Stories from Friday, August 29, 2014

McCOOK, Neb. -- Road work will begin at the intersection of East 7th and East H Street on Tuesday, Sept. 2, stretching to the intersection of Seminole Drive and Park Avenue. The project is scheduled to be completed by the end of September, according to city staff...

99th birthday The family of Marie Alberts of McCook is requesting a card shower in honor of her 99th birthday. She was born Aug. 31, 1915, in Culbertson, Nebraska. She worked for many years at the McCook Public Library. Her family includes children, Joanne and Les Hein of Melbourne Florida, Kathy Donaldson of Memphis, Tennessee, Bill and Sallie Alberts of Grand Island, Nebraska; five grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren. ...

40th anniversary Darroll and Sherry Terwilliger of McCook will celebrate their 40th wedding anniversary Sept. 7. They were married in Dacona, Colorado, in 1974. Their family includes children, Shawn Terwilliger and wife, Julie of Stratton, Nebraska, and three grandchildren, Holly, Travis and Samantha. Cards of congratulations will reach them at 905 E. Fourth, McCook, NE 69001...

5th anniversary The family and friends of Richard and Carla Quinn of McCook, Nebraska, announce the celebration of the couple's 55th wedding anniversary on Saturday, Aug. 30, 2014. From this union, three children were born: sons, Greg and Gary of McCook, daughter, Gina Dorwart (Kraig) of Lincoln; four grandchildren, Erica and Max of Albuquerque, New Mexico, Sasha and Siera of Lincoln; and four great-grandchildren, Christian of Albuquerque, Millani, Masen, and Marcello of Lincoln...

45th anniversary The family of Richard and Anita Graff of McCook is requesting a card shower in honor of the couple's 45th wedding anniversary Aug. 31. They were married in McCook in 1969. Their family includes children, Donald and wife, Christina of Omaha, Nebraska, and Rich and fiance, Shanna of Omaha. Cards of congratulations will reach them at 709 Westridge Parkway, McCook, NE 69001...

Jase Lester Tirrill Dusty and Bobbi Tirrill of McCook, Nebraska, announce the birth of their son, Jase Lester Tirrill, who was born Aug. 13, 2014, at Good Samaritan Hospital in Kearney, Nebraska. He weighed 4 pounds, 10 ounces and was 19 inches long. ...

Susan Doak SW Nebraska Genealogy Society McCOOK, Neb. -- I am sure everyone around my age remembers when school started after Labor Day and ended before Memorial Day. We started earlier in the mornings and, if we carried a large load of classes, we stayed later in the afternoon. Christmas break was long enough that we were eager to get back to class and our teachers were probably wishing for more time away...

McCOOK, Neb. -- Count the Colonel in for the ice bucket challenge. This weekend, KFC will donate $100 to the ALS (Lou Gehrig's Disease) Association, for any member of the public who take the ALS ice bucket challenge, using a KFC bucket. Kevin Cox, manager of Pizza Hut/KFC/Taco Bell in McCook, said 25 of his staff will be taking the ice bucket challenge 8 a.m. ...

McCOOK, Nebraska -- The massive job of moving inventory and equipment will be the first step as Lewis Motor Sports makes a temporary move to clear the way for construction of a new building. Lewis Motor Sports owners Jim and Shari Lewis announced that the move will begin this weekend to temporary quarters in the old Automotive Building, located at 414 West B Street. ...

A hog raised by Wolfe & Sons Show Pigs of Indianola, Nebraska, earned grand champion light weight division market hog honors and "Supreme Grand Champion Market Hog" at the Minnesota State Fair Aug. 21 through Labor Day in St. Paul. The barrow was shown by the Strobel Family of Pemberton, Minnesota...

LINCOLN -- The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission's 2014 Public Access Atlas is now available for hunters and anglers who want to know where they can hunt and fish in Nebraska. The annual publication includes information on and locations of land enrolled in the Open Fields and Waters program, which allows private land to be open to hunters and anglers for walk-in access. It also provides information on public state and federal lands open to hunting and fishing...

