Stories from Tuesday, September 12, 2006

Two first-half punt returns for touchdowns sparked the McCook High School junior varsity football team to a 41-0 victory over Lexington Monday night at Weiland Field. McCook scored 28 points in the first quarter against the Minutemen. On the fourth play of the game, Zach Weiser returned a punt 45 yards for a touchdown...

June 19, 1925 - July 30, 2006 PENSACOLA, Fla -- Que Quigley, 81, died July 30, 2006, at his home in Pensacola, Fla. He was born on June 19, 1925, on a farm near Indianola. His parents were B. Adrian and Fern (Duckworth) Quigley. He attended school in Indianola, graduating in 1942. After working in a Seattle shipyard for about a year he joined the U.S. Navy in 1943, being discharged in 1946...

Aug. 12, 1928 - Sept. 4, 2006 ARKANSAS -- Charles "Charlie" Wilson, 78, died Monday (Sept. 4, 2006) at his home in Gravette, Ark. He was born Aug. 12, 1928, in Webb City, Mo., to Earl and Esther Marie (Gilliam) Wilson. He worked at Webb Corporation in Webb City as a Multiple Spindle-drill press operator...

The family of Charles Groves is hosting a card shower in honor of his 95th birthday. He was born Sept. 13, 1911. Cards of congratulations will reach him at Hillcrest Nursing Home, Rm. 207A, 309 West 7th, McCook, NE 69001.

Red Willow County commissioners approved a $16,024,478 budget and a $.3500 tax levy for 2006-07 at their regular board meeting Monday morning. Commissioners and budget clerk Shirley Volz agonized for weeks over the 2006-07 budget, trying to figure out how to fund county services without huge increases in the county's tax request...

Students and parents can rest easy -- they will be allowed to bring cupcakes to celebrate birthdays at McCook schools. They always were -- cupcakes are not on the list of foods of minimal nutritional value. And the school district's new wellness policy simply states: "Parents are encouraged to bring healthy foods for classroom celebrations."...

McCook Public Schools has been awarded a $60,000 grant to help its students make decisions about going to college. High school counselor Fred Gleason told school board members Monday evening that "College Access" grants from Education Quest are designed to improve access to higher education for all Nebraska students. The grants will allow schools to provide free services to students in their search for colleges and scholarships...

There was good news and bad news concerning Nebraska's economy on the menu at Tuesday morning at the Nebraska State Chamber of Commerce and Industry's Legislative Forum this morning. Also speaking briefly on their priority issues were District 44 Legislature candidates Mark Christensen and Frank Shoemaker, along with Sen. Tom Baker, who is term- limited out this year...

A new agreement with the City of McCook to dispatch the sheriff's officers through the McCook police department's public safety center will double the county's dispatching costs. Effective July 1, 2007, the county will pay $2,000 a month for dispatching, an increase of $1,000 a month...

McCook High School students were above the state average in every category in the 2005-06 ACT tests, member Jim Coady told the board of education Monday night. He noted that 2005-2006 ACT scores of McCook High School students were above the state average in every category: English, 21.8 (local) and 21.5 (state); math, 22.3 (local) and 21.6 (state); reading, 22.7 (local) and 22.2 (state); science, 22.3 (local) and 21.8 (state); and composite, 22.4 (local) and 21.9 (state.)...

Remember the Millennium Bug? Back before the turn of the century, some experts were worried that computers, which were playing a bigger and bigger part in our everyday lives, wouldn't be able to deal with the year 2000. Programmed to deal only with double-digits, they would interpret "00" as "1900" and chaos would result...

Looking over memorabilia from terrorist attacks on America five years ago Monday, St. Patrick's fourth graders Isaac Langan (left) and John Paul Kain learn about the sacrifices of Americans to secure freedom from terrorism. McCook firefighter/paramedic Mark Eiler and Nebraska National Guard member John Mabile (retired after 34 years) provided items for a memorial display at the school: photographs of the World Trade Center before and after terrorist attacks, a small bag of concrete crumbles from the "Twin Towers," New York Port Authority baseball caps, medals, an American flag, a proclamation declaring September 11 as "Patriot Day" and prayers for firefighters and police officers.. ...

Feb. 20, 1934 - Sept. 9, 2006 BELLA VISTA, Ark. -- Beaulah Arlen Wilson, 72, died Saturday (Sept. 9, 2006) at Regency Hospital in Springdale, Ark. She was born Feb. 20, 1934, in Caplinger Mills, Mo., daughter of Paris Leonard and Mary Lucindy (Northern) Long...