Stories from Friday, January 2, 2009

NORFOLK -- The McCook High School boys basketball team lost to North Platte 50-41 Wednesday in the third-place game of the Greater Nebraska Athletic Conference Tournament at Norfolk.

BATON ROUGE, La. -- The Nebraska women's basketball team overcame a nine-point first-half deficit to take a one-point lead early in the second half, but LSU responded with a 16-1 run to claim a 64-50 victory over the Huskers at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center on New Year's Day...

Nov. 14, 1936 - Dec. 30, 2008 ARAPAHOE -- Mary Jo Janssen, 72, died Tuesday (Dec. 30, 2008) at Good Samaritan Hospital in Kearney. She was born Nov. 14, 1936, at Holdrege, to Earl S. and Lucile M. (Buckley) Frost. She grew up in the Arapahoe area and attended Arapahoe High School graduating in 1954. She went on to the University of Nebraska at Lincoln and received her teaching degree...

Feb. 3, 1928 - Dec. 30, 2008 CAMBRIDGE -- Delores L. Petersen, 80, of Cambridge, died Tuesday (Dec. 30, 2008) at Good Samaritan Hospital in Kearney. She was born in Cambridge on Feb 3, 1928, to Walter J. and Louise (Schutte) Trant. She graduated from Cambridge High School in 1945, and attended the Lincoln General Hospital School of Nursing in Lincoln receiving her Registered Nursing Diploma...

March 4, 1927 - Dec. 29, 2008 LOVELAND, Colo. -- Evelyn R. Mercer, 81, of Loveland, Colo. died Dec. 29, 2008, at McKee Medical Center. She was born March 4, 1927 in Curtis to Carl and Katie (Jensen) Olsson. She married K. Kelly Mercer in 1946 in Oberlin. She and her husband were both graduates of the University of Nebraska High School of Agriculture in Curtis. She raised her family in Curtis and in 1956, became the bookkeeper for the Curtis Co-op and other businesses in the Curtis area...

If you were one of the three subjects arrested on charges of driving under the influence on New Year's eve in McCook, you might want to hire a good lawyer. Yes, lawyers are expensive, but have you checked out the new fines for the alcohol-related offense?...

"Should Old Acquaintance Be Forgot (farewell Gene Upshaw, Jo Stafford, Paul Newman, Gene Hickerson) And Never Brought to Mind? (farewell Bernie Mac, Preacher Roe, Margaret Truman) Should Old Acquaintance Be Forgot (farewell Herb Score, Cyd Charisse, William Buckley Jr.) And Days of Ault Lang Syne. ...

TORONTO -- For someone accustomed to big games and who won three national titles with Nebraska as an assistant, University of Buffalo football coach Turner Gill was unable to contain his excitement in the days leading up to the International Bowl. "Hello, ladies and gentlemen! Live at Rogers Centre ..." Gill announced, before breaking into a laugh as his players prepared for practice at the downtown Toronto domed stadium...

Here's some news to make my generation feel the chill of age in our bones: "Sesame Street" celebrates its 40th anniversary this year. (Or as Count Von Count might say: "40! 40 anniversaries!" and then give a cheery "ah-ah-ah" to the answering flash of lightning and crash of thunder.)...

In an effort to stave off foreclosures and pay back creditors and investors, a consulting firm has filed bankruptcy on behalf of 14 senior living affiliates managed by Sunwest Management Inc., including Willow Ridge of McCook. The turnaround consulting firm, Hamstreet and Associates of Portland, Ore., took over Sunwest Management and filed the Chapter 11 bankruptcies Tuesday. ...

April 21, 1912-Jan. 2, 2009 BENKELMAN -- Glenn Allen Spears, 96, died Thursday, (Jan. 2, 2009) at Dundy County Hospital in Benkelman. He was born April 21, 1912, in Rawlins County, to Sherman and Flossie (Hoover) Spears. He spent his youth on the family farm and attended country school near his home...

Feb. 2, 1913-Dec. 31, 2008 YANKTON, S.D. -- Ada M. Schow, 95, Wednesday (Dec. 31, 2008) at Avera Sister James Care Center in Yankton, S.D. She was born Feb. 2, 1913, to Jacob and Nancy (Strauser) Kutz in Cambridge. She was a member of the Methodist Church and youth groups. After high school, she moved to McCook in 1930 where she worked as a nanny...