Stories from Monday, October 17, 2005

Lacey Manker of North Platte and Jon Snoke of Curtis announce their engagement and upcoming wedding. Parents of the couple are Mike and Neva Manker of Indianola and Eldon and Ruth Snoke of Humboldt. The bride-to-be is a 2001 graduate of Republican Valley High School in Indianola and a 2003 graduate of Central Community College is Hastings. ...

The family of Harvey and Cheryl Frecks Steier is requesting a card shower in honor of the couple's 40th wedding anniversary. They were married Oct. 24, 1965, at the Peace Lutheran Church in McCook. Their children are Melinda and husband, Phil Gooch of Jupiter, Fla., and Shawn and wife, Carey Steier of Emporia, Kan. They have three grandchildren. Cards of congratulations will reach them at 6 Logan St., Atwood, KS 67730...

The children and grandchildren of Marion and Wanda Nelsen are requesting a card shower in honor of the couple's 60th wedding anniversary. They were married on Oct. 20, 1945, in Detroit, Mich. Their children are Jim and Marilyn Nelsen of Marion, Iowa, and Diane and Larry Pollmann of McCook. They have seven grandchildren. Cards of congratulations will reach the couple at Sunset Haven, RT 1, Curtis, NE 69025...

MILACA, Minn. -- McKinsey Lee Peterson of Milaca, Minn., and Wade Tanner Goodenberger of McCook were united in marriage Saturday, June 4, 2005, at the First Baptist Church in Milaca. The Rev. Dan Adams of Northome, Minn., officiated at the evening ceremony...

Courtney Larsen of Culbertson and James Ewald of Curtis were united in marriage Saturday, Aug. 6, 2005, at the Nazarene Church in McCook. Parents of the couple are Jeanie Earnest of Culbertson and Lynn and Patty Ewald of Curtis. Grandparents of the couple are the late Jim Earnest, Bev Earnest of Stratton, Lucille Bradley of Benkelman, Helen Ewald of Curtis, the late Jim Ewald and Clifford and Alberta Freeze of Brady...

The family of Elmer Zeller is requesting a card shower in honor of his 90th birthday. He was born Oct. 20, 1915. Cards of congratulations will reach him at Box 288, Bartley, NE 69020.

McCook's volleyball team struggled against Ogallala and Scottsbluff on Saturday. The Bison won the first set against Scottsbluff but clung in the last two sets. "Scottsbluff was a tough match to lose to start the day," said Bison Coach Krystal Weber. "When you play that hard and have your opportunities to win the match and don't get it done, it take a lot out of the team."...

LINCOLN -- The McCook High School boys tennis team posted its highest-ever finish at the Nebraska Class B state tournament -- a third-place showing. The state tournament took place Thursday and Friday at Lincoln's Woods Complex. McCook's Joetz Putz placed second in No. 2 singles and Brandon Crick placed fourth in No. 1 singles...

The McCook High School junior varsity volleyball team defeated JV teams from Scottsbluff and Ogallala Saturday. McCook JV 27 23 25 Scottsbluff JV 25 25 23 McCook's leading server: Hanah Swanhorst 20-of-20, 4 aces McCook's leading hitters: Sam Brown 25-of-29, 13 kills; Audrey Hagan 26-of-33, 9 kills; Joanna Bryant 31-of-34, 8 kills...

Feb. 8, 1970--Oct. 9, 2005 MANSFIELD, Pa. -- Patty Elaine (Steele) Smethers, 35, died Sunday (Oct. 9, 2005). She was born Feb. 8, 1970, in Atwood to Bill and Mary Steele. She was a homemaker. Survivors include her husband, the Rev. Kirk D. Smethers; sons, Jimmy and Kieron Smethers; daughter, Mya Smethers; brothers, Bob Steele of Atwood and Terry Steele and wife, Debbie of Pottsboro, Texas; sisters, Vicki and husband, Chuck Rader of Harlan, Kan., Connie and husband, Roger Horn of Almena, Kan., Peggy Goss and Ken Hiatt of Parker, Colo., Kathy and husband, Roger Steinke of Olpe, Kan., and Sue Steele of Atwood; parents, Bill and Mary Steele of Atwood.. ...

Red Willow County commissioner Steve Downer said this morning he is "definitely interested" in the county purchasing the former West Ward Elementary school building in McCook. Although he urged "proceeding with caution," Downer said that the 14,250-square-foot building and the full city block would be "a good piece of property for the county to own."...

An ethanol plant scheduled to be built four miles west of McCook at the Perry location is still in the process of acquiring financing, according to Al Voudrie of Elk Grove, Minn. Voudrie, a Minnesota investor and the project's originator, said he has received several state tax incentives, but is still pursuing the $70 million needed to start the project...

Fax Gilbert, left, interviews Lynda Baumbach who is portraying an immigrant who moves to Nebraska, at "The Great Nebraska History Play" presented at the Senior High Auditorium on Friday. Gilbert has performed more than 3,000 educational events across the Midwest by using kinetic teaching -- teaching through movement. ...

What a month it has been. Long-time residents of the McCook area are stretching their minds, trying to remember an October -- or any month for that matter -- with better weather than October of 2005. It's been ideal. For the 17 days to date in 2005's beautiful October, the average temperature has been higher every single day than the historic average for that day. Let's repeat that for emphasis: the average October temperature in 2005 has been higher every single day than the historic average...

**Dear Editor, It's no wonder Mike Hendricks has a sour stomach. He's clearly been subsisting on a 100 percent mainstream media diet, which is becoming increasingly difficult to swallow. Fortunately, in this modern age, there are alternatives. Take the happenings in Iraq, for instance. ...

Editor's Note -- In June 1906, Mr. A. Barnett sat down at his desk and jotted down a few notes about his early days in McCook. This story is from these memoir notes (at Museum of High Plains), written about 1906 on Barnett Lumber Co. notepaper, found wedged behind a drawer of Mr. Barnett's desk after his death in 1938. As far as is known, these memoirs were never completed...

**Dear Editor, As Mr. McPhillips is well aware, one can find a web site to prove or disprove ANY perspective because all web sites are slanted and all news is slanted. Conservatives are always blaming the "liberal media" for distorting the facts while most Democrats certainly don't believe that Fox News is "fair and balanced."  The "facts" of any story or report are relative to our political, social, and moral interpretations of reality...

**Dear Editor, This is a little overdue, but I want to take a moment to thank some people for their generosity last summer when on July 2 we had our first annual trail ride called "The Ride to End Violence." The month of October is National Domestic Abuse awareness month. Unfortunately, a lot of people do not survive domestic abuse or sexual assault. Those who do, experience some very devastating consequences...

The children of Mike and Peggy Messersmith are requesting a card shower in honor of their 25th wedding anniversary. The couple was married Oct. 18, 1980. Cards of congratulations will reach them at 36411 Rd. 730 A, Palisade, NE 69040.