Stories from Sunday, February 10, 2008

Kayann and Sherman Koehn, and siblings Teresa and Trevor Koehn, of Rich Hill, are proud to announce the birth of their daughter and baby sister, Holly Sue Koehn. Holly was born at 1:10 p.m., on Feb. 7, 2008, at Nevada Regional Medical Center. She weighed 7 pounds, 9 ounces, and measured 20 inches...

Hi neighbors. If you haven't found a suitable gift for your valentine yet, you'd better get cracking. Of course you can fall back on the typical candy and flowers -- but that's not very creative. There are plenty of valentine cards you can buy to express those special feelings you want to convey to your loved one...

Homeownership is one of the greatest opportunities for personal wealth and savings, but our current local property tax system has become an increasing burden on Missourians. In 1980, Missourians passed the Hancock Amendment, which requires many local governments to "rollback" their tax rates when assessed valuation of property in the district increased by more than the Consumer Price Index. Hancock was and is a valuable protection for Missouri taxpayers...

One of the greatest gifts that most of us ever receive is to know that someone truly appreciated something you have done or given to them. Growing up, my mom's grandmother always had a way of making us kids feel that whatever gift we had given her was so special. In her later years, we remembered her opening a drawer and there would be nightgowns that we had given her years earlier...

Children lie. So do adults. And when a child lies about sexual molestation, it's a false accusation. When they're not lying, it's a true accusation. That sounds elementary but there are reasons why children make up allegations. Susan Robbins, associate professor of Social Work at the University of Houston, said that clearly there are more true allegations than false ones. ...

An evening of Italian ambience and style returns to Fort Scott this year. The third annual Festa Italiana event, themed "Under the Tuscan Sky," will take place starting at 6:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 23 at The Liberty Theatre, 113 S. Main St. The evening of dinner, entertainment and other festivities, sponsored by the Fort Scott Area Chamber of Commerce, will feature "celebrity" waiters, as well as a variety of Italian-themed music, food and decorations...

COLUMBIA, Mo. -- The growing popularity of local markets for fresh food presents farm families with opportunities to increase profits, said a University of Missouri Extension community food specialist, but the challenges of marketing and selling directly to consumers can be daunting to some...

Dr. Jeremy C. Neely's book "The Border Between Them" has been garnering a lot of attention lately. Later this month he will be speaking with other notable historians at the University of Missouri-Columbia conference honoring Professor Emerita Susan Flader, who was also his dissertation director...

FORT SCOTT, Kan. -- One local organization realizes the importance of good health and has created a program that could benefit the health of all who participate. Beginning March 9 and lasting through May 3, the K-State Research and Extension office in Bourbon County will conduct the Walk Kansas fitness challenge...

Editor's note: The story that follows is real; the name of the victim has been changed to protect her identity. This, and the accompanying story about false accusations, are the last in an ongoing series about sex crimes in Bourbon and Vernon counties...