Stories from Friday, March 28, 2014

Gregory 'Greg' J. Koepke Sept. 18, 1965 - March 25, 2014 WENATCHEE, Washington -- Gregory "Greg" J. Koepke, 48, passed away on Tuesday, March 25, 2014, at home with his loved ones by his side. He was born on Sept. 18, 1965 in Long Beach, California, to Kenneth and Marcia (Pickett) Koepke. ...

Lillie A. Alt Nov. 27, 1919 - March 27, 2014 LOVELAND, Colorado -- Lillie A. Alt, 94, died Thursday, March 27, 2014. She was born Nov. 27, 1919, at Benkelman, Nebraska, the daughter of the late Stephen and Mary Ellis. She married Herman Alt on Dec. 15, 1940. They spent most of their married life in Trenton, Nebraska, where they owned and operated Alt Oil Company. They retired in 1975 and moved to Loveland, Colorado, in 1978...

Junior D. Reeder IMPERIAL, Nebraska -- Junior D. Reeder, 76, died Thursday (March 27, 2014), at the Good Samaritan Hospital in Kearney, Nebraska. Survivors include his wife, Shirley of Imperial; children, Debra Reeder of Austin, Texas, Duane Reeder and wife, Teresa, of Omaha, Nebraska, Lynn Reeder and wife, Stacy, of Manhattan, Kansas, Lori Burroughs and husband, Shawn, of Sumter, South Carolina, Vicki Bradley and husband, Steve, of Grand Island, Nebraska, Joe West, of Denver, Colorado, Lori Rowley, and husband, Bill, of Alliance, Nebraska and Val Dean West and wife, Joan, of Beaver Crossing, Nebraska; brother, Archie Reeder and wife, Mary, of Sun City, Arizona; 16 grandchildren, seven great-grandchildren, one great-great-grandchild and numerous nieces and nephews.. ...

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...

Lord, Shifflet Lisa Marie Lord and Lance Scott Shifflet would like to announce their engagement and approaching marriage. Lisa is the daughter of Tim and Kathy Lord of Indianola, Nebraska, and Lance is the son of Kim and Kris Shifflet of Cambridge, Nebraska...

80th birthday The family of Fayann (Ridpath) Shedd of Cambridge, Nebraska, is hosting an open house in honor of her 80th birthday. She was born March 30,1934, in Cambridge. The open house is Sunday, March 30, 2014, 1-4 p.m. at United Methodist Church in Cambridge. ...

Hudson Edward Martin Nikolaus and Lisa Martin of Bucyrus, Kansas, announce the birth of their son, Hudson Edward Martin, born Jan. 8, 2014, at Shawnee Mission Medical Center in Merriam, Kansas. He weighed 8 pounds, 5 ounces and measured 21 inches long. ...

50th anniversary The family of LaVerne and Bernadette Miller of Norfolk, Nebraska, are hosting an open house in honor of the couple's 50th wedding anniversary. They were married April 4, 1964, in McCook, Nebraska, at St. Patrick's Catholic Church. The open house is Saturday, April 5 at Sacred Heart Church Parish Hall in Norfolk from 1-4 p.m. ...

65th anniversary The family of Herman and Annice (Kattau) Weidner of Culbertson, Nebraska, is requesting a card shower in honor of their 65th wedding anniversary. They were married April 6, 1949, at St. John Lutheran Church, in rural Crete, Nebraska. Their family includes children, Marilyn of Lincoln, Nebraska, and Ron of Culbertson. Cards of congratulations will reach them at 37129 Road 711, Culbertson, NE 69024-8107...

Susan Doak SW Nebraska Genealogy Society McCOOK, Nebraksa -- Tom and Nancy Corey have been at this genealogy stuff a lot longer than I have and I should learn to listen to them when they have suggestions! Tom recommends making timelines for your relatives and entering all facts and sources as you discover them. I thought my way was better, even taking under consideration that my sourcing is as I described before, scatterbrained, at times...

