Stories from Friday, November 27, 2015

Walking in the door from a hectic day to the heady, fragrant smells of a meal ready to enjoy may seem like a far-fetched fantasy. With the right ingredients and cookware, you can delight your busy family with dinners that taste like you spent a day hard at work in the kitchen...

Macie Jo Mathews William Mathews and Savannah Johnson of Culbertson, Nebraska, announce the birth of their daughter, Macie Jo Mathews, born Oct. 6 , 2015, in McCook, Nebraska. She weighed 6 pounds, 1.2 ounces and measured 19 1/2 inches long. Grandparents are Rick and Darcie Johnson of Culbertson, Tina Randall of Tucson, Arizona, and Jerry Mathews of Benkelman, Nebraska. Great-grandparents are Valerie Blauvelt of McCook and Levina Randall of Phoenix, Arizona...

Thanksgiving was a huge event on my mother's side of our family. We'd all gather together for dinner at Grandma Floras' house in Dalton, Nebraska. Looking at the house today, I have no idea how we all fit in there, but we did! Because there were essentially two sets of cousins: one older, one younger, we had cousins whose children were the same age as some of the younger cousins. ...

Leona G. Helmkamp Sept. 28, 1923 - Nov. 25, 2015 OBERLIN, Kan. -- Leona G. Helmkamp, 92, died Wednesday (Nov. 25, 2015), at Good Samaritan Society in Oberlin. She was born Sept. 28, 1923, in Smithfield, Nebraska, to Seibert and Louise (Myers) Naumann. She graduated from Smithfield High School in 1941. She married Frederick Helmkamp on Aug. 24, 1952, in Lexington, Nebraska. She was a homemaker. She was a member of Faith Lutheran Church...

Dorwin (Dode) Duane Felker March 4, 1935-Nov. 26, 2015 McCOOK, Neb. -- Dorwin D. Felker, age 80, passed away Thursday , Nov. 26, 2015, at his home in rural McCook area. "Dode" was born on March 4, 1935, in McCook to Emanuel and Vera (Casper) Felker. ...

Irene V. Young Oct. 4, 1924 - Nov. 23, 2015 KEARNEY, Neb. -- Irene V. Young, 91, Kearney, died Monday, Nov. 23, 2015, at Mother Hull Home in Kearney. Funeral services will be Monday, Nov. 30, 2015, at 11 a.m. at Calvary Baptist Church in Cambridge with Pastor Tim Burke officiating. ...

McCOOK, Neb. -- Samantha Yonkers thought it would be fun to name a calf "Secret," then tell people, "Her name is secret," and watch their puzzled reactions. Well, sure enough, last year in December, Sam named a heifer "Secret." But there's nothing secret any more about "Secret," because "Secret" was named champion of the Ohio State Fair Open Percentage Simmental Female Show in Columbus, Ohio, and won her class in both the junior and open shows at the North American International Livestock Expo in Louisville, Kentucky.. ...

The notorious "rush" of frantic Black Friday shoppers didn't seem to materialize in McCook this morning, as shoppers visited stores not only for holiday prices but for visiting and breakfast as well. "Black Friday" shoppers at Orscheln's Farm & Home in McCook, Nebraska, included Courtney Barger, above left, who was buying "Christmas" gifts of feed for her horses, and Carrie Donohue and her 10-year-old daughter, Mica, of Benkelman, Nebraska, who were shopping for gifts for dad and brother. ...

I find myself saying "It seems like that was just yesterday" a lot anymore. I guess I've always said it because things that happen in the past, both good and bad, etch themselves in our memories forever and when we recall them, they're just as intense and specific as they were on the day we experienced them. It just seems like I'm saying it now a lot more than I used to!...

Cartoonists and comedians have a way of making a point that serious commentators can't. Take the Charlie Hebdo cartoon of the Prophet Muhammad for example, with repercussions continuing today. Or Hannibal Buress, who outed Bill Cosby for sexual assaults Cosby allegedly had covered up for decades...

100th birthday The family of Leland Rippen of McCook is hosting an open house in honor of his 100th birthday. He was born Dec. 13 in Kramer, Nebraska. He lived in Culbertson, Nebraska, from the 1920s until moving to Hillcrest. He was a farmer/rancher all his life. ...

Renae Marie Ashley Jan. 28, 1954 - Nov. 25, 2015 McCOOK, Neb. -- Renae Marie Ashley, age 61, passed away Wednesday, Nov. 25, 2015, at Community Hospital of McCook. Renae was born on Jan. 28, 1954, to Duke D. and Arliss (Nauer) Ebert in McCook. She graduated from McCook High School in 1972...