Stories from Sunday, January 22, 2006

From 2001 to 2004, 92 percent of the people killed in vehicle crashes in Vernon County were not wearing a seatbelt. In Kansas, Department of Transportation statistics show that in 2004, 66 percent of the people killed in vehicle crashes throughout the state were not wearing seatbelts...

Fort Scott, Kan. -- A recent survey indicates that Fort Scott residents consider their greatest community assets to be the strong presence of traditional institutions, support for education, and acceptance of women as leaders. From those perceived assets, citizens who attended a Community Conversation event last November generated ideas for ways to further strengthen the community. ...

At this time, the moisture levels are far below the norm; the winds have also been very high, and public safety officials said in a press release that these circumstances have led to hazardous conditions for burning in the area as well as the areas in Oklahoma, Colorado, and Texas which have been experiencing wildfires...

Fort Scott, Kan. -- Fort Scott Community College is slated to receive more money to complete the proposed two-mile walking trail on the college campus in Fort Scott. During their regular meeting on Monday in the FSCC Heritage Room, 2108 S. Horton St., Fort Scott, trustees are scheduled to hear a report from FSCC instructor Bob Love on an $80,000 grant the two-year community college recently received to complete work on the walking trail. ...

Fort Scott Christian Heights fifth and sixth graders watch as Levi Self, 16, explains how his plane works Friday morning. Students learning about the Wright brothers in class took a trip to Fort Scott airport to discover what material and equipment are used for building a plane as well as how such aircraft work...

Nevada, Mo. -- At 77 years old, Dorothy Collins was told she was the oldest person to receive her GED (General Educational Development /high school equivalent) diploma in Nevada. "I think the next oldest was 75," she said with a grin. A graduate of the GED program is recognized as having high school level academic skills...

Joseph Delmar Thatch, 91, Carthage, Mo., formerly of Nevada, died Thursday, Jan. 19, 2006, at McCune Brooks Hospital in Carthage following a brief illness. He was born June 25, 1914, in Sugar Creek, Mo., to Delmar G. Thatch and Emma Bell Vest Thatch. He married Velma "Sue" Thatch on Dec. 11, 1942, in Kansas City, Mo. She preceded him in death on Feb. 13, 2004...

Hi neighbors. Wednesday morning I saw three fat robins in my yard. Now as much as I would like to think spring is just around the corner, I fear either I or the robins are due for a big surprise some day soon. It's always good for the spirit to be optimistic, but even robins need to keep an eye on reality. Of course I can always hope the robins have inside information I'm not privy to and know something I don't...

In a moment of madness a few months ago, I signed up for a six-months subscription to Vanity Fair Magazine. During the 1920s and '30s, it had been a lavish and smart (not to say smart-alecky) periodical that monthly erupted in a surge of photos and witty stories of Hollywood glamour girls, Broadway and political notables, and inside stories of all the celebrities (before the age of huge celebrities had officially begun) those particular decades had set before the American reading public...

Battlefield Dispatches is a column featuring original documents from the era of "Bleeding Kansas" (1854 --1861) and the "Civil War" (1861--1865) west of the Mississippi River. [Private William F. Nichols served for approximately 18 months, Feb. 13, 1864 -- Sept. 25, 1865.]...

NEOSHO, Mo. -- The Nevada Tigers went into Friday's matchup with the Neosho Wildcats with everything to lose. They were right in the thick of the Southwest Conference race, sitting at 2-1 with a win over Neosho all that was needed to sit them halfway toward a showdown with Webb City to end the season for the conference crown...

If you're on the Kansas side of the Herald-Tribune's coverage area, this was the slowest Friday night of the year. The way the three tournaments are scheduled that the Kansas teams are in, there's a possibility each year that none of the four schools -- Fort Scott High, Uniontown, Pleasanton and Jayhawk-Linn -- will be playing a basketball game at all...

By Scott Nuzum Herald-Tribune If you're a fan of the Fort Scott Community College men's basketball team, you may want to ask assistant coach Andrew Peters about signing on for his Internet newsletter. Usually sent out a day or so after each Greyhound game, the newsletter not only covers what happened in the Greyhounds' previous game, but also contains information on upcoming games and recruiting news...

Herald-Tribune Nevada sophomore post Lindsay Rice had a setback recently on her recovering knee, 12 months after suffering the initial injury. Rice, who had surgery last January to repair a torn ACL and MCL, worked her way back into shape for this basketball season. She has been starting all year for Nevada, and is the third-leading scorer on the team...

PLEASANT VALLEY, Mo. -- Camden Stiles, a second grade student at Winfield Scott Elementary in Fort Scott, had in his words, "The best day of my life," Tuesday. Stiles not only got to meet his favorite major league baseball player, Mike Sweeney of the Kansas City Royals, but also got one-on-one instructional coaching from Sweeney while hitting in the batting cages at one of Sweeney's private training facilities this Kansas City suburb...

OLATHE, Kan. -- The Fort Scott Kids Wrestling Club traveled to the Johnson County Kids Classic here Jan. 14. The club took 16 wrestlers with 10 bringing home medals. In the six-and-under age division, C.J. Otter placed second at 43 pounds and Gage Lopp finished second at 58 pounds...

The Nevada Youth Wrestling Club had wrestlers in both Carl Junction and Lee's Summit for tournaments on Jan. 14. Nevada had 14 wrestlers at Carl Junction, with six of them placing. Tanner Charles and Sam Ellifrits both brought home second-place medals in their classes...

We are entering the time of year that many outdoorsmen dislike. Besides the cold weather, hunting seasons are closed and the boat and sportshows have finished their run or are about to finish. On the other hand, there are plenty of things to look forward to, including the March trout park opening, spring turkey season and some of the best fishing of the year...

After the Chiefs lost that agonizing Dec. 11 game at Dallas, I thought -- after kicking nearly everything in sight and screaming every vile curse and oath ever invented at the top of my lungs -- that it couldn't get worse. Then, my memory kicked in...