Photo by Ellen Mortensen
    Local law enforcement and fire personnel, along with the Patriot Guard, led the buses carrying the members of the 1074th Transportation Company from the North Platte airport to their eagerly awaiting families at Mid Plains Community College. The unit returned home in October after nearly 15 months in Iraq.

By ELLEN MORTENSEN
Chief managing editor

    In our final installment of the year in review, this week’s feature will look at some of the top stories of September through December, 2007.
    The fall and winter months in our area held its share of tragic moments, including the death of a young child in a vehicle accident, the loss of a local graduate in Iraq, the tragic death of two young children of a Broken Bow native in a house fire and the loss of a long-time Broken Bow firefighter and businessman.
    Those same months, however, also saw positive events to help move our community forward. Friends and family gathered to welcome home the members of the National Guard 1074th Transportation Company, and a historic building was moved through town to a new site, and a new purpose.
    These and other stories will be remembered - as we look back at September through December, 2007.

SEPTEMBER
    In its 17th year, the Callaway Kite Flight opened under the new management of its own organization, the Callaway Kite Flight Association.

    Wet road conditions are believed to be the cause of a single vehicle rollover accident that claimed the life of a Broken Bow youth. According to the Custer County Sheriff’s Office, a minivan was southbound on the Ryno Road when it hit a patch of wet road and hydroplaned. A 10-year-old passenger in the vehicle was ejected, and later died at Callaway District Hospital.

    Thanks to funds provided by the USDA Rural Development, the city of Taylor will be able to resolve the community’s wastewater lagoon system issues. A representative with Tagge Engineering conducted a public informational meeting to discuss the city’s wastewater issues and possible solutions.

    Shortly after 3 p.m. Sept. 20, the Nebraska State Patrol responded to a call for assistance from the Ord Police Department regarding a man armed with a high powered rifle inside the Pump & Pantry convenience store on Highway 11 in Ord. The gunman, 25-year-old Jared Rice of North Loup, was holding his estranged wife hostage in the store. At approximately 5:15 p.m., the suspect allowed his estranged wife to walk out of the store, and roughly 45 minutes later negotiators were able to talk the suspect into coming out.

    A Mason City woman faces one count of cruelty to animals following the removal of nearly 50 dogs from her property.

    The fire that destroyed several buildings at Harland White’s residence also took the lives of most of his son’s rare and exotic birds. Dan White lost 18 birds from his collection of cockatiels, Macaws, and African Grey parrot and a four-year-old Emu named Clyde.

OCTOBER
    Pamida made an announcement  that it plans to expand its operation, which will include relocating the current 8,000 square-foot store into a new 32,880 square-foot store. The new store will be built on Highway 2 on the west edge of Broken Bow, near Red Line Equipment.

    A case that began last April has finally come to a conclusion for the Anselmo-Merna school and one of its former teachers. Custer County District Court Judge Karin Noakes ruled the decision made by the school board to RIF Pamela Holcomb, violated its own policies.

    Broken Bow is now a little larger following a vote to annex two land tracts into the corporate city limits. The tracts lay east and west of the city along State Highway 2.

    Hundreds of people gathered at Mid Plains Community College south campus to welcome home the soldiers of the Army National Guard 1074th Transportation Company. The 149 men and women of the unit were deployed to Iraq nearly 15 months ago.

    Broken Bow traveled to North Platte to compete in the District Cross Country meet, and ran away with two of the key team trophies. The girls brought home the first place team trophy, with Katie White winning the gold and Jena Miller winning the silver. The boys finished runner-up in the team standings, with Jason Pedersen finishing third.

    Broken Bow is gaining an RV park. The city council voted to spend the $135,453 to put 15 sites at Tomahawk Park, complete with electricity, water and sewer.

    Two high schools, Thedford and Sandhills, just a little over 25 miles apart met Friday night for the final time on the gridiron. Beginning next fall the schools will combine their athletic departments. Thedford came out on top, after two overtimes, winning 36-30.

NOVEMBER
    The Broken Bow High School served as a command center for a county-wide disaster drill, as dozens of pandemic drill staff members moved throughout the school. The process helped local emergency officials test a pandemic disaster plan in the city.

    The Custer County Board of Supervisors named Troy Smith of Broken Bow as the county’s new Emergency Management Director. Smith fills the vacancy created when director George Rhodes left the position to assist in New Orleans in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

    An early Halloween morning trailer house fire claimed the lives of two small children and sent the parents to the hospital. The children, ages 2 years and 5 months, of 2005 BBHS graduate Sheena (Thomas) Ridder and her husband Eric died in the fire, while Eric and Sheena were both transported to the hospital in North Platte, and then on to Lincoln.

    An area volleyball team and an area football team have qualified for post-season play. The Ansley Lady Warriors advanced to the state volleyball tournament, after defeating Bertrand in five sets.
    In football, the Arcadia Huskies will travel to Kearney to meet Elba in the six-man state football finals.

    Broken Bow Library Director Joan Birnie was honored by the Nebraska Library Association with the 2007 Excalibur Award for Outstanding Public Librarian.

    Thanks to a new program implemented by the Custer County Treasurer’s Office and the Custer County Assessor’s Office, property information for county residents is only a keystroke away. The program is called Tax Sifter, and can be accessed at  http://custerne.taxsifter.com/taxsifter.

    Fire department personnel from all across Custer County came to Broken Bow to pay their final respects of one of their own, as long-time firefighter Clarence “Corky” Skillett was laid to rest. Corky proudly served for 43 years as a volunteer firefighter.

    The announcement was made that Nebraska State Bank of Broken Bow will be taking ownership of the Farmers Bank of Oconto and Mason City in early 2008. Total combined assets when the merger is complete will be over $123 million.

    Arnold Cardinal fans will be witnessing something new next fall, when Arnold High School moves to six-man football. The move comes due to a recent drop in student enrollment.

    Twenty-four turkeys later, an estimated 415 people were fed at the community wide Thanksgiving dinner in Broken Bow.

DECEMBER
    It took three hours and a crew of men assembled from one end of the state to the other, to move the 30-ton nearly 100-year-old structure known locally as the O.K. Luther barn through downtown Broken Bow. The barn now sits on the east edge of town where it will welcome visitors to the Sandhills Journey Scenic Byway Interpre-tive Center.

    Mike Doheny, a 1996 graduate of Broken Bow High School, was one of three men killed when an improvised explosive struck their vehicle in Iraq. Doheny had served eight years in the U.S. Marine Corps, and at the time of the accident was working as a security specialist for Tetra Tech EC of Morris Plains, N.J.

    A Nov. 28 fire in downtown Sargent destroyed the home of Gene Hruby. The cause of the fire was determined to be electrical in nature.
    A late night fire also destroyed a family dwelling in Broken Bow, at 1447 North B Street. The cause of the fire was determined to be clothing placed too close to a baseboard heater.

    Thanks to the dedication and perseverance of Custer Public Power District and the National Weather Service, residents of Hooker, Thomas, McPherson, Grant and Cherry counties now have access to immediate weather information that until now they did not have. The new NOAA Weather Radio transmitter near Mullen began broadcasting in test mode Dec. 12.

    Two decades after Ronald Reagan’s immigration amnesty act, a benefactor of that legislation has become an American citizen. Santos Rogaciano, a custodian at Anselmo-Merna Schools, was congratulated by staff and students there last week. Santos was awarded citizenship in Omaha Dec. 17.