Stories from Wednesday, December 28, 2011

I remember going to see the first of the recent "Sherlock Holmes" films in a theater, looking forward to seeing how Robert Downey, Jr., would accord himself. Downey is widely considered one of the better actors of his generation; even when he's starring in special effects-laden extravaganzas (which seems to be all the time nowadays), his charisma and live-wire energy makes him pop off the screen as much as the CGI...

Jerel 'Jerry' Keith Taul Jan. 9, 1948 - Dec. 27, 2011 NORTH PLATTTE, Nebraska --Jerel "Jerry" Taul, 63, of North Platte, former long-time Trenton resident, died Dec. 27, 2011 at his home in North Platte. He was born Jan. 9, 1948, at Stratton, Nebraska to Clarence and Ella (Seybold) Taul. He graduated from the Nebraska School of Agriculture at Curtis in 1967...

Say what you will about Sen. Ben Nelson; he never forgot his home town. Nelson, 70, announced Tuesday that he has decided "it is time to move on." We believe him when he says he plans to "look for new ways to serve our state and nation." As it turned out, Nelson, the Senate's most conservative Democrat, may have sealed his decision back in 2009, when he cast the deciding vote to pass the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, now usually derided as "Obamacare." In doing so, he drew the ire of pro-life forces such as Nebraska Right to Life, which had held out for specific language not included in the final version. ...

LINCOLN--Back in the early months of 1960, then presidential hopeful John F. Kennedy trekked to the Nebraska Secretary of State's office to file as a Democratic candidate for president in the state's primary election. Those were the days when serious presidential contenders campaigned in Nebraska in the months leading up to the two major political parties' summer nominating conventions. ...

Growing up in the metropolitan Denver area meant that we had a choice between two amusement parks, Lakeside Amusement Park and the more well-known and much lauded Elitch Gardens, my personal favorite. I write of the original Elitch Gardens, complete with shaded boulevards, gorgeous flower gardens (hence the name) and well-shaded family picnic areas. (I've never dropped a dime at the "new" Elitch Gardens, though my children love it.)...

McCOOK, Nebraska -- McCook City Councilmen Aaron Kircher and Shane Hilker received a letter from city attorney Nate Schneider, just prior to the Christmas weekend, that requested their decision to "acknowledge or not acknowledge" the forfeiture of their offices. ...

McCook City Councilman Aaron Kircher delivered the following letter to city officials on Tuesday: December 27, 2011 To: Nate Schneider, City Attorney J. Jeff Hancock, City Manager Jerry Calvin, City Council Member Mike Gonzales, City Council Member Dennis Berry, Mayor...

Construction workers put up beams for Eugene Koch's new warehouse and soybean treatment building in northwest McCook. Unseasonably warm weather should help speed progress on that and several other building projects around the area this week. McCook is on track to be 3 inches below normal precipitation for the year, however...