Stories from Monday, June 6, 2016

Clarke Doug Constant May 27, 1948 - June 1, 2016 McCOOK, Neb. -- Clarke Doug Constant, age 68, passed away June 1, 2016, at his home in McCook. Clarke was born May 27, 1948, in Decatur, Ill., to Clarke A. and Mildred Eileen (Tankensley) Constant. He was an only child...

William "Bill" Pearson Jan. 12, 1951 - June 1, 2016 BROKEN BOW, Neb.-- William "Bill" Pearson, 65, of Broken Bow, passed peacefully June 1, 2016, surrounded by his family. Bill was born Jan. 12, 1951, in Valentine, Neb., to William and Jean Louise (Tyler) Pearson. The first years of his life were spent on the family ranch south of Valentine. He graduated from Broken Bow High School in 1969...

James Herbert "Jim" Fredrickson July 9, 1950 - June 2, 2016 SELDEN, Kan. -- James Herbert "Jim" Fredrickson passed away Thursday, June 2, 2016, at the Swedish Medical Center in Englewood, Colo., at the age of 65. Jim was born on July 9, 1950, in Los Angeles, California, the second of three children born to Richard "Dick" and Phyllis (Anderson) Fredrickson. His family moved back to Decatur County in 1953 and resided on a farm in Prairie Dog Township north of Selden, Kan...

Gary Sigwing March 9, 1941 - , June 1, 2016 OGALLALA, Neb. -- Gary Sigwing, 75, longtime Ogallala resident, died Wednesday, June 1, 2016, at Bryan Health Medical Center East of Lincoln, Neb. Gary, the son of William and Maxine (Dugger) Sigwing, was born March 9, 1941, in McCook, Neb. He attended McCook Public Schools. In June of 1959 he enlisted in the United States Navy where he served as a radar man until May 1963. He then began a life of sales and retired from automotive sales...

HAIGLER, Neb. -- Haigler 155 is a first-time event happening in Haigler at the Cornerstone Center for Community Service on Saturday, June 11. Everyone is welcome to show, come see, and/or drive a 155-mile rectangle drive -- Haigler to St. Francis to Atwood to Trenton to Benkelman, and return to Haigler...

McCOOK, Neb. -- A Shetland pony and miniature horse show with more than a quarter century of history is coming to the Kiplinger Arena this summer. The Area VI Shetland Pony and Miniature Horse Breeders Association is planning the three-day event on July 1-3, 2016, at the Red Willow County Fairgrounds...

Jim Bernstein, right, of Ceder Rapids, Iowa, parks his bicycle at the Decatur Community High School in Oberlin, Kan., an overnight stop for the Bicycling Across Kansas ride. The ride started Saturday in St. Francis and ends up in Elwood, Kan., this weekend. Anna and Chevy Larson, above, offer a snack to one of Brent Ginther's bison on display at the Decatur County Museum...

"The Reverend Bartley" celebrates his community's 130th year during the "Bartley Days" parade Saturday morning. Weekend activities included a car and bike show, kids games, firefighters' water fight and a melodrama. Bartley was platted in 1886 when the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad was extended to that point. It was named for the Rev. Allen Bartley, the original owner of the town site and Methodist Episcopal minister who founded "Mallalieu University" in the town...

Curtis auctioneer elected president of state association NORTH PLATTE -- Regina Andrijeski, Old West Realty & Auction, Curtis, has been elected president of the 250-member Nebraska Auctioneers Association for 2016-17. Andrijeski's election was announced at the 68th annual convention of the association at the Sandhills Convention Center in North Platte, May 27-29. ...

The news has been filled with tributes to Muhammad Ali, and with good reason. At once inspiring, controversial and polarizing, he became an elder statesman and spokesman for various causes such as Parkinson's syndrome, as a "U.N. Messenger of Peace" to Afghanistan, and kept in the spotlight with actions such as the support of Ronald Reagan's re-election, talking a suicidal man down from a ninth-floor ledge in Los Angeles and lighting the torch at the Atlanta Olympic games...

(Note: This week, as a part of the annual Buffalo Commons Storytelling Festival, Ben Nelson will join with Gene Morris in recalling Political Stories in McCook's past. It is always great to have Ben return to McCook, his boyhood home. Today, we recall an event in Ben's life, which had a part in shaping his career. ...

A. Louise Pollmann Jan. 1, 1925 - June 4, 2016 McCOOK, Neb. -- A. Louise Pollmann, age 91, passed away Saturday, June 4, 2016, at her home at Brookdale McCook in McCook. Louise was born Jan. 1, 1925, to Ray and Dorothy (Gettle) Creighton in Franklin, Neb. ...

Ralph LaVerne Hinton May 19, 1915 - June 5, 2016 CAMBRIDGE, Neb. -- Ralph LaVerne Hinton of Cambridge passed away Sunday, June 5, 2016, at the Cambridge Manor, Cambridge. He was 101 years old. Ralph was born to Albert and Mary Bernice (Blake) Hinton on May 19, 1915, in a sod house on his paternal grandfather's homestead about three miles west-southwest of Stockville, Frontier County, Neb. ...

Velma Deloris Hanger April 29, 1937 - June 5, 2016 GRAND ISLAND, NEB. -- Velma Deloris Hanger, age 79, passed away Sunday, June 5, 2016, at Golden Living Center -- Grand Island Lakeview. Velma was born on April 29, 1937, to Erick and Pearl (Alley) Ebert in McCook. She grew up in McCook and graduated from McCook High School in 1956...