GRAND ISLAND, Nebraska -- The Nebraska State Patrol is asking citizens for help in finding a wheelchair stolen from its owner as he traveled through Nebraska. A 29-year old Minnesota man called the Nebraska State Patrol on Wednesday, March 26 to report that his wheelchair had been stolen from outside his parked vehicle. ...

BENKELMAN, Nebraska -- To honor Dundy County veterans and in memory of Randy Hudson, a Benkelman contractor, U.S. Navy veteran and all-around good-guy, the Zorn Theater in downtown Benkelman, Nebraska, plans a special showing of "Lone Survivor" Friday, Saturday and Sunday, April 4, 5 and 6, at 7:30 p.m., MT...

McCOOK. Nebraska -- Charges against a McCook man arrested for trespassing and stealing wire from a rural Red Willow County property were dismissed last month in County Court. The alleged thief, 32-year-old James W. Bonacci III of 1711 W. Third Street, is already serving a 20 month prison sentence he received in January after being convicted of a Class IV felony offense for possession of methamphetamine...

McCOOK, Nebraska -- Cancelations to the vast majority of commercial flights departing McCook Ben Nelson Regional Airport, since the beginning of the year, have left airport officials scrambling for a solution. City Council and Airport Advisory Commission members called a special meeting earlier this week and although their efforts didn't yield any new results, the dialogue indicated they would consider all options, including running their own airline...

McCOOK, Nebraska -- A new director of nursing has been hired at Hillcrest Nursing Home. The Hillcrest Board of Trustees met Rebecca "Becky" Tate, of Decatur County, at its regular board meeting Tuesday. Tate has been hired as the director of nursing and started Tuesday, said Colinda Nappa, Hillcrest administrator. Tate recently was the director of nursing in Hoxie, Kansas...

McCOOK, Nebraska -- The spring season for the City of McCook Tree Rebate Program begins Monday. The program offers residents partial reimbursement for up to three locally planted trees per spring and fall season. To qualify for the rebate planted trees must be of a select species and residents must follow planting specifics posted on the City of McCook website. ...

Open Forum letters are always welcome within guidelines, but not all readers take the time to chase down pen, paper, envelope and stamp to submit their opinions to these pages. We're turning this column over to a sampling of this week's reader comments on various topics:...

Bullying has been around forever. There have always been people who see themselves as powerful and they use that power to prey on the weak. We've seen nation/states do it, empires and countries do it and individual people do it. But there is a particular character flaw that makes a bully even more pathetic than he already is. He never picks on anybody his own size. He always picks on someone he's sure he can defeat and that's what I want to address in this column...

McCOOK, Nebraska -- Being a firefighter is more than just pulling people out of a burning building, McCook High School kids are finding out. The nuts and bolts, behind-the-scenes work of a firefighter is being learned first-hand by the students, who are members of the recently formed Junior Firefighting program at Red Willow Western Rural Fire Department...

Emerson Kay Carson Wyatt and Ranie Carson of Omaha, Nebraska, announce the birth of their daughter, Emerson Kay Carson, born Jan. 30, 2014, at Omaha. She weighed 6 pounds,11 ounces and measured 19 inches long. She has two sisters, Zoe, 8, and Riliegh, 6. ...

The United States was founded in part on the idea of religious freedom. It is no coincidence the First Amendment to the Constitution ensures the 'free exercise' of religion. However, two cases argued before the Supreme Court this week will test whether this basic right truly extends to all Americans, or if the federal government now has the power to force individuals to violate the tenants of their faith...

Letha Wynona Sailors May 19, 1919 - March 27, 2014 McCOOK, Nebraska -- On March 27, 2014, Letha Wynona Sailors entered her heavenly home to be with her Lord and Savior. She was 94 years old. Letha was born on May 19, 1919, to Frank S. and Nelly J. Graves in Hamlet, Nebraska. ...