Stories from Tuesday, April 4, 2006

April 1 marked the day that Radio Springs Lake, Nevada, officially reopened with a youthful castoff. Children from the community and their families were present for the clinic which opened at 9 a.m., with an introduction to fishing presented by the Missouri Department of Conservation representative Timothy Priesendorf...

The canceled city council meeting of March 22 has brought to the forefront just how much power any individual city council member acting alone actually has. The simple answer is none, unless his actions were authorized by a majority vote of the entire council, according to city attorney Bill McCaffree...

Last year Americans filled 3.3 billion prescriptions. Many of those receiving medications have insurance to help pay for the cost of the prescriptions they take, but others do not. With the cost of prescriptions rising it is becoming more difficult for those without prescription coverage to pay for needed medications...

Crowder College President Steve Gates has announced his resignation, effective May 31. Gates did not offer a specific reason for his resignation but issued a statement to the press, saying, "The decision to do so has not been an easy one, but one I believe is in the best interest of all parties...

Patsy R. Wells Sneed, 69, rural Sheldon, Mo., died Monday morning, March 27, 2006, at Nevada Regional Medical Center in Nevada, Mo., following a lengthy illness. She was born Nov. 24, 1936, in Okmulgee, Okla., to Odus Neal Wells and Ruth Naomi Bird Wells. She was married June 14, 2003, in Sheldon, to Clifford Sneed Sr. who survives of the home...

Floyd Dean Bennett, 68, Kingman, Ariz., formerly of Nevada, Mo., died Thursday, March 30, 2006, following a long illness. He was born Nov. 22, 1937. He retired to Kingman about seven years ago after 25 years at AM Castle in Kansas City, Mo. Survivors in addition to his wife Edna LaVerne Bennett of the home, include two daughters, Kathy Wahlers and Karen O'Dell and husband, Rusty, of Higginsville, Mo.; four sons, Larry Bear, California, Dewayne Bear and wife, Pam, of Kansas City, Mo., Dennis Bear and wife, Kitty, and Randy Bear and wife, Terri, both of Nevada; nine grandchildren; 10 great-grandchildren; and one great-grandchild due in June.. ...

Betty Ruth Barker, age 81, resident of Fort Scott, Kan., died Saturday, April 1, 2006, at Mercy Health Center. She was born Nov. 2, 1924, in Prescott, Kan., the daughter of Ira Oliver Anderson and Anna Louise Rainey Anderson. She married Alfred "Leon" Barker on July 12, 1941, in Nevada, Mo. He preceded her in death on Dec. 22, 1981...

John R. Johnson, 79, Neosho, died at 8:20 p.m., March 31, 2006, at Carthage Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Carthage, following a short illness. Mr. Johnson was born June 9, 1926, in Kansas City, Kan., and moved to Neosho in 1968 from Miami, Okla. Jack married Lain Bamford on Dec. 28, 1953, at Unity Village in Lee's Summit, Mo., and she preceded him in death on Oct. 12, 2002...

Donald Lynn Beisly, 62, Nevada, Mo., died April 2, 2006, at his home in Nevada. He was born April 18, 1943, in Nevada. Private committal services will be held at a later date at Newton Burial Park, Nevada, under the direction of Ferry Funeral Home, Nevada...

We have an opportunity to create our very own renaissance in Missouri; a change in the way we fund higher education that will put the emphasis on the student rather than the university. The impact of this simple change will create a more student-focused education system...

Missouri Pacific cut forces The demoralizing effect of the coal strike made its first impression today by the retrenchment order of the Missouri Pacific railway. As the business of the Joplin division is to a large extent in hauling coal from the mines to market, the closing of the mines has caused the temporary dismissal of a large number of Nevada railway men...

ANDERSON, Mo. -- Dakota Bright scored the winning run in the bottom of the seventh inning as the Nevada Tigers broke a 4-4 tie to take the championship of the Mustang Gatorade Tournament Saturday. Playing host McDonald County (3-2) in the tourney final, Nevada (3-1) took advantage of six Mustang errors, including one in the final inning that allowed Bright to score from first on a bunt single by Cody Thompson...

The Nevada Tiger golfers tied with hosting Butler in a three-way match Monday, by shooting a combined 182. Butler's Corbin Umstattd shot an individual-leading 39 for the nine-hole round. Tyler Gast led Nevada with a 42, while Justin Crooks was next on the team with a 45...

The Nevada Middle School track team was in Webb City for a meet Friday with the eighth-grade boys finishing fourth. The seventh-grade boys finished fifth, while the eighth-grade girls were seventh and the seventh-grade girls sixth in the nine-team field...