Stories from Thursday, November 11, 2010

Feb. 1, 1947--Nov. 9, 2010 McCOOK, Nebraska -- Van Ray Stevens was born Feb. 1, 1947, to Thomas Preston and Margaret (Ryan) Stevens at St. Catherine's Hospital in McCook. He left us quickly and quietly before we were ready for him to walk another path on Nov. 9, 2010, at Community Hospital...

June 10, 1920--Nov. 7, 2010 SNYDER, Colorado -- Betty Thompson, 90, longtime Snyder area resident, died Sunday (Nov. 7, 2010), at her home. She was born June 10, 1920, in Brush, Colorado to Ted and Zita Metz. She lived in Morgan County most of her life except for the few years she lived near McCook, Nebraska and graduated from McCook High School...

MAYWOOD, Nebraska -- A young Lakota man who grew up learning the ways of nature and respect for all people was working construction and building ammunition bunkers at Hastings, Nebraska, when the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941. Sibby LeBeau, now 87 years old and living in Grand Island, told students and teachers at a Veterans Day assembly at Maywood Public Schools Wednesday that he tried to join the military then, but he'd turned just 18 in August -- he would need his parents' permission. ...

HAYES CENTER, Nebraska -- Thieves have helped themselves to 2,500 gallons of diesel fuel from a key-operated fueling station near Hayes Center in the last two-three months. The Hayes Center Times-Republican reports that during the first week of November, thieves pried loose padlocks on reservoir caps, dragged a pump through the evergreen windbreak that borders the east side of the fueling area, ran a hose through the trees and pumped 1,500 gallons of diesel from two underground storage tanks at the fueling station on Highway 25 just south of Hayes Center.. ...

I enjoy receiving reader response. For one it is a comfort to know there are people out there reading the column, and two, I enjoy hearing how excited some of you are when you make a discovery for yourself. In this case the reader, who lives in the Valentine, Nebraska area, said she had used the directions printed recently for finding the Andromeda Galaxy. She said that once she had located Pegasus and followed the two arms of the Andromeda constellation it was right there and she could see it...

We'll hear a lot of talk about sacrifice on today's Veteran's Day observance, and with good reason. We hope you enjoy today's story about Sibby LeBeaux -- a Native American who fought for a country that had arguably mistreated his people to the point of genocide...

I hope city officials don't injure themselves patting themselves on the back for the vote on Nov. 2 that gave them 51⁄2 million of our tax dollars to coddle 40 employees. There are those of us who will fight even when we know our chances are slim and none; however their victory was a result of their having the benefit of a stacked deck...

Many many thanks to you and your staff for the wonderful full-page color coverage you gave our third annual Haigler Tumbleweed Festival and celebration of the completion of the 3-year-project completion of the Country School house Museum. We all really appreciate it! It is great to indeed have a community newspaper that includes our small town happenings...

When was the last time you saw such interest in a Nebraska Beef Council (the beef checkoff board) election? Let me tell you what it is all about. First a little history: Half of the beef checkoff funds collected in any state go to the Cattlemen's Beef Board (CBB). ...

OBERLIN, Kansas -- An Oberlin man was killed Wednesday morning when his northbound SUV crossed the centerline and struck the trailer of a southbound truck about a mile south of Oberlin. According to the Kansas Highway Patrol, Michael Leroy Quakenbush, 26, wasn't wearing a seatbelt and was pronounced dead at the scene after his vehicle struck the trailer of a semi, being driven south on U.S. ...