Stories from Friday, August 16, 2013

This information is gathered at the McCook Public Safety Center, the McCook office of the Nebraska State Patrol, the Red Willow County Courthouse, the Red Willow County Sheriff's Office and the McCook Humane Society. Police activity Activity log...

Members of the Royal Neighbors of America, Camp 862, and members of the American Legion Auxiliary gather at Vickie's Cafe in McCook, to hear Brittany Unger's report on the 2013 Girls State event in Lincoln. RN of A and ALA co-sponsored Unger's attendance. Front from left are: Marilyn Milbauer, president of RN of A and Deb Petsch. Back row: Karen Scott; Janice Peters, secretary of RN of A; Unger; and Leslie Stramel, president of ALA...

ANAHEIM, California -- For the second year in a row, Nebraska Phi Beta Lambda (PBL) had six first place finishes at the recent National Leadership Conference held in Anaheim, Calif. Overall, Nebraska PBL finished with 41 Top Ten finishes, which placed them third in the overall state rankings behind Florida and Arkansas...

50th anniversary The family of Don and Betty Potthoff of Trenton, Nebraska are requesting a card shower in honor of the couple's 50th wedding anniversary Aug. 20. Their family includes children, Craig and Kris Potthoff of Katy, Texas, Roger and Jeana Potthoff of Lincoln, Nebraska and grandchildren, Rachel, Morgan, Michael and Logan. Cards of congratulations will reach them at Box 96, Trenton, NE 69044...

The family of Robert and Kathryn (Burton) McConville of Indianola, Nebraska, is requesting a card shower in honor of the their 60th wedding anniversary. They were married Aug. 24, at St. Catherine's Parish in Indianola. Their sons and wives, Dennis and Kem, Bob Jr. ...

30th anniversary The family of Paul and Marlene (Burbach) Goodenberger of McCook is requesting a card shower in honor of the couple's 30th wedding anniversary. They were married Aug. 20,1983, in Hartington, Nebraska. Paul grew up in Stratton, Nebraska, and Marlene grew up in Hartington. They met in college, married and have made their home since then in Southwest Nebraska. Their family includes children, Amanda Goodenberger of Kansas City, Missouri,...

Harper Marie Maxine Holt Grady David Lewis Holt Brandon and Jeree' Holt of Lincoln, Nebraska, announce the birth of their son and daughter, Grady David Lewis Holt and Harper Marie Maxine Holt, born July 23, 2013, in Lincoln. Grady weighed 6 pounds, 7 ounces and measured 21 inches long. ...

SUSAN DOAK SW Nebraska Genealogy Society McCOOK, Nebraska -- A friend of ours just won eight million dollars! Or so the man on the telephone said, all he had to do was go to Wal-Mart and purchase two cash cards. When the scam artist on the phone called him back, he was to give him the cash card numbers and the money was his! As they were talking on the phone, the sound of chickens clucking in the background added to the hilarity of this call, and no, he did not purchase two cash cards!...

As McCook's oldest continuously run family business, Klein's Motor & Electric stands by the same principles that have been their hallmark since the business began 83 years ago. "Our philosophy is pretty simple," says Don Klein. "Without customers, we have nothing. So, from the start, Klein's Motor & Electric has been dedicated to taking care of customers, doing whatever it takes to keep them going, whether that be service or parts or equipment."...

McCOOK, Nebraska -- The McCook Humane Society has received 25 "Thundershirt" jackets, innovative jackets that use gentle pressure to calm pets and ease their anxiety. The Thundershirt company has partnered with the Petfinder.com Foundation to donate Thundershirts to adoption organizations across the country. All recipients are members of Petfinder.com, the largest online database of homeless pets...

Morning fog has been common in Southwest Nebraska this summer. This shot was taken near the waste transfer station in McCook. The McCook Gazette would love to showcase your weather photos. Readers can contribute to our daily weather page, subject to space and color availability, by emailing photos to editor2@ocsmccook.com or bringing them into the Gazette offices at West First and E Streets. ...

WELLFLEET, Nebraska -- Everyone is welcome to join the fun with "Drums and Dogs" to celebrate the end of the summer and the start of the new school year! The Wellfleet United Methodist Church will be sponsoring an evening of fun and food on Sunday Aug. 25, under the shelter on the main street in Wellfleet...

GRANT, Nebraska -- It is the answer to the question everyone wants to know at the Antiques Roadshow. It is determined at the auction by the number of people who want it. There are classes at the local college to help you determine if you have trash or a treasure. "What is it Worth?" is what everyone wants to know...

