Stories from Thursday, December 17, 2009

CURTIS -- After a lot of foot-dragging, nearly three hours of discussion and, by barely a majority, board members of the Middle Republican Natural Resources District reluctantly chose to consider shutting down irrigation to those closest to the river in water-short years...

Southwest Nebraska Public Health Department 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:...

First it was seasonal flu. Then it was H1N1 or "swine" flu. Now comes a report that a case of pertussis, or "whooping cough," has been reported in Southwest Nebraska. At this rate, it's going to be a long winter ... What's pertussis like? First, you cough for several minutes at a time, and after you cough, you may make a "whooping" sound when you breathe in. You might even vomit or stop breathing for a few seconds after coughing...

Are you in the market for something astronomical for someone, but don't want to put out the bucks for a telescope? How about a nice pair of binoculars? After all, binoculars are just two small telescopes placed side-by-side. Just as with telescopes, the measure of a pair of binoculars is aperture. The bigger the aperture, the more light that can be gathered and delivered to your retina...

Jan. 15, 1931 - Dec. 15, 2009 OBERLIN -- Gwendolyn Jean Quaduor Farr, 78, died Tuesday (Dec. 15, 2009), at the Good Samaritan Hospital in Kearney. She was born Jan. 15, 1931, in Cambridge, to Rudolph Henry Quaduor and Delma Faye Keeney. She grew up on the family farm north of Lebanon and attended Lebanon schools...

WASHINGTON -- Today, Nebraska's Senator Ben Nelson praised provisions in an abortion compromise adding new teen pregnancy initiatives and tax credits for adoption, while saying that the language working to ban public funding of abortion is not sufficient at this point...