Stories from Friday, March 29, 2013

Kathryn George Feb. 7, 1920 - March 24, 2013 FORT MORGAN. Colorado -- Kathryn George, 93, longtime Morgan County educator, passed away Sunday evening, March 24, 2013, at the Colorado Plains Medical Center in Fort Morgan. Kathryn was born on her grandfather's homestead in Red Willow County, Nebraska, near Danbury, to Clyde and Rita Weyeneth on Feb. 7, 1920...

Family Features The ingredients for an easy weekend breakfast or a special Easter brunch may be in your pantry right now. Holidays are the perfect time to sprinkle additional creativity or fresh new thinking into meals for family and friends and -- by using staples like pancake mix, syrup and instant mashed potatoes in unexpected ways -- you can craft new and deli­cious dishes sure to make everyone smile...

80th birthday The family of Phillip B. Fornoff is requesting a card shower in honor of his 80th birthday. He was born April 9, 1933, at Palisade, Nebraska. Cards of congratulations will reach him at P.O. Box 155, Hayes Center, NE 69032.

60th anniversary Melvin and Glenva Unger of McCook will celebrate their 60th wedding anniversary April 5. Their children are David and Dan of McCook, Nebraska and Garry of California. Cards of congratulations will reach them at 912 West 14th, McCook, NE 69001...

In conversations with readers it has not been uncommon for me to credit missing out on much of my daughter's childhood as an experience that equipped me with what I believe to be an inordinate amount of patience, pertaining to the complexities of parenting. Patience which I have foolishly prided myself on, and Declan has regularly tested the limits of...

69th anniversary Gail and Elsie Probasco of Bartley, Nebraska, will celebrate their 69th wedding anniversary Feb. 26. Cards of congratulations will reach them at Box 151 Bartley, NE 69020.

Kyler Ray Hoyt Brandon and Jennifer Hoyt of McCook, Nebraska, announce the birth of their son, Kyler Ray Hoyt, born Nov. 12, 2012, at Community Hospital of McCook. He weighed 7 pounds, 11 ounces and measured 20 inches long. He has a sister, Ashlyn 12-years-old and brother, Kasyn, 2-1/2-years old. ...

Zayla Isabelle Willow Lambert Chelsea and Tad Lambert of Arlington, Nebraska, announce the birth of their daughter, Zayla Isabelle Willow Lambert, born Feb. 15, 2013, at Fremont, Nebraska. She weighed 8 pounds, 6 ounces and measured 21 inches long. ...

50th anniversary Kenneth and Myrna (Schafer) Amen of Norfolk, Nebraska will celebrate their 50th wedding anniverssary April 7. They were married in Culbertson, Nebraska, in 1963. Their family includes children, Connie Amen, Karen (Hans) Ruge, Michael (Tammy) Amen and Mark (Kathy) Amen all of Norfolk, eight grandchildren, two step-grandchildren and four great grandchildren. Cards of congratulations will reach them at 54683 Half Mile Road, Norfolk, NE 68701...

By Susan Doak SW Nebraska Genealogy Society McCOOK, Nebraska -- To celebrate with our McCook LDS church the beautiful new addition at 411 Elizabeth Lane that they have built, this column will be dedicated to the gift of information provided by their members, saving the records of our country's history...

Courtesy photo Five generations Five generations of the Johnson family gathered for a photo at Donna Hinton Swanson's 90th birthday celebration. They include, from left, Brad Herrick, grandfather, of North Platte; Lorraine Herrick, great-grandmother, of Champion; Donna Swanson (Johnson),great-great grandmother, of North Platte, holding baby Mason Richardson of Curtis; Brandon Richardson, father, of Curtis...

84th birthday The family of Catherine Boyle VanArsdale of Grayslake, Illinois, is requesting a card shower in honor of her 84th birthday. She was born April l, 1929, in Stratton, Nebraska and taught at McCook Elementary schools. Her family includes husband,Jim VanArsdale; children, Don, Elizabeth,Janet and Hugh of Grayslake and two grandchildren. Daughter of Pat and Winnie Boyle of Stratton. Cards of congratulations will reach her at 1102 Pegusus Ct., Grayslake, IL 60030...

Our feathered friends were flat out of luck March 24, as a snowstorm moved through the area, shutting down this backyard bird feeder. Mary Pate of McCook, Nebraska, got this shot, using these settings: 1/640; 135mm; F 5.6; ISO 100. The McCook Daily Gazette would love to showcase your weather photos. ...

