Stories from Thursday, December 29, 2016

Duane Wilson BENKELMAN, Neb. -- Duane Wilson, 75, of Dundy County, died Tuesday (Dec. 27, 2016), at Dundy County Hospital in Benkelman. Survivors include his wife, Colleen Wilson of Parks, Neb.; children, JaNan Cooper and husband, Greg of St. Francis, Kan., Jason Wilson of Moses Lake, Wash., David Wilson of Padre Island, Texas and Devina Sanford and husband, Brandon of Benkelman; sisters, Sharlane Jones and husband, Tom of Benkelman and Bonny Smith and husband, Jim of Arvada, Colo.; sister-in-law, Marjorie Wilson of Lincoln, Neb.; and six grandchildren.. ...

Edward Sis May 19, 1929 - Dec. 26, 2016 IMPERIAL, Neb. -- Edward V. "Eddie" Sis was born May 19, 1929, in a farmhouse in Rawlins County, Kan., to Louis and Margaret "Maggie" (Boyle) Sis. Eddie graduated from Stratton High School in 1947 and attended Regis College in Denver, Colorado...

NORFOLK, Neb. -- McCook Bison are happier than ever to get past "Hump Day" after seeing the Kearney Bearcats Wednesday afternoon. The Class A 'Cats were equally nasty during both girls and boys GNAC quarterfinal wins over McCook. Kearney girls (3-3 record) turned a 26-2 first quarter into 40-4 by halftime of the 67-18 victory...

SIDNEY, Neb. -- The rumble of relentless Chase County Longhorn pressure was even felt among Wyoming teams on Wednesday. "We couldn't handle the pressure. They continued to press and we had no answer for it," Cheyenne (Wyo.) South coach Chad DeBruyn said on wyomingsports.net after Chase County girls scored a 60-31 victory...

GRAND ISLAND, Neb. -- Lt. Dennis Leonard, along with Capt. Chris Kolb, will be honored Friday, Dec. 30, at a retirement coffee at the Nebraska State Patrol Training Academy in Grand Island. According to the Grand Island Independent, in his current position, Lt. Dennis W. Leonard has offices in Grand Island and Lincoln. He's been in charge of the entire Division of Internal Affairs for 15 months...

Nebraska State Patrol Trooper Tyler Schmidt, a carrier enforcement officer from Holdrege, directs traffic around a two-truck accident on Highway 6&34 east of McCook about 9 a.m., today. McCook ambulance personnel transported the driver of the smaller box truck to Community Hospital of McCook. ...

McCOOK, Neb. -- City sales tax receipts declined slightly this past year for the second consecutive year although the five year average remains positive. The City of McCook collected $2,466,252 in local option sales tax dollars during the 2015-16 fiscal year, according to reports presented to City Council. The annual haul was $149,651 less than prior year and represented a 5.72 percent revenue decrease...

BENKELMAN, Neb. -- The next "Mobile Pantry" food distribution in Southwest Nebraska will be in Benkelman, Jan. 7, from 10 a.m until noon in the Commons Areas of the Dundy County-Stratton High School. The high school is located south of the Dundy County Hospital, down the hill and up the hill on the west side of North Cheyenne Street. Use the entrance and parking lot on the northeast side of the school...

OMAHA, Neb. -- An economic study of Nebraska's public power and the Southwest Power Pool (SPP) determined that the high cost of production at some power plants in Nebraska has not allowed Nebraska ratepayers to benefit from the more than $1 billion saved since 2014 by lower electricity prices from the SPP Integrated Market (IM). ...

It's been quite a year if you follow celebrity deaths, and 2017 promises to be even more "interesting" as the Trump administration takes power. It's always best to practice moderation when marking the end of one year and beginning of a new one with celebration and/or dread, but if you've succumbed to temptation, there are some steps you can take to make New Year's Day a little more tolerable...

CURTIS, Neb. -- Three individuals at the Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture were recognized recently for their employment with the University of Nebraska system. NCTA Dean Ron Rosati made presentations of award clocks and plaques during a staff and faculty in-service at the Curtis campus...

What a year and what a year for the McCook YMCA. In 2016, the YMCA marked 90 years serving McCook, Southwest Nebraska and Northwest Kansas. The original YMCA building was dedicated in 1926 on Main Street (now Norris Avenue) in McCook. For the next 55 years, kids swam in the basement swimming pool, members took turns going down and up the spiral staircase and adults continued their love of sports and exercise...

Mercedes "Mercy" Bunnell Dec. 30, 1938 - Dec. 28, 2016 CULBERTSON, Neb. -- Mercedes "Mercy" Bunnell of Culbertson passed away Wednesday, Dec. 28, 2016, at Sunrise Heights of Wauneta in Wauneta, Neb. She was 77 years old. Mercy was born Dec. 30, 1938, in Sweet Water, Texas, to parents, Jose and Sapopa (Zapata) Rosas. She was one of two daughters...

Boyd Foster Stroup Sept. 17, 1930 - Dec. 27, 2016 BENKELMAN, Neb. -- Boyd Stroup was born Sept. 17, 1930, in the Presbyterian parsonage in Benkelman. He passed away in the Dundy County Hospital on Dec. 27, 2016. His parents were Ralph Edwin Stroup and Ruth Helena (Foster) Stroup...