Stories from Wednesday, October 21, 2009

Nov. 6, 1906 - Oct. 19, 2009 ARAPAHOE -- Ruth Ann Petitjean, 102, died Monday (Oct. 19, 2009) at C.A. Mues Good Samaritan Center in Arapahoe. She was born Nov. 6, 1906, at Orleans to Simeon J. and Ida E. (Cordell) Tubridy. She attended District 4 Country School and Orleans High School. ...

Children and young adults continue to bear the brunt of the H1N1 flu, as the virus makes its way across the region and the rest of the nation. Wauneta-Palisade schools have closed for the rest of the week due to the high number of absentees, with the school already scheduled to be closed on Friday for a teacher in-service day...

Additional H1N1 vaccine arrived last week and has been distributed through out the Southwest Nebraska Public Health Department district. A total of 860 doses have been distributed to local healthcare providers. Southwest Nebraska Public Health Department serves Chase, Dundy, Hayes, Hitchcock, Frontier, Furnas, Perkins and Red Willow counties...

Federal funds are coming to the city for the demolition of dilapidated structures, but before the money is released, several documents had to be approved by the McCook City Council Monday night. The city will receive $629,700 from a Community Development Block grant, Neighborhood Stabilization Program and the council approved a total of three documents that are required for these funds...

Ethanol-blend fuel is usually the lowest price at the pump, but contains less energy, meaning lower mileage, right? Well, yes, but according to a study by the University of Nebraska, that's only part of the equation. One has to be skeptical of any study funded by any industry, but this one, funded by the Nebraska Corn Board, does make some good points...

I've kept my fair share of secrets. When planning a surprise anniversary party for Mom and Dad in 1969, my brothers and sisters and I had to involve honored guests in the planning. Even with their help, it proved to be far beyond our limited ability and we ended up bringing Mom and Dad in on the secret hoping to avoid an unmitigated disaster. We didn't. Some surprise...

On the 6th of October the community helped to raise more than $1,400 for the Tyson Sayer scholarship fund through a gun raffle, eating at Pizza Hut and donations during the evening. The Cambridge High School even sent the entire football team up in a bus to join in the evening's event...

The model used to simulate underground water in the Republican River Basin assumes that all aquifer water is interconnected, even if it is not. It assumes that the aquifer level does not change and that the amount of water released by the aquifer does not change over the decades. The modelers acknowledge that if the water level were permitted to change in the simulation, the model would report that the aquifer had gone dry in some areas, even though it has not in reality...

TRENTON -- Wallace's volleyball team won the Republican Plains Activity Conference championship Tuesday night in Trenton. Wallace worked their way up the brackets, taking a bye in the first round of the West Division bracket and defeating Dundy County-Stratton in the second round on Monday...

The Farrell family football factory will be closing at the end of the current McCook High School season. One of the sons of Pat and Leigh Farrell have been a part of the Bison football program every year since head coach Jeff Gross took over 12 years ago...

CURTIS ;-- Frances L. Ralston, 89, of Curtis, died Monday (Oct. 19, 2009) in Gothenburg at Hilltop Estates. Funeral services will be Saturday at Congregational United Church of Christ in Curtis with the Rev. Jean Miller officiating. Burial will be at the Curtis Cemetery...

Denver,Colorado-based voice actor and theatrical sound designer Rick Reid puts on a brief but "hare" raising performance in a McCook, Nebraska community theater production of "Harvey" by Mary Chase this week. The long-distance performance was made possible by YouTube.com.

Early this year Reid performed as Wilson, the sanitarium orderly, in a Parker, Colorado production of the classic comedy about a middle-aged man named Elwood P. ...

With the completion of the second phase of the Kelley Creek Walking Trail, city crews are ready to install three additional pieces of exercise equipment along the newly completed portion of the trail. The pieces to be installed include the Floating Balance System, Lat Pull and Chest Press machine, and the Strength and Stretch Bars...