Stories from Wednesday, November 19, 2014

MANHATTAN, Kan. -- Reflecting a new spirit of cooperation, Colorado, Kansas and Nebraska today have reached an historic agreement during a special meeting of the Republican River Compact Administration. Representatives of the states have signed a resolution, approving operational adjustments in 2014 and 2015 under the Republican River Compact that will benefit water users throughout the Basin and set the Administration on a course to find long-term solutions to persistent problems...

Edward Charles Benedict Aug. 18. 1937 - Oct. 29, 2014 OAK HARBOR, Wash. -- After a courageous battle with cancer, Edward C. Benedict of Oak Harbor passed away with his loving family by his side Oct. 29, 2014, at the age of 77. He was born Aug. 18. 1937, in Cambridge, Nebraska, to Charles and Hazel (Feichter) Benedict. Ed grew up on the farm and graduated from Wilsonville High School in 1955...

50th anniversary The family of Eugene and Cleta Baumfalk of McCook is requesting a card shower in honor of the couple's 50th wedding anniversary. They were married Nov. 21, 1964, in McCook. Their family includes children, Don and Lisa Felker of McCook,...

McCOOK, Neb. -- Local law enforcement agencies have been dealing with a rash of recent thefts involving criminals targeting unlocked vehicles parked both at area homes and at local businesses. McCook Police Department Sr. Sgt. Kevin Darling asked citizens during the monthly Coffee with a Cop meeting, Tuesday morning at McDonald's, to please emphasize locking their vehicles...

NORTH PLATTE, Neb. -- A bid for an addition and remodeling of Brooks Hall on the McCook Community College campus is among the action items on the agenda for today's meeting of the Mid Plains Community College board of governors. It is set for 6:30 p.m. in Room 200 at the W.W. Wood building on the North Platte Community College campus...

McCOOK, Neb. -- If it takes strategy and determination to play basketball, then Sofija Pejcic, 19, of Serbia, is one step ahead of the game. That's because the freshman point guard on the McCook Community College Lady Indians basketball team has used her basketball skills as a way to forge a new life for herself in the United States, with dreams of bringing her family over someday as well...

CURTIS, Neb. -- Agricultural outlook and management decisions for farmers and ranchers will be featured at the NCTA campus in Curtis from 5 to 8 p.m. Monday. The 10th annual Cornhusker Economics Outlook coordinated by the University of Nebraska is being held at five locations across the state this month, said Paul Clark, NCTA assistant professor of agricultural business management...

Lindy Elson of Old West Realty and Auction of Curtis, Nebraska, right, visits with Tom Kiplinger of McCook, and shoppers browse through farm/ranch supplies during the opening minutes today of the seventh annual McCook Farm & Ranch Expo at the Kiplinger Arena on the Red Willow County fairgrounds in McCook. ...

Republicans elected on the promise of repealing ObamaCare have their job cut out for them, especially finding ways to replace popular parts of the Affordable Care Act such as allowing children to stay on their parents' plans longer or providing coverage for people with pre-existing conditions...

This week, we have sort of a Hodge-podge of information. As you may be aware, the astronomical community was all agog last week following along as the Philae lander separated from the European Space Agency's Rosetta robotic space craft that had caught up with and orbited Comet 67P (it is also named for two Russian astronomers who discovered it, but nobody can pronounce their names)...

Republicans will outnumber Democrats almost three to one when the Unicameral convenes in January. There will be 18 new faces, 17 of them elected and one appointed by Republican Governor -- Elect Pete Ricketts. The 104th Legislature, officially a non-partisan body, will have 35 Republicans, 13 Democrats and one Independent. ...