Stories from Wednesday, December 3, 2008

LINCOLN -- The fact Nebraska's bowl destination isn't official hasn't stopped fans from firming up travel plans. The Cornhuskers' invitation to play in the Gator Bowl in Jacksonville, Fla., probably will be announced Wednesday. Travel agents are ready...

Area Southwest Nebraska and Northwest Kansas high school girls and boys basketball and wrestling teams kick of the winter sports season this weekend. Basketball The Arapahoe girls and boys take on Overton at home on Thursday. Arapahoe's girls finished fourth in the D1 state tournament last year after falling to Humphrey 50-49 in overtime. The two Warrior teams travel to Blue Hill on Saturday...

McCook High School senior quarterback Matt Berry and Wallace's Casey Lundvall are the McCook Daily Gazette coverage area representatives on the 34th edition of the Bobby Mills 1,000 Yard Club. Berry rushed for 1,109 yards and also passed for 1,444 yards in leading the Bison to the Nebraska Class B semifinals...

OGALLALA -- The McCook Junior High School eighth grade girls basketball teams went 1-1 at Ogallala Tuesday. Ogallala defeated the Bison in the A game 24-12, while the Bison B team edge by Ogallala 23-22. "The girls played aggressively but poor shooting from the field and an even worse performance from the free throw line where we were 4 of 21 proved our downfall," said Bison coaches Steve Clapp and Tom Lentz...

HOLDREGE -- The McCook Junior High School wrestling team competed at the Holdrege Middle School tournament along with Broken Bow, Minden, Holdrege, Lexington and Franklin. "This was our first tournament back from the Thanksgiving break," said McCook coach Zane Engelbert. "For the most part our kids wrestled pretty good.There were a few instances that we looked a little rusty from the break...

Nov. 7, 1928 - Nov. 29, 2008 ARAPAHOE -- Ramona A. Chambers, 80, of Cambridge, formerly of Arapahoe and Wilsonville, died Saturday (Nov. 29, 2008) at Cambridge Memorial Hospital. She was born Nov. 7, 1928, on the family farm near Lyle, Kan., to Harry D. and Aril A. (Ankenman) Warner. She attended Lebanon High School and graduated with the class of 1946...

Remember Nebraska's record cash reserve? State bean counters think we could be in the hole $377 million over the next couple of years if economic growth slows down -- which most of us think it will. Nebraska is actually one of the few states that isn't in fiscal trouble and ready to ask the federal government for help...

This is an invitation to everyone in the McCook area, whether you are young or old; live in town or in the country; or are new to this area or have lived here all your life. The invitation is this: Make plans, right now, to attend one of three performances of "The Christmas Carol" at the Fox Theatre in McCook this week...

Tyler Kalinski with the City of McCook moves a load of dirt at the Norris Park play area Tuesday. The city is removing some of the soil and leveling it to prepare the area for new equipment. Removing the dirt will be the easy part - not too far underneath, crews are encountering a ring of thick flagstone and steel posts embedded in more concrete, that were used to anchor the water tower that used to stand in the area. ...

The calendar page has turned for the last time in 2008, revealing scenes of pure white snow banking icy mountain creeks, the little town of Bethlehem or rosy-cheeked children flying down a snowy slope. The stores are full of holiday green and red, with markdown deals on everything from dolls that walk and talk to bread machines. ...

The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission has scheduled a public big game meeting in McCook at 7:30 p.m. Thursday at the Red Willow County Fairgrounds Community Building. The meeting is designed to provide information on current issues and management of deer, elk and antelope. With the elk, firearm deer and antelope seasons now complete, biologists are assessing data from those harvests to formulate recommendations for next year's seasons...

The zoning for a subdivision north of McCook that was never developed was returned to agricultural by the McCook City Council Monday night. The land in question, just outside city limits on West Third Street, was zoned residential in 1998 for a subdivision proposed by Delores Henton...