Stories from Tuesday, December 23, 2008

Jan. 3, 1929 - Dec. 21, 2008 TRENTON -- Burdette Cecil Melchert died Sunday, Dec. 21, 2008, at Sutherland Care Center in Sutherland, Neb., at the age of 79. He was born Jan. 3, 1929, at Stratton, Neb., the son of the late Oscar and Esther (Bauerle) Melchert. He grew up at Stratton where he graduated from Stratton High School. He entered the U.S. Navy serving from 1951 to 1954...

May 5, 1922 - Dec. 22, 2008 INDIANOLA -- Goldie Agnes (Edmonds) Randolph of Indianola, died Monday, Dec. 22, 2008, at Good Samaritan Hospital in Kearney. She was 86 years old. Goldie was born on May 5, 1922, in Greentop, Mo., to Grace Estella (McBrien) and Emmett Earl Edmonds. Her family moved from Greentop to Red Cloud in 1926, and then moved to Hendley in 1929...

March 20, 1954 - Dec. 21, 2008 HOLDREGE -- Jennifer Louise Vaughn, 54, died Sunday (Dec. 21, 2008) at her home in Holdrege. She was born March 20, 1954, at McCook to Kenneth and Helen (Kennedy) Vaughn. She received her primary education at District No. 41 in Red Willow County, north of McCook. She then attended Trenton Public Schools and graduated from Culbertson High School in 1972...

IMPERIAL -- The McCook Junior High School eighth grade girls basketball A and B teams ended the season by sweeping the Chase County girls Thursday at Imperial. The Bison A team won 39-12 and the B team won 34-7. Rachel Goltl and Brooklyn Trew led the Bison A team in scoring with 8 point each. Bethany Sorenson led Chase County with 5 points...

KEARNEY -- John Kugler, a McCook businessman and hot air balloonist will be inducted into the Nebraska Aviation Hall of Fame on Jan. 29. The induction ceremony will be conducted during the banquet of the Nebraska Aviation Symposium at the Holiday Inn in Kearney...

Associated Press Writer LINCOLN (AP) -- An arbitrator's decision could reduce by millions of dollars the amount of money Nebraska may eventually have to pay Kansas for overusing Republican River water. Kansas had demanded $72 million from Nebraska for using more than its allotted amount of water in 2005 and 2006 under a three-state compact that dictates use of the river and includes Colorado...

CURTIS -- The Frontier County Sheriff's Office has identified the victim of an early-morning fire Monday in Eustis as 70-year-old Larry D. Crawford. Crawford's house was engulfed in flames when firefighters were alerted at 1:53 a.m. An investigation into the cause of the fire continues by Sheriff Dan Rupp's office and a Nebraska State Fire marshal...

On this cold icy Nebraska morning I watched the news to see a young mom greet her children around a Christmas tree. Mom was dressed in her camouflage uniform, having just returned from Iraq. The younger child was hugging fiercely "Mom I missed you so much"! It is hard to imagine the disruption that military service creates in many young families today. ...

It's usually the most helpless among us who suffer the most during economic downturns, and this one is no exception. Faced with taking care of their children or pets, more and more of us are being forced to give up animals that are just as much a part of the family...