Stories from Monday, August 11, 2014

Margene Holtze Dec. 1, 1945 - Aug. 10, 2014 CAMBRIDGE, Neb. -- Margene Holtze of Cambridge passed away at the Cambridge Memorial Hospital in Cambridge on Sunday (Aug. 10, 2014). She was born in Wilsonville, Nebraska, on Dec. 1, 1945, to James R. and Velma L. (Nicholson) Holtze...

Galen E. Tacha March 15, 1931 - Aug. 8, 2014 OBERLIN, Kan. -- Galen E. Tacha, 83, of Jennings, Kansas, died Friday (Aug. 8, 2014), at Oberlin, Kansas. He was born March 15, 1931, to Earl and Jessie (Stramp) Tacha. He grew up in Jennings and served in the U.S. Army,...

Kenneth Charles Osborn Feb. 20, 1943 - July 28, 2014 SEATTLE, Wash. -- Kenneth Charles Osborn, 71, died July 28, 2014, in Seattle, after a long fight with Alzheimer's disease. He was born Feb. 20, 1943, in North Platte, Nebraska, to Charles S. Osborn and Geraldine (Wyman) Osborn...

DeeAnna E. Krizek April 7, 1937 - Aug. 9, 2014 OBERLIN, Kansas --DeeAnna E. Krizek, 77, died Saturday (Aug. 9, 2014), at Decatur Health Systems in Oberlin. She was born April 7, 1937, to Gordon and Esther (Leitner) Rathbun in Oberlin. She grew up in Traer and Oberlin. She graduated from Decatur Community High School in 1955...

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...

The "Grandchildren of Orville and Ruth Stewart" -- represented by Becki Lampe carrying her sack-full of "gold coins" and "doubloons" -- sail a pirate ship in the annual "Old Settlers Celebration" parade Saturday morning in Indianola, Nebraska. While the parade theme was "Where the Treasure Lies," and most floats ran with the pirate theme, other parade entries declared that "family" is where the treasure lies. ...

Arapahoe, Nebraska, singer-songwriter Alexa Whipple is a regular at the annual "Burton's Bend Musical Festival" in Holbrook, Nebraska. Friday morning, Alexa showcased her yodeling skill in "Swiss, Cowboy or Country," while Emma Prowell of the Prowell Family Band of Lenexa, Kansas, wowed the crowd with her fiddling talents. ...

McCOOK, Neb. -- Boarded passenger numbers at the McCook Ben Nelson Regional Airport during the second quarter of the year reflect a slight increase but indicate the airport is still struggling to provide consistent commercial air service. The airport boarded 70 commercial passengers during April, May and June of 2014, an improvement from the 54 passengers January, February and March combined for. ...

A full moon rises over the trees in McCook Sunday evening, actually appearing only slightly larger than normal because Earth's natural satellite was at the closest point in its orbit on the same night it became a full moon. Vernon Whetstone explains this and other astronomical events every Wednesday in the Gazette...

There's more than one way to skin a cat. In the case of air service, rural Nebraskans may be starting to feel a draft. Maintaining air service at small airports like McCook has been a long-term battle, dating back to the deregulation of the airline industry during the Reagan years...

People don't give much thought to World War I anymore. In a recent survey on the most important events of the 20th century World War I barely made it into the top 10. This is unfortunate. A case can be made that World War I had a profound effect on almost everything that happened for the rest of the last century -- the Bolshevik revolution in Russia, World War II, the Holocaust, the development of the atomic bomb. ...

Frank Bennett, Jr. Oct. 10. 1942 - Aug. 10, 2014 OBERLIN, Kan. -- Frank Bennett, Jr. 71, died Sunday (Aug. 10, 2014), at his home in Oberlin. He was born Oct. 10. 1942, to Frank Sr. and Helen (Wright) Bennett, in Jennings, Kanas. He graduated high school in Jennings in 1960. He married Karen Ashley on June 14, 1964, in Selden, Kansas...

Dorothy Frances (Walgren) Baumfalk March 13, 1920 - Aug. 11, 2014 McCOOK, Neb. -- Dorothy Frances (Walgren) Baumfalk passed away Monday, Aug. 11, 2014, at Hillcrest Nursing Home in McCook. Dorothy was born March 13, 1920, the daughter of Woodie and Vella (Furry) Walgren, on the family farm near Wauneta, Nebraska. She attended school in Dundy County...