Stories from Tuesday, June 2, 2009

Deanna and Barry Bickel, of Columbia, and big brother Braden, are proud to announce the birth of their daughter and baby sister, Blair RayeAnne Bickel. Blair was born at 12:46 a.m., on April 11, 2009, at Columbia Regional Hospital, in Columbia. She weighed 6 pounds, 14 ounces, and measured 21 inches...

Cora Carol Mahaffey, 90, Nevada, passed away on Sunday, May 31, 2009, at Freeman Health System West, Joplin, Mo. She was called "Carol," but better known to all as "Granny." She was born on March 16, 1919, in Milwaukee, Wis., the daughter of James W. Tansey and Emma P. Gaukel Tansey...

Charles Sherwood Drake, 74, Nevada, died Friday, May 29, 2009, at his residence. He was born Nov. 13, 1934, in Nevada, to Earl James Drake and Bertha Marie Parsley Drake. Mr. Drake was born and reared in Nevada and was a lifelong resident here. He served in the U.S. Army from 1957 to 1959. He drove a truck for a living most of his working life...

Patricia Evelyn "Pat" Fillpot, age 70, of Hume, Mo., died Friday, May 29, 2009, at the Nevada Regional Medical Center. She was born in California on July 15, 1938, the daughter of Clem and Alice Jenkins O'Rear. She married Oscar Fillpot on Oct. 12, 1957, at Kansas City, Mo. She was most recently employed as the Hume city clerk. Previously, she had worked as a tax consultant, in bookkeeping with the Prescott Elevator and the Hume Insurance Agency. Pat was a member of the Hume Christian Church...

Staff and volunteers at Fort Scott National Historic Site are getting ready to "put on the dog" during the 28th annual Good Ol' Days celebration, June 6 and 7, in Fort Scott, Kan. Throughout the festival weekend, visitors will find living historians portraying Fort Scott's officers and their wives showing off their finery and pursuing various recreational activities of the mid-1800s. ...

Community Blood Center will be conducting a blood drive on Monday, June 29 at Nevada Regional Medical Center in the Moore-Few Care Center Community Room. Individuals in Nevada can help meet local needs by donating blood at the Community Blood Center blood drive on Monday, June 29 from 2 to 6 p.m. in the Moore-Few Care Center Community Room, 800 S. Ash. To make an appointment online, go to www.esavealifenow.org and use sponsor code nevadamedctr; or contact Natalie Leeper at (417) 448-3609...

Two Arkansas teenagers were injured in a one-vehicle crash Monday morning. According to a report from the Missouri State Highway Patrol, the incident occurred at about 11 a.m., on U.S. 71, about 1.5 miles north of Sheldon, when the northbound 1999 Prism, driven by 19-year-old Michelle J. Bornhoft, of Little Rock, Ark., traveled off the left side of the roadway, then the right side, struck an embankment and overturned several times...

The Nevada Griffons camp for youth age 4 through eighth grade will be conducted June 3 and 4, 1-2:30 p.m., at Lyons Stadium, Nevada. During the camp, which is open to both boys and girls, camp attendees get tips on skills from Griffons players and get a chance to have some fun learning about baseball...

A fishing derby for children, co-sponsored by the Rich Hill Chamber of Commerce and the McGennis Youth Center, is scheduled for Sunday, June 7, a the center. Registration will begin at 5:30 p.m., at the east shelter house, near the tennis courts. The derby will be conducted from 6 to 7:30 p.m...

The public is urged to comment on the final draft of Freedom's Frontier National Heritage Area Management Plan, available online, now through June 6. Freedom's Frontier National Heritage Area, consisting of 41 counties in western-Missouri and eastern-Kansas, is a grassroots effort to steward the cultural landscape and nationally significant stories about the struggle over freedom on the frontier...

The Nevada Regional Medical Center is not making as much money as they had budgeted for on their investment income, but remains on solid ground, financially. The hospital keeps a reserve on hand to meet bond obligations as well as other necessities and that money draws interest. With the economy in flux the income they receive from their investments has been disappointing, but it is safe, hospital CFO Cindy Buck told the board...

The Nevada City Council will be considering extending Harlan Moore's contract as interim city manager, which ends Dec. 1, 2009, until June 1, 2010, unless the city hires a permanent city manager or Moore resigns first. The contract can be renewed again if it is agreed upon by the city and Moore...

Bob Beaver is well-known in Vernon County for several reasons. His former vocation in education, his current career in real estate and his work on behalf of Habitat for Humanity all contribute to his reputation. June 18 will be a landmark for Beaver -- he will be honored at a Rotary dinner at the Nevada Country Club. A reception will start at 6 p.m., dinner at 7 p.m. and a short program at 8 p.m...