Stories from Monday, November 1, 2010

During the contentious debate surrounding the health care bill, Nancy Pelosi famously said, "We have to pass the bill so you can find out what is in it." Now that it is passed, however, there seems to be more confusion than ever. Even Andy Griffith is getting into the debate, starring in a round of Medicare television advertisements as part of a nationwide, taxpayer-funded campaign...

Feb. 15, 1920--Oct. 30, 2010 McCook, Nebraska -- Veldron W. Hall, 90, died Saturday (Oct. 30, 2010), at the Hillcrest Nursing in McCook. She was born Feb. 15, 1920 in Red Willow County, Nebraska, the daughter of the late Charles and Millie (Reinheimer) Williams. ...

Dec. 8, 1950--Oct. 28, 2010 DRESDEN, Kansas -- Steve E. Kathka, 59, died Thursday (Oct. 28, 2010), at his residence in Dresden. He was born Dec. 8, 1950, in Oberlin, Kansas to Elmer and Colleen (White) Kathka. He was raised in Oberlin and graduated from Oberlin Elementary, Decatur Community High School, and St. John's Military. He was a member of the U.S. Army National Guard...

April 15, 1920--Oct. 17, 2010 AVA, Missouri -- Captain Herschel Arnold Pahl (USN, retired), 90, died Oct. 17, 2010, at Heart of the Ozarks Care Center in Ava. He was born April, 15, 1920, on a farm east of Cambridge, Nebraska, to Arnold E "Art" and Mary (Keene) Pahl...

McCOOK, Nebraska -- A Bartley, Nebraska, man was arrested in McCook, Nebraska, early this morning, and his son at his home in Bartley on charges stemming from an accident that severely injured another Bartley man in August. Red Willow County Sheriff Gene Mahon said this morning that his officers arrested Leslie J. Sides, 52, of Bartley, in his semi-tractor trailer rig at 4:45 a.m., today, at East First and B in McCook. Sides' son, Eric J., was arrested at 7:45 a.m., at his home in Bartley...

For a New York City lawyer, Theodore C. Sorensen was the consummate Nebraskan. With a dry sense of humor -- a la Johnny Carson or Dick Cavett -- as well as heavy dose of responsibility and work ethic, not to mention an unmatched ability to turn a phrase, Ted Sorensen found himself in the front lines of history...

Very early pre-history Egyptian paintings and carvings have depicted adults and children walking with canes, with the withered legs common to Polio victims, and doctors have described the symptoms of the disease named Poliomyelitis since the 1700s, yet wide-spread outbreaks of that disease were rare until the 20th century. ...

Employers and employees have been hard hit by the soaring costs of providing company health care benefits and, in an attempt to lower costs, are initiating employee wellness programs as a way to decrease healthcare costs, reduce absenteeism, and increase productivity...

April 30, 1926--Oct. 30, 2010 McCOOK, Nebraska -- Phyllis Bettie Sydow, 84, died Saturday (Oct. 30, 2010), at the McCook Community Hospital in McCook with her family around her bedside. Bettie was born April 30, 1926 in Central City, Colorado, the daughter of the late Alford and May FeEtta (Wenger) Rowe...

Dear Friends: Nebraska businesses operate in a global marketplace. In 2009 Nebraska companies exported $4.8 billion in products, with businesses in Canada, Mexico, Japan and China our leading customers. When I traveled to Asia in 2007, I was amazed by the opportunities for our state's businesses. I came away convinced that with targeted outreach and collaboration, Nebraska could continue to increase its share of the global marketplace...