Stories from Thursday, January 22, 2009

BREWSTER, Kan. -- Laramey Lewis piled up 23 points and grabbed 12 rebounds to lead the Hitchcock County Falcon girls basketball team over Brewster Tuesday. Hitchcock County will take on Paxton Saturday in the opening round of the of the Republican Plains Athletic Conference in Wallace...

The McCook High School Bison freshman boys basketball team handed the Chase County-Imperial Longhorns a 38-20 setback Tuesday night at the MHS gym. The Bison were paced by Kyle Gaston with 16 points. The Bison freshman boys host the North Platte Gold basketball squad at 5:45 p.m. Jan. 29...

The McCook St. Patrick's eighth grade girls basketball team went 2-0 during the week of Jan. 12. The Knights defeated the Buffaloes of Atwood 33-15 on Jan. 12. Rachel Leitner scored 13 points and Marisa Esch 8. Brettani Schmidt and Danica Liess both had 6...

The McCook Junior High School eighth grade boys basketball teams went 2-1 over Kearney Horizon Tuesday night. The Bison won the A and B game, but came up short in overtime in the C game. Matt Collicott posted 16 points for the Bison in the A game. Marcus Gonzales followed up with 14 and Sean Bake had 10...

While Bernie Madoff holes up in his multi-million dollar Park Avenue apartment after swindling $50 billion from investors, many of them Jewish charities, a number of people who benefitted from another large scandal on the other side of the world are facing a different fate...

Regardless of your political leanings, you couldn't help but be impressed by the grandeur exhibited at the transition of power during the inauguration of President Barack Obama. The gathering of more than one million people at our nation's capital to witness an historic event produced a lump in the throat and goose bumps on the skin. Call it pride; optimism; hopefulness for the future -- even the most skeptical citizen should be proud that our great nation has reached this point in its history...

Exciting news from the astronomical community recently: our old friend, the star Fomalhaut, the "loneliest" of the night sky's bright stars, isn't lonely anymore. Seems it has at least one planet in orbit around it. With an excess of 300 extrasolar planets (those outside our own Solar System) discovered so far, this would not normally be extraordinary astronomical news. ...

In the midst of all the excitement over the inauguration, it is easy to lose sight of another historic anniversary this week: the 36th year since the passing of Roe v. Wade, which struck a death toll for over 40 million babies in America. While there is a great deal of "wish him well" and "wish him success" being said, about Barak Obama, I am one American that prays at least some of his promises never see the light of day. ...

The second phase of the Kelley Park Walking Trail will give walkers more access to vehicle parking and draw more people to the park. Public Works Director Kyle Potthoff gave an update Monday night at the McCook City Council meeting about Phase II of the trail, that will begin at the lower shelter house in Kelley Park, extend up to Kelley Park Drive, then down Bolles Canyon Road to M Street. ...

A bill that would allow trapping on county roads may prove to be an emotional issue for some, said Dist. 44 State Sen. Mark Christensen of Imperial. LB 5 would repeal the prohibition of trapping on county road rights-of-way but still keeps certain restrictions, the senator said this morning at the Governmental Affairs Committee meeting at the McCook Area Chamber of Commerce...

By CONNIE JO DISCOE Regional Editor Mark Carman's pride and joy went up in smoke Wednesday evening, as a fire, apparently started by an electric heater in a pickup truck parked in a work bay, spread through his 11⁄2-year-old auto detailing business...

The green light was given to a large construction project set for West J Street, postponed last year by new red tape implemented by the Federal Highway Administration. The almost $1 million project, funded by the FHA at 80 percent, will begin on West J Street from West 10th to Norris Avenue...