Stories from Wednesday, December 16, 2009

Sept. 7, 1923 - Dec. 15, 2009 William J Trehal, 86, passed away early morning of Dec. 15, 2009, at his home in McCook, with his grandson present. He was born Sept. 7, 1923, at home in McCook, the son of late William Walker Trehal and Esther Amelia Ebert Trehal. ...

The weather was in the 30s in Washington D.C. this morning, but Sen. Ben Nelson shouldn't have had any trouble feeling the heat, so to speak. If the blogs were to be believed, he had been threatened by the White House with the closing of Offutt Air Force base, with its 10,000 jobs and $2 billion impact on Nebraska's economy, if he didn't supply the 60th vote for the Senate's health care bill...

I wish to thank Mike Hendricks for his article on the opinion page of the McCook Daily Gazette of Dec. 11, 2009. He certainly was correct (and exposed) the partisan politics of the Republican congressmen and senators as they vote on any bills brought up in Congress by the Democrats, or solutions to our problems as a nation by the Obama administration...

It's a common human malady. And there is no escaping it. Furthermore, we are all slaves to it, with little hope of rescue. Yet we deny that it exists, refusing to believe it has any power over any of us, let alone all of us, as if by denying it we can overcome it...

LINCOLN -- Republican River Basin Natural Resources Districts were back in court Monday, defending the constitutionality of an occupation tax collected on irrigated acres in the Republican Basin in 2008. A lawsuit filed by several Republican River basin landowners against the State of Nebraska and the Upper, Middle and Lower Republican Natural Resources Districts, claims that the occupation tax brought on by LB701 is unconstitutional, as it is only imposed upon residents of the Republican River basin while the returns from those taxes directly benefit the State of Nebraska by helping to achieve compliance with the Republican River Compact.. ...

The value of the dollar has taken a beating in recent months, but Chamber Santa Cash is still a strong currency at the McCook Chamber of Commerce. Only a few days remain for shoppers to exchange their receipts from participating local businesses for the unusual-looking greenbacks. After Saturday's Chamber Santa Cash auction, they will become worthless...

Greg Fyn, left, and Greg Wolford lower a new time capsule into a new cornerstone for the Masonic Temple Building, during a cornerstone rededication ceremony Saturday morning at the lodge in downtown McCook. The building's original 300-pound marble cornerstone was removed and its copper time capsule opened in late 2008, preparing for the building's 100th anniversary. ...

COZAD -- The McCook High School basketball girls can't seem to change their script early this season. The Bison girls got off to a strong start Tuesday night at Cozad. But turnovers came back to haunt McCook's varsity in a 50-42 loss to the Haymakers...

MCCOOK, Neb. --Southwest Nebraska Public Health Department (SWNPHD) has investigated a case of whooping cough within the last two weeks. It is important to know the signs and symptoms of whooping cough and to get appropriate treatment. The following information is provided by the American Academy of Family Physicians...

MILWAUKEE -- The Internal Revenue Service is looking for 397 Nebraska taxpayers who have refund checks waiting for them totaling $359,002 that were returned to the IRS as undeliverable. The refund checks, averaging $904, can be sent soon as taxpayers update their addresses with the IRS...