Stories from Friday, December 4, 2015

Claudis Darwin 'Darky' Yonkers Oct. 7, 1922 - Dec. 3, 2015 MAYWOOD, Neb. -- Claudis Darwin "Darky" Yonkers, 93, of Maywood died Dec. 3, 2015, in Trenton, Nebraska. He was born Oct. 7, 1922, in Hayes County, Nebraska, son of Anthony Benjamin Yonkers and Lucy Delia (Brownell) Yonkers. Darky graduated school in Hayes county. He married Shirley Yonkers in Hayes Center on May 21, 1952. Darky worked as a truck driver for Farmers Co-Op...

Thomas L. Stecker ST. AUGUSTINE Fla. -- Thomas Lee Stecker passed away on Dec. 1, 2015, at the Bailey Center for Caring, ending his courageous battle with ALS. He never let the disease define him and considered himself to be one the luckiest people on earth...

90th birthday Mary Poore of McCook is turning 90 years young on Monday, Dec. 14. Cards of congratulations will reach her at 1001 Norris Avenue, McCook, NE 69001. No gifts, please.

90th birthday The family of Carol Rempel of Culbertson, Nebraska, is requesting a card shower in honor of her 90th birthday Friday, Dec. 11. She was born in 1925 in Zion, Illinois. She lived in McCook, Nebraska, from 1968 to 1985, where her husband, John, pastored at the Berean Fundamental Church. ...

80th birthday The family of Joanne (Ruppert) Roedel of Greeley, Colorado, is requesting a card shower in honor of her 80th birthday Monday, Dec. 14. Her family includes children, Michael and Anna Roedel of Norwalk, Connecticut, Karen Terrell of Breckenridge, Colorado, Kathy and Randy Siltzer of Cheyenne, Wyoming; and grandchildren, Avery and Hilary Terrell and Evan, Colby and Rachel Siltzer. Cards of congratulations will reach her at 1001 43rd Avenue, Apt. 44, Greeley, CO 80634...

80th birthday Jack D. Parsons of McCook will celebrate his 80th birthday Sunday, Dec. 6. Cards of congratulations will reach him at 401 E. Fourth, McCook, NE 69001.

The family of June Lafferty of McCook is requesting a card shower in honor of her birthday Friday, Dec. 11. Cards of congratulations will reach her at 1214 W. Fifth, McCook, NE 69001. Or, give her a call at (309)345-6108.

Norah Riley Darling Talon and Lindsay Darling of Denver, Colorado, announce the birth of their daughter, Norah Riley Darling, born Oct. 8, 2015 at Denver. She weighed 6 pounds, 12 ounces and measured 20 1/4 inches long. She has one sister, Gwenyth Shea, 2. ...

Emily Ann Sis Aaron and Marci Sis of rural McDonald, Kansas, announce the birth of their daughter, Emily Ann Sis, born Nov. 5, 2015, in McCook, Nebraska. She weighed 7 pounds, 1.8 ounces and measured 19 3/4 inches long. She has one brother, Luke, 6. Grandparents are Michael and Diane Sis of Atwood, Kansas and Bill and Linda Zahl of Stratton, Nebraska. Great-grandparents are John and Virginia Burk of Atwood...

The only good things that came from our recent weather are moisture and a desire to stay inside by the fire! That desire leads me to reading old newspapers on www.chroniclingamerica.gov. The McCook Tribune is on that site and easy to search using the sites "Advance Search" tab...

A deeply religious follower of Islam and his wife slaughtered 14 people and wounded 21 on Wednesday in San Bernardino, California and law enforcement says they left no calling card behind that would have made anyone suspicious of them. Syed Rizwan Farook was born in Illinois, raised in California and was said to have been liked by all those who knew him. ...

Education is not the final answer for all of our problems, but it is definitely one piece of the puzzle. Prisons have their share of well-educated inmates, but educational opportunities should be a good investment for convicts who are truly trying to turn their lives around...

McCOOK, Neb. -- Goodwill Industries of Greater Nebraska is having a donation drive in McCook beginning Wednesday Dec. 9 and continuing through Wednesday, Dec. 16. Donations can be dropped off at the trailer in the Sears Parking Lot at Highway 83 and West 6-34 in McCook...

Washington, D.C. -- Congressman Adrian Smith (R-NE) released a statement today to thank the 18 photographers who submitted their photos of Nebraska's Third District to The Good Life Showcase this year. They include Bill Coe of Max and Colyn Suda of McCook...

McCOOK, Neb. -- A "Christmas Lamplight Tour" with caroling and cookies will be Saturday, Dec. 5, at the Sen. George W. Norris State Historic Site, 706 Norris Ave., from 6-8 p.m. The house will be decked out in holiday decorations from the 1930s and 1940s, pivotal years in the 40-year career of Norris as Nebraska's U.S. ...

McCOOK, Neb. -- A proposal from Boutique Air to provide commercial air service at McCook Ben Nelson Regional Airport will be presented to City Council Monday evening. The airline is offering 12 nonstop weekly round trips to Denver International Airport via 8- or 9-seat configurations. At a conservative four passengers per flight, the airline would board approximately 200 passengers monthly and provide a significant increase over the 40 commercial passengers boarded at the airport in November...

McCOOK, Neb. -- Two McCook Public schools were designated as excellent and another two as great, under the new ranking system developed by the Nebraska Department of Education. The new ranking, called AQuESTT -- Accountability for a Quality Education System Today and Tomorrow -- classifies all 245 public school districts and 1,130 public schools into four performance areas: excellent, great, good or needs improvement. ...

Award-winning Christian artists Phillips, Craig & Dean with guest artist Sean Groves perform at McCook's Memorial Auditorium Wednesday as one of their stops on their Hope for All the World Christmas Tour. Formed in 1991, the group has sold more than two million records and won three Gospel Music Association Dove Awards...

McCOOK, Neb. -- The McCook Community Chorus will perform selections from Handel's "Messiah" at 4 p.m. Sunday, Memorial United Methodist Church, Norris and E in McCook. The Central Starz will also perform, and a soup supper will follow for a free-will donation...

A staple of the holidays, flavorful desserts bring a seasonal spread together like nothing else, and whip­­ping up those desserts is a perfect time to spend some quality time with your family. From cookies that are sure to quickly disappear to a classic cheesecake and a berry-inspired twist on a holiday favorite, an array of tantaliz­ing desserts can keep your family and friends around the dinner table long after the main course has been devoured, and give your family a new activity to bond over.. ...