Stories from Tuesday, June 12, 2007

HASTINGS -- Here are the results from the Hastings tournament this weekend for the McCook Rebels 12 and under girls fastpitch softball team. The Rebels went 4-1 on the weekend and took second place among 16 teams. The Rebels won the sportsmanship award for their conduct during the weekend...

Dec. 2, 1942 - June 9, 2007 WAUNETA -- Harold Dean Breese, 64, of Hayes Center died Saturday (June 9, 2007) at Heritage of Wauneta Nursing Home. He was born on Dec. 2, 1942, at Sidney, to Clarence Edward and Fern Frances (Walters) Breese.  He graduated from Wauneta High School and attended two years at the Voc Tech School in North Platte...

April 8, 1915 - June 9, 2007 HOLYOKE, Colo. -- Clarence Elmer Barth, 92, died Saturday (June 9, 2007) at the Holyoke Nursing Home. He was born April 8, 1915, to Henry and Lydia (Hoch) Barth in Culbertson. He grew up in Culbertson, graduating from Culbertson High School in 1933. After graduation he worked for his father in retail sales and then he worked on the family farm north of Culbertson...

Encouraged by timely rains and higher prices, Golden Plains wheatgrowers are looking for improved yields and better cash flow from the 2007 harvest. "Wheat throughout the area is looking good," said Dave Schneider, feed division manager for Frenchman Valley Co-op in Imperial. That's welcome news for wheat farmers in Southwest Nebraska and Northwest Kansas, who suffered lower than usual yields in 2006 due to a shortage of moisture...

McCook Elementary's new principal, Lynda Baumbach, told McCook Public Schools board of education members Monday evening that elementary teachers are investigating reading curriculums to replace the controversial "Reading First" program. Baumbach said that 23 kindergarten through third grade and Title teachers met Monday, and will meet again at least today, to decide upon the schools' new reading texts and instructional strategies...

CHAMPION -- A storm that stalled out over Chase County Monday evening dumped 8 inches or more of rain southwest of Champion, washing out county roads near Imperial and forcing the sheriff to use an alternate route into his own county. Because camp sites and some roads are under water, coordinators of the ever-popular S.C.O.R.E. science camps originating from the school in Imperial are making adjustments and encouraging kids to come when they can...

Looking back over the 2007 legislative session, there were several major bills to which legislators gave their attention. This week I would like to review some of those bills. Legislative Bill 395 received a lot of press time and floor debate early on in the session. It proposed to change the Nebraska Clean Indoor Air Act by creating a statewide ban on smoking in all indoor work sites...

Hope you have been out looking for the past week or so because the sky has been glorious -- at least when there weren't any clouds. Venus has been shining in the west and last week lined up with the two major stars -- Castor and Pollux -- in Gemini to form a three-in-a-row asterism...

Ahh, summer. There's nothing like a burger or a hot dog on the grill, with a side of chips and a soda. Doesn't that sound good? Not to the Community Nutrition Partnership Council, which has launched the Pick a Better Snack campaign and has persuaded Gov. Dave Heineman to declare this summer "Pick a Better Snack" summer...

Red Willow County commissioners agreed to donate $3,000 to the Family Resource Center to help the organization keep its doors open in 2007-2008 and continue to serve families throughout Southwest Nebraska. The Family Resource Center -- which helps families with children up to eight years old, and especially families with children with special needs -- has had to cut its budget by about $112,000, Kathy Haas told commissioners Monday morning...

The McCook Optimists are nearing the halfway point in their drive to raise $5,000 to present the Fourth of July Fireworks Show at the Red Willow County Fairgrounds. "We have received $2,000 in donations, and expect to receive another $1,000 in free will gifts the night of the show," said Mark Graff, the treasurer for the fireworks fund...

Dewey Reinhard speaks at Monday night's McCook Balloon Club banquet, regaling the small crowd with stories of how he learned to pilot a hot air balloon, out of ignorance breaking many safety rules on his way to hard landings around Colorado Springs, where he lives. ...

The gift of an afternoon. They went fishing and left me home alone. That was my gift: To be left alone. -- Laurie Bernhardt of Cape Girardeau --- My children typed up on the computer what they said were the 10 best things about me as Mom. They said things like "she scratches my back before I go to bed," and "she cooks the best meals, most days." They used clip art and printed it out. I framed it and have it on my desk at home. -- Donna Sanders of Cape Girardeau...