Stories from Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Aug. 15, 1937-March 27, 2011 McCOOK, Nebraska -- Dick LeRoy Baumfalk, 73, passed away Sunday, March 27, 2011, at his home in McCook. Dick was born Aug. 15, 1937, in Hitchcock County, Nebraska to Robert L. and Dorothy (Walgren) Baumfalk. He graduated from Stratton High School in 1955. On Oct. 14, 1955, he entered the U.S. Army. He was honorably discharged on July 14, 1958, and he continued to serve in the Army Reserves until Oct. 13, 1961...

July 30, 1944-March 27, 2011 SCOTIA, Nebraska -- Mari Ann Emmett, 66, died Sunday, March 27, 2011, at Tiffany Square Care Home in Grand Island, Nebraska. She was born July 30, 1944, in Hastings, Nebraska to Joe and Mary (Serf) Weiler. She was raised in Hastings and graduated from Hastings St. Cecilia High School...

June 23, 1929-March 26, 2011 DENVER, Colorado -- Madlyn Lala Larson died Saturday, March 26, 2011, at Porter Hospice Johnson Center in Denver. She was born June 23, 1929, to Vernon and Lala Gregg in McCook, Nebraska. She graduated from McCook City Schools with the class of 1947...

I've been all eyes and ears this week watching the action in Libya. It is obvious that our airpower coalition is winning the air war. Well the original term for the action was establishing a "No Fly Zone" but I see something more. For sure the Libyan Air Force, whatever that amounted to, has been put out of action. ...

A bill advanced by the Legislature on Monday has good intentions, but would have unintended consequences. And, like most measures, we will all bear the costs, through personal expenses when our child goes to school, through our taxes or in other ways...

Legislation has been introduced in almost every state to weaken or eliminate public sector employee benefits or bargaining rights. In some states, the attacks are based on ideas that public workers have such high pay and benefits that they are breaking the budget. ...

I am writing with regard to the letter posted in the open forum by Don Neel, Friday, March 25. Having spent my entire life in North Central Kansas and Southwest Nebraska, I have driven tens of thousands of miles on "un-paved" county roads. During this time I have never seen even a suggestion of a "center-line marking" on any of these roads. ...

McCOOK, Nebraska -- Red Willow County, Nebraska, commissioners will create a jail task force to spearhead the county's study into jail options. Unlike a task force five or six years ago that studied the possibility of building a joint City of McCook-county law enforcement facility, this task force will concentrate strictly on the pros and cons of a operating a county jail and continuation of the current prisoner transport procedure...

NORTH PLATTE, Nebraska -- USDA Rural Development has announced that the City of Benkelman will receive a grant of $279,000 that will be used to construct a new water treatment plant and install new water meters. The USDA funds will be leveraged with $245,000 from the City, $350,000 from a Community Development Block Grant through the Nebraska Department of Economic Development, and a $993,000 loan and $358,000 grant previously awarded by USDA Rural Development...

A trio of McCook Community College sophomores have earned post-season basketball honors. Darius Robinson, Eric Cutright and Shawn Tarver Jr. were named to the All-Nebraska Community College Athletic Conference (NCCAC) men's basketball team. Robinson also earned National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) All-Region IX honors...

Mother Nature continues to flex her early spring muscles over sporting events in southwest Nebraska. The McCook High School girls tennis team was scheduled to host Hastings in a dual meet Tuesday, March 29, at the McCook High School courts. That meet has been pushed back to Thursday, March 31, due in wet weather conditions...