Stories from Monday, June 4, 2007

The children of Howard Baumbach are hosting a card shower in honor of his 89th birthday. He was born June 1, 1918. His children are Judy of Bellevue, Bill and Lynda Baumbach of Indianola and Joey and Kim Baumbach of McCook. Cards of congratulations will reach him at Cambridge Heritage Plaza, Room C-10, 1205 Nelson, Cambridge, NE 69022...

The family of Glenn and Roberta (Utterback) Hinton of Arapahoe is hosting an open house and card shower in honor of the couple's 50th wedding anniversary. They were married June 9, 1957, at Orafino. The open house will be Saturday, June 9, from 1-4 p.m., at the Arapahoe Senior Center. Cards of congratulations will reach the couple at 72040 Hwy 283, Arapahoe, NE 68922...

GRAND ISLAND -- The family of Goldie Randolph, formerly of Indianola, celebrated her 85th birthday with a party and provided a 10-day Colorado vacation where she met her great-grandson, Hunter Ray Wagner. Goldie's children are Alice Smith of Grand Island, Glenn Randolph of McCook; Linda Randolph of Grand Junction, Larry and Nancy Randolph of Indianola, Lillian and Gene Blackman of Grand Junction and Lynn and Rhonda Randolph of McCook. ...

Larry and Susan Bartek of Omaha announce the birth of their daughter, Joie Elizabeth Bartek. She weighed 7.8 pounds and was 19 inches long. Grandparents are Bernie Wood of McCook and the late Dal Wood, Cheryl Bartek of Omaha and Larry and Kay Bartek of Gretna. Great grandparent is Irene Samulsek of Omaha...

The family of Charles and Cecelia McConville of Indianola is hosting an open house and card shower in honor of the couple's 60th wedding anniversary on May 29. The open house will be June 9, at 6 p.m., at Saint Catherine's Hall in Indianola. Cards of congratulations will reach the couple at PO Box 143, Indianola,NE 69034...

Bruce and Debbie Hoffman of McCook announce the engagement of their son, Christopher James Hoffman, to Nichole Renne Gotchall, daughter of Don and Shelley Gotchall of Great Bend, Kan. The bride-to-be is a 2002 graduate of Decatur County High School and is attending culinary school at Johnson County Community College in Olathe, Kan. She is employed as a cook for a fraternity in Lawrence, Kan...

The family of Paul and Marlene (Huffaker) Holthus of Culbertson are hosting an open house in honor of the couple's 50th wedding anniversary. They were married Jan. 19, 1957, in Rapid City, S.D. The open house will be Saturday, June 9, at 5 p.m., with a dinner and dance at the Culbertson AgComplex on the Culbertson Fairgrounds. ...

Chelsey Dawn Dame of McCook and Cody Alan Feeken of Cambridge were united in marriage on Feb. 3, 2007, at McCook Memorial United Methodist Church with the Rev. Dr. Jeff Thurman officiating. Parents of the couple are David and Cindy Dame of McCook and Dennis and Karen Feeken of Cambridge. Grandparents are Sandra Novak of McCook and the late Marvin Novak, Robert and Verna Dame of McCook, the late Earl and Ola Mae Grote and Robert and Joy Feeken of Cambridge...

The family of Phyllis (Mead) Stinnette is hosting a card shower in honor of her 85th birthday on June 12th. Cards of congratulations will reach her at 39091 Road 718, McCook, NE 69001.

The family of Todd and Lisa (Kircher) Koetter is hosting a card shower in honor of the couple's 25th wedding anniversary. They were married June 10, 1982, at the Peace Lutheran Church in McCook. Their children are Nicole, Kayla and Chance Koetter. Cards of congratulations will reach the couple at 702 Seminole Dr., McCook, NE 69001...

In a close finish, Justin Herron of Omaha emerged from a crowded field to win the 2007 John Mullen Pro-Am golf championship with a four-under par total of 140. Herron, who represents Ironwood Golf and Country Club, shot a 68 on the second day to edge Chris Wiemers, the defending champion, and Ben Portie, a lefthander from Westminster, Colo...

Nov. 3, 1912 - June 1, 2007  STRATTON -- Margaret C. Merrill, 94, died Friday (June 1, 2007) at El Dorado Manor in Trenton. She was born Nov. 3, 1912, to Edwin and Mable (Williamson) Zigler on a farm south of Stratton in Hitchcock County.  She attended school in Stratton and was a member of the graduating class of 1930 at Stratton High School...

March 7, 1918 - May 9, 2007 BRIGHTON, Colo. -- John E. Ham 89, Wednesday (May 9, 2007) at Platte Valley Medical Center in Brighton, Colo. He was born to Eugene F. and Edna (McEvoy) Ham on March 7, 1918, in Benkelman. His mother died when he was 11/2 years old. ...

MANHATTAN BEACH, Calif. -- Eva Lucile Dunn, a 56 year resident of Manhattan Beach, Calif., died Wednesday (May 16, 2007) in Playa Vista, Calif. Born on a farm north of Indianola, Eva was 82 when she died. Eva was a member of the Manhattan Community Church...

After three one-hour interviews Sunday evening, McCook Public Schools' board of education members agreed to negotiate a one-year interim superintendent's contract with David Schley, superintendent of Centura Public Schools at Cairo. Candidates included Schley; Carl Dietz, superintendent of Eustis-Farnam Public Schools, Eustis; and Joseph Sherwood, superintendent of Pender Public Schools, Pender...

A couple accused of writing a string of forged checks in April were seen in District Court today. Thomas Haar, 37, address unavailable, pleaded not guilty to 11 counts of second degree forgery, with six as misdemeanors, four as Class IV felonies and one as a Class III felony...

One cannot be in McCook, Nebraska very long before he comes under the spell of George W. Norris, "The Fighting Liberal from Nebraska." Our main street is Norris Avenue. Our central city park is Norris Park, across the street from The George Norris Home, now a Nebraska State Monument. ...

We've heard there's an old saying among sports fans with a propensity to wager on the abilities of their favorite teams: "Put your money where your mouth is!" But there's another old saying, that nothing is certain, but death and taxes. Thus is the dilemma faced by corn growers, who are enjoying higher prices because of the ethanol industry, but don't enjoy paying taxes any more than the rest of us do...

For the past dozen years, retiring judge Cloyd Clark has been more closely connected with the Buffalo Commons Storytelling Festival than any other person. He was there at the first preliminary meeting -- held at McCook Community College -- and he has been involved with all the festivals which have followed...

Well, if you have been looking at the evening sky you may have noticed that the champion of the winter sky, the constellation Orion, has disappeared for the next few months. Meanwhile, the spring constellations are much higher in the sky now and that the summer constellations are starting to make their appearance in the late evening. If you are an early riser you may have even seen the autumn constellations -- a sneak preview of the evening sky for September or October...