Stories from Tuesday, February 26, 2008

Sept. 30, 1917 - Feb. 24, 2008 OBERLIN -- Grace E. Cook, 90, died Sunday (Feb. 24, 2008) at Cedar Living Center in Oberlin. She was born Sept. 30, 1917, in Scott City, Kan., to Henry and Edith (Eikelberger) Wilken. She grew up in Scott County, Kan., and graduated from Scott City High School in 1937...

The friends of Mary Horendeck are requesting a card shower in honor of her 93rd birthday. She was born Feb. 27, 1915. Cards of congratulations will reach her at 1602 8 1/2 Street, McCook, NE 69001.

The family of Esther Redtfeldt, formerly of McCook, is requesting a card shower in honor of her birthday. She was born on Leap Day, Feb. 29, 1908, so she will be celebrating her 23rd birthday for the second time. Cards of congratulation will reach her at 1110 Williams Rd., Emmett, ID, 83617...

An Onawa, Iowa, man was killed last year when his rental house blew up. It turns out, someone had stolen the copper gas line from the property. Scrap yards are busy places these days, as salvagers and dealers cash in on prices higher than they've been for years, if ever, supplying metal for booming economies in places like China and India...

This smoking ban kind of reminds me of the situation in Lincoln in the '50s and '60s when on-sale liquor was banned. If you wanted a steak and a legal drink, you went to Omaha. The problem was solved by the creation of private clubs in Lincoln. One could join a club and keep a bottle in a private locker...

Well, you pays your money and you takes your chance. That seemed to be the prevailing attitude of the 20 or so good folks who gathered at the Benkelman Elementary school last Wednesday evening, Feb. 20, to watch the last total eclipse visible in the Americas for the next three years...

Among other action Monday, the Red Willow County commissioners purchased a used 2003 928Gz Caterpiller front-end loader from Nebraska Machinery, North Platte. The loader is priced at $85,000, and after allowing a trade-in of $20,000 on the county's 1979 John Deere 644 loader, the purchase price will be $65,000...

By CONNIE JO DISCOE Regional Editor Red Willow County commissioners Monday morning approved a timeline for repayment of a $300,000 loan by a helicopter kit company that hasn't made a loan payment for 14 months. In an addendum to Pawnee Aviation's original loan agreement dated Dec. 13, 2004, the county will forebear enforcement of default payments, subject to a long, detailed list of conditions, stipulations and timelines...

CURTIS -- With the constant stream of issues and new technologies dealing with water today, it's hard to keep track of it all. That is the theme of the 2008 Southwest Nebraska Water Conference, "Making Cent$ of Every Drop … " "Making Cent$ of Every Drop … " is a conference geared toward area producers and business people looking for a greater understanding of what's going on in the Republican River Basin today. ...

Zach Wieser's last-second, long-range two-pointer swooshes through the basket, sealing a 62-60 District B5 semi-final victory for McCook Senior High Monday night in Kearney. Fellow Bison Eric Rippen (No. 20) and Seth Schaeffer (under the basket) celebrate, while the face of Holdrege Duster Travis Van Eperen (No. ...

KEARNEY -- Tied at 60 with 8 seconds left, a missed free-throw opened up a chance for Zach Wieser to sink a last-second shot to put McCook High School into the district finals, beating Holdrege 62-60 in B5 Districts second round action Monday night...