Stories from Thursday, April 1, 2010

James Leroy Tipling, 76, died March 26, 2010, at St. John's hospital in Springfield, Mo., after a brief illness. He was born in Atchison, Kan., on Feb.4, 1934. He was preceded in death by his parents, Clarence and Edith Tipling of Arrington, Kan. and a son, Scott Tipling of Kansas City...

Johnnie "Dee" Dabbs, 74, Sheldon, Mo., passed away on Tuesday, March 30, 2010, at Barton County Memorial Hospital in Lamar, Mo. He was born June 13, 1935, in Stark City, Mo., to Hugh M. Dabbs and Lottie Mary O'Niel Dabbs. Dee was employed by O'Sullivan Industries for several years, retiring in 1997...

Thornton E. Spencer, 91, of Nevada, died on Tuesday, March 30, 2010, at his home under the care of Hospice. Funeral services will be held Friday, April 2, at Evergreen Memorial Chapel, Nevada. Burial will be in Newton Burial Park. Arrangements are under the direction of Evergreen Memorial Chapel...

March 17 Bradley D. Taylor, Jasper, Mo., no proof of insurance. Delbert L. Yoder, El Dorado Springs, speeding 42/30. March 18 Cory A. Dowty, Nevada, failure to maintain lane. Charles F. Greathouse, Springfield, speeding 44/30. Kevin D. Jones, Milo, driving while revoked, driving while intoxicated and following too close...

At the first meeting for Girl Scouts of the Missouri Heartland, held on March 27 in Branson, Mo., three Nevada volunteers were honored for their contributions to the organization. Fellow volunteers nominated Nani Wilde, Kristull Wingert and Joelle Mason to receive awards...

The upcoming election for the Northeast Vernon County School levy has generated many letters to the editor and much discussion. Superintendent Charles Naas said much of the information coming from those opposed to the levy is incorrect, especially any that called for the closing of the district's schools and merging with other districts...

Buzzards wheeled overhead on Monday, March 29, as a concerned man pointed across his neighbor's pasture to yet another dead horse, only one of more than a dozen horses to die on the southeast Vernon County farm in the past six months or so. "Yeah, the buzzards and coyotes are thicker than all get out, because they've got all they can eat," said Paul Feagan...

Dear Editor: I am writing to make the public aware of an incident which took place in Nevada on Saturday, Feb. 27 at my mother's house. We were having a birthday party for my 3-year-old granddaughter. Half way through the party the house was invaded by at least nine law enforcement officers of some agency or other. They were looking for my son who is on the run from the police...

Dear Editor, Nearly 15 months after he took office, some people still doubt that President Obama is an American citizen. Although most of the lawsuits have been disposed of, people called "birthers" still circulate allegations on the Internet and in print media...

Dear Editor, With the passage of national health care still ringing in our ears I found myself reflecting on this historic and unprecedented turn of events. It is understood, and has actually been stated on numerous occasions, that no one has any idea of what the health care bill will actually cost; who will benefit from the many programs and bureaucratic departments that will be created; where the money will actually come from; what will be funded or eliminated after the dust finally settles...

Dear NEVC patrons, Each month as I sit at the NEVC meetings of the board of education, I am always amazed at the amount of money it takes to run what most people consider to be, and is, a "small" school system. Of course we have the usual teacher, administrative, and support staff salaries, but also with our aged facilities incur expenses for two buildings, both elementary and high school. ...

Dear Editor, To begin with, we are registered voters and patrons of the NEVC R-I School District. A lot of the negative ads you see are paid for and sponsored by people that can not even vote in the upcoming election. The only outcome of the election will be that it will raise their real estate taxes. Do they really care about the NEVC children and their education?...

Dear Editor: The NEVC bond issue that is proposed will not be enough to build the new school. The money to pay for the lease-purchase agreement, which completes the funding for the new school, will come from state money now being used to operate the school. How will this operating money be replaced? Not from the state...

Dear editor, I recently attended the NEVC Proposition S meeting in Walker. The board had an interesting proposal that stressed the dire need for a new building. I understand that the Schell City building and parts of the Walker building are beyond repair, but there is much of the Walker facility that needs to be salvaged!...

Dear Editor, We would like to start off by saying we fully understand the reality of NEVC's need for a new school. Having a new facility would be a cost savings on energy and consolidating two buildings into one. However, we do not believe that in the current economic climate that now is the time to go into debt; obligating tax payers to the highest school tax rate in the county and surrounding area. ...

You have probably already heard that this is April Fool's Day. In honor of that event my column today will have ten mistakes either in spelling, punctuation, or false information. I don't have a prize for the person who finds all ten errors, but I have a word of warning for anyone who finds more than ten. If you find more than ten I want you to know that the computer acted up somehow and caused the mistakes. It couldn't have been my fault...