Stories from Tuesday, March 11, 2008

Mary Christine Dodd, 59, of Shelton, Wash., passed away in Olympia, Wash., on Friday, Feb. 22, 2008, while undergoing an emergency heart procedure. She was born July 8, 1948, at Markt Erlbach, Germany, the oldest daughter of Edward C. and Gertrude C. Heitz, longtime residents of El Dorado Springs...

Virginia Rose Wilt, 83, Joplin, formerly of Vernon County, passed away on Saturday, March 8, 2008, at the home of her step-granddaughter, Dana Lynn Keith and Donny Strait, where she had resided for the past year and four months. She was born on July 24, 1924, of Carmi, Ill., the eldest of six children, to Harry McClure Jenkins and Laura Bell Young. ...

Merriell Louise (Lee) Clark, 77, Marionville, passed away at 8 p.m., Friday, March 7, 2008, in the Ozarks Methodist Manor. She was born Jan. 26, 1931, in Hume to Evan Wesley and Ruby May (Mullies) Lee. Merriell was an elementary English teacher for more than 40 years, retiring in 1990...

Violet L. Testman, 90, of Keokuk, Iowa, died Sunday, March 9, 2008, at River Hills Village, in Keokuk. Violet was born on April 4, 1917, in Keokuk, the daughter of Otis and Ferol Kerr Milligan. She was united in marriage to Clyde A. Testman on July 20, 1936, in Keokuk. He preceded her in death on June 5, 1994...

Dale Butterfield, 97, Nevada, passed away Monday, March 10, 2008, at Nevada Regional Medical Center in Nevada following a short illness. He was born Feb. 17, 1911, in Bronaugh, to Walter Henry Butterfield and Effie Mae Stark Butterfield. He was married Oct. 6, 1934, in Vernon County to Mildred Lorene Whiteside and she preceded him in death Dec. 9, 2002...

Dear editor: In the March 5, paper I was attacked for my opinions concerning the Nevada City Councils ability to impede construction on the new jail because of their exorbitant and unexplained demand of $24,782 for a building permit. I would like to further explain my position with more facts...

NASA, in a bold move to bring Earth's pop music to entertainment-starved aliens, recently began beaming the Beatles song "Across the Universe," well, across the universe. More specifically, the song is being streamed toward the North Star, Polaris, home to a long-running "Beatlemania" musical revue. ...

As governor, I have worked to cultivate economic growth and make Missouri a state of opportunity by enacting pro-jobs, pro-growth initiatives. Before I took office, the state was losing jobs at an alarming rate, 34,000 in the previous four years. Missouri state government faced a $1.1 billion budget deficit. ...

A Nevada man was injured Saturday in a one-vehicle crash. According to a report from the Missouri State Highway Patrol, Charles H. Kranz, 29, of Nevada, was injured when the 2000 Ford pickup he was driving ran off the roadway and overturned, at 9:41 p.m., March 8, on Barrett Street, two miles south of Nevada. Kranz suffered moderate injuries and was transported to Nevada Regional Medical Center...

A Lamar man was injured in a one-vehicle crash early Sunday morning. According to a report from the Missouri State Highway Patrol, Jared T. Cofield, 20, was hurt when the 1994 Mitsubishi he was driving ran off the roadway and overturned, at about 3:20 a.m., Sunday, on U.S. 160, about six miles east of Lamar...

The National Weather Service, SEMA and local emergency management in Vernon County will conduct the Statewide Severe Weather Tornado Drill at 1:30 p.m., today. If Missouri is experiencing statewide severe weather conditions, the National Weather Service will hold the statewide drill on the backup date, 1:30 p.m., Thursday, March 13...

Spc. Johnathan Dabbs, 26, of Sheldon, will deploy with the Missouri National Guard's 1175th Military Police Company in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. In Iraq, Dabbs will serve with his unit as they conduct military police operations and assist with the stabilization of the country...

Jefferson City, Mo. -- The Children's Division announced today that the 28th Circuit office of the Department of Social Services' Children's Division has met the standards for accreditation by the Council on Accreditation. The 28th Circuit includes Barton, Cedar, Dade and Vernon counties. The 28th Circuit joins 18 circuits and the state's Central Administra-tion and Child Abuse and Neglect Hotline which have met accreditation standards since the onsite review process began...

On Friday, March 7, the Nevada R-5 Board of Education held a special executive session after receiving the resignation of current Nevada R-5 superintendent Craig Noah. Noah, who came to Nevada from the Trenton, Mo., school district has been superintendent in Nevada since taking over the district's helm in July 2006, after Dr. Ted Davis, who held the position for 11 years, retired...

By Steve Moyer Nevada Daily Mail The Missouri Division of Finance was in Hume Friday to close the Hume Bank. D. Eric McClure, Commissioner of Finance for the State of Missouri, took possession of Hume Bank, Hume, Mo., effective at the close of business Friday. ...

On Monday, March 10, members of the Missouri State Fire Marshal's Office, the Missouri State Highway Patrol, State Liquor Control and Vernon County Sheriff's Office met in Nevada to review information relating to a fire that occurred on March 2, at Echo's restaurant and lounge, just west of Nevada on U.S. Highway 54...

Robert Dean "Bob" Bishop, 76, of Springfield, Mo., died on Friday, March 7, 2008, after a long, courageous battle with Alzheimer's disease. He was born A celebration of Bob's life will be held on Tuesday, March 11, at 11 a.m., in Campbell United Methodist Church with the Rev. ...