Stories from Friday, April 8, 2016

Sis, Gaulke Stephanie Diane Sis and Robert (Bobby) Thomas Gaulke of McCook, Neb., announce their engagement and upcoming wedding. Parents of the bride-to-be are Michael and Diane Sis of Atwood, Kan. Grandparents are John and Virginia Burk of Atwood, and the late Charles and Eleanora Sis...

45th anniversary The family of David and Margaret Ruf of Wilsonville, Neb. is requesting a card shower in honor of the couple's 45th wedding anniversary on Monday, April 11. Their family includes children, Ami and Bryan Hauxwell of McCook, Carey and James Rohr of Eustis, Mary Ann and Brad Sides of Seward, Heath and Vickie Ruf of Wilsonville, Ella and Chris Pachta of Belleville, Kan.; and 13 grandchildren. Cards of congratulations will reach them at P.O. Box 76, Wilsonville, NE 69046...

McCOOK, Neb. -- A plea agreement was reached with a McCook man earlier this week in Red Willow County District Court admitting guilt to felony possession of methamphetamine and an attempted sex offender registration violation. The man, 34-year-old Jeffery G. Waggener of 709 W. Second Street, formerly of Oberlin, Kansas, was subsequently scheduled for sentencing at 9 a.m. on July 11, 2016...

McCOOK, Neb. -- Barrel racer June Holeman is the latest addition to the "Wall of Fame" at the Kiplinger Arena on the Red Willow County Fairgrounds in McCook. During the Triangle Cross Barrel Racing Series finale at the Kiplinger on March 26, series producer Deb Christy presented Holeman with a framed photograph of herself and her horse to be hung on the "Wall of Fame," honoring her for her accomplishments in and contributions to the sport of barrel racing...

McCOOK, Neb. -- The Ed Thomas YMCA is requesting feedback from the community as part of a strategic planning process. Information will help guide the association in future decisions. Visit http://bit.ly/1WinRso before April 18, 2016, when it will no longer be active...

McCOOK, Neb. -- Quilting is going high tech. The vintage utility art is evolving with the times. It still takes intricate stitching and beautiful patterns, but software and a long-arm quilt machine can speed up what used to take hours of sewing. That's where Quacky Quilts comes in, the new quilting store in McCook that's owned and operated by the mother-daughter duo of Jamie O'Byrne and mom, Lisa Soflin...

CURTIS, Neb. -- It was just a casual conversation between Rob Cappa and his youngest son about having a car show in Curtis. It could be great for the community and, hey, it'd just be fun. Well, the conversation took on a life of its own, involved more people and more fun activities, and before ya know it, Rob's planning a car show in Curtis and his notes are filling a big, red, three-ring binder...

Something important will be missing at next month's Memorial Day services in Memorial Park Cemetery in McCook. We could always count on Willis Jones, fit and trim in his World War II Army Air Force uniform, standing at attention while taps played. Jones, who passed away in October, was taken prisoner when his B-17 was shot down on his 26th mission over Germany, spending 13 months as a prisoner of war...

I was perusing the Internet the other day when I came across an article about the Police Olympics that brought back fond memories. I had no idea they were still being held and, in reading the article, found out that they're bigger and better than ever, hosting teams from all over the world with the number of participants in the thousands. In addition, fire departments have been included and it's now called the Police-Fire Olympics...

I wonder. It seems the national flag is at half-staff more than it is flown at the peak of the pole. Does the nation mourn for the actions of terrorists which result in numerous deaths of the innocent, or does our president mourn for the suicide bombers who seem to be his fiends?...