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Mary Linford Macke

Mary Linford Macke, age 67, of North Platte, NE, passed away on Saturday, July 1, 2017, at Centennial Park Retirement Village.

Mary was born December 25, 1949, to Grant Hodges and LaZaun Jackson Linford in Salt Lake City, UT, where she grew up. Mary graduated from Granite High School in 1968 then went on a Mission to Honduras. When she returned home, she enrolled at BYU and graduated with a degree in nursing. Mary went on to work in nursing homes.

Mary was married to Rocky McCain and they later divorced. In 1990 Mary was united in marriage to Bernard William Macke in O’Neil, NE, and were later sealed in the Denver Temple. The couple lived in Salt Lake City, Council Bluffs, IA, Lincoln, NE, then North Platte. Mary was an active member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, First Ward, in North Platte.

Mary loved to read, dance and do art work but especially loved spending time with her family. She was a devoted mother and cared for many others. Mary will be greatly missed and is loved dearly by her family and all who knew her.

She leaves behind her husband, Bernard, of North Platte; twin sons, Benjamin and Daniel McCain, both of Lincoln; stepdaughters, Lena (Pete) Cardenas and Tami Scott, of North Platte, Laura Cole, of Wayne, NE, and Kari (Lee) Craig, of Yankton, SD; 11 grandchildren; her twin sister, Nona Linford, of Seattle, WA, and sisters, Arlene (Doug) Dalton, of South Jordan, UT, and Sherry (Larry) Daniels, of Billings, MT; brothers, Melvin (Judy) Linford, of West Jordan, UT, Earl (Andree) Linford, of Draper, UT, Alan (Carolyn) Linford, of Taylorsville, UT, Grant (Connie) Linford, of West Valley City, UT, Brent (Susan) Linford, of Oklahoma City, OK, and Jay (Allison) Linford, of Orem, UT; as well as many nieces, nephews and other family.

Mary was preceded in death by her parents, Grant and LaZaun Linford.

Cremation was chosen. Memorial Service will be 9 a.m. on Wednesday, July 5, 2017, at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Inurnment will be at a later date in Creighton, NE. The memorial book may be signed online at odeanchapel.com or prior to the service at the church. Arrangements are with Odean Colonial Chapel at C & Sycamore. In lieu of flowers, memorials are to the Nebraska Kidney Foundation (www.kidneyne.org).

Grace DeLight Spohn

Grace DeLight Spohn, age 85, of North Platte, NE, passed away on Thursday, June 29, 2017, at the North Platte Care Center after a brief illness.

Grace was born August 12, 1931, to John Jay and Grace Ellen Pratt Davison in Washington, IA. She grew up on the family farmstead outside of town and graduated from Washington High School in 1950. Grace was working at a bank in Cedar Rapids, IA, when she met Harry Ray Spohn.

Grace and Harry were married on March 1, 1952, in Cedar Rapids then they moved to Norfolk, NE. Since Harry worked for the Weather Service, the couple relocated many times living in Sault Ste. Marie, MI; Montgomery, AL; El Paso, TX; Des Moines, IA; Ceresco, NE; Bonner Springs, KS; and finally to North Platte in 1974. Grace and Harry had 65 wonderful years together. They raised five children and were foster parents to many others.

Grace was a resourceful and independent woman and an excellent role model. She was the foundation for the family while Harry was stationed in Antarctica and the West Indies. Grace had her own sewing business, she worked in manufacturing and was a nurse’s aide in a nursing home. In North Platte she learned to finish drywall for Mark V then started her own drywalling business. Grace also sold Avon and taught archery to the Boy Scouts and other young people and was a Campfire Leader and Cub Scout Leader. After retiring, Grace enjoyed being a volunteer for Living History, R.S.V.P. and the Food Pantry, loved doing calligraphy, and wrote to others as a Pen Pal.

Grace was an amazing woman and a great wife, mother and grandmother. When she wanted to drive, she taught herself. She loved to knit, do needle work and was a button collector who belonged to the National Button Society. In the kitchen, Grace was an adventurous cook and quite the baker. She will be missed in so many ways.

She leaves behind her husband, Harry, of North Platte; their children, Christine Roper, of Platte City, MO, Kathleen (Michael) Daniello, of Union City, CA, Daniel Spohn (Louise Cox), of Colorado Springs, CO, Joanne (Theodore) Hohman, of Rochester, NH, and Mary Spohn, of North Platte; 10 grandchildren; seven great-grandchildren; a great great-granddaughter; her sisters, Barbara (Gene) Booth, of Brighton, IA, and Beatrice Coover, of Marion, IA; brothers, George Davison, of Washington, IA, and Bob (Nancy) Davison, of Donnellson, IA; as well as many nieces, nephews and other family.

Grace was preceded in death by her parents, John and Grace Davison; sisters, Ruth Dickinson, Mary Stone, Virginia Nash, Geneva Mabb Pailliotet, Gertrude Nash and baby Betty Davison; brothers, John and Dwight Davison; and son-in-law, Earl Roper.

Funeral Service will be 10 a.m. on Tuesday, July 11, 2017, at Odean Colonial Chapel at C & Sycamore with the Rev. Dr. Douglas A. Delp officiating. Burial will follow in Fort McPherson National Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, memorials are to the Food Pantry.

