Stories from Friday, March 23, 2007

MHS netters will host Hastings Tuesday at Bison/Elks Courts The McCook Bison girls tennis team opened Thursday's home dual against North Platte with a sweep of all three doubles matches en route to a 9-0 victory. "The girls took the court with a lot of focus and determination," said McCook tennis coach Matt Wiemers...

Oct. 9, 1915 - Jan. 23, 2007 OBERLIN --?Gly Annette Shaw, 91, died Jan. 23, 2007, in Topeka, Kan. She was born Oct. 9, 1915, in Decatur County, to Floyd Brice and Harriet (Stowe) Gilbert. She grew up in rural Rawlins County. She attended Rosedale country school in Rawlins County and Decatur County High School...

Jan. 11, 1949 - March 20, 2007 LEXINGTON -- John V. Metzger, 58, died suddenly Tuesday (March 20, 2007) at Tri-County Hospital in Lexington. He was born Jan. 11, 1949, at Holdrege to Bruce and Cleora (Secrest) Metzger. He graduated from Alma High School with the class of 1967, and Kearney State College with a degree in Mathematics in 1971...

A squirrel leans out of a tree in a McCook backyard, looking for her favorite foods -- black oil sunflower seeds and whole corn. The first day of spring -- Tuesday -- proved to be great for climbing trees, with temperatures in the 60s and just a slight breeze. Our furry friend might want to find a place to stay safe and dry if predictions of rain and thunderstorms prove true...

The publication of the McCook Daily Gazette All-Area basketball and wrestling teams will be delayed until sometime next week because of conflicts with the taking of spring sports photos. The Gazette's All-Area Teams were originally planned for this weekend...

Stroll around certain sections of some cemeteries, and you'll notice that an unusual number of people who died around 1918 passed away at too young of an age. Young children, young adults, middle aged -- their birth and death dates separated by far too small a number of years...

This is in regard to the Open Line program on radio station 96KICX on the 20th of March. The subject was on the capital punishment and should we keep it or get rid of it. Well, of course every one is entitled to their opinion. So, as I called in, I expressed my opinion as I do not believe in capital punishment due to the fact that in the Bible the Ten Commandments quotes "Thou shall not kill."...

Just a note to comment on the maintenance of your cemetery.  I was in McCook over the weekend and found my parents stone displaced by over two inches form original, possibly done during groundskeeping last summer.  The condition overall of the cemetery is in poor shape.  I think the city should take more pride in its appearance...

With spring's arrival this week, many homeowners are faced with that annual task: Spring cleaning. You open the windows to let in the fresh air and realize you haven't cleaned the windows since the previous spring season. You dig out the baseball balls and gloves and notice the trail of dust you've cleared on the floor in front of the closet...

Nov. 8, 1926-March 21, 2007 LOVELAND, Colo. -- Verlene W. (Willsey) Wright, 80, died Wednesday (March 21, 2007), at the Loveland Good Samaritan Center in Loveland, Colo. She was born Nov. 8, 1926, in Huntley, to Delburn Fay and Irene Anna (Ball) Willsey. The family moved to Wauneta when she was six. She was baptized at age 11 in the United Methodist Church in Wauneta and graduated from Wauneta High School. She earned her elementary teacher's certificate at McCook Junior College...

The state should take local conditions such as time and distance into account when it comes to funding services for Southwest Nebraska, child and family advocates told State Sen. Mark Christensen at a special meeting on Friday. Representing 17 agencies in the area that focus on the well being of children and families, the Child Advocacy Team named their top concerns as mental health issues, the foster care system, state funding and the condition of the Nebraska Health and Human Services System...

By DAWN CRIBBS Associate Editor The usually serene atmosphere was charged Friday afternoon at First Congregational Church by a thunderous challenge to the church at-large by the Rev. Allan Jackson, the speaker for the fifth annual Community Lenten service...

Jim Barron tumbles after he hands off to Josh Cherry in the final leg of the 3200 relay. McCook won the event Friday afternoon in a boys and girls track dual against the North Platte Bulldogs. Complete results will be published in Monday's edition.

News reports indicate that a huge recall of pet food -- dozens of brands manufactured by a Canadian firm -- may have been caused by rat poison applied to wheatfields in China. The poison, Aminopterin, is not approved for use in the United States, but as a substance that can suppress the immune system, is widely used in chemotherapy...