Stories from Friday, July 21, 2006

DALLAS--Nebraska was picked to win the Big 12 North division and Oklahoma the South in a preseason poll of media, the conference office announced Thursday. The Huskers return 16 starters from last year's 8-4 team that tied for second (4-4) in the North and beat Michigan in the MasterCard Alamo Bowl...

MINDEN -- The season ended Thursday for the First Central Bank Juniors American Legion baseball team from McCook. The FCB Juniors lost 8-4 to the Lexington Orange squad in the championship game of the Area 6 Tournament at Minden and finished the summer with a 20-20 record...

COZAD -- The McCook National Bank Seniors open Class B6 Area Seniors Tournament play Saturday at Cozad. The Seniors will play at 1 p.m. Saturday. The game will be broadcast on US 93.9-FM, with the pre-game show starting at 12:30 p.m. The No. 1-seeded MNB Seniors (22-16) received a first-round bye and will play the winner of Friday's first-round matchup between Holdrege vs. Imperial (11-13)...

LINCOLN -- The 2006 Shrine Bowl kicks off Saturday with its annual parade and game in Memorial Stadium in Lincoln. Area athletes Brendan Liess, Waid Vontz and Abel Hinojosa will represent the south squad. The players started their Shrine Bowl experience on July 13...

The last summer session of gymnastics and swim lessons at the McCook Ed Thomas YMCA are scheduled from Monday through Aug. 3. Registrations are also being accepted for girls volleyball and boys flag football. To register for any of these youth activities, can stop by the YMCA or go to the Y's web site at mccookymca.org...

Area recruits include Liess KEARNEY -- The 2006 Nebraska-Kearney football team will look to win a second straight conference championship this fall, something a Loper team hasn't done since the 1978 and 1979 seasons. UNK, which went 9-3 in 2005 and won its first outright RMAC title, returns 13 starters and 23 additional letter winners off last year's playoff team...

Feb. 4, 1953 - July 19, 2006 MCDONALD, Kan. -- Herman Frederick Gerard Antholz, 53, died Wednesday (July 19, 2006) at his home outside of McDonald, Kan. He was born on Feb. 4, 1953, in Atwood, to Carl and Rita (Pianalto) Antholz. He attended grade school at McDonald Elementary School and Bird City Elementary School and graduated from McDonald High School in 1971...

Aug. 7, 1917 - July 20, 2006 OBERLIN -- Charles W. Corcoran, 88, died Thursday (July 20, 2006) at Wheat Ridge Terrace in Oberlin. He was born Aug. 7, 1917, to Clyde C. and Mayme (O'Toole) Corcoran southwest of Oberlin. He attended Addleman School, Oberlin Grade School and Decatur County High School...

June 19, 1933-July 19, 2006 BENKELMAN -- Mary Ann Magnani, 73,died Wednesday, (July 19, 2006) at BryanLGH East in Lincoln. She was born June 19, 1933, to Wenzel and Mrytal (Littell) Kahler, on the farm where she grew up in Hayes County. On the May 10, 1963, she married to Sheridan Magnani at the Lutheran Church in Curtis. ...

June 13, 1937-July 19, 2006 ATWOOD -- Lucille M. (Bryant) Houghton, 69, died Wednesday (July 19, 2006) at the Good Samaritan Hospital in Kearney. She was born June 13, 1937, at Norton, Kan. where she completed the 12th grade. She then moved to Utah where she worked at a girl's home...

July 19, 1945-July 19, 2006 CURTIS -- Adella Lela Russell, 81, died Wednesday (July 19, 2006) at Sunset Haven Nursing Home in Curtis. She was born July 19, 1925, to Thomas and Adella Demolt Bruce on July 19, 1925 in Dickens. She grew up in the Dickens area and moved to Curtis in 1947, where she met Robert J. "Bob" Russell. They were married Aug. 1, 1948 in Curtis...

Car show judges Joe Derauf, top, and Gabriel Sena, above, both of McCook, check out entries in the fourth annual McCook Police Department "Show-n-Shine" car show Thursday evening. Derauf visits with Bud Ham, above left, of North Platte, owner of the '92 Plymouth Laser with aliens airbrushed into wild blue graphics. ...

Gov. Dave Heineman's campaign said today the governor will be in McCook Sept. 19, "even if he has to debate an empty chair." McCook was announced Thursday as the site of one of three gubernatorial debates, but later in the day, a spokesman for Democratic candidate David Hahn of Lincoln said it was only a political ploy and he had not agreed to appear...

The Gazette, the McCook Radio Group and Gov. Heineman's office exchanged a flurry of e-mails Thursday concerning a debate in McCook in September, and we thought it was a "go." Unfortunately, it turns out that the Democratic challenger, David Hahn, was not on board, and is now calling it a political ploy on the part of the incumbent...

At some point in our lives, we must admit that we are not the best athletes nor will we ever make millions playing sports. Some people come to that conclusion early on, such as being picked last every time for dodge ball. Others are still dreaming of that glory, while they're in the prep room for hip-and-knee replacement surgery...

Having a cellular telephone is handy in emergency situations, but they still have their glitches, depending on the county the caller is in. Until recently, emergency dispatchers in Red Willow County were operating in Phase I of the Enhanced 911 system, and could not identify the exact location of the cell phone callers...

WAUNETA -- Glendene D. DeHart died Thursday (July 20, 2006) at Heritage of Wauneta in Wauneta. Survivors include her husband, Leland of Wauneta; two daughters, Ruth DeHar of Spokane, Wash., and Ledene and husband, Steve Clapp of McCook; one grandchild; and one great-grandchild...