Stories from Sunday, February 26, 2006

Fort Scott, Kan. -- Although 2016 seems distant, it's not too far off when planning for the future -- Fort Scott's future. That's what 44 Fort Scott residents decided when they assembled last month at Mercy Health Center to create a 10-year vision statement for the town...

Nevada, Mo. -- A new brochure featuring local attractions for tourists is available through a cooperative grant from the Missouri Division of Tourism. The grant paid half the costs of producing the brochure and the other half came from a percentage of the lodging tax. One of the stipulations in receiving the grant was 80 percent of the brochures must be distributed outside this area, in businesses along I-44, U.S. 71 and U. S. 54 highways...

Nevada, Mo. -- A small group gathered in the corner, discussing the books they've been reading. Dan Keller's in the middle of a John Grisham tale; Kathy Wheeler's been reading a military history of George Washington. It could have been any gathering of like-minded folks, but these two, and many others present, hadn't really gathered to discuss books, although sharing resources to help others like them read were part of the mix during a special meeting held Thursday night at On My Own, Inc., in Nevada.. ...

Jon Dorsey, left, a 3M worker of Nevada tested Fort Scott middle school students' boat last Friday. Brandon Lesher, Griffin Hulber, and Garrett Baugher made a boat from the supplies that Dorsey provided. The 3M worker then saw how much weight it could hold before sinking. Dorsey's visit to the school was a part of engineer week celebrated at the school...

Nevada, Mo. -- The Vernon County fairgrounds hosted the Equine Nutrition Seminar last night that was sponsored by the University of Missouri Extension and the Vernon County 4-H. The event was advertised as a veterinarians panel discussion. Dr. Chris Anderson of the 54 Highway Animal clinic was the first speaker of the evening. ...

On April 1 the Missouri Department of Conservation and the city of Nevada is planning opening Radio Springs Lake, Nevada to fishing by anglers other than these geese. The city and the Conservation Department are planning on holding several special events in connnection with the opening day and will announce the events and times later...

Ruth E. Craig was born July 25, 1930, at Olivet, Ill., the sixth of eight children, six brothers and one sister, to the Rev. Lester and the Rev. Mrs. Delona Smith. After a considerable time of illness Ruth went to be with Jesus, members of her family, and many friends on Friday, Feb. 17, 2006...

When it comes to athletes celebrating, I come from the old school. In earlier years, we used to say people were "hot-dogging" when they drew attention to themselves rather than working for the team. Nowadays, with the advent of the NBA, the Olympics, and the football end zone antics, it seems that everyone is trying to get their 15 minutes of fame by mugging for the cameras or giving an off-the-wall interview...

Hi neighbors. Is February gone already? Not quite gone I guess but certainly "door talking." Mondays are spent listing on the calendar reminders of every thing you have to do, every place you have to be or take someone else, every job duty that must be completed, every household chore that needs attended to before the next weekend...

Daughter Jessica has left town to visit friends in sunny California before heading north for Alaska to help with the Iditarod, from which she plans to fly to the Ukraine, to help monitor the parliamentary elections there. Wife Ginny has spent two days of the past week taking a course in real estate. Same old, same old...

On April 1, 1866, the Grand Army of the Republic was established in Decatur, Ill. By the late 19th Century the GAR became the largest organization of "Union" Civil War Veterans in the United States. During the late 1870s and early 1880s Kansas was known as "The Great Soldier State" because more members of the Grand Army of the Republic moved to and resettled in Kansas than in any other state. ...

CARL JUNCTION, Mo. -- The third time was no charm for the Nevada Tigers Friday, as they lost to Webb City in the Class 4, District 12 semifinals, 47-36. The third meeting between the two schools turned out much like the first two, with the Cardinals in control of the game from start to finish and with the Tigers simply trying to keep up...

MOUND CITY, Kan. -- Pleasanton's boys finished the regular season with a 50-37 win over rival Jayhawk-Linn in Three Rivers League play Friday night. The Blu-Jays finished up 3-5 in the league and 8-12 overall. They have a long haul Tuesday night as they are required to travel to Class 2A Sub-State Tournament host St. Marys for a 7 p.m. first-round game against the No. 4 seed...

NEVADA, Mo. -- Nevada High School product and Cottey College freshman Lacy Leonard was honored recently, being named the NJCAA Class II Women's Basketball National Player of the Week. Leonard was honored for her play last week, in which she led the Comets to a 1-1 record by averaging 23 points and 13 rebounds...

MOUND CITY, Kan. -- Jayhawk-Linn's girls finished the regular season on a strong note with a 71-43 thrashing of Linn County rival Pleasanton in Three Rivers League play Friday night. Both teams now go on to their respective Kansas Sub-State tournaments. ...

When the 2005-'06 Nevada Tigers hit the court with eight seniors and two juniors, it was with high expectations. "I don't think I've ever coached a team with eight seniors," Nevada head coach John McNeley said. "It's really a special group. It's a varied group with a lot of different personalities and different styles of play."...

I have viewed them over and over and plan to keep watching them until either my eyes fall out or I croak. Of what I am writing is my library of "real" World Series videos. I placed real in parenthesis for an important reason. You see, to my ofttimes archaic way of thinking, the last real World Series occurred in 1968 and pitted the St. Louis Cardinals against the Detroit Tigers...

Wednesday, March 1, is a date many Missouri trout anglers have marked on their calendars for months. That's the day the four trout parks open for the season, and many fishermen call the day the unofficial opening of the fishing season in the state. Opening day at the trout parks is not only an opportunity to catch and take home some rainbow trout, it's also a social time for many anglers, including Bill Williams, Kansas City, and Dave Massey, St. Louis...

A. J. "Tony" Karleskint and Buena Fae Renfro were married March 4, 1946, at Mary Queen of Angels Catholic Church in Fort Scott, Kan. A mass will be said for the couple at 5:30 p.m., Saturday, March 4, 2006, at Mary Queen of Angels. Families of the couple will gather following the mass. ...

Shannon Lynn Bankston and Gregory Allen Heuer are pleased to announce their engagement. The future bride is the daughter of Pat Bankston of Uniontown, Kan. The future groom is the son of Linda and Barry Heuer of Richmond, Mo. The couple will be married in Cozumel, Mexico, on March 4, 2006...

Parents of Brian Pollock and Jennifer Woods wish to announce their engagement and approaching marriage. Brian Pollock, is the son of Cathy Pollock of Nevada and the late Don Pollock. Jennifer Woods is the daughter of Ken and Janice Woods of Elmira, Ontario, Canada. The wedding will take place in Ontario, Canada, on Sept. 2, 2006...