Stories from Friday, December 17, 2010

FAMILY FEATURES -- The holidays are filled with time-honored traditions -- and none of them are sweeter than the celebratory memories you bake each year in your kitchen. Here are some foolproof tips to make sure this year's baking goes off without a hitch...

The family of Steve and LaDonna Harrison is hosting an open house celebration in honor of the couple's 50th wedding anniversary. They were married Dec. 27, 1960, in the church at Danbury. Their family includes their children, Donnalea Harrison of Oberlin, Kansas, and Doug and Deanna Harrison of Lebanon; and three grandsons. ...

McCOOK, Nebraska -- The family of Larry and Judy Hall of McCook is requesting a card shower in honor of the couple's 50th wedding anniversary. They were married Dec. 20, 1960, in McCook. Their family includes their children, Greg and Carri Hall, Mike and Dawn Hall, Jeff Hall and Mack and Joni Kivlehen; and three grandchildren. Cards of congratulations will reach the couple at 307 West 4th, McCook, NE 69001...

The family of Mike and Roxy Lang of Wilsonville, Nebraska, is requesting a card shower in honor of the couple's 40th wedding anniversary. They were married Jan. 2, 1971, at United Methodist Church in Wilsonville. Their family includes their children, Jeremy Lang of McCook and Nic Lang, stationed in Iraq; and four grandchildren. Cards of congratulations will reach them at Mike and Roxy Lang, 70427 Road 415, Wilsonville, NE 69046...

Sherman and Sarah Jo Tegtmeier of Bennington, Nebraska, announce the birth of a son, Emmett Wade Tegtmeier. He was born Sept. 27, 2010, at Lakeside Hospital in Omaha weighing 8 pounds and 7 ounces and measuring 22 inches long. Grandparents of the newborn are Joe and Jody Frazier of McCook and Roger and Julie Tegtmeier of Burchard, Nebraska. Great-grandparents are Doug and Vicky Peterson of Gothenburg, Nebraska and Jeannine Kamen of Burchard...

Jason and Bridget Bryant of North Platte announce the birth of a son, Easton Trey Bryant. He was born Dec. 3, 2010, at Great Plains Regional Medical Center in North Platte weighing 7 pounds 4 ounces and measuring 21 inches long. Grandparents of the newborn include Tim and Lynette Hammond of Long Island, Kansas, and Steve and Cathy Bryant of McCook. ...

The family of Clemens Kogl is requesting a card shower in honor of his 80th birthday , Dec. 27. Cards of congratulations will reach him at 71102 Rd 373, Culbertson, NE 69024.

March 25, 1976--Dec. 15, 2010 WESTMINSTER, Colorado -- Scott Daniel Schram, 34, died Wednesday (Dec. 15, 2010), ending a 15-year, courageous struggle with mental illness. On March 25, 1976, in Ord, Nebraska, Scott was born to Daniel Roy and Michele Ann Diehl Schram. ...

Oct. 16, 1918--Dec. 14, 2010 HASTINGS, Nebraska -- Varnum "Barney" W. Millard, 92, passed away Tuesday (Dec. 14, 2010), at Mary Lanning Memorial HealthCare in Hastings. Varnum was born Oct. 16, 1918, in Hastings to Benjamine Franklin and Francis E. (Munden) Millard. He graduated from Hastings High School...

July 19, 1930--Dec. 16, 2010 McCOOK, Nebraska -- Eldred Ruth Cobb, 80, entered the presence of her Heavenly Father on Thursday (Dec. 16, 2010), while residing at Hillcrest Nursing Home in McCook. Eldred was born on July 19, 1930, to Ralph and Nellie (Nuding) Carpenter in the Township of Eden, in Hitchcock County, Nebraska. She graduated from Stratton High School in 1947...

Aug. 24, 1932--Nov. 5, 2010 BUFFALO, Missouri -- Vera Virginia Bower died Nov. 5, 2010, at her home. She was born Aug. 24, 1932, to Earl and Mary Fuller. She spent most of her young life in McCook, Nebraska. On April 26, 1950, she was married to Walt Bower...

May 3, 1969--Dec. 4, 2010 MAX, Nebraska -- Melissa Kaye Harvey, 41, died Saturday (Dec. 4, 2010), at Benner Estrella Health Center in Phoenix, Arizona. She was born May 3, 1969, in Burlington, Colorado to James R. and Maryann E. (Kalb) Harvey. She lived with her family in Max, Nebraska and was a graduate of Benkelman High School in 1987...

Sally and I recently announced our preliminary plans for the 2011 Inauguration. I want to extend a personal invitation to all Nebraskans to be part of our Inaugural celebrations. For this inauguration, we are creating the opportunity for more Nebraskans to take part in the celebration by holding four Inaugural events in Scottsbluff-Gering, Grand Island, Lincoln, and Omaha in early January...

McCOOK, Nebraska -- Community Theatre Directors announced this week the results of auditions for the spring musical, "The Music Man." More than 60 persons attended two, three hour-sessions and 43 were selected to begin rehearsals Jan. 2 at McCook High School Auditorium...

McCOOK, Nebraska -- The McCook City Council will conduct a public hearing to authorize the sale of a portion of Kelley Park to McCook Community College during its regular meeting, 7:30 p.m. Monday at council chambers. The city staff has recommended that the purchase agreement between the two be approved on one reading and asked for suspension of the three reading rule. The college is planning to use the property to build an events center in April of 2011...

McCOOK, Nebraska -- The McCook, Nebraska, man didn't fall for the line fed to him by the man calling on his cell phone, but he's concerned that the same heavy-handed approach could frighten someone else into sending money to the caller. The McCook man, who asked that his name not be used, said he received a call from a man speaking with a heavy India accent who identified himself as "Jason Barker," and whose phone number came up as "0000" on caller identification...

A 69-page report on possible cuts for the Nebraska state budget illustrates just how difficult it is to rein in spending when federal and state programs are so intertwined. The state definitely has a problem; last month a group of state lawmakers estimated the budget would be $986 million in the hole over the next two and a half years. That was better than the $1.4 billion budget gap predicted by the state economic forecasting board last October...

When we were children, we all grew up with the same myths and then we perpetuate those same myths when we become parents and grandparents. We were raised to believe that there's a fat, jolly little man who lives at the North Pole with his wife and their elves and once a year, he hooks up his flying reindeer and jets around the world in one night, delivering presents to all the boys and girls...

LINCOLN, Nebraska -- The Nebraska Department of Economic Development (DED) has awarded $1,217,000 in Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funding to Chambers, Clarks, Hayes Center, and Wolbach to rehabilitate and overhaul water and wastewater systems...

American families are preparing for the holiday season, and doing so by paying the highest fuel prices in two years. Nationwide, gas prices are a hair's breadth from $3.00 a gallon and they are clocking in at $2.99 in Nebraska. This is up from $1.81 when President Obama took office...