Stories from Monday, June 26, 2006

Grabowski pitches shutout The McCook First Central Bank Juniors American Legion baseball team evened its record at 11-11 with a doubleheader sweep Sunday at Jaycees Sports Complex. The Juniors swept the North Platte Bombers 10-0 in six innings and 17-8. The 17 runs scored in the second game is a season-high for the Juniors...

INDIANOLA -- Swim teams from McCook, Indianola and Imperial competed Saturday at the Indianola Pool. As opposed to last week, Mother Nature cooperated with a nice day for the races. Swimmers from age 4 to over 30 participated in the morning event. Many swimmers from McCook turned in first place finishes in their age divisions...

HASTINGS -- The McCook Rebels 16 and under girls fastpitch softball team posted a 1-3 record at the Class A State Friday and Saturday in Hastings. Friday Nebraska Storm 5, McCook Rebels 4 Marissa Wallace and Baily Lauer each doubled. Austin Wilson and Kelsey Meissner each had two singles...

Southwest of Maywood along Highway 83, Tim Teel's mares and colts graze in pastures improved slightly by recent rain. The USDA drought monitor rates Southwest Nebraska's lack of moisture as "severe" and "extreme." The National Drought Mitigation Center lists Hayes and Hitchcock counties as particularly hard-hit by the ongoing drought plaguing Southwest Nebraska...

Red Willow County commissioners accepted a recommendation from the county's planning commission and this morning approved a permit for the erection of a Viaero Wireless communications tower 12 miles south of McCook. John Luisi, Viaero's site acquisition manager, told commissioners that the new tower will link to towers in Indianola and Culbertson, and will be part of a network of towers between the Kansas-Nebraska border and North Platte...

Each year the National Aeronautic Association aw-ards a trophy to officers of the U.S. Air Force for the "most meritorious flight of the year," one of the Air Force's most prestigious honors. This award was established in 1912 by Clarence Mackay, a prominent American industrialist, a philanthropist, and an avid aviation enthusiast...

Warren Buffett bought his first stock when he was 11, paying $38 for Cities Services preferred shares, cashing in when they hit $40, and cringing a few years later when they climbed to $200. It was a lesson -- buy stock in good companies and hang onto it -- that is the keystone of the investment strategy that has turned into a $44 billion fortune in the 65 years since then...

To respectfully correct Mr. Anderson from an earlier letter, he states that the "bi-" in the word "bible" means two, as in two testaments. I offer this from Marvin Hunt at BibleHistory.com: The word "Bible" does not occur in the Holy Scriptures. The English word "Bible" is a manufactured, made-up word...

The Nebraska State Fly-In was held at the McCook Regional Airport the weekend of June 16. Because of weather we had fewer than expected airplanes and balloons, but everything else that had been planned took place. Hopefully, if you were not in attendance, you saw some of the wonderful aerobatic airplanes in the skies overhead!...

When Brent Cobb was member of the Gazette staff, he and I used to go round and round about whether old sayings -- also known as clichés -- are good or bad. Since I'm originally from the Ozarks, I kind of like the old sayings. To me they are good method of communication because they paint a word picture. When you say something such as, "Cold as ice," there's no question what you mean...

March 5, 1912 - June 24, 2006 BEAVER CITY -- Opal Bland, 94, died Saturday, (June 24, 2006), at Phelps Memorial Hospital in Holdrege. She was born March 5, 1912, at Table Rock, to Levi and Stella (Davis) Pettit. She moved to the Wilsonville area in 1918. Opal graduated from Beaver City High School with the class of 1930. She taught country school for two years following graduation...

July 6, 1953 - June 23, 2006 BEAVER CITY -- Carole Marie Dally, 52, died Friday (June 23, 2006) at her home in Beaver City, after a brief battle with cancer. She was born on July 6, 1953, in Brainard, Minn. to Robert Linnell and Catherine Arlene (Wing) Thorne...

Aug. 27, 1935 - June 22, 2006 SELDEN, KAN. -- Frederick "Fritz" Mumm, 70, died Thursday (June 22, 2006), at the family farm. He was born on August 27, 1935 to Gottfried "Fred" Hubert Mumm and Sarah Helena (McDonald) Mumm in Selden, Kan. He grew up on the family farm west of Selden. ...

July 10, 1910 - June 23, 2006   Carl Frank Miller, 95 died Friday ( June 23, 2006), at Hillcrest Nursing Home.  Carl was the last surviving sibling of his family.  Carl was born July 10, 1910, in Hitchcock County, in a sod house to Frank & Amelia (Wittwer) Miller.  Carl grew up farming with horses on the family farm in Hitchcock County.  He bought his first tractor, a Farmal F-30 in 1937 and his first car was a 1930 Chevy Coup. ...

ABILENE, Kan. -- Angela Owens, originally of Indianola and Andy Holt, now both of Abilene, Kan., were married April 22, 2006, in Abilene, with the Rev. Jim Edwards officiating. Parents of the bride are Don and Roxann Owens of Indianola and Jolene and LeRoy Russell of Scott City, Kan. The bridegroom's parents are Walter E. and Sally Holt of Abilene...

LAS VEGAS, Nev. -- Danielle Sauvage and Michael Schiltz, both of Selden, were married in Las Vegas, Nev., April 22, 2006. Parents of the bride are Rita and Troy Erdman of McCook and Bill Sauvage of Oberlin. Parents of the bridegroom are Jerry and Paula Schiltz of Selden...

Gabe and Melissa Critchfield of Bartley announce the birth of their son, Trevor Kenneth, born May 31, 2006. He weighed 5 pounds, 5 ounces and was 18 3/4 long. He has two sisters Karlie, 7, and Delaney, 11/2. Grandparents are Steve and Pat Downer of Bartley; Glenda Critchfield of Atwood, Kan; Morton Critchfield of Denver, Colo.; and great-grandmother Alice Rummel of Cambridge...

Krystal and Robert Emineth of Billings, Mont., announce the birth of their son, Connor Donald, on March 16, 2006, at the Billings Clinic. He weighed 6 pounds, 5 ounces and was 19 inches long. His grandparents are Linda Emineth of Laurel, Mont., and the late Don Emineth, and Roger and Peggy Webb of Billings. His great-grandparents are Jim and Shirley Webb and Harold and Marian Moore of Bartley and Ruben Frickel of Laurel...

The family of Justin and Sally Floyd are requesting a card shower in honor of the couple's 64th wedding anniversary. They were married June 27, 1942. Justin will also be celebrating his birthday on June 28. Cards of congratulations will reach them at 74874 368 Willow Creek N., Hayes Center, NE 69032...

Rose Stewart and Leeland Shiers, both of McCook, announce their engagement and upcoming wedding. Parents of the couple are Tom and Karen Stewart and Daniel and Theresa Shiers. The bride-to-be graduated from the Nebraska Methodist College in Omaha. She is employed as a Respiratory Therapist at Community Hospital in McCook. ...

Leon and Marita Portschy of Herndon announce the engagement and upcoming wedding of their daughter April, to David Sattler, son of Tom and Myra Sattler of Herndon. The bride-to-be is a 2003 graduate of Herndon High School and a senior at Kansas State University, majoring in Human Resource Management and Leadership Studies. ...

Feb. 26, 1915 - June 24, 2006 CORVALLIS, Ore -- Wilda Blake Modrell, 91, died Saturday (June 24, 2006). She was born February 26, 1915, to Charles and Jenny Blake of McCook. She was the 14th of 15 children and was preceded in death by all her siblings...