Dear Friend, INTRO Man has failed miserably at establishing a just society. We see it in our own country and more so around the world, where justice doesn't have a ghost of a chance. Many people long for utopia, but because they themselves possess a sinful nature, they will NEVER be able to find it. ...

"Just who do you think you are?" Now there's a question that has been posed and pointed more than a few times. Usually it is a weaponized question of sorts, laden with accusation; or it is a declaration aimed at someone's preposterous behavior. Nevertheless, I think it is an essential question of spiritual identity...

McCOOK, Nebraska -- The congregational ministries at Memorial United Methodist Church, including the Feed My Flock Thursday dinner, the Community Garden and the Helping Hands Thrift Shop, were among the many things about the church and the McCook community that impressed the Rev. Dr. Doug Griger, the new senior pastor at MUMC. Griger replaces the Rev. Lance Clay, who has been promoted to the office of District Superintendent...

McCOOK, Nebraska -- Coming to faith and finding himself reconciled with God in 1997, Wayne Vogel was drawn to do the work of an evangelist. "I started thinking about it right after my conversion," he said. "A godly man took the time and found the words to set out the gospel message for me," he explained, "and I thought it would be a good thing to do."...

Modern medicine is amazing, but the technology involved can be prohibitively expensive -- one of the many problems Obamacare will have to address as it goes into effect. It doesn't have to be that way, if advances in technology are allowed to bring costs of medical equipment down the same way they have slashed the costs of consumer electronics...

I'm a big fan of the Godfather I and II movies, not so much Godfather III. The first two have generally been recognized as classics and every time they're on television, I watch them. They portray a side of life most of us have never been exposed to and that is the unemotional killing of people for the purpose of 'business'. ...

Officers regroup at the west Casey's convenience store Thursday afternoon after a knife-wielding man was subdued with a Taser after refusing to pay for merchandise. McCook police officers responded to the call at 704 West B at about 4:20 p.m. and were held at bay by the man, who had a 7-inch long bayonet-like knife, according to a news release. ...

McCOOK, Nebraska -- Budget hearings take up much of the agenda at Monday's meeting of the Red Willow County commissioners. Following approval of inventories for all departments at 9:15 a.m., the board will conduct a budget hearing for the sheriff, jail and emergency management at 9:30 a.m., and for the County Health Department at 10 a.m...

Construction crews put the finishing touches earlier this week on east H Street, which is now open to traffic all the way to Airport Road. Kyle Potthoff, public works director for the City of McCook, expressed his appreciation to the public for its cooperation over the course of construction of the $1.6 million project...

McCOOK, Nebraska -- A proposed city skateboard and BMX bike park is scheduled to return for discussion by the McCook City Council Monday evening. During their regularly scheduled meeting, 7:30 p.m. at the Municipal Center, the McCook City Council will consider authorizing a letter from city staff to the McCook School District officially requesting donation of school property for a city skate park...

McCOOK, Nebraska -- Several charges were dismissed against a McCook man arrested along with three others following a traffic stop near Norris Park in July. 34-year-old Jason M. Stephens of 906 East E. Street Apt. C accepted a plea agreement last week in Red Willow County District Court that pleaded no contest to the lone charge of Class IV felony possession of methamphetamine. ...

Ray Schmidtberger, from left, Anthony Pfeifer and Tim Pfeifer perform "I'm A Believer" at MNB's final Hot Summer Nights concert of the season. Anthony and the Anamals, a popular area band, performed for a large, appreciative crowd at Norris Park.

McCOOK, Nebraska -- With metal theft more and more common in Southwest Nebraska, the Red Willow County Sheriff's Office has issued the following advice to farmers and other rural residents: Metal theft has become a widespread problem across the nation. ...

They need to be able to eat it in 20 min­utes or less. They need to be able to open and close all of the containers themselves. And it can't go bad before they eat it. What are we talking about? The lunch your kids take to school each day. What you put in your child's lunchbox might matter more than you realize...

The Last week, President Obama announced in a speech he would be willing to look at reforming the corporate tax code, but only if a sizeable portion of the savings would be used for more government spending. While the President's interest in corporate tax reform is a welcome sign, this plan does not address the underlying need for tax reform...

Nebraskans are no strangers to the stories of wasteful government spending. The most egregious examples are well documented by my colleague, Senator Tom Coburn (R-OK), in his annual "Wastebook" and other reports. They range in activities that are anywhere from strange, to simply absurd -- and they are all sad, but true...

Several months ago, the American people learned the disturbing news that the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) intentionally targeted and "slow walked" the applications of conservative groups seeking tax-exempt status. Since then, Members of Congress have held a number of hearings to identify the individuals and policies responsible for this harassment. I'd like to share with you some new details we've learned from the ongoing investigation...