Stories from Tuesday, February 8, 2011

If you can imagine being homeless in weather like southwest Missouri is having this winter, you appreciate the urgency of the semi-annual count of homeless people being taken by the Nevada Housing Authority. The count provides information for policy and planning decisions at local, state and federal levels, and impacts funding, so Housing Authority Executive Director Carol Branham consults various local aid groups and drives around, looking for anyone who might be homeless by checking street corners, overpasses, convenience stores and fast food restaurants.. ...

Temperatures are expected to drop into single digits today; and Wednesday's low could fall to -6; more than cold enough to put water pipes a risk of freezing. Water expands as it freezes, which puts tremendous pressure on whatever is containing it, including metal or plastic pipes, according to the University of Missouri extension. ...

The Vernon County Extension Council elections will be conducted now through Feb. 21. The county extension council works with the Extension staff members in planning and making recommendations for educational programs. according to a press release. The Vernon County council is composed of 20 members, 16 who are elected and two who are appointed. ...

JEFFERSON CITY -- On Monday rews from the Missouri Department of Transportation will finish snow-clearing from approximately 1,200 miles of roads in 16 counties that requested help after experiencing record amounts of snow in last week's blizzard. On Friday, Gov. ...

Raiden Hill, Milo is cradled in the arms of a snowman built by his dad, Marty Hill, in honor of Raiden's first experience playing in the snow. If the forecast for Tuesday and Wednesday remains the same, Raiden and his family will have more opportunities to discover ways to play in the snow -- the National Weather Service has issued a winter weather advisory, to be effective from 6 a.m., today, through 6 p.m., Wednesday. ...

Nevada Police Chief Graham Burnley thanks SP4 Andrew Gomez, Sgt. Crystal Carney, SFC Adam Gremmal and Staff Sgt. Darcey Ogg from the 1139th MP Company of the Missouri National Guard, Harrisonville, during last Thursday's city council meeting for the assistance they provided to Nevada Police Department as well as the Vernon County Ambulance District following last week's heavy snow...

Kenneth Charles Stangeland, 84, Nevada, passed away on Thursday, Feb. 3, 2011, at Freeman West Medical Center, Joplin, Mo. He was born June 2, 1926, to Clarence Stangeland and Hannah Ronning Stangeland in Dell Rapids, S.D. He married Betty Jean Kriens on Dec. 3, 1952, in Sioux Falls, S.D., and she preceded him in death on Oct. 24, 1997...

Kathryn Mae Fast, 91, Nevada, passed away on Friday, Feb. 4, 2011, at her home in Nevada. She was born Aug. 4, 1919, in Frankfurt, Ind., to W.S. John Ramsey and Bertha May Hastings. She married Paul Fast in 1946, in Wichita, Kan., and he preceded her in death in 1996. They had been married for more than 50 years...

On the night of yet another Nevada High School Wall of Fame induction, the Nevada Tigers varsity basketball squad once again matched its best offensive showing in recent memory in a 71-62 victory over Mount Vernon Saturday afternoon. "(It was a) hard fought game, kind of the game that I anticipated it to be," Tigers head coach John McNeley said...

The Cottey College Comets extended their winning streak to 13 games on Saturday with a 61-39 victory over St. Louis Community College-Forest Park. Head coach Dave Ketterman had to make do with seven players in the game against the Lady Highlanders. First-year player and second-leading scorer, Santana Cruz is out for the rest of the season with an ACL tear suffered in the game against Ottawa and second-year player Sharese Ward was out on Saturday with a sinus infection...