6 newspaper articles

# 1 - - published in World-Herald, May 30, 2006

ANSWERS SOUGHT IN BOAT DEATHS by Abe Winter and John Ferak, World-Herald Staff Writers

An investigation continues into the deaths of two people - - a 20-year-old man and 19-year-old woman - - who were killed Sunday when the boat they were in struck a barge in the Missouri River near Tekamah, Neb.

Killed were Colton Peterson, 20, a 2004 Blair (Neb.) High School graduate and Morgen Wees, 19, a 2005 Ralston High School graduate.

Peterson was a sophomore at Wayne (Neb.) State College. Wees had just finished her freshman year at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

Craig Stover, assistant administrator of the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission, said the two left Cottonwood Marina in Blair shortly after 8:30 p.m. Sunday. They were headed for Harbor 671, about 20 miles to the north.

The accident occurred near mile marker 662 in the river, about three miles north of the Burt County – Washington County line in Nebraska.

Authorities were contacted Monday by a passer-by, Stover said. The bodies were recovered immediately, he said.

The barge was tied to the shore when it was hit, Stover said.

Peterson was a standout baseball player, Blair High Principal Tom Anderson said today. Peterson played American Legion baseball in Blair, Anderson said. Blair High did not field a baseball team when he attended, the principal said.

Peterson also played on the high school basketball team, Anderson said.

Wees was very active in high school, said Amy Thomas, a Ralston school district spokeswoman. Wees served as a sophomore class officer, sang in school choirs and took part in numerous school plays and musicals. She was on the student council, the honor roll and in the National Honor Society, was involved in DECA and played on the girls’ golf and tennis teams.

# 2 - - Omaha World-Herald, May 30, 2006

PETERSON - - Colton, age 20, of Blair. Survived by parents, Joe and Tammy; brother, Cramer; sister, Clara, all of Blair; grandparents, Jerry and Joan Peterson of Blair; Kenneth and Darlene Forsen, Herman, NE

SERVICES 10:30 am Thurs, First Lutheran Church in Blair. Burial Blair Cemetery. VISITATION starts 1 pm Wed., with family receiving friends from 6 – 8 pm. Memorials to the family.

CAMPBELL-AMAN FUNERAL HOME, Blair, NE 402-426-2191

# 3 - - Enterprise, June 2, 2006

COLTON PETERSON, 20

Colton Peterson, 20, of Blair, died May 29, 2006, in Burt County.

Funeral services were Thursday, June 1, at First Lutheran Church in Blair. Interment was in the Blair Cemetery.

Colton Peterson was born Feb. 15, 1986, in Omaha to Joe and Tammy Peterson. He attended school in Blair and graduated from Blair High School in 2004.

He completed two years at Wayne State College and was recently accepted to attend the University of Nebraska- Lincoln this fall.

He played baseball and football while at Blair High School. He was an avid fisherman and loved to hunt.

He is survived by his parents, Joe and Tammy; brother and sister, Cramer and Clara; grandparents, Jerry and Joan Peterson of Blair and Kenneth and Darlene Forsen of Herman; and many loving friends and relatives.

Campbell-Aman Funeral Home was in charge of arrangements.

# 4 - - World-Herald, May 31, 2006

BOATING CRASH VICTIMS REMEMBERED FOR ENTHUSIASM by Jason Kuiper and Abe Winter, World-Herald Staff Writers

(picture) Caption: The boating accident that claimed the lives of Colton Peterson of Blair and Morgan Wees of Omaha happened along this stretch of the Missouri River in Burt County.

(map) Site where boat struck barge

Colton Peterson loved baseball and basketball. Morgen Wees’ passion was drama. The two college students’ lives were cut short Sunday when the boat they were in struck a barge in the Missouri River near Tekamah, Neb.

The results of autopsies on Peterson, 20, of Blair, and Wees, 19, of Omaha, are pending. Details on what led to the crash have not been released.

Stephen Wees said his daughter was a bright young woman, a great organizer and full of energy.

“She wanted a career in advertising and to have a great life,” he said, choking back tears.

