Stories from Tuesday, October 27, 2009

There were probably a few questions of 'what if?' spread around the McCook football players, coaches and fans after Friday night's 13-7 overtime loss to Ogallala. The Bison couldn't capitalize on two scoring chances late in the fourth quarter. After McCook was stopped short of the goal on fourth down on their first overtime possession, Ogallala scored on its second play from scrimmage in the extra period to claim the win and the Class B-7 District championship...

There were probably a few questions of 'what if?' spread around the McCook football players, coaches and fans after Friday night's 13-7 overtime loss to Ogallala. The Bison couldn't capitalize on two scoring chances late in the fourth quarter. After McCook was stopped short of the goal on fourth down on their first overtime possession, Ogallala scored on its second play from scrimmage in the extra period to claim the win and the Class B-7 District championship...

June 6, 1926-Oct. 25, 2009 Thelma June (Miller) Herman was born June 9, 1926, in Sterling, Ill., to Albert and Anna Miller. The family moved to Tama, Iowa, when she was five, then to a farm close to Marengo, Iowa. She married Dean Herman on May 24, 1947, in Marengo, Iowa, and died on Oct. 25, 2009, in Lenexa, Kan...

Sept. 11, 1956-Oct. 25, 2009 Richard W. Dack Sr., age 53, died Sunday, Oct. 25, 2009, at Hillcrest Nursing Home. He was born Sept. 11, 1956, to Robert and Betty Louise (Burton) Dack in McCook. He attended McCook Public Schools. He married Shirley K. Leibrandt in McCook on March 21, 1975...

Red Willow County commissioners Monday morning asked for assistance from Nebraska Health and Human Services to rewrite the county's guidelines for requesting funds from the county's medical assistance program. While some parts of the program will be revised, the base gross monthly income at which a single person qualifies may be increased by only $29...

American astronaut Duane "Digger" Carey stresses to students at St. Patrick's Catholic Church in McCook the importance of homework, practice, science and math, calling math, "the language God uses to teach us about our universe. Math and science are the keys to having lots of adventures in life. ...

LINCOLN -- Jerry Vap of McCook has announced that he will seek a second full term on the Public Service Commission. "Over the past eight years, it has been a great honor and pleasure of mine to serve on the Nebraska Public Service Commission. I enjoy doing the peoples' work and will remain an accessible, transparent Commissioner," Vap said...

LINCOLN -- The Nebraska Department of Economic Development has awarded $706,700 through the Community Development Block Grant Neighborhood Stabilization Program 1 to the City of Indianola to help with neighborhood revitalization efforts. Indianola will use its $706,700 to demolish four blighted buildings and clear the properties for future development, plus demolish a vacant downtown building and redevelop it into a storm shelter for residents who don't have basements or sufficient shelter from inclement and dangerous weather conditions.. ...

The light of God illuminates a person from deep within, as illustrated by the contrast of the unlit and lighted jack-o-lantern carved by Amanda Dame of McCook. The face on the pumpkin is that of Father Gary Brethour of St. Patrick's Catholic Church and School. The pumpkin is on display in the school's office...

When Gene O. Morris first came aboard the McCook Daily Gazette as a city beat reporter in 1961, he reported to duty in the old two-story, sandstone-faced building on Norris Avenue, and the results of his labors were applied to newsprint using methods virtually unchanged since the days of Mark Twain...

Problem 9 with the Model -- Allocations Based on Stream Flow The Model is supposed to be designed to measure the depletion to the stream caused by ground water irrigation. One of the ways this is done is to measure precipitation at 35 locations across the Basin and calculate how much water should have made it to the stream if irrigation did not intercept the run off...

The cartoon in Tuesdays paper hit the spot! The senators all gave themselves a nice raise, again -- they have the three jets, a few billion worth, but no money for the cost of living. Medicare has raised premiums to $112 a month, heating gas has raised their price and groceries sky high, but no COLA for us!...

The Fourth Grade at Aviston Elementary, located in southern Illinois, is learning about the United States and the different environments, climates, resources and highlights found in each region. The kids in the class think it would be fun to receive postcards, souvenirs, resources or any information about our great country from each of the 50 states...

For several weeks we had been on the same schedule. Every night at midnight we gathered to brief the mission. Two three-ship KC-135 tanker cells would depart from Kadena AB, Okinawa, at two o'clock in the morning. We flew due west and then somewhere north of the Philippines Islands we rendezvoused with six bomb-laden B-52 bombers. The Buffs had earlier departed from Anderson AFB on the island of Guam...

Three McCook High School tennis players earned post-season honors from an outstanding 2009 season. Connor Larson, Nate Crick, and Ethan Hardin were named to the Nebraska Coaches Association All-State teams. Larson, a junior, was named the honorary captain of the first-team All-State squad. The Bison standout won his first Class B No. 1 singles state championship earlier this fall, after finishing second at state his first two years of high school competition...

The state DNR has proposed several options for the Integrated Management Plans for the Lower, Middle and Upper republican NRDs in an attempt to meet Settlement Compliance during water short years, when Harlan County Lake is below 119,000 acre feet...

Feb. 22, 1913-Oct. 24, 2009 John Fries died Saturday, Oct. 24, 2009, at Hillcrest Nursing Home in McCook, Neb., where he had been a resident since Dec. 1, 2004. John was 96. He was born on Feb. 22, 1913, south of McCook to Henry and Katherine (Bernhardt) Fries. He was baptized as a baby and confirmed at age 13 in the German Congregational Church at Culbertson, Neb. He grew up on a farm with his parents, one brother, and three sisters...