Stories from Saturday, October 9, 2010

Brett Snead, 15, Nevada, received Grand Champion Llama in the Intermediate Wool-Male Class at the 2010 Missouri State Fair Open Show, Aug. 18. He is the son of Kenny and Marla Kay Snead and is a freshman at Nevada High School.

The Nevada Middle School September students of the month are left to right, front row: Carlee Carpenter, Brett Mitchem and Hannah Householder. Second row: Gunner Mitchem, Ryan Ferris and Chloe Bartlett.

Lonnie Loren Engle, 68, Liberal, Mo., passed away on Thursday, Oct. 7, 2010, at his home. He was born Dec. 22, 1941, in Mulberry, Kan., to John Jacob Engle and Ruby Gaynell Collins Engle. He married Joan D. Rackley on April 2, 1961, in Nevada, and she survives of the home...

Mary Meyers Cochran, Nevada, is proud to announce the birth of her son, Caleb Michael Cochran. Caleb was born at 12:30 p.m., Thursday, Sept. 9, 2010, at Nevada Regional Medical Center. He weighed 7 pounds, 5 ounces, and measured 19 and 1/2 inches. Maternal grandparents are Elizabeth York of Nevada, Mo., and the late Michael York of Fort Scott, Kan. Maternal great-grandparents are Dorothy Hood of Kansas City, Mo., and William York of Lewiston, Maine...

September 20 David Cook was arrested for hold. Bond is $500. Scott Robinson was arrested for probation violation. No bond. Roy Slates was arrested for kidnapping and hold. No bond. Kathy Pickett was released to Lawrence County. Paul Plukett was released on $10,000 bond...

Clinton and Kathryn Fowler, of Sheldon, Mo., will observe their 50th wedding anniversary on Oct. 14, 2010. Clinton and the former Kathryn Rawlings were married Oct. 14, 1960, in Harrison, Ark. In lieu of a reception, their children and families gave and accompanied them on a week-long trip to Myrtle Beach, S.C., in September...

Rick and Brenda Sewell, of Golden City, Mo., will soon celebrate their 25th wedding anniversary. The two were married Oct. 19, 1985, in Sheldon, Mo. Rick and Brenda are blessed with two children, Ricky Lee Sewell, of Golden City, and Shani Lauren (Sewell) Nichols, of Derby, Kan...

Ashton Schulze and Darren Chapman exchanged wedding vows on Aug. 21, 2010, in an outdoor ceremony at Springhouse Gardens, Joplin, Mo. The bride is the daughter of Susan Versluis, of Neosho, Mo., and was given in marriage by her mother, and her grandparents, David Couch and Connie Couch...

Jim and Phyllis Lambert, Fredonia, Kan., formerly of Fort Scott, announce the engagement of their daughter, Kelsie Annette Lambert, to Clifton Randall Proehl, son of Randy and Gayla Proehl, Emporia, Kan. Kelsie is a 2002 graduate of Fredonia High School, attended Fort Scott Community College in 2002 and was a member of the FSCC volleyball team. ...

Mr. and Mrs. Matt Noll of Uniontown, Kan., announce the engagement of their daughter, Miranda, to Nate LaHaie, son of Mr. and Mrs. David LaHaie of Holland, Mich. Miranda is a graduate of the University of Kansas and is vice president of operations and sales for Spring Venture Group in Kansas City. Nate is a graduate of Evangel University and is a mortgage lender at National Bank of Kansas City...

Charles and Darlene Grant, Chanute, Kan., will be celebrating their 68th wedding anniversary on Oct. 14, 2010. The family notes that cards would be appreciated and may be addressed to the honorees at 920 S. Evergreen Ave., Chanute, KS 66720.

My life's been spent in a world of print. Among my first memories, in fact, is of my lying prone on my parents' living room carpet, early one weekend morning, wielding one of those children's out-size pencils about the diameter of a barber pole, and crafting my first short sentences on the light blue lines of my pleasingly thick Big Chief tablet. How I missed learning the proper function of the period, I don't know. I ended each of my sentences with a solid, no-nonsense perpendicular line...

With the cool weather we had last week, I was reminded of a poem by the late Lloyd Townsend that he shared with me. "Jack Frost just paints at night" With winter came the sleet and snow, Raw air sneaked through the cracks; Around the windows in the old home,...

Nevada senior Allie Irwin serves up a point during Thursday's match against the McDonald County Lady Mustangs. The Lady Tigers lost their final home match of the season, 25-23, 25-13. The Nevada junior varsity won their match, 25-13, 26-24, 25-11, only dropping the first set, to improve to 12-4 for the season and the freshmen won their match 25-19, 25-18...

University of Missouri Extension and the Vernon County Commissioners are offering an evening farm business course for farm women, Annie's Project, beginning Nov 4. The course includes six evening classes on Thursday evenings, Nov. 4, 11 and 18, and Dec 2, 9 and 16. The classes will be held from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. at the Nevada Telecenter...

Nevada, Mo. -- Head-spinning, soul-jumping French Ozark music by fiddler Dennis Stroughmatt and his trio, L'Esprit Creole," will entertain guests for free Sunday, Oct. 10, in performance at the Franklin P. Norman City/County Community Center as part of the musical series supporting the traveling Smithsonian exhibit now at the Bushwhacker Museum...

Rogers & Sons Concrete Inc., in conjunction with the city of Fort Scott, will start installation of a storm drain system at the intersection of Seventh Street and National Avenue beginning Monday. There will be time when sections of National Avenue will be closed from Seventh to Eighth streets. Additional notices will be issued when the entire street has to be closed for this project...

MT. VERNON, Mo. -- Allergy season has arrived and 30 percent of American's curse the pollen production of common ragweed (Ambrosia artemisiifolia) this time of year while they suffer the symptoms of "hay fever." But thanks to a study being conducted at University of Missouri's Southwest Center in Mt. Vernon, common ragweed could change from a curse to a money maker for some Missouri farmers...

The 2010 Nevada High School All-School Reunion will be held Friday, Oct. 15 and Saturday, Oct. 16. Events are finalized and many NHS alumni are excited and looking forward to the upcoming two-day celebration, organizers said. The festivities will begin at noon on Friday at the recently remodeled Franklin P. ...

UNIONTOWN -- Area youth will be able to saddle up Sunday for an educational event sponsored by the Uniontown FFA chapter. The Uniontown FFA Youth Ranch Rodeo, scheduled for 2 p.m. Sunday at the Uniontown Saddle Club Arena, is designed to let youth have fun and gain experience working and competing with horses and other rodeo animals...

FORT SCOTT, Kan. -- Famed actress Ruby Dee sat down to discuss her life and career on Friday during an event at the Danny and Willa Ellis Family Fine Arts Center at Fort Scott Community College. The 85-year-old Dee, an award-winning actress, author and activist, was in town Friday for the Gordon Parks Celebration of Culture and Diversity and to receive the 2010 Gordon Parks Choice of Weapons Award, which was established in Parks' honor and is presented annually during the celebration. ...

A rollover accident on U.S. 54 Highway Friday evening took the life of 66-year-old Donald L. Williams, of Deerfield, Mo. According to a report from the Missouri State Highway Patrol, Williams, who was driving a 2007 Chevrolet Silverado westbound on 54, five miles west of Deerfield, at about 6:30 p.m., attempted a left turn into the path of an eastbound 1986 Freightliner driven by a 50-year-old Clinton man. ...