Stories from Tuesday, May 20, 2008

Jerry A. Knapp, 53, of Nevada, passed away on Saturday, May 17, 2008, at St. Joseph Hospital, Kansas City, Mo., after a lengthy illness. Jerry was born on Nov. 24, 1954, in St. Joseph, to L. Joseph and Ann Knapp. He married at an early age in St. Joseph and had a son Jeromy Levi Knapp, who resides in Concord, Calif...

Clara Marie Sumner, of Metz, passed away on May 17, 2008, at 6:06 p.m., in Blue Springs, Mo. Mrs. Sumner was born on July 18, 1916, the daughter of John Barton Morris and Jessie Reed Morris, on a farm west of Metz and grew up in the same area. She was a member of the Metz Methodist Church and retired from the Metz school district in 1980...

Robert "Bob" G. Fritts passed away on Friday, May 16, 2008, after a long battle with cancer. He was 68 years old. Bob was born April 27, 1940, in Sterling, Ill., to Alfred O. and Virginia D. Fritts. He is survived by his wife, Fran Elliott Fritts, of 38 years; three daughters, Kellie (Chris) Dudley, of Mount Pleasant, S.C.; Tammy Brashear, Millbrook, Ala.; Shellie (Craig) Conway, of Aydlett, N.C.; nine grandchildren, five great-grandchildren, and one brother John O. Fritts, of Greenwood, Mo...

The Nevada City Council will be looking at a short agenda when they meet tonight at 7 in the Public Safety Building, 120 S. Ash Street. The council will be considering two ordinances, one to remove the parking in front of Ernsbarger Heating and Air Conditioning in the 400 block of West Cherry Street to make it easier to enter or leave the business. The second ordinance scheduled concerns allowing city employees to run for certain elective offices...

Parents who notice their young child beginning to stutter should seek help right away; and help is available at the Sheldon Public Library, in Sheldon, Mo. In the past, experts incorrectly believed that paying attention to a child's stuttering would exacerbate the situation. ...

Justin Fletcher and the Outcasts of Comedy are returning to Nevada for another gig at the Roadhouse bar Friday, May 23 at 8 p.m., Fletcher, a Joplin native, is the mind behind JLF Productions in Kansas City and Des Moines, Iowa. Fletcher was at the Roadhouse bar in January and says he enjoys the area...