Stories from Wednesday, April 15, 2015

Betty Y. Riepe NORTON, Kan. -- Betty Y. Riepe, 80, of Norton, Kansas, died Monday (April 13, 2015), at Andbe Home in Norton. Services are pending and will be announced later by Wenburg Funeral Home of Arapahoe, who is in charge of the arrangements.

Edward E. Mitchell Sept. 2, 1935 - April 13, 2015 SCOTTSBLUFF, Neb. -- Edward E. Mitchell, 79, of Morrill, Nebraska, died Monday (April 13, 2015), at Regional West Medical Center in Scottsbluff. He was born Sept. 2, 1935, at Pueblo, Colorado. He was a longtime instructor at McCook Junior College in McCook, Nebraska, and at Northeastern Junior College in Sterling, Colorado...

Shirley Ann Owens Sept. 22, 1944 - April 14, 2015 CURTIS, Neb. -- Shirley Ann Owens, 70, of Curtis, died Monday (April 14, 2015), at Great Plains Regional Medical Center in North Platte, Nebraska. She was born Sept. 22, 1944, in Stockville, Nebraska, to Dick T. and Willa Marie (Arent) Owens...

Carol June Marsh Dec. 15, 1942 - April 14, 2014 ST. FRANCIS, Kan. -- Carol June Marsh, 72, died Tuesday, April 14, 2014 at Cheyenne County Hospital in St. Francis. She was born Dec. 15, 1942, in Denver, Colorado. She was a homemaker. She was preceded in death by her husband, Walter Marsh, in 2008...

Larry Norman Kramer Dec. 28, 1942 - April 13, 2015 BIRD CITY, Kan. -- Larry Norman Kramer, 72, died Monday (April 13, 2015), at his residence in Bird City. He was born Dec. 28, 1942, in Brighton, Colorado. He was retired and formerly the superintendent of transportation at Brighton Public Schools...

McCOOK, Neb. -- A total of eight teachers were hired Monday night by the McCook School Board, including three who are McCook High School graduates. Coming back to teach at their alma mater are MHS grads Matt Berry, Zach Wieser and Tara Powell. Berry, who graduated from the University of Nebraska-Kearney in December, has been a para professional with special need students at McCook Public Schools. He will teach at McCook Elementary...

DICKENS, Neb. -- The NCORPE augmentation project in Lincoln County has ceased Republican River Compact compliance operations for 2015, after having prevented an irrigation shutdown on approximately 300,000 acres in the Republican Basin in 2014 and 2015, officials said...

McCOOK, Neb. -- More than 250 area art students took part in the annual paint-in and art exhibition at McCook Community College Friday afternoon. The event provides a unique opportunity for high school art students to work as a team during the creation of an impromptu piece of art, which is critiqued immediately upon completion and potentially honored by event judges. ...

The flag on the Red Willow County Courthouse and others around the state fly at half-staff today for a "Day of Remembrance for President Abraham Lincoln," who died 150 years ago today.

McCOOK, Neb. -- Gene and Marilyn Anderson aren't picky about the color of their tractors. As long as Gene's are red, and Marilyn's are green. Marilyn explains, with a grin, "I was raised John Deere. Gene was raised Farmall." The rural McCook, Nebraska, couple will display their favorite tractors -- red and green -- at the Heritage Antique Tractor Club's tractor show, rodeo and swap meet Saturday, from 10 a.m. ...

McCOOK, Neb. -- The renovations at bathrooms at McCook High School are moving along, although not all eight will be updated this year. Instead, a total of four will be renovated from the ground up and plans are for those to be completed by the beginning of the next school year, said Chris Wallace, head of maintenance at McCook Public Schools, at the regular McCook School Board meeting Monday night...

McCOOK, Neb. -- Several McCook Public School students made presentations to the McCook School Board at the board's regular meeting Monday night. Fifth grade students of Gail Korus told the board about their recent science unit they completed, showing the board the projects they completed. In addition to data charts and graphs, students showed the board a taped "news" show in which they gave a four-day weather forecast for a city they chose...

Julie Kotschwar of McCook, Nebraska, purchases a copy of "The Last American Highway: A Journey through Time down U.S. Route 83: Nebraska Kansas Oklahoma," from author Stew Magnuson of Washington, D.C. Federal Highway 83 runs 1,885 miles from Sky River, Canada, to Brownsville, Texas, and passes through North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas. ...

State Farm's "Good Neigh-bear" cheers Tuesday afternoon as Caleb Shaw, a third grader at St. Patrick's Catholic Elementary School in McCook, Nebraska, successfully completes the figure-eight obstacle course during a bike rodeo sponsored by Linda Maiden's office of State Farm Insurance. ...

You've probably already taken care of this year's tax return, but if not, you can head over to irs.gov and ask for a free, six-month extension. Trust us, it's better to fess up, and pay up, if need be than to wait for the IRS to catch up with you, no matter how long that takes...

I enjoy getting questions from readers, in fact, those questions often lead to a nice topic for a column -- just as this one does. The question was, what is the brightest star in the sky? Well -- as with most things astronomical -- I must begin with a caveat; it depends on which source you use...