Stories from Saturday, April 25, 2009

Every Christmas morning, when I invariably receive a few books, a couple from Ginny, Jessica, my sister Beverly, and maybe a writer-friend from New York, I carefully and decorously unpeel the wrapping, and turn immediately to the title page. Then, because the other members of my small tribe are seated with me around the tree and want to get on with the show, I swallow my mild disappointment and hand the next present to its eager recipient...

A good friend shared the following profound statements with me: "In my many years I have come to a conclusion that one useless man is a shame, two is a law firm and three or more is a congress." -- John Adams "Suppose you were an idiot . . . And suppose you were a member of Congress. But then I repeat myself."-- Mark Twain...

Hi neighbors. Have you heard the older popular song about two guys in a bar sitting around thinking -- trying to figure out the secret of life? The bartender tells them there is no "secret" to life. But I think we all have wondered about some weird things that are common -- but make no sense at all...

Mabel Irene Leer, 82, Nevada, passed away on Friday, April 24, 2009, at Moore-Few Care Center following a brief illness. She was born November 16, 1926, in Milo, Mo., to Charley Prince Scott Sr. and Alta Marie Mowrey Scott. She was married May 26, 1945, in Nevada, to Clifford Leon Leer and he preceded her in death November 1961...

When someone harms a child in Vernon County, or many of the surrounding counties for that matter, there's a place where families can turn to make the journey through the courts, and the journey back to not being afraid easier to travel. It's the Children's Center. Located at 119 S. Main, Nevada, the Children's Center serves 11 counties -- hundreds of people in the last calendar year, Children's Center Executive Director Chad Adams said recently, in a presentation to the Nevada Rotary Club...

A former Fort Scott resident is getting the chance to chase his dream by chasing storms on national television. Brandon Ivey and partner Matt Hughes have begun filming for the "Storm Chasers" a reality series on Discovery Channel which follows teams of storm chasers as they document extreme weather...

Jack, a Border Collie, was found last year, abandoned in the country left to fend for himself. At the time he only weighed 21 pounds and was very timid. Sharon Ross, a foster "parent" for Vernon County People for Pets, took him in and cared for him over the winter. ...

Charlie and Charmaine Burke, of Flower Mound, Texas, announce the engagement and upcoming wedding of their daughter, Tiffany Rae Burke, to Nathan Dean Gulliford, son of Jerry and Terri Morris, of Nevada, and the late Steve Gulliford. Tiffany attended the University of Kansas, where she received a Bachelor of Science in Education with a minor in Special Education and a Master in Education with an emphasis in reading. She was a member of Chi Omega Sorority...

"Ordered to be shot." uch was the fate of most Confederate guerrillas (if you are of the Southern persuasion) or bushwhackers (if you are of the opposing or Yankee point of view) in Missouri during the Civil War. If a Confederate guerrilla or bushwhacker was unfortunate enough to be captured by the Blue Bellied Billy Yanks the grim reaper would quickly claim another soul because "Union" justice for the guerrilla was usually swift and fatal. ...

Army Reserve Sgt. Doug A. Morrison has deployed to Iraq to provide medical care at the Ibn Sina in Baghdad. The 10th Combat Support Hospital has assumed medical care responsibilities in Baghdad, Mosul, Al Kut, Al Amarah, and Tallil for a one-year deployment. The medical unit will provide health service support and a combat hospital in Baghdad and Mosul, and a combat aid station in Al Kut and Al Amarah...

Nevada, Mo. -- The "Help is Here Express" bus tour will be in Nevada on April 30, stopping at the Nevada Regional Medical Center's Moore-Few Care Center, 901 S. Adams, 2-3 p.m., to help uninsured and financially-struggling Missourians access information on programs that provide prescription medicines for free or nearly free...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- The Department of Mental Health has expanded its suicide prevention efforts by awarding a contract to Pathways Community Behavioral Healthcare, Inc., to serve as a Regional Resource Center to provide suicide prevention services...

Pre-school children who attend the USD 234 4-Year-Old Preschool got the chance to color a corner of their world on Wednesday. In observance of the National Association for the Education of Young Children's 2009 Week of the Young Child, which is observed April 19-25, Angie Simon, teacher of the 4-Year-Old Preschool, set up an outdoor painting activity for the children who attend school in her classroom. ...