Stories from Friday, January 24, 2014

Vada Burkhalter BENKELMAN, Nebraska -- Vada Burkhalter, 95, of Benkelman and a former long-time resident of Bird City, Kansas, died Wednesday (Jan. 22, 2014), at the Hester Home in Benkelman. Funeral services are 10 a.m. (MT), Monday, Jan. 27, 2014, at the Benkelman Community Building in Benkelman with the Rev. Jim Gleason and Dr. Lonnie Willis officiating. Interment will follow at the Benkelman cemetery...

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...

Students will perform at evening concerts in North Platte, Kearney McCOOK, Nebraska -- Fifteen McCook, Nebraska, Junior High and Senior High band musicians have been selected to perform with select honor bands. These McCook musicians and others from across Nebraska will meet and rehearse music with expert clinicians and perform in evening concerts for these honor bands:...

WALTON, Nebraska -- Abigail Burrows of McCook, Nebraska, and Andrew Vrbas of Atwood, Kansas, were married the afternoon of Oct. 26, 2013, in an outdoor ceremony at Prairie Creek Inn in Walton, Nebraska, surrounded by family, friends and the autumn colors...

50th anniversary The family of Darrell and KC Eckhardt of McCook is requesting a card shower in honor of the couple's 50th wedding anniversary Jan. 31. Their family includes children, Brenda Anderjaska and husband, Joe of Hayes Center, Nebraska, Steve Eckhardt of McCook, six grandchildren and one great-grandchild. Cards of congratulations will reach them at 803 Missouri Ave., McCook, NE 69001...

Susan Doak SW Nebraska Genealogy Society MCCOOK, Nebraska -- Genealogy and history go hand in hand. When I start researching relatives, I seem to slip off into the world that they lived in. The 1920s was a whirlwind of activity and one of the most beautiful items I still have of my mother is a dress she wore during that era. Made of a shimmering organza, I can picture her wearing it during her teens, not knowing that our nation was approaching one of its darkest decades...

FAMILY FEATURES -- If you think skipping breakfast will help you maintain a healthy weight, you might want to think again. In fact, MyPlate recommendations include starting the day with a good breakfast: Start with breakfast Eat a breakfast that helps you meet your food group needs. People who skip breakfast often weigh more. Eating a nutrient-dense breakfast may help you lose weight and keep it off...

It's pretty hard not to smile after spending a few minutes with McCook High School senior Breanna Redl. Breezy, as she is more affectionately known to family and friends, was all smiles earlier this week with future plans signed, sealed and delivered...

COLBY, Kan. -- McCook High School basketball team had mixed success in the opening day of the annual Orange & Black Classic Thursday, Jan. 23, at Colby, Kan. The Bison boys used a fast start to derail the tournament host Colby Eagles, 52-37. The Lady Bison couldn't overcome a sluggish second quarter and dropped a 49-40 decision to Liberal, Kan...

McCOOK, Nebraska -- The third of four offenders arrested for stealing a pickup truck from a rural Red Willow County residence in July received prison time last week in Red Willow County District Court. 32-year-old James W. Bonacci III was sentenced to 20 months in state prison after accepting a plea agreement admitting guilt to a Class IV felony offense for possession of methamphetamine stemming from the crime...

PALISADE, Nebraska -- A Palisade man is facing federal prison time after he was charged in connection with manufacturing, distributing and possessing child pornography Thursday. 60-year-old Jerald Vrbas was charged with a three-count indictment, according to a release from the office of U.S. Attorney Deborah R. Gilg...

Cambridge and Imperial are considering new fire stations and Indianola wants a new ambulance. CAMBRIDGE, Nebraska -- According to the Cambridge Clarion newspaper, Cambridge city council and board members of the Rural Fire Department of Cambridge discussed the cost and possible locations for a new fire station at a special meeting Jan. 15. The Cambridge City Fire Department and the rural fire department share the current fire barn built in 1974...

