couple has two children, Mike, and wife, Leann Jesse of Phoenix, Ariz., and Shawna Bauer of Culbertson, and two grandchildren, Brittany and Katelyn. Cards of congratulations will reach them at 3635 General Dodge Rd., North Platte, NE, 69101...

The family of Carl and Veda (Cole) Lewis are hosting an open house in honor of the couple's 50th wedding anniversary. The open house will be at the TCDC Building in Trenton, on Saturday, June 4 from 2-4 p.m. Cards will reach them at P.O. Box 312 Trenton, NE...

Gerald and Joyce Bryant of Grand Island will celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary with their children and grandchildren. Gerald was born in Beaver City and was raised on the family farm north of Indianola. He began his career in education as an elementary school teacher in McCook. ...

Phil and Diane Lyons will celebrate their 25th Anniversary on June 8. The couple was married at the Methodist Church in McCook. Their children are Laura, Chris, and Julia.

Katrina Renee Nolan and Sean Lynn Baker announce their engagement. Parents of the couple are Jim Nolan of St. Joseph, Md., Kathy Baker of Pawhuska, Okla., and Randy and Karen Baker of Wauneta. The bride-to-be is employed with Willow Ridge and the prospective bridegrrom is employed with Southwest Implement. The couple is planning a June 18, 2005 ceremony at Kelley Park in Bolles Canyon in McCook...

Sibyl Quigley and Dustin Uerling announce their engagement and upcoming wedding. Sibyl is the daughter of Scott and Kari Quigley of Indianola. She is a 2004 University of Nebraska Lincoln graduate, and is employed at Benchmark Biolabs, Inc. in Lincoln. ...

Melissa Rae Fraker and Kristopher Scott Matthews, both of Omaha, announce their engagement. Parents of the couple are Mark and Cathy Fraker of Oberlin, Pam Fraker of McCook, John Matthews of Denver, Colo., and Bill and Sharon O'Brien of Benkelman. Grandparents of the couple are Bob and Marian Fraker of Oberlin, the late Hazel and Loren Myers, the late Willard and Inez Matthews, and Addie Pursley of Benkelman, and the late Evertt Pursley. ...

Julie Morris and Chris Laflan, Lee's Summit, Mo., announce their engagement and upcoming wedding. The bride-to-be is the daughter of Kenteth and Christie Morris of Oberlin, and is a Decatur Community High School graduate. She is attending Hastings College majoring in elementary education, and is employed with Lee's Summit school district teaching second grade. ...

Seventy years ago today -- on May 31, 1935 -- this region was struck by the worst natural disaster in the history of the Republican River Valley. Between the hours of 9 a.m. May 31 and noon the next day, 94 people lost their lives in the flood which damaged 57,000 acres of farmland and caused more than a hundred million dollars (at 2005 values) in damage...

**Dear Editor, The preponderance of letters to the editor concerning the subject of homosexuality, and the laissez faire attitude of the writers is beginning to bug me. The attitude seems to be "live and let live." The antithesis of this saying might well be, "live and let die," and I have too much concern for mankind in general not to try to rebut and educate, where possible, people who are open-minded and of a reasonable intellect...

**Dear Editor, I agree with Michael Hendricks; God is the only judge we have. He is the one who decides what is bad and what is good, and people who think they have all the answers, usually don't have an answer at all. **Cheryl Larreau, via e-mail

Roger Broeker of VFW Post No. 1652, McCook, and District 5, represents all veterans organizations as he remembers and reveres American veterans -- past, present and future -- during a Memorial Day service at Memorial Cemetery in McCook Monday. Broeker said American veterans have served their nation well, "standing between the enemy and us, between good and evil, between freedom and tyranny." Generations of Americans have put themselves in harm's way, Broeker said, to protect and preserve not only American values, but also so that the ideals of freedom and liberty can be extended to all citizens of the world. ...