Stories from Wednesday, May 28, 2014

Danny Delmar McElhaney Aug. 8, 1943 - May 27, 2014 CAMBRIDGE, NEB. -- Danny Delmar McElhaney, age 70, died at Cambridge Memorial Hospital on Tuesday, May 27, 2014. He was born in Claremore, Oklahoma, on Aug. 8, 1943, to Curtis D. and Estelle (Woody) McElhaney. Dan graduated from high school and began to work. On Feb. 12, 1977, Dan was united in marriage to Judy Hochstetler...

Richard Taylor WAUNETA, Neb. -- Richard Taylor, 71, died Friday (May 23, 2014), at St. Joseph's Hospital in Denver, Colorado. Survivors include his wife, Dorothy of Wauneta; sons, Rick and wife, Kim, of Wauneta and Alan and wife, Teresa, of Venango, Nebraska; and three grandchildren...

G. Thurman Foote Nov. 30, 1922 - April 26, 2014 MAYWOOD, Neb. -- G. Thurman Foote, 91 of Maywood, passed away peacefully on April 26, 2014, at Great Plains Regional Medical Center. He was born Nov. 30, 1922, in Farnam, Nebraska, to Grover T. and Eleanor A. Austin Foote Sr. He and his brother, George, attended rural elementary schools in the Farnam area, and high school in Gothenburg, graduating from Farnam High School...

CHADRON, Neb. -- Chadron State College have named students who are on the spring 2014 president's list. In order to qualify for the president's list, students must earn a 4.0 grade-point average on a scale of 4.0 and be enrolled in at least 12 hours of coursework...

OGALLALA, Neb. -- Girl Scouts Spirit of Nebraska volunteers hosted a ceremony to honor North Platte area Girl Scouts who earned their Bronze and Silver Awards this year. These distinguished honors are for girls who have met requirements for a project. ...

Holland Stagemeyer, left, an eighth grader at St. Patrick Catholic School and daughter of Jeff and Kristen Stagemeyer, was named first place winner of the Grade 8 Universal Publishing 2014 National Handwriting Contest. She received $200 as well as a Certificate of Achievement. ...

In celebration of Hospital Week and Nursing Home Week, TriValley Medical Foundation presented over $10,000 in scholarships to area students who are pursuing careers in nursing and other medical fields. Since the inception of this program, over $925,000 has been awarded. TriValley had nearly 40 applicants this year with wonderful career goals, outstanding scholastic records, and favorable recommendations from medical professionals and instructors...

HAIGLER, Neb. -- Saturday was a busy day in Haigler. People from the tri-state area joined the local community in celebrating the grand opening of the Cornerstone Center for Community Service (former Haigler Elementary School). Throughout the day from 10 a.m.-4 p.m., the Haigler Community Foundation hosted a open house at the facility. ...

McCOOK, Nebraska - After pursuing multi media opportunities in Lincoln and Los Angeles, Jared Muehlenkamp has returned to McCook to purchase Acme Touch Printers & Designers. The sale was finalized this month, with Jared acquiring the long established business from Rose Chancellor, who had operated Acme for more than 30 years...

NORTH PLATTE, Neb. -- Technology specialists at Mid-Plains Community College have been converting existing distance learning classrooms from analog to digital technology in recent weeks, thanks in part to an $118,000 funding partnership with the USDA Distance Learning and Telemedicine Program...

The Steel Wheels bring their Slipstream Tour to McCook on Friday and Saturday, June 13-14, when they perform at Buffalo Commons Storytelling Festival. The Steel Wheels are renowned for their raw energy and chemistry on stage, where they cluster tightly around a single microphone to adorn Trent Wagler's unmistakable tenor with bell-clear four part harmonies complimented by Eric Brubaker's fiddle, Brian Dickel's upright bass and Jay Lapp on the mandolin and guitars. ...

Harry Strunk, 56, former co-publisher of the McCook Gazette and grandson of the founder of the newspaper, after whom he was named, died Tuesday night in Florida. Interment will be in McCook, with other arrangements to be announced.

Omaha, Neb. -- The Knights of Ak-Sar-Ben Foundation and the Nebraska Farm Bureau along with the Nebraska Fair Managers Association announces the 148 honorees from 65 counties for the 2014 Pioneer Farm Family and Heritage Farm Family Awards. In order to qualify for the Pioneer Farm distinction, members of the same family must have owned a parcel of land consecutively for at least 100 years; while the Heritage Farm recognizes families that have owned a parcel of land consecutively for 150 years.. ...

The scandal at the Veterans Administration reveals a couple of problems with the way organizations work, and how some techniques for improving them can actually have the opposite effect. The first is the tendency is "just go along to get along." Most of us want to do our job well and not create friction with our co-workers, but sometimes we need to make waves to avoid disaster...

Nebraskans have survived what has to be one of the meanest ever primary elections, fueled in large part by more than $3 million in campaign funds from organizations outside the state and from the personal coffers of several millionaires running for office...

Well, the May Camelopardalid meteor shower was mostly a bust. The hoped-for meteor storm from the debris stream produced by comet 209P/Linear just didn't happen. Reports received from around North America indicated there were a few bright streaks and a few fireballs but that was about it...

GRAND ISLAND, Neb. -- The McCook Bison were in contention for top honors after day one of the Nebraska Class B State High School Boys Golf Championships. The two-day state meet opened Tuesday with 18 holes of competition at Indianhead Golf Course in Grand Island. Beatrice shot the low round of the day with a 301, 13-over par team total. McCook and Blair were tied for second at 306 each. Scottsbluff was fourth with a 309 and Broken Bow fifth at 315, one shot ahead of Omaha Skutt Catholic...