Stories from Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Sept. 27, 1933 - Feb. 16, 2010 CAMBRIDGE -- Phyllis Smith, 76, died Tuesday (Feb. 16, 2010) at Methodist Hospital. She was born Sept. 27, 1933, to Bessie Ogorzolka and Bill Downey. She grew up on a farm south of Cambridge, attended Cambridge schools and graduated from Cambridge High School in 1951...

Oct. 22, 1933 - Feb. 16, 2010 Mary Pauline Hanna, 76, died Tuesday (Feb. 16, 2010) at Hillcrest Nursing Home in McCook. She was born Mary Pauline Gieber on Oct. 22, 1933, in Ogden, Kan., to John and Lela (Cummings) Gieber. She married the love of her life, Rex Hanna, Jr. ...

The Bureau of Reclamation hopes to know how to fix Red Willow Dam by November and have funding from Congress in time for construction contracts to be issued during the summer of 2011. The agency plans a public meeting Thursday evening to address Red Willow Dam's condition and what will be done about it...

The City of McCook will file a petition in District Court to legally remove nuisances on property at 305 East 12. The McCook City Council unanimously approved the petition Monday night at the regular council meeting. City Attorney Nate Schneider noted that it would be a 30-day process and if during that time the property owner removes abandoned structures the McCook Health Department has identified as a nuisance, the city could settle the case and have it dismissed...

The Buffalo Commons Storytelling Festival has been awarded a grant of $3,236 by the Nebraska Arts Council to support the 2010 Storytelling Festival on June 11 and 12. The annual event will feature national storyteller Tim Tingle, an Oklahoma Choctaw, and Anne and Pete Sibley from Jackson, Wyo., Winners of the 2009 Great American Duet Sing-Off on NPR's "A Prairie Home Companion."...

From computers and canoes, to siding and saunas, there will be something for everyone at the Home and Leisure Show this weekend at the Army Reserve Training Center, 400 Airport Road. The event will bring together about 65 vendors under one roof, beginning Friday from 4-8 p.m. and continuing Saturday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Sunday, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Food will also be available with Catering Plus...

How serious do we want to get about teen drinking in Nebraska? Lawmakers are dealing with that decision in Lincoln this week with the debate of what is basically the "nuclear option" when it comes to teen discipline. Sen. John Harms' LB285 would require that teens have their drivers licenses suspended if convicted of minor-in-possession of alcohol. ...

The heart is deceitful above all things. So much so that we can successfully hide the deepest darkness in the recesses of our hearts, buried so deep that it can't be seen. In fact, if no one comes around to shine a light on that darkness, the darkness is likely to remain, growing blacker by the day...

HAYES CENTER -- A South Dakota woman accused of criminal mischief and theft in Hayes County tells a convoluted story about getting lost while driving a black stretch limousine to an abandoned farm structure and stealing a calf because she was "lonely and wanted a friend."...

LINCOLN -- The Nebraska State Patrol has begun training on three Light Armored Vehicles surplussed by the Nebraska Army National Guard. The LAV-25 is an all terrain, all weather light armored personnel carrier. Built by General Dynamics, the LAV-25 is an amphibious vehicle capable of forging streams, rivers and inland waterways...

Both Gazette area teams in the girls Class C2-11 Sub-District Basketball Tournament semifinals at McCook High School saw their seasons come to an end Tuesday, Feb. 16. Chase County and Dundy County-Stratton were eliminated in semifinal action at the Senior High gym. Chase County dropped a 51-43 decision to Perkins County in Tuesday's opening game. Dundy County-Stratton lost a 54-45 decision to North Platte St. Pat's in the nightcap...

As the Furnas County Republicans met on Thursday, Sen. Mark Christensen was present to visit with and listen to those in attendance. Among the legislative bills discussed was LB 443, a bill "relating to adult businesses and sexually oriented businesses that seeks to provide for the regulation of such businesses and to provide penalties" in cases of violations...

McCook High School will send five wrestlers to the 2010 Nebraska Class B State High School Wrestling Championships. Bison head coach Nick Umscheid is hoping the handful of McCook competitors can find individual success at state. The three-day state meet, at the Qwest Center in Omaha, opens at 8:30 a.m. Thursday, Feb. 18, with first-round matches in Class B and C...

February 17, 2010 -- Today, Nebraska's Senator Ben Nelson made these comments about the impact on the Nebraska economy from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 Congress passed a year ago today. Nelson played a key bipartisan role in focusing the legislation on tax cuts for the middle class and targeted spending to address the nation's economic crisis...

As time winds down, we reflect on the past nine months of serving our country. We go on countless missions to support other bases and fellow soldiers driving through the crowded streets of Baghdad, scanning the sides of the roads for the next roadside bomb -- not knowing if that piece of garbage is going to explode or whether it's simply just another piece garbage sitting idly by the wayside. ...