Stories from Friday, November 23, 2007

Dec. 14, 1947 - Nov. 16, 2007 CERRITOS, Calif. -- Patrick L. Taylor, age 59, was born in McCook, on Dec. 14,1947, to Robert L. and Evelyn M. (Axelson) Taylor. He attended North and East Ward Elementary schools and graduated from McCook High School, class of 1966. There he was active in band and orchestra and lettered in football, basketball and track. His Nebraska state discus throwing record stood for many years...

Sept. 12, 1913 - Nov. 18, 2007 Mary Juanita Roberts, 94, of McCook, formally of Phoenix, died Saturday (Nov. 18, 2007). She was born in Great Falls, Mont., Sept. 12, 1913, to Samuel M. and Donna (Patrick) Higgins. She was preceded in death by her parents and husband D. G. "Bob" Roberts...

Big screen TVs and anything electronic were the big sellers this morning, area retailers reported, with a bigger surge of shoppers than last year. Area businesses reported more traffic today, traditionally the busiest shopping day of the year, than in 2006...

Reports of teens eating the seeds ("moon pods") from jimson weed (Datura stramonium), also know as moonflowers are on the rise in McCook, according to local health officials. Jimson weed is a common weed that grows between 1 and 5 feet tall and bears white flowers with prickly seed pods that usually split open in the fall when the seeds are ripe...

Don Harpst and his wife, Alice, have challenged the McCook Community Foundation to raise $75,000 by Dec. 31. If they are successful, the Harpsts will donate an additional $25,000, increasing the total given in the campaign to $100,000. Don, whose latest role is "Scrooge" has personally challenged the local financial institutions to contribute $25,000...

The crowds were out early today looking for bargains -- some stores even had Thanksgiving specials and some, including one local store, opened at 4 a.m. for dedicated shoppers. But finding a bargain may not be worth it if you've had to lose sleep and battle long lines to get it...

During the spring of 2007, the State of Nebraska, along with the Republican River Basin NRDs agreed to pay surface irrigators in the basin to put the water into the stream instead of irrigating their crops with it. How the NRDs are to pay this bill is very controversial...

The news doesn't smell as good as it used to. "Damn right," you're thinking, "the news really stinks!" Fair enough. Except that I'm not talking about political news or stories about taxes, whatever goofiness is shaking up city hall at the moment, the lousy weather or the Cornhuskers' ups and downs. I'm talking about what the news actually smells like...

Nov.28, 1908-Nov. 21, 2007 CAMBRIDGE -- Carrie Berniece Max, 98, died Wednesday (Nov. 21, 2007), at the Cambridge Memorial Hospital She was born on Nov. 28, 1908 to John Henry and Melissa J. (Mulford) Lawson in Frontier County about 12 miles north of Cambridge ...

April 28, 1940 - Nov. 18, 2007 LEOVILLE, Kan. -- Frank Sulzman, 67, died Saturday (Nov. 18, 2007) at his home east of Selden, Kan. He was born April 28, 1940, in Sheridan County, Kan., to William B. and Bertha "Betty" A. (Zodrow) Sulzman. He grew up on a farm in Sheridan County and attended Leoville Grade School and High School...

HOUSTON -- It took Clayton Anderson 24 years and 15 applications to become and astronaut, but after 152 days in space, he has no regrets. "It was absolutely worth it," Anderson, 48, said in a telephone interview from Texas. Young people who would like to follow in his footsteps should "never let anyone tell them that they can't do it."...