CAMBRIDGE, Nebraska -- A Cambridge man has been charged with six felony offenses of animal neglect stemming from nearly 50 dead animals found at his residence in early December. The accused, 35-year-old Robert C. Brown, is scheduled for a hearing in the case in Frontier County Court at 10 a.m. on Feb. 7, 2014...

TRENTON, Nebraska -- Volunteers of the Trenton Christmas Fund delivered 3,762 pounds of food and $1,300 in toys and gifts in Christmas baskets in December. The Hitchcock County News newspaper reports that 72 households in Hitchcock County benefitted from the generosity of individual and business donors...

OXFORD, Nebraska -- An Imperial, Nebraska, man is transforming the former nursing home in Oxford, Nebraska, into rentals. The Oxford Standard newspaper reports that Rob Fisher of Imperial, and Colorado, has purchased the nursing home and has had construction crews gut the west wing to create four rentals -- two two-bedroom units and two three-bedroom units with outdoor patio areas...

Do you eat by color? You should, according to health and diet experts. For one thing, that keeps you away from highly-processed white foods like flour and sugar, and high-carb foods like potatoes. For another, it steers you toward colorful foods that are more healthy, like fruits and vegetables...

Something is disappearing in our society. The loss cripples Congress, politicizes the news, eviscerates logic and intellectual content from much of editorial writing, and has become the default atmosphere of talk radio and TV commentary programs. Against this backdrop it may seem ironic to suggest that what is in danger of vanishing is public argument. ...

McCOOK, Nebraska -- Red Willow County, Nebraska, commissioners will open bids for kitchen and storage equipment at the new jail at 9:30 a.m., Monday, in their office on the third floor of the courthouse in McCook. The commissioners' weekly meeting begins at 9 a.m.; the meeting is open to the public...

McCOOK, Nebraska -- Lois Vigneur wanted to get out -- and back in again. On Saturday, Jan. 11, McCook's Memorial United Methodist Church helped her become able do just that. A disabled widow in her 60s, Lois could manage going down the stairs in front of her McCook home, but she couldn't climb them. This situation made leaving her home to make trips to places such as her doctor's office difficult, to say the least...

This week in my letter I would like to discuss a few of the bills I introduced this session. Two of these bills were up for their public hearings this last week. Legislative Bill687 and LB762. LB687, heard in the Banking, Commerce, and Insurance Committee, was a bill brought to me by the Real Estate Commission to change license application procedures regarding when an applicant needs to get fingerprints to the commission. ...

After years of negotiations, the United States signed and approved trade agreements with Panama, Colombia, and South Korea in 2011, and all three agreements went into effect in 2012. Each of these agreements brings mutual economic benefits and expands export opportunities for Nebraska goods and products. They also help protect American interests...

Geographic hurdles and population density challenges have left many Nebraskans in rural areas without broadband service. Urban residents, too, face problems with aging and outdated telecommunications infrastructure. Insufficient Internet access and dropped phone calls are more than mere inconveniences. They are a threat to public safety, they hinder economic development, and they isolate entrepreneurs working hard to connect with customers and suppliers across the nation...

As the President gears up for his annual State of the Union address next week, you can bet he will discuss jobs and the economy--topics on the minds of many Americans who continue to struggle with our nation's sluggish climb out of recession. What he won't highlight is the bevy of job-crushing federal regulations his Administration continues to unleash on would-be job creators who are being forced to comply with new federal burdens...

Recently, Attorney General Jon Bruning, Omaha State Senator Scott Lautenbaugh and I announced our support requiring inmates convicted of the most violent crimes in our state to earn a reduction in a prison sentence rather than receive it automatically. The law would change Nebraska's "good time" law to a system of "earned time."...

Roger L. Eschliman April 23, 1934 - Jan. 23, 2014 McCOOK, Nebraska -- Roger L. Eschliman, age 79, of McCook, died at his home on Jan. 23, 2014. He was born in Clarks, Nebraska, on April 23, 1934, to Leo and Norma (Winesmith) Eschliman. He attended school in Clarks, graduating from High School in 1952. Roger attended the University of Nebraska for one year...