Stephen Wees preferred to focus on his daughter’s life, not her death, when reached at home Tuesday.

She was always busy, the father said, always on the go. Wees said his daughter was in Pi Beta Phi at the University of Nebraska- Lincoln and planned to live in the sorority house this fall after spending her freshman year in a dormitory.

As was typical of her, Morgen Wees planned to stay busy this summer, her father said. She was getting ready to start a day-care job for the Omaha Country Club and had a part in the dance ensemble of the Ralston Community Theater’s coming performance of “Chicago.”

In high school she had also worked for a day care, her father said.

“Morgen was a brilliant dancer and had a beautiful singing voice,” said Todd Uhrmacher, Ralston High School’s drama teacher. “Every time Morgen took the stage,” he said, “she shined.”

Funeral services for Weess will be at 10:30 a.m. Friday at St. Gerald Catholic Church at 96th and Q Streets. A vigil service will be at 7 p.m. Thursday at the church. Burial will be in Evergreen Cemetery. Survivors include her parents, Stephen and Merri Wees; brother Paul and sister Brooke, all of Omaha; grandparents William and Delores Wees and grandmother Ellen McCaig.

“Colton was a good kid,” Blair High School Principal Tom Anderson said. “He was just a hard worker on the basketball court. He came off the bench and contributed by his attitude and work ethic. He was well-liked by a lot of students and by all his friends.”

Peterson went to Wayne State College to play baseball but red-shirted his freshman year and decided not to go out for the 2006 season, Wayne State athletic department officials said Tuesday.

Ryan Minarik, boys basketball coach at Blair, said Peterson’s death will be felt across the community.

‘Colton was very gifted, very talented athletically,” Minarik said Tuesday. “He did all the little things we asked, like guard a guy bigger than he is. Even after he left, he always told me that he’d be watching us.”

True to his word, Peterson stopped by the basketball gym during winter and spring breaks, his former coach said.

“This year, there was any number of games Colton was in the stands,” Minarik said. “He was still following Blair basketball. He was pretty close to not only myself, but any number of coaches and current players.

Funeral services for Peterson will be 10:30 a.m. Thursday at First Luthean Church in Blair. Visitation is from 1 p.m. to 8 p.m. today at Campbell-Aman Funeral Home. Burial will be in Blair Cemetery. Survivors include his parents, Joe and Tammy Peterson; brother Cramer Peterson and sister Clara Peterson, all of Blair; and grandparents Jerry and Joan Peterson of Blair and Kenneth and Darlene Forsen of Herman, Neb.

World-Herald staff writer John Ferak contributed to this report.

# 5 - - Enterprise, June 23, 2006

BOATING ACCIDENT AUTOPSY RESULTS RELEASED

The deaths of Colton Peterson, 20, and Morgan Wees, 19, were caused by blunt force trauma resulting from their boat’s collision with a barge on the Missouri River on May 28, Burt County Attorney Dan Smith said. Coast guard officials had checked out the accident site and reported there were no violations with where the barge was docked at the time, Smith said.

Autopsies showed that both had alcohol in their systems. At the time of the accident, Peterson had a blood alcohol content of .29, more than three times the legal limit of .08. Wees had a BAC of .1.

# 6 - - Enterprise, June 2, 2006

(map) Caption: The accident that claimed the lives of the two young people happened about two miles north of the Washington- Burt county line on the Missouri River. It is still under investigation.

(2 pictures) Caption: The Blair American Legion Baseball Team had a moment of silence in honor of Colton Peterson before their game against Yutan at Veterans Field on Wednesday, May 31. Above, the seniors wore black armbands in memory of Peterson and the juniors, right, wore armbands with Peterson’s initials. C. P. Peterson was a standout player for the Legion baseball teams and helped coach the Juniors last season.

BOAT ACCIDENT CLAIMS 2

BLAIR MAN, RALSTON WOMAN KILLED ON MISSOURI RIVER SUNDAY

COLTON PETERSON REMEMBERED FOR HIS SENSE OF HUMOR, ATHLETIC PROWESS by Jim Brazda, Reporter

(This final long obituary can be found in the Blair Library, Genealogy Room.)