Stories from Tuesday, December 15, 2009

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has provided a summary of its latest analysis of the cap-and-trade bill, and we now have a clearer picture of just how much damage the bill would do to agriculture. Several of my Senate colleagues and I requested the analysis in July, and it's taken USDA nearly six months to provide it. While the Senate has yet to be provided a copy of the actual analysis, the USDA testimony confirms we are right to be very worried...

McCook Elementary's two new classrooms will be added on the west side, near the center of the 41⁄2-year-old facility, rather than on the southwest as originally thought. Board of education members approved preliminary drawings of the classrooms at their monthly meeting Monday evening, authorizing Dave Wilson of W Design of McCook to proceed with working drawings and specifications for presentation and approval at an upcoming board meeting before seeking bids...

75th birthday Twin brothers, Darrel and Dwain Banzhaf, will celebrate their 75th birthday Dec. 17. Cards of congratulations will reach Darrel at 500 South St., McCook, NE 69001 and Dwain at PO Box 153, Eustis, NE 69028.

Four and a half years after the new McCook Elementary building, school officials are preparing to add on. Did the original planners leave something out? Has the population increased so much that more space is needed? Yes, there are more students entering the system, and no, planners did the best they could with the bond money available when the current project was under construction...

May 16, 1931-Dec. 11, 2009 ST. FRANCIS -- Lillian Leona Anderson was born on May 16, 1931, to Fredrick and Virginia Sass at the Sass Family Homestead 21 miles northwest of St. Francis, Kan., and left this world to meet her heavenly Father on Dec. 11, 2009, at the Good Samaritan Village in St. Francis, Kan...

Dec. 6, 1927 - Dec. 14, 2009 Robert "Mush" William Keslin, 82, died Monday (Dec. 14, 2009), at Hillcrest Nursing Home. Bob was born on Dec. 6, 1927, at Chicago, Ill., to Emil Rudolph and Mary Elizabeth (Buick) Keslinke. He graduated from Schurz High School in Chicago in 1954...

Our church has been celebrating its 125 year anniversary. We, like every other church, have had a succession of ministers through the years. Some good, some not so good (whoever heard of a bad Preacher?) and some real characters. One that had considerable influence on my life was the Reverend Laverne C. Hicks...

Feb. 13, 1929 - Dec. 13, 2009 BARTLEY -- Maxwell A. Nelms, age 80, of Bartley departed this life Dec. 13, 2009, at the Cambridge Hospital of oesophageal cancer. He was born to Marvin Arthur and Ruth Eleanor (Liston) Nelms on their farm south of Indianola, Neb., on Feb. 13, 1929. He received his grade school education at rural schools in Red Willow County, graduating from McCook High School with the class of 1946...

March 23, 1948-Dec. 12, 2009 CULBERTSON -- Sue Ruppert, 61, died Saturday, Dec. 12, 2009, at Chase County Hospital in Imperial. On March 23, 1948 she was born in McCook to Roy William and Catherine Patricia (Smith) Hamilton. Raised in McCook, she graduated from McCook High School in 1966, and from McCook Beauty Academy where she also taught. ...

June 19, 1909 - Dec. 13, 2009 TRENTON -- Grace Geraldine (Palmer) Carmody, 100, died Sunday, (Dec. 13, 2009) at El Dorado Manor in Trenton. Grace was born June 19, 1909, in Grand Island to Charles Jay and Olga (Stolley) Palmer. She lived in Grand Island and graduated from Grand Island High School. Grace worked in the business office at Northwestern Bell Telephone Company for ten years, and was then transferred to the McCook business office, and where she worked until Dec. 30, 1940...

Sept. 5, 1944 - Dec. 14, 2009 Robert "Bob" Eugene Lepper, 65, died Monday (Dec. 14, 2009), at his home in McCook. Bob was born in McCook on Sept. 5, 1944, to William Henry and Neva Wardene (Otis) Lepper. He entered the US Army in Nov. 1963, serving in Germany for two and a half years. He was then transferred to Vietnam from 1967 until 1969, where he was stationed at Bac Lieu, Phuoc Long. He was then transferred stateside to Virginia until he was honorably discharged in 1972...

May 1, 1938 - Dec. 13, 2009 OBERLIN -- Brian M. Keahey, 71, died Sunday (Dec. 13, 2009) in Tulsa Okla. He was born May 1, 1938, in Kemmerer, Wyo., to Glenn and Florence (Kelly) Keahey. He was preceded in death by his parents Glenn and Florence (Kelly) Keahey...

More than 600 people attended the inaugural presentation of "A Night in Bethlehem" at McCook Christian Church last year and the performances will be reprised this year, Saturday, Dec. 19, every 15 minutes, beginning at 4 p.m., and continuing through 8:30 p.m...