Stories from Sunday, April 1, 2007

By Steve Moyer Herald-Tribune Nevada, Mo. -- The water ripples over stones in the creek bed, revealing a cloudy appearance to the water. An odor wafts from the creek crossing under the bridge on 3000 road. It is apparent to George Parsons, environmental specialist for the Missouri Department of Natural Resources, what the problem is...

By Brett Dalton Herald-Tribune Fort Scott, Kan. -- Fort Scott Christian Heights student Theresa Schafer may not have known how to spell "cotyledon" on March 26, but it's doubtful she'll ever misspell it again. Schafer, a seventh grader at FSCH, stumbled over the word during the Topeka Capital-Journal State Spelling Bee last Saturday and finished in third place out of around 100 competitors from throughout the state. ...

Herald-Tribune Nevada, Mo. -- On April 3, Voters in Nevada will go to the polls to choose the next members of the Nevada City Council. Two of them -- Jim Rayburn and Mike Hutchens, are candidates for a three-year term. Joe Kraft and Tim Wells are candidates to fill the unexpired term left vacant when Dick Meyers resigned in December. One year remains in that term. We asked each candidate a set of questions. Here are their responses...

By Michael Glover Herald-Tribune Fort Scott, Kan. -- Candidates for Fort Scott city commissioner described why voters should chose them at the general election on Tuesday. Next Tuesday, candidates Gary Bukowksi, Jim Adams and Thom Prue, hope to unseat current commissioners Billionis, John Keating and Dick Hedges...

Mike and Holly Klotz, Springfield, Mo., are proud to announce the birth of their daughter, Brylee Mae Klotz. Brylee was born March 16, 2007, at Cox South Hospital, Springfield. She weighed 5 pounds, 1 ounce, and measured 21 inches. Maternal grandparents are George and Brenda Haag, Lamar...

Ashley Sanning and Tracy Byram, Sheldon, and Leah are proud to announce the birth of their daughter and sister, Donna Marie Byram. Donna was born at 8:12 a.m., March 16, 2007, at Nevada Regional Medical Center. She weighed 6 pounds, 7 ounces, and measured 19 inches...

Lilas M. (Thomas) Cox, age 92, died at 1:40 p.m. on March 20, 2007, having been in poor health for some time. Lilas was born Aug. 28, 1914, in Moundville, Mo., the ninth of 11 children born to Henry and Rosa Weber. Lilas was a member of numerous medical organizations and worked in various nursing services until retiring in 1976. ...

Hi neighbors. It's spring! It always seems like such a miracle how quickly things change from bleak to brilliant. It couldn't arrive soon enough for me. If you haven't adapted yet to Daylight Savings Time, you might not want to know that today is the day it was supposed to start again. We started early this year to save daylight of course, and thus save electricity which in turn saved using crude oil...

The bright white, two-story building at 230 West Cherry, in Nevada, is still pretty impressive -- on the outside. It was built, in the early 20th century, when Nevada's old U.S. Post Office found itself swamped by the suddenly overwhelming correspondence between the newly-world-famous Weltmer Clinic, a couple of blocks away, and the physically afflicted but hopeful souls suffering all over the country...

The first fishing trip of the year is always an adventure. This year proved no exception. Having made several minor repairs to my 29-year-old boat, I was anxious to put it in the water. I headed out to Bourbon County State Lake (Elm Creek Lake for you old-timers), which had recently been restocked. ...

The Nevada Tigers held their wrestling awards banquet Tuesday. (From left) Ryan Herda won the Tiger Team Award; Spenser Daniels was Most Valuable Wrestler; Drew Shepherd and Josh Palmer were Most Improved; Jerrod Alexander also won the Tiger Team Award. ...

Herald-Tribune The father-son duo of Mike and Austin Forkner spent the winter weekends and the first two weeks of March racing motocross in Texas. The two competed in the Seventh Annual Honda of Houston/FMF Winter Series, and also raced in a pair of national amateur races...

Herald Tribune ARCHIE, Mo. -- Pleasanton High School's track team opened its season Thursday at the Archie Invitational. The boys earned eight medals while the girls took home six. Megan Allen won three of the girls' medals as she won the 100 meters in 13.4 seconds and the triple jump with an effort of 32 feet, six inches. She also took second in the 200 meters in 27.5 seconds...

Nevada must be stuck in a vacuum. While looking at the all-state first and second team selections as picked by both the Missouri Sportswriters and the Missouri Coaches associations, to me there was one glaring omission -- Bryan Campbell. Campbell was the best player I saw this season...

As years go, 2007 has gotten off to a horrendous start. As of March 11, I had lost three friends and spent a week in the hospital as well as missing the Nevada district basketball tournament for the first time in 34 years. My depression was further fueled by the incredible natural gas bill I received from Empire. ...

When I opened the refrigerator last Monday morning, I had to check the calendar because I thought it must be April instead of March. What I saw was a bowl of fresh morel mushrooms and a bigger bowl of crappie filets. Usually it's the first week of April before I see that sight, but this spring is different ... ...