Stories from Friday, February 29, 2008

Iva Whitworth Shaw, 96, of Moundville, passed away, on Wednesday, Feb. 27, 2008, at her daughter's home in Moundville following a lengthy illness. She was born Dec. 11, 1911, in Moundville, to Henry Alvy Whitworth and Annie Emma Hurlburt Whitworth. She married Ira O. Shaw on July 22, 1931, in Stockton. He preceded her in death on Feb. 19, 1984...

Travis and Jenny Barker, of Nevada, and big sister Faith Marie Barker, are proud to announce the birth of their son and baby brother, Samuel Elson Barker. Samuel was born at 8:49 a.m., on Feb. 2, 2008, at Nevada Regional Medical Center. He weighed 8 pounds, and measured 21 inches...

Amanda Simpson, of Nevada, is proud to announce the birth of her son Mason Lee Simpson. Mason was born at 7:56 p.m., on Feb. 14, 2008, at Freeman Hospital, in Joplin. He weighed 7 pounds, 5 ounces, and measured 20 inches. Grandparents are Bruce and Kelly Simpson, of Nevada, and the late Donnalie Belcher, of Nevada...

Across the state, Missourians are struggling to meet the financial burden that results from the ever-increasing property values and the corresponding increase in property taxes. In some counties in Missouri, assessed values increased by an average of 22 percent between 2005 and 2007. ...

The city of Nevada has made a big blunder in managing street department funds. It seems that someone has mistaken a street sweeper for a street resurfacing or curb and gutter replacement project. Hmm. Last time we looked, a street sweeper in no way resembles a street surface. ...

Some may think it a coincidence that our local high school team mascot is a "Tiger." Such is not the case. In our town, the "Tiger" has a lot of meaning both locally and statewide. Today I am going to talk about a man who was twice a "Tiger," Charles Henke...

Hume boys reached the finals of the Class 1 District 12 basketball championships Wednesday night after knocking out Drexel 63-39 in front of a packed house at Drexel High School. The Hornets pounced on the Bobcats out of the gate, building a 14-3 lead by the end of the first quarter. ...

Great Plains Energy Incorporated announced earlier this week that it has reached an agreement in principle to settle all issues related to its application before the Kansas Corporation Commission requesting approval of its pending acquisition of Aquila, Inc. Great Plains Energy also submitted a revised proposal to the Missouri Public Service Commission that continues to provide increased short and longterm value to all stakeholders...

When members of Nevada's infrastructure committee arrived at their meeting Thursday night expecting to allocate $500,000 of transportation sales tax money for street construction, they found to their shock that the city manager had decided to take $200,000 of that money to purchase a new street sweeper, leaving $300,000 for street construction in 2008...