Stories from Monday, May 23, 2011

Aug. 18, 1949--Dec. 23, 2010 TRENTON, Nebraska -- Sharon Dianne (Seybold) Rotter died Dec. 23, 2010, after losing her two year battle with colon cancer at her home in La Mesa, California her family by her side. A memorial service for her is Friday, 10:30 a.m., at St. James Catholic Church in Trenton. A luncheon, provided by the St. James Altar Society, will follow the service...

The McCook High School girls 1,600-meter relay quartet of, left to right, Kelsea Geschwentner, Emilyne Nichols, Jessa Sughroue and Molly Sughroue celebrate before they take the podium to receive their Class B gold medals after a school-record run at the Nebraska State High School Track and Field Championships last Saturday at Burke High Stadium in Omaha. ...

Whatever your thoughts on the political ramifications of the climate change debate, Mother Nature herself is doing her best to convince us something unusual is going on. The death toll was 91 and climbing from Sunday's storms, 89 of them in Joplin, Missouri, where a huge twister rolled through the city, knocking a major hospital out of action and destroying hundreds of other businesses and homes...

Last week, we told the story of the Burlington Zephyr, Mark Twain's record speed run from McCook to Oxford in 1935, as part of the Flood Reclamation Celebration. This was indeed a memorable day in McCook's history, and the people of Southwest Nebraska were understandably proud of that speed record. But, as the late Paul Harvey would say, "Now for the rest of the story!"...

Osama bin Laden, grand master of international terrorism, has been killed dead, and I am so happy No more hiding in caves, human shields and attempts to destroy freedom, democracy, and our way of life. He was an insane madman who only knew violence...

Adam Sughroue believed he had a path pretty well mapped out as he left McCook High School in 2002 and headed for McCook Community College. "I left MCC with an associate's degree in elementary education," he said. "The plan had been, up to this point, for me to continue to pursue a degree at a four-year college that would put me in the classroom."...

There's a good news -- bad news situation going on in Nebraska that prompted me to introduce a bill in the Senate. The good news is, some of our rural communities are growing. The bad news is, there's not always enough housing to accommodate the growing population...

McCOOK, Nebraska -- The Mid-Plains Community College Board of Governors will consider authorizing the replacement of the Brooks Residence Hall chilling tower during their monthly meeting, Wednesday, at North Platte Community College. The $50,000 project would utilize funds from the 2011-12 Capital Improvement Fund and has been recommended for approval by MPCC President, Dr. Michael Chipps...

With only seven legislative days left in this year's session, things are beginning to wrap up here in the Capital City. The Unicameral advanced the redistricting bills and a compromise on the reform of the Commission of Industrial Relations in Legislative Bill 397 to Final Reading. I would like to touch on those two controversial issues this week, since many of you had contacted me regarding them...

Each year the Medicare and Social Security Trustees release annual reports conducted by nonpartisan actuaries at the Social Security Administration and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. The reports estimate future financial obligations and revenues of the programs, including the value of each program's trust fund...

OMAHA, Nebraska -- Gazette area schools were well represented in the medal haul from the 2011 Nebraska State High School Track and Field Championships. A long list of boys and girls from area schools competed in the Class C and D divisions at the annual state meet held Friday and Saturday, May 20-21, at Burke High Stadium in Omaha...

OMAHA, Nebraska -- It might be hard to compile a highlight film for the McCook High School boys and girls track and field teams from the 2011 Nebraska State High School Track and Field Championships. Not hard to find a long list of highlights, but rather which highlight or highlights to use to open, or end, the presentation...

OMAHA, Nebraska -- The rest of the Class B girls state high school track and field teams will probably be happy they won't have to watch McCook's Jessa Sughroue run an anchor leg on a Bison relay team ever again. Sughroue had two great runs at the 2011 Nebraska State High School Track and Field Championships May 20-21 at Burke High Stadium in Omaha to lead the Bison girls to fourth place in the final team standings...