McCOOK, Nebraska -- McCook, Nebraska -- Laura Ford, a florist for more than 25 years and owner of Country Floral Design and Gift, has sold her floral shop to Rusty and Jackie Park of McCook. The Parks have owned McCook Greenhouse and Floral Design for the past 25 years with Jackie being noted as a "Nebraska Master Florist," she has been in the floral business a total of 30 years...

Dear Friend, Intro: At this special time of the year, many Christians are drawn closer to the Lord as they remember His death, burial and resurrection, especially now as they anticipate the rapture. A DEPARTED SCEPTER The first pale fingers of dawn were just beginning to creep across the Jordan hills. ...

I have bad news. Researchers have confirmed that planet Earth is headed toward an apocalypse. Yes, I know that the Mayan calendar is in our rearview mirrors, and we have all returned to paying our credit card bills, mortgages, and car payments once again. But we have not escaped celestial disaster...

Sometimes we have weeks that completely take us off guard. Situations in life arise so quickly and unexpectedly and we wonder at times how we can handle it all. Stress seems overwhelming and we fight to maintain a balance so that we still get done the things we are expected to get done while at the same time working out in our minds how to respond to life's situations without doing something completely stupid in the process. ...

The Nebraska National Guard had earned several significant national awards in recent months and I would like to talk more about these awards as well as several other significant events involving the men and women of our Nebraska National Guard. Members of the Nebraska National Guard's Joint Force Headquarters air staff learned they had been awarded their second-consecutive U.S. ...

Jessica Laskowski of New York explains that the antenna on top of her truck is for tracking pheasants, not better television reception. She and fellow University of Nebraska graduate student Lindsey Messinger of Longmont, Colo., are working on the project in cooperation with the Nebraska Game & Parks Commission, Pheasants Forever and other agencies as part of the Southwest Focus on Pheasants Partnership project formed in 2010. ...

LINCOLN, Nebraska -- The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission is seeking information in an investigation of deer shot and left in Red Willow County. Between March 20 and March 22, three mule deer were shot and left near an abandoned farm northwest of Indianola. One of the deer was left alive but injured when a conservation officer investigated the site March 23...

My playing partner and I are purists when it comes to the rules of golf. Although we're not very good, we always play by the rules. It makes golf much more enjoyable. Instead of having to watch the other guy like a hawk to make sure he isn't cheating, we can attend to our own game and get the most out of it we can. Some say rules were made to be broken; I think they were made to be abided by...

After attending the hearing March 25 and listening to the testimony given by the folks attending, I have to make a few comments. I am convinced the people are served well by Red Willow Health Department. I am also convinced that those attending were mostly low income elderly...

I attended the public hearing on March 25 regarding the potential closure of Red Willow County Health Department. The meeting was not about Southwest Nebraska Public Health Department (SWNPHD). SWNPHD asked to present information about their services to Red Willow county commissioners on March 5. ...

The question of how best to provide health care services has been controversial for years, all the way from "Obamacare" on the national level to the question of the role of local and regional health departments, which fills a good portion of the rest of this page today...

McCOOK, Nebraska -- The McCook Game On store is hosting a free gaming event Saturday in celebration of International Table Top Day. The event is open to the public and focuses on providing an opportunity to learn and play new board and card games. Participants will be treated to free pizza throughout the day, provided by Pizza Hut, with activities scheduled from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. at Game On's Westview Plaza location...

EUSTIS, Nebraska -- The Eustis Farmers Cooperative Association membership voted to merge with Ag Valley Coop effective April 1, 2013. "Ag Valley Coop Board, Management and Staff are pleased to welcome the members of Farmers Coop in Eustis to become part of the Ag Valley Cooperative family. ...

McCOOK, Nebraska -- An improvement project that will provide East H Street with a new concrete roadway and sidewalk handicap ramps will likely move a step closer to groundbreaking Monday evening when the McCook City Council considers approval of the engineering services contract for the project. Councilors will consider the contract between the City of McCook and W. Design Associates during their regularly scheduled meeting, 7:30 p.m., at the Municipal Facility on West C Street...

McCOOK, Nebraska -- The McCook Fire Department coordinated a "call in mayday, firefighter in trouble" training course recently that taught firefighters reaction techniques when faced with life threatening scenarios during a fire call. The training focused on simulating scenarios of when a ceiling collapses on firefighters; how they should react to becoming entangled by wires or cords; what to do when the floor collapses underneath them; and proper procedures to use in an scenario when they become separated, disoriented or lose track of their location.. ...

Kids scramble for Easter eggs and other goodies at MNB's Sparky's Annual Easter Egg Hunt Thursday in Norris Park.