Stories from Saturday, December 1, 2007

Dr. Philip Marion Jones, 90, passed away Thursday, Nov. 29, 2007 in San Antonio, Texas. He was born June 30, 1917, in Sheldon, Mo., to Philip and Della Jones. In 1946, Philip married the former Dorothy Hjelm, of Springfield, Mass. Dr. Jones was a proud father and grandfather. ...

Keith Ray Pettibon of rural Nevada, passed away on Thursday, Nov. 29, 2007 at Mercy Hospital in Fort Scott, Kan. Keith was a corporal in the Marine Corps and served during the Korean War. He was employed at Beech Aircraft in Wichita, Kan., for 20 years as an engineer. He later moved to Nevada, where he farmed for 35 years and also worked at 3M for 15 years...

Meaghan Annette Jackson and Matthew Don Russell were married on July 7, 2007, at 7 p.m. in an outdoor ceremony by the lake at Uniontown High School. Meaghan is the daughter of Dale and Alicia Jackson, Uniontown, and the granddaughter of Alice Walker, Blue Mound. Matthew is the son of Curtis and Amber Russell, Redfield; he is the grandson of Don and Eunice Russell, Redfield, and Frank and Shirley Hildebrand of Grove, Okla...

Hi neighbors. Hanukkah is the best known American Jewish holiday. Hanukkah begins every year on the 25th of the Hebrew month of "Kislev." This year, the 25th of Kislev corresponds to the evening of December 4th, 2007. Hanukkah is celebrated with traditional food, gift exchanges and lighting menorahs...

The following two incidents occurred within a few days of each other at opposite sides of southern Missouri and illustrate that during the Civil War the "mayhem" that was Missouri occurred throughout the entire "Show-Me-State!" Both incidents maybe found on Pages 761-764 of Series I, Vol. 22 of the Official records of the War of the Rebellion...

I was reading an article the other day in the newspaper titled, "The Sounds of Silence." The author was describing the need to wear a hearing aid, but like his grandpa, he soon discovered that the world's idle chatter is sometimes best left unheard. ...

Bronaugh, Mo. -- At 5 feet, 6-and-a-half inches tall, Buffy Coleman doesn't look much like a professional basketball player, that is until he gets onto a basketball court and actually starts handling a basketball. "I had two things going against me from the start," Coleman said. ...

A Scottish setting with King Robert the Bruce's castle in the background; several chamber settings; a ruined city similar to King Solomon's Temple; a Roman portico showing a lake and buildings; an Egyptian Sphinx -- these are the wonders that hang in Fort Scott's Scottish Rite temple -- stunning stage backdrops that transport the viewers into other times and places...

Vernon County, Mo. -- With approximately 60,000 acres of Vernon County leased for oil exploration Colt Energy is serious about extracting the heavy crude that permeates the area. The current operations aren't the first for the Kansas based energy company -- back in the 1980s, they had a project at Stotesbury, but extracting the substance is expensive. Now that the cost of crude oil has risen dramatically, it's more cost-effective to try to bring it from the ground...

The Bourbon County Sheriff's Office regular phone lines will be out of service for the weekend. During the outage, non-emergency calls should be made to (620) 223-1700. For emergencies, call 911.

Fort Scott, Kan. -- A group of young business leaders in Fort Scott have taken the initiative to get the next generation of business leaders more involved in the community. A local five-member planning committee, called the Young Professionals League, recently began working to create an avenue for young area business professionals, who are 45 years of age and younger, to network socially and for business reasons, according to Gary Palmer, a local business owner and committee member...

CARTHAGE, Mo. -- Second-seeded Joplin defeated Nevada, 51-44, in the semifinals of the Carthage Tournament here Friday night despite a 24-point effort from Tiger Jordan Kerbs. The Tigers, 1-1, were set to take on McDonald County, the tournament's No. 8 seed, in Saturday's third-place game. Nevada will also play Tuesday night at Carl Junction, Mo., as the second half of a varsity doubleheader with the Tiger girls' squad...

WILLARD, Mo. -- Fort Scott High's boys have set themselves up to win the championship of the 20th Annual Willard Tri-State Classic as a result of defeating the host school, 51-36, here Friday night. The Tigers were 2-0 in the tournament -- and for the season -- going into Saturday evening's contest with Greenwood (Ark.)...

COFFEYVILLE, Kan. -- Only two Greyhounds scored more than three points -- and one of them had just seven points -- as Fort Scott Community College's men took a 60-37 drubbing at the hands of Garden City in the final game of the first day of the Jayhawk Conference Shootout here Friday night...

WALKER, Mo. -- The Macks Creek Pirates beat the host Northeast Vernon County Knights 83-35 Friday night in a contest that was never in doubt after the first couple of minutes. "The boys played hard," NEVC assistant coach Kevin Lurten said after the game...

NEVADA, Mo. -- The smallest team in the area, the Nevada Tigers swim team hopes to spend the season "increasing our performances each meet and hopefully getting some swimmers qualified for state," said head coach Becky Lowery. This year, the team has increased its ranks from five to seven, with Kristen Badgeley rejoining the team after having taken last year off to play basketball and three returning swimmers -- senior Lindsey Webb, senior Abby Ruddick and sophomore Melanie Messick. ...