Stories from Wednesday, March 11, 2009

NORTH PLATTE -- North Platte High School will continue to compete in Class A in all sports next school year. The North Platte Board of Education voted this week to stay in the state's big-school division even though a number of sports and activities were scheduled to drop into Class B for one year...

Southwest Nebraska area high school girls have been named to the RPAC All conference girls basketball team. East Division Cambridge's girls dominated the first team with seniors Traci Keyser and Bailey Soucie and junior Frankie Petersen named to the team...

HOLDREGE -- The Holdrege Optimist Wrestling Club will be hosting its annual AAU Huskerland sanctioned wrestling tournament for kids in grades pre-K through 11th grade on Saturday, March 21, at the Holdrege High School gym. Preregistration may be made by sending the entry form to Holdrege Optimist Wrestling Club P.O. Box 260, Holdrege NE 68949, for an entry discount or walk-ins the day of the tournament will be accepted...

KEARNEY -- University of Nebraska-Kearney senior guard Jade Meads has been named a finalist for the WBCA (Women's Basketball Coaches Association) State Farm Division II All-America team. A total of 41 players, voted upon by WBCA coaches in each of Division II's eight regions, were selected. Seven regions had five players selected; one region had a tie for fifth place so six players were chosen...

Husker women's golfer Natalie Gleadall ties school record with 67 at UNLV BOULDER CITY, Nev. -- True freshman Natalie Gleadall fired the best round of her young Husker career with a school-record tying 67 in the second round of the UNLV Spring Invitational on Tuesday in Boulder City, Nev...

LINCOLN -- Three area teams will try to make their presence felt at the Nebraska Boys State Basketball Championships Thursday-Saturday at Lincoln. McCook (15-12), Arapahoe (25-1) and Hayes Center (20-2) will all play first-round games at 7 p.m. Thursday in Classes B, D-1 and D-2.

Jan. 20, 1916 - March 8, 2009 ARAPAHOE -- Mildred I. Dyer Wickham, 93, died Sunday (March 8, 2009) at C.A. Mues Good Samaritan Center in Arapahoe. She was born Jan. 20, 1916, at Atlanta to David L. and Bessie M. (Schrum) McBride. She graduated from Holbrook High School in 1933. She went on to Kearney State Teachers College in Kearney, 2 1/2 years and received her teaching certificate...

Oct. 5, 1932 - March 8, 2009 ARAPAHOE --Edward R. Osiecki, 76, of Arapahoe, died Sunday (March 8, 2009) at Tri-County Hospital in Lexington. He was born Oct. 5, 1932, in Rusk County, Wis., to Peter and Mary (Sieja) Osiecki. He attended country schools and graduated from Weyerhauser High School in Weyerhauser, Wis., in 1951...

June 6, 1927 - March 8, 2009 LINCOLN -- Ruth R. Moreau, 81, formerly of Stratton, died Sunday (March 8, 2009) at Lincoln Manor in Lincoln. She was born June 6, 1927, at Danbury to Coral Archie and Hazel Mary (Weskamp) Matson and moved with her family at an early age to McCook where she attended school...

Duane E. Dueland, 76, died Monday (March 9, 2009) in Donna, Texas. Funeral services will be Monday at 10:30 a.m., at Memorial United Methodist Church with the Rev. Dr. Jeff Thurman officiating. Inurnment will follow in the Memorial Park Columbarium...

Red Willow County sheriff's officers are warning businesses of a scam that robbed a McCook employer and business owner of $400. "It's slick," Sheriff Gene Mahon said. "$400 gone, just like that." Chief Deputy Alan Kotschwar said the McCook business owner/employer received a phone call early in the workday recently from a caller claiming to be an officer from the Red Willow County Sheriff's Office and explaining that he had one of the man's employees in jail...

CURTIS -- Buying water shows Kansas that the district is willing to do what it takes to come into compliance with the Republican River Compact, said Dan Smith, general manager of the Middle Republican Natural Resources District. But not all board members agreed. ...

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) -- Kansas officials say Nebraska owes their state about $9 million for overusing Republican River water in 2005 and 2006. Nebraska officials submitted documents to an arbitrator in Denver on Wednesday with a much lower estimate of damages -- $615,000 to $1.23 million...

What is a bully? According to the Webster dictionary a bully is "a blustery, browbeating person, especially one who is historically cruel to others." McCook Junior High Students learned how cruel a bully can be and the effects bullies can have on their peers after the anti-bullying presentation Monday afternoon...

The law of unintended consequences is still in effect during the current economic downturn. Auto company executives certainly could have used a little better judgment than flying in multi-million dollar corporate jets to ask Congress for more taxpayer money...

A few weeks ago, I wrote concerning feral cats in the neighborhood of East E and East 5th Streets. I was dismayed that someone was feeding these strays. The individual who is feeding them has changed locations and now is spreading cat food on the northeast corner of East E and East 5th Streets in front of the Rayburn Building...

I admit it. It doesn't look like much. In fact, without a microscope, it doesn't look like anything. But, look closely, and there, right before your eyes, is life. Blue eyes and blond hair or green eyes and red hair, all there. There is nothing to add to this recipe except time and a safe place to while away the approximately 6,720 hours of gestation. ...