MCCOOK, Neb. -- The Bureau of Reclamation announced plans to begin construction of new drainage features at Medicine Creek Dam. The work involves replacing an existing toe drain and constructing a filter and drain pipe around the downstream end of the outlet works conduit, just upstream of the control house. Once complete, this project will improve seepage monitoring and improve filtering capabilities near the control house. Reclamation work crews will begin construction on Sept. 2nd...

HAYES CENTER, Neb. -- In efforts to improve habitat for wildlife and increase opportunities for wildlife management area users, the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission will re-establish trail closures to vehicle traffic at Hayes Center Wildlife Management Area effective Sept. 1...

McCOOK, Neb. -- Unlike their counterparts at McCook Community College and Red Willow County, the City of McCook plans to maintain its property tax levy despite the recent jump in property tax valuations. Red Willow County Commissioners announced last week they would drop the county's tax levy from 41 cents to 31 cents per $100 of tax valuation in their 2014-15 budget after citing a "huge, huge" increase in the county's valuation...

North Platte, Neb. -- USDA Rural Development Nebraska State Director Maxine Moul visited Mid-Plains Community College in North Platte today to present the college leadership with a plaque to commemorate their award of $118,700 to further their distance learning capabilities...

Why do we meet hundreds of people throughout our lives, date many of them but only fall in love occasionally if ever? The reason is called natural selection and it's something almost all of us have experienced. We're not attracted to nor have any emotional or physical connection with most people but we do with some and we experience all those things with one...

Nine years ago, New Orleans was going through the nightmare created by Hurricane Katrina, people stranded on roofs and in attics, patients dying in hospitals and rest homes. Despite the backhanded "good job, Brownie" compliment President George W. Bush gave his soon-to-depart FEMA director Michael D. Brown, the administration received heavy criticism for its response to the disaster...

NORTH PLATTE, Neb. -- Mid Plains Community College's budget will be up about a million dollars, but its levy will be down a third of a cent per $100 valuation, thanks to property tax valuation increases. Meeting in North Platte Wednesday, the proposed budget will be forwarded to local newspapers for publication and a public hearing on Sept. 10...

McCOOK, Neb. -- There's never too much of a good thing, Janet Haag believes. That's because she collects daylilies and at last count, has about 600 of them. But that's just a drop in the bucket, Haag maintained, with her collection pretty meager compared to others...

Gene O. Morris McCook Gazette McCOOK, Neb. -- On the 13th anniversary of the 9-11 tragedy, a special tribute show -- called "The Guys" -- will be presented on the Fox Theatre stage in McCook as a fund-raiser for the McCook Fire Department. Everyone is invited to the presentation, which will begin at 7 p.m. on Thursday, September 11, 2014, beginning at 7 p.m. There is no admission charge, but following the program firemen with boots will be accepting free will donations...

McCOOK, Neb. -- Applications are now available for Heritage Days Royalty. This prestigious honor is open to all male and female high school seniors in Red Willow County. Two outstanding seniors will be selected to serve as Heritage Days Royalty. The King/Queen will receive a $1000 scholarship, and the Princess/Prince will receive a $500 scholarship, both donated by McCook Community College. ...

McCOOK, Neb. -- A McCook man wants to put "heritage" back in McCook's "Heritage Days" celebration. The community's annual celebration started 44 years ago as "German Heritage Days." Somewhere along the time, organizers dropped the "German" in favor of celebrating every heritage that helped build McCook and Southwest Nebraska...

Timothy John Thompson Aug. 4, 1946 - Aug. 29, 2014 MCCOOK, Neb. -- Timothy John Thompson was born Aug. 4, 1946, to Denly John and Joye Louise (Heizenreter) Thompson in McCook. Tim's life journey ended on Aug. 29, 2014, in McCook under the care of hospice at his residence...

McCOOK, Nebraska -- The massive job of moving inventory and equipment will be the first step as Lewis Motor Sports makes a temporary move to clear the way for construction of a new building. Lewis Motor Sports owners Jim and Shari Lewis announced that the move will begin this weekend to temporary quarters in the old Automotive Building, located at 414 West B Street. ...