Stories from Monday, July 11, 2005

LINCOLN -- Kelly Nicole Hollmann and Robert Joseph "RJ" Plas, both of Lincoln, exchanged wedding vows Saturday, June 25, 2005, at Capital City Christian Church in Lincoln. The Rev. Rusty Miller officiated at the ceremony. Jim and Kay Hollmann of Quincy, Ill., are parents of the bride. Parents of the bridegroom are Jim and Patty Phinney of McCook and Jeff Plas of Elyria, Ohio...

STANTON, Iowa -- Stacy Spearow and Daniel Kutzli were united in marriage Saturday, June 25, 2005, at Mamrelund Lutheran Church in Stanton, Iowa. Parents of the couple are the Rev. Dan and Nancy Spearow of Culbertson and the Rev. Dr. Eric and Nancy Kutzli of Stanton. Both fathers officiated at the ceremony...

The children of Stephen "Steve" and Catherine "Kay" McConnell of McCook are requesting a card shower in honor of the couple's 40th wedding anniversary. The couple married July 13, 1965 at Indianola. Their children are David and Debbon McConnell of McCook. They have two grandchildren. Cards of congratulations will reach the couple at 1105 E First in McCook, NE, 69001...

The children of Mildred "Millie" and Wayne Petsch are requesting a card shower in honor of the couple's 60th wedding anniversary July 14. Their children are Gregory Petsch of Bend, Ore., Suzanne Byers of Salem, Ore., and Jani Little of Mccoo, They have eight grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren. Cards of congratulkation wil reach them at Route 1, Box 92, Palisade, NE, 69040...

Jennifer Tyan and Bryan Wood announce the birth of their daughter Byanka Lee Tyan, on Monday, June 13, 2005. She weighed 8 pounds and was 20 inches long. Her grandparents are Jim and Linda Tyan of Trenton, Lonnie and Mauren Wood of McCook, and Dennis and Debra Hazen of Curtis...

Joshua and Debra Keen of Palisade announce the birth of their son, Christopher Allen, on Monday, June 20, 2005, at Community Hospital of McCook. He weighed 6 lbs., 5.6 oz. and measured 19 inches long. His grandparents are Victor and Pamela Barger of Knoxville, Tenn...

Enid (Mann) Davis will celebrate her 80th birthday on Monday July 18. Cards and letters will reach her at 412 Colorado Street, P.O. Box 284, Culbertson, NE 69024.

Laurie Pearson and Randon Peters of McCook, announce their engagement and upcoming wedding. Parents of the couple are Connie Pearson and Bill and Cindy Pearson of Broken Bow and Jeannette Peters of North Platte and Randy and Elaine Peters of McCook. The couple will farm with his family in the McCook area. The couple plans an Aug. 13, 2005, ceremony at the St. Alban's Episcopal Church in McCook...

Dennis and Sheila Pfeiffer of Wauneta announce the engagement and upcoming wedding of their daughter, Kerri, to Ryan Mees, son of Dave and Char Mees of Fairbury. The bride, a graduate of Wauneta-Palisade High School and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and is employed with First National Bank of Lincoln. ...

It was a special afternoon for four of the McCook National Bank American Legion Seniors Sunday as they played their final game at the Jaycee Sports Complex. Before the game, Mark Rogers, Allan Shiers, Phil Hayes and Jared Muehlenkamp were all honored for their dedication to the program...

Great pitching and defense backed up by solid offense is what head coach Steve Cochran got out of his players Sunday afternoon at the Jaycees Sports Complex. After the First Central Bank American Legion Juniors lost a two-run game at Lexington, they blazed back with fury during their final regular season home game...

Jan. 20, 1907-July 9, 2005 Idalene Ruth Egan, 98, died Saturday (July 9, 2005) at Hillcrest Nursing Home. She was born Jan. 20, 1907, in Granville, Mo., to George and Ida (Mitts) Martin. On May 2, 1925, she married William Grant Egan at Oberlin. They made their home in McCook where they were owners and operators of a plumbing business...

June 8, 1936-July 8, 2005 David John Evans, 69, died Friday, July 8, 2005, at Good Samaritan Hospital in Kearney. He was born June 8, 1936, in Stratton to John R. and Clara Maime (Marquissee) Evans. David grew up in Stratton and graduated from Stratton High School in 1953...

June 9, 1928-July 8, 2005 Donald "Don" O. Wallen, 77, died Friday, July 8, 2005, at Good Samaritan Hospital in Kearney. He was born June 9, 1928, in McCook, to Lynn A. and Alice M. (Confer) Wallen. He graduated from McCook High School and McCook Junior College...

CULBERTSON -- A McCook man was treated for bruises and lacerations after the truck he was driving struck the side of a westbound freight train in Culbertson early Saturday afternoon. Culbertson's ambulance crew transported Roger W. Bauer, 43, to Community Hospital of McCook where he was treated and released, according to Hitchcock County Sheriff D. Bryan Leggott...

In 1957, when we came to McCook, the city was in the midst of a four-year experiment by Major League Baseball, in which the owners of eight major league teams established the Nebraska State League. This was a Class D league, consisting only of rookies -- young men just out of high school or college, but having no previous professional experience in baseball...

If you want to save lives when it comes to tornadoes, it pays to spend millions of dollars on new radar and warning systems. Oh, and a lot of good luck doesn't hurt, either. For the first time since records began to be kept in 1950, no one was killed by a tornado in April, May or June, according to officials...

**Dear Editor, Wake up, rural Nebraska! In the name of saving money, our small schools are quickly becoming the thing of the past by our Legislature -- and your school is probably next. According to the Center for Rural Affairs, which monitors the Nebraska Legislature concerning rural issues, LB129, an Education Committee Priority Bill held over to the 2006 session, "would punish small rural schools by reducing state aid for those with less than 390 students, making consolidation potentially the only economically viable option for some districts ... ...

**Dear Editor, July is crazy days! More than any other month, save the nights when we have a full moon, do I see more crazy things. In the last week, I have had two little girls come running by the store in the park screaming loud enough to shake windows a block away...

**Dear Editor, Will we have to have watchmen in our cemeteries? All the flowers and "Stone Topper" arrangements were gone when we went out to visit our daughter's and my husband's grave sites. We had made the arrangements in accordance to the cemetery rules so they wouldn't interfere with mowing. They were lovingly hand-made by our granddaughter...

MAX -- Opal Humphreys, 88, died Sunday (July 10, 2005) at Hester Memorial Nursing Home in Benkelman. Survivors include three sons, Lyle of Benkelman, Merril and wife, Sylvia of Imperial, and Levoine of Max; two daughters, Ila Foster and husband, Val of Omaha, and Shary Jones and husband, Jerry of Max; one brother, Glen Lemon and wife, Shirley of Max; one sister, Helen Shoemaker and husband, Vern of Cawker City, Kan.; seven grandchildren; and 12 great-grandchildren;...