Stories from Saturday, December 22, 2007

Nevada, Mo. -- They envision a bright future for Nevada -- one in which the children have more choices and more resources, one in which all children have good dental care, mentoring programs that help them set goals and seek out a career path, one in which young people have places to turn when they need help or a place to stay when they're facing a hardship...

Nevada, Mo. -- A Fort Scott man was sentenced to serve four years in prison Tuesday after pleading guilty to three separate charges and having his probation from a previous charge revoked. Charles Catt, 24, was charged with two counts of second degree assault and one count of leaving the scene of an accident after reportedly striking brothers Jason and Josh Hallam of Nevada with a car, during a confrontation on Oct. 16...

Fort Scott, Kan. -- Fort Scott National Historic Site will be closed Monday and Tuesday, Dec. 24 -- 25, for the Christmas holiday and Tuesday, Jan. 1, 2008, in observance of New Year's Day. Visitors may enjoy the fort grounds during daylight hours, but the buildings and visitor center will not be open, according to a press release from historic site personnel...

Nevada, Mo. -- Tracy Sewell's Bright Beginnings Preschool held their 12th annual Christmas Program at 7 p.m. Friday, Dec. 14, at the community center in Nevada. More than 60 people watched the 10 students perform songs and dances. The songs included, "Christmas," "Ring the Bells," "Santa" and "Feliz Navidad."...

Hi neighbors. I can almost hear those tiny hooves on the rooftop -- please tread lightly on the shingles! It won't be long now till Santa comes sliding down the chimney and delivers gifts to children of all ages. The real excitement of Christmas is the surprise, the mystery of not knowing what is in those gaily wrapped packages...

This infamous editorial was first printed in the New York Sun, 1897, this letter to the editor and the response from Francis Pharcellus Church, editor of that publication. It is reprinted in this issue for your enjoyment. Dear Editor: I am 8 years old. Some of my little friends say there is no Santa Claus. Papa says, "If you see it in The Sun, it's so." Please tell me the truth, is there a Santa Claus?...

Whoopi Goldberg has now been cited on "The Wall Street Journal's" conservative editorial page -- as an anti-tax hero. She recently used her position as co-host of ABC's talk show "The View" to rail against the estate tax -- a tax that currently affects less than 0.3 percent of the estates in the United States...

Fort Scott native L.C. Davis will be fighting in a nationally-televised event on Dec. 29 as the International Fight League holds what it calls the "World Grand Prix" at the Mohegan Sun Casino in Uncasville, Conn. Davis is a 1998 graduate of Fort Scott High School and was a state-tournament qualifier as a member of the wrestling team in his senior year and was a four-year member of the team...

With an estimated 300 trophies in his collection, Austin Forkner has been racing dirtbikes for more than half of his life. He's dominated state competitions in Missouri and also won competitions in Texas and Oklahoma. He's even competed in regional and national events with some success. Forkner runs in a number of different classes and made a recent move up to a new age group, competing against new and stiffer competition...

Area baseball players are invited to take part in a pre-season skills clinic Sunday, Jan. 6, from 1 to 7 p.m. in the Nevada Middle School gymnasium. The clinic instructors will be John Hill, assistant coach and Craig Fryendell, the pitching coach at Neosho Community College...

A Mr. and Mrs. Carl Johnson, of Nevada, announce the engagement of their daughter, Miss Jordan Blair Johnson, Austin, Texas, to Mr. William Nornhausser Hale, of Horseshoe Bay, Texas, son of Mr. and Mrs. Chris Hale of Austin. Jordan is a 1999 graduate of Nevada High School and received her undergraduate degree from the University of Missouri-Columbia in 2002. She received her Juris Doctor from Southern Methodist University Dedman School of Law in Dallas, Texas, in 2006...

On June 22, 2007, Ivy Marie Thompson, of Nevada, Mo., and Aaron Michael Arnett, of El Dorado, Kan., were married at The Broadway United Methodist Church in Kansas City, Mo. The reception followed at Lock Lloyd Country Club. Parents of the couple are Dr. and Mrs. F.L. Thompson, of Nevada, and Mr. and Mrs. Mike Arnett, of El Dorado, Kan...

Haley Renee Williams and Brandon Guy Mahurin were married on May 12, 2007, in an outdoor ceremony at Rosey's Cabin in Uniontown. Haley is the daughter of Brian and Terri Williams, Fort Scott, and the granddaughter of Bob and Lois Williams and C.W. and Julia Ann Rhoton. Brandon is the son of David and Shirlene Mahurin, Parsons, Kan., and the grandson of Edna Mahurin and William and Betty Altis...

Calvin Clifford Emery, 83, Nevada, passed away on Friday, Dec. 21, 2007, at Moore-Few Care Center, Nevada, following a lengthy illness. He was born Sept. 27, 1924, in Nevada, MO, to Kinnie A. Emery and Leona Struebee Emery. He married Mildred June Kircher on May 15, 1948, in Nevada, and she preceded him in death in January 2001. Calvin married Ruby Homer on May 25, 2003, in Nevada, and she survives of the home...

James "Jim" Dale Wisehart, 76, Sheldon, Mo., passed away on Friday. Dec. 21, 2007, at St. John's Regional Medical Center, Joplin. He was born Oct. 14, 1931, in Sheldon. His parents were Ray James Wisehart and Gladys Dale Wisehart. Jim married Eileen M. Dunham, of Pittsburg, Kan., in 1983, and made their home in Sheldon...

Mildred Irene Todd, age 96, a resident of Fort Scott, died Thursday, Dec. 20, 2007, at the Mercy Health Center. She was born July 28, 1911, in Muskogee, Okla., the daughter of George F. Rei and Lucretia Beckford Rei. She married Stuart E. Todd on Dec. 24, 1941. He preceded her in death in 1972. Mrs. Todd was a member of the Mary Queen of Angels Catholic Church...

Gary Eugene Rose, 60, formerly of Uniontown, Kan., presently of St. Francis, Kan., died Wednesday, Dec. 19, 2007, in Denver, Colo. He was born Sept. 1, 1947 in Uniontown, Kan., the son of Floyd Arthur and Anna Marie (Warren) Rose. He married Dorothy Gates, they later divorced. ...