Stories from Tuesday, October 2, 2007

McCook senior places 2nd in Class B-4 district tourney OGALLALA -- McCook High School senior Justine Hager can add four-time state golf qualifier to her list of accomplishments. Hager earned her fourth trip to the state tournament with a second-place finish at the Nebraska Class B-4 district tournament Monday at Ogallala's West Wind Golf Course...

MPERIAL -- The McCook Bison eighth grade football team won its opening game of the season Thursday night over the Chase County Longhorns 28-0. On the second drive of the game for the Bison, running back Manuel Mendoza broke loose for a 55-yard touchdown scamper off the left side. Justin Terry's extra point kick gave the Bison a 7-0 lead...

KEARNEY -- The McCook High School junior varsity boys tennis team finished ninth at the 10-team Kearney JV Invite Monday. The Bison scored 36 points. Kearney Blue edged out Grand Island 114-104 for the team title. McCook's Ethan Hardin posted a 2-1 record at No. 2 singles. The No. 2 doubles team of Zach Baker and J.P. Tapia also finished 2-1...

March 7, 1938 - Sept. 27, 2007 IMPERIAL?-- Donna Pflum, 69, died Thursday (Sept. 27, 2007) at Chase County Community Hospital. She was born March 7, 1938, to Elmer Fredrick Johann and Magdelina Augusta (Hinz) Roedel. She grew up south of McCook in the Ash Creek area. She attended St. John Lutheran Parochial School and graduated from McCook High School. She was baptized March 27, 1938, and confirmed in the Lutheran faith at St. John's Lutheran Church in rural McCook in 1951...

Jan. 21, 1951 - Sept. 30, 2007 IMPERIAL -- Timothy Jay Long, 56, died Sunday (Sept. 30, 2007) at Chase County Community Hospital. He was born Jan. 21, 1951, at Grant to Marion and Alberta (Parde) Long. The family moved to Salem, Ore., where he grew up and attended school, graduating from South Salem?High School in 1969...

Nov. 1, 1912 - Sept. 30, 2007 Herman Henry William Ficken passed away Sunday, Sept. 30, 2007, at Community Hospital in McCook.  He was 94. He was born Nov. 1, 1912, to John and Johanna (Noltensmeier) Ficken in Frontier County. He was baptized Dec. 15, 1912, and confirmed May 23, 1926, all at the Salem Lutheran Church.  He attended rural and parochial school for nine years. ...

A man who watched the McCook City Council for 25 years from the press table will now take a seat on the other side of Council Chambers. Upon the recommendation of Mayor Dennis Berry and approved unanimously by the rest of the council, Jack Rogers, who was editor of the McCook Daily Gazette for 30 years, will fill the empty council seat created by the resignation of Marty Conroy...

Although the McCook City Council approved an ordinance on its first reading that will curtail the use of fireworks, it also asked for more definite parameters concerning the measure before final approval. Members of the public also expressed concern as to how the new ordinance will be enforced and called it too lenient...

The Nebraska Department of Correctional Services is pleased to announce that Sept. 28, Barbara Lewien was named warden for the Department of Corrections Work Ethic Camp in McCook. Lewien began her corrections career with the Wyoming Department of Corrections in 1994. In 1996 she accepted a position with NDCS as a teacher at the Hastings Correctional Center. During her career at the Hastings Correctional Center she held positions as a case manger in 1997, and in 2000 was promoted to Captain...

BARTLEY -- A rural Indianola-Bartley couple say debris scattered in every direction is evidence that a twister hit their farmstead Saturday night. Cindy Moore said Monday morning the thunderstorm storm hit Saturday evening and increased in intensity about 10:30 p.m. "It sounded like a train went by," she said...

The passenger in a one-vehicle roll-over accident early Monday morning has been transferred from Community Hospital of McCook to Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha. Justin D. Crist, 22, of 711 E. Fifth, was thrown from a car as it rolled twice in a road ditch 71?2 miles southwest of McCook. He and the driver, Amy L. Keller, 21, of Culbertson, were transported by McCook ambulances to the McCook hospital, and Crist was transferred later Monday to Omaha...

One councilmen wants to be sure the police can get around in winter weather. Bid specifications for two new vehicles for the McCook Police Department were approved by the McCook City Council Monday night, that Councilman Aaron Kircher pulled from the consent agenda item for discussion...

A McCook man who allegedly beat another man with a baseball bat was sentenced to probation in District Court Monday. Eric S. Pittman, 20, of 508 E. Fifth, was sentenced to 30 months probation for a Sept. 14, 2006, incident in which he and Brandon Carlock allegedly struck Darren Peters of McCook repeatedly with baseball bats and physically assaulted him...

BLAIR -- A transaction was completed today with Charter Communications to make Great Plains Communications the new cable television and broadband Internet provider in McCook. The McCook cable television system serves approximately 2,000 video and broadband Internet customers. Great Plains Communications says no immediate changes are planned for the channel lineup or pricing...

As I have mentioned before, I am not a morning astronomer, unless there is something really worth getting up for. Well, for the next couple of weeks I will be up early looking for something I have heard about but have never seen. It is an elusive quantity that requires the joining of the right lighting, the right timing, and a clarity of sky...

If you were around Norris Park for Heritage Days and didn't get over to the Norris House across the street to see the new sculpture, you can be forgiven. There was music to listen to, craft booths to explore, fun activities to watch or take part in, and delicious food to enjoy...