Condolences may be shared at odeanchapel.com. Visitation will be Monday, July 10, 2017, from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. with family greeting friends from 4-6 p.m. at Odean Colonial Chapel at C & Sycamore, which is in charge of arrangements.

Carol L Chrisp Death Notice

Carol L Chrisp, age 77, of North Platte, died July 1, 2017 at Hilltop Estates in Gothenburg. Services are pending at Adams & Swanson Funeral Home.

‘Despicable Me 3,’ ‘Baby Driver’ win, ‘The House’ doesn’t

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Minions are still a box office force, but not Will Ferrell and Amy Poehler.

Studio estimates on Sunday say that Universal and Illumination’s “Despicable Me 3” earned $75.4 million over the weekend, while the former Saturday Night Live stars’ gambling comedy burned down.

“Despicable Me 3” easily topped the holiday weekend charts.

Edgar Wright’s heist movie “Baby Driver” coasted to $30 million in its first five days in theaters, with $21 million from the three-day weekend to take second place.

Rounding out the top five were holdovers “Transformers: The Last Knight” in third with $17 million, followed by “Wonder Woman” with $15.6 million and “Cars 3” with $9.5 million.

In sixth place was “The House” with $9 million, which is one of the worst openings of Will Ferrell’s career.

Nebraska city’s fight to keep judge spurs resources debate

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A northeast Nebraska community is keeping its county court judgeship for now, but the fight to do so showed a conflict brewing over whether judicial resources should go to the state’s urban or rural areas.

The state Court Administrator’s office asked the Judicial Resources Commission on Tuesday to postpone a decision about whether to fill an Eighth Judicial District vacancy in O’Neill.

Deputy Court Administrator Jennifer Rasmussen said a six-month delay would give them time to use grant funds to assess how best to serve central Nebraska’s needs.

For over two hours, the commission heard from a stream of people against the idea of losing a judge.

Commissioners voiced support for a statewide study of judicial resources, but voted 10-3 to replace the vacancy.

Nebraska officials seek new uses for downed ash trees

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — An invasive insect that threatens millions of ash trees throughout Nebraska is creating a new challenge for state and local officials who will have to chop them down: what to do with all of the wood.

The challenge could fall to Nebraska lawmakers, who are looking at options in the face of tight budgets that have kept them from pouring money into tree removal programs.

Sen. Patty Pansing Brooks of Lincoln plans to discuss the problems created by the emerald ash borer with city officials and other lawmakers between now and next year’s session.

Nebraska has nearly 47 million ash trees that are at risk, including 1 million on city-owned land. Scott Josiah of the Nebraska Forest Service says his agency is testing various uses for the wood.

2 arrested on suspicion of delivering meth through mail

SIDNEY, Neb. (AP) — Officials in western Nebraska say two people have been arrested in Sidney, accused of delivering methamphetamine through the mail.

A 49-year-old man and 35-year-old woman were arrested Friday morning. Cheyenne County Attorney Paul Schaub says they are accused of being involved in a scheme where meth was delivered through the mail. Schaub says authorities have seized about four ounces of the drug.

Charges against the pair did not appear in online court records Friday afternoon.

Schaub says more arrests are expected. The arrests are the result of a joint investigation by the Sidney Police Department, Cheyenne County Sheriff’s Office, Nebraska State Patrol, Western Nebraska Intelligence Narcotics Group and the U.S. Postal Service.

Homestead festival to feature old-time farming practices

BEATRICE, Neb. (AP) — Those attending the Homestead Days Celebration in Beatrice this summer can learn how farmers of old ran the farm.

The festival at the Homestead National Monument of American being held this weekend will show visitors how the farming changed during the early homesteading years, transitioning from horse power to more industrialized methods. It will include demonstrations of horse-drawn haying, steam-powered threshing and gasoline-powered binding.

Demonstrations will occur throughout the day Saturday and Sunday starting at noon.

The weekend celebration wraps up at 5 p.m. Sunday.

Water boil notice issued for northeastern Nebraska town

STANTON, Neb. (AP) — Residents in the northeastern Nebraska town of Stanton have been told to boil their tap water.

The boil order was issued Thursday after testing of the municipal water system detected the presence of coliform and E. coli.

Stanton City Superintendent Ron Klinetobe says residents in Stanton should boil their water for at least one minute before consuming, or use another water source until testing shows no more contamination.

E. coli, a bacteria found in fecal matter, can be particularly dangerous to infants, young children, the elderly and those with compromised immune systems.

Lincoln fire department pushes for diverse workforce

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A fire department in eastern Nebraska is looking to hire more women and minorities as it fills paramedic positions in coming years.

Lincoln Fire and Rescue Chief Michael Despain has been ramping up the agency’s push to diversify its mostly white, male department since he took his position a year ago.

Despain says recruiting isn’t in the budget, so he’s using funds saved from open positions to help pay for marketing campaigns and recruiting efforts.

A January report from the department shows that 91 percent of the department’s firefighter and paramedic are white. Eight percent of them are women.

National Fire Protection Association data show that women comprised only 4.6 percent of the firefighting forces in the country between 2011 and 2015.

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