Stories from Tuesday, June 20, 2006

NORTH PLATTE -- The runners in the annual Nebraskaland Road Race battled rain, lightning and thunder in Saturday's race in North Platte. The sky opened up and continued to pour throughout the run but their seemed to be a sense of accomplishment as the runners completed the run...

OMAHA -- McCook High School has been honored with second place in the Omaha World Herald Class B all-sports award in the boys, girls and combined divisions. McCook was second behind Omaha Skutt in the boys division with 48 points. Holdrege was seventh with 29 points...

June 20, 1963 - June 16, 2006 BENKELMAN - Nicholas Byron Hudson, of Laird, Colo., died Friday, June 16, 2006, at the home of his mother, Ruth LaVonne Hudson, in North Platte, at the age of 42. He was born June 20, 1963 to Donald Byron and Ruth LaVonne (Baker) Hudson and attended primary school in Benkelman and North Platte. ...

July 21, 1923 - June 13, 2006 CENTRALIA, Mo. -- Elizabeth Jane Crocker, age 82, of Centralia, Mo., died unexpectedly at her home June 13, 2006. She was born July 21, 1923, at Cedar Bluffs, Kan., the daughter of Herman and Serena (Zimmerman) Messinger...

April 30, 1933 - June 16, 2006 TOPEKA, Kan. -- William H. "Bill" Meyer, 73, died June 16, 2006 at Holton Community Hospital in Holton, Kan., after losing his battle with leukemia. He was born April 13, 1933, at Ludell, Kan., to William G and Margaret (Wolters) Meyer. He was baptized at Trinity Lutheran Church of Ludell on April 30, 1933. He received his Christian education at Trinity Lutheran School, and was confirmed on March 30, 1947...

Wauneta-Palisade High School volleyball players raise money with a dunk tank during Palisade's annual "Pioneer Days" Saturday, June 10. Players taking the dunk for the team are (from left) Allison Ellicott, Brisa Rodriguez and Erika Rodriguez

The architectural company that wants to design Red Willow County's and McCook's proposed public safety center drew the blueprints for the Nebraska Work Ethic Camp in McCook. Albert Povondra of Carlson West Povondra Architects, Omaha, told Red Willow County commissioners Monday morning that his firm would work with W Design of McCook, which was also involved, with CWP, in the WEC design and construction in 2000 and 2001...

After hearing from residents and attorneys from both sides, the McCook City Council Monday night denied Viaero Wireless, for the second time, the chance to build a third tower, north of the city. Councilman Kircher cast the only nay vote and noted that the council had previously approved two other Viaero towers near residential areas...

Another tower dispute brought before the McCook City Council Monday night will most likely result in the city and McCook Public Power District heading to court, said an attorney for MPPD. The council declined without comment Monday night to accept MPPD's new proposal concerning a 370-foot communications tower the power company wants to build and the city has denied...

When life hands you lemons, make lemonade. One of the latest examples -- shall we say opportunities -- is the gasoline pump, where prices are ranging up to $3 or more, depending on the part of the state where you find yourself in need of fuel. According to the recent figures, Nebraskans need to get busy squeezing some lemons. ...

In Omaha while my daughter had some minor surgery, I kept thinking about an old Star Trek episode. You may recall the one I mean, where Spock (wearing a stocking cap over his ears), Captain Kirk & Co. found themselves in the 1960s. As I recall (hard-core Trekkers will certainly straighten me out if I'm wrong), Kirk kept bumping into doors which didn't automatically open themselves, like they did back on the Enterprise...

Recently, President Bush paid a surprise visit to the capital of Iraq. He was given a ticker-tape parade through the streets of Baghdad. Thousands of cheering school children waved American flags. Then, the Iraqis showed the convoy to the location of the prisoner and evil doer Saddam Hussein. President Bush then knocked in the doors and barged in...

Red Willow County will pay a North Platte company to appraise the former West Ward Elementary building before negotiating to buy it from the Denver man who owns it. County commissioners, at their regular meeting Monday, hired James K. Bain and Associates of North Platte to appraise the two-story brick building and the city block on which it sits in the 300 block of West Fourth...

LINCOLN -- Gov. Dave Heineman recently appointed Gary Bieganski, McCook, to the Nebraska State College System Board of Trustees. The seven-member board is responsible for the policy oversight of the system and each member serves a term of six years...

The McCook Public Schools board of education accepted a bid Wednesday evening from a Denver sports surfaces company to build six new tennis courts adjacent to the high school and McCook YMCA parking lots. The new complex will replace the three courts situated between the junior and senior highs, riddled with cracks and potholes and sitting on top of an unsound base...