Stories from Thursday, December 2, 2010

Thomas William (Bill) Swopes, 85, El Dorado Springs, died Tuesday, Nov. 30, 2010, at Community Springs Healthcare Facility, El Dorado Springs. Services will begin at 2 p.m., Friday, Dec. 3, in the Sheldon Funeral Chapel, El Dorado Springs. Visitation will be held from 1-2 p.m., prior to the service on Friday. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations are suggested to the Pleasant Springs Cemetery in care of the funeral home...

In an information-packed Tuesday night session, Nevada Regional Medical Center directors heard October "was a rough month" with numerous postponements of surgeries and cancellations of out-patient visits. Chief Financial Officer Cindy Buck explained that the surgeries weren't performed because surgeons were vacationing, but she said seeing only 3,881 out-patients, short of the budgeted 3,904, was alarming...

Thanksgiving has special meaning for family who experienced kindness of strangers in the wake of their Oct. 27 crash on U.S. 71 near Nevada.

Kaylee Nelson sets up her science project Wednesday evening for the Nevada Middle School seventh and eighth grade science fair in the middle school lobby. Judging of the 191 projects will take place today and the projects can be viewed between 6 and 7 this evening. The awards ceremony will be held Monday at 2 p.m. in the Nevada Middle School gymnasium. Trophies, medals and ribbons will be awarded to category winners, as well as best of show and other special awards...

Anyone who has spent any time with Dan Keller knows that he leads a very profitable, enjoyable life even though he was born blind. His parents, John and Emma Jo Keller of Monroe City, Mo., treated him, the third of their four children, the same as his siblings. In fact, Dan didn't know that he was different from the other children until it was nearly time to go to school...