Stories from Thursday, March 23, 2006

While most people associate the YMCA with the physical building on West Ninth Street in McCook, the Ed Thomas YMCA now has an important presence on the Internet. Up and running since last year, the YMCA's Web site -- www.mccookymca.org -- offers the public everything from the swimming pool schedule to sign-up for youth sports...

The recent completion of financial arrangements will allow construction at the S.W. Energy LLC ethanol plant near the Perry elevator between McCook and Culbertson to begin immediately. SWE president Al Voudrie of Elk River, Minn., said Wednesday he is very pleased that financial arrangements with Allco Finance Group Limited do not require that existing members be reduced to a minority vote in the project that will expand the existing research and development facility into a full-scale ethanol plant that will initially produce 46 million gallons of motor fuel grade ethanol a year.. ...

This letter is in regard to the article in the March 7, 2006, Gazette "County board meetings won't open with a prayer." The motion to open the meetings with prayer failed for lack of a second. I was surprised there was only one protest concerning this matter in the Open Forum...

Farmers who don't have water available from ditches may pump it out of the ground, warns Sen. Chris Beutler of Lincoln. Well, duh. The senator, of course, was referring to the sale of water from the Bostwick Irrigation District to the State of Nebraska to send down the Republican River to Kansas...

Well, it seems I may be spending a good part of yet another spring working on the yard alone. Brad and I found out a couple of days ago that he'll be moving his oilrig to Wyoming within the next week or two. I think it's a conspiracy. We still have work to do on the house. Our door to nowhere is still going nowhere. Our windows still need trimmed out on the inside. And someone needs to climb the three stories in the back yard to get the backside to match the rest of the house...

March 10, 1919 - March 20, 2006 BENKELMAN -- Irene Mae Williams Gooder, 86, died Monday (March 20, 2006) at Dundy County Hospital in Benkelman. She was born Nov. 10, 1919, in the Pleasant Valley Community in Dundy County, to Rollie and Lydia Luella (Little) Williams...

March 8, 1928 - March 20, 2006 LINCOLN -- Kenneth Walter Sitzman, 78, died Monday (March 20, 2006) in St. Francis Medical Center in Grand Island He was born March 8, 1928 in Culbertson to Henry and Anna (Bauer) Sitzman. He graduated from Culbertson High School in 1947...

Chris and Tammy Schaffert of Imperial announce the birth of their son, Matthew, on Jan. 10, 2006. He weighed seven pounds, 15 ounces and was 21 inches long. He has two sisters, Elizabeth and Danielle. His grandparents are Russell Schaffert of Culbertson, Doug and Faith Hyde of Culbertson, and Bonnie Clinesmith of Plattsmouth. Great grandparents are Jim and Esther Ott of Scottsbluff and Betty and Leo Rousselle of Culbertson...

The family is hosting an open house in celebration of the couple's 50th wedding anniversary. The celebration will be at the Curtis Senior Center, Saturday, April 8, 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.

LAS VEGAS -- Chara Camille Howard of York and Brian Scott Heese of Lincoln were united in marriage on Valentine's Day, Feb. 14, 2006 at the Artisan Wedding Chapel in Las Vegas. Several family members and friends were in attendance. Attendants were Jeff Heese of San Antonio, Texas, brother of the bridegroom, and Julie Howard, sister of the bride...