Stories from Tuesday, January 15, 2013

LaurNell Jessie Strack, 86, of Bolivar, went to her Heavenly Home Thursday, Jan. 10, 2013, at Parkview Healthcare Facility in Bolivar. LaurNell was born Dec. 23, 1926, to Jesse Matthew and Elmeda Helen Carey Blackburn. She was a graduate of Bolivar High School class of 1944...

Tom Claspill, 71, of Nevada, Mo., passed away on Saturday, Jan. 12, 2013, at Moore-Few Care Center in Nevada, following a lengthy illness. He was born on July 12, 1941, in Montevallo, Mo., to Roy Allen Claspill and Amanda Lucille Davis Claspill. He married Sarah A. Scott on Aug. 11, 1968, in Nevada and she survives of the home...

Marlin L. Kerrick, 75, a resident of rural Deerfield, Mo., died unexpectedly Friday, Jan. 11, 2013, at his home. He was born April 16, 1937, in Reeds, Mo., the son of Benjamin Kerrick and Lula Smith Kerrick. Marlin graduated from Fort Scott High School and Fort Scott Junior College. ...

Mabel Claire Keeny Brown, 94, formerly of Nevada, passed away on Saturday, Jan. 12, 2013, at Foxwood Springs, Raymore, Mo. She was born July 24, 1918, in Harwood, Mo., to Cecil Keeny and Grace Magann Keeny. On May 12, 1939, she was married to Roy F. Brown Jr. "Brownie" who preceded her in death on May 15, 1992...

Nevada Daily Mail APPLETON CITY, Mo. -- The Panthers of Sheldon High School dropped just their third game of the season Saturday in the championship game of the Appleton City Tournament. Head coach Tyler Judd's Panthers came into the contest fresh off of a 56-48 victory over the host, Appleton City, but couldn't maintain the momentum and ultimately fell short by a final score of 52-45 against Rich Hill. Corey Baney led th offensive effort with 13 points...

Nevada Daily Mail APPLETON CITY, Mo. -- The Hume High School girls' basketball team defeated Northeast Vernon County in Friday night's consolation game at the Appleton City Tournament. "(I'm) very proud of how my girls finished this tournament," Lady Hornets head coach Delanya Thompson said. "It is so fun watching them play with their new-found confidence."...

By Eric Wade Nevada Daily Mail "I'm proud of the kids. What a tremendous effort!" Even in defeat, Nevada Lady Tigers head coach Brent Bartlett had a lot to be happy about as he left Wynn Gymnasium Monday night. Bartlett's Lady Tigers squad could have simply accepted defeat as a given when the Lady Tigers of Skyline pulled into Nevada High School, but just the opposite happened as Bartlett's squad gave Skyline all it could handle in a 57-56 overtime decision that came down to the last shot in the closing seconds before it was really over.. ...

Nevada Daily Mail APPLETON CITY, Mo. -- The Hume Hornets varsity basketball team brought a successful end to the Appleton City Tournament Saturday afternoon. Both vying for fifth place at Appleton City High School, the Hornets came out on top against the Knights of Northeast Vernon County High School by a final score of 41-33. Both squads are scheduled to return to action today as the Hornets take on Miami and the Knights take back to the road for a matchup against the Panthers of Sheldon...

Nevada Daily Mail WEBB CITY, Mo. -- The Lady Cardinals of Webb City defeated Nevada by a final score of 52-39, Friday night at Webb City High School to improve to 12-3 on the season. The Lady Cards led, 11-9, after the first quarter and 26-17 at halftime on their way to the 13-point victory. Desirea Buerge and Kaitlin Beason scored 14 points apiece for Webb City, while Casey Hager added 12 of her own -- including three 3-pointers...

Nevada Daily Mail ST. LOUIS, Mo. -- The Cottey Comets improved to 9-0 on the season with an 82-70 overtime victory over the St. Louis Community College Lady Archers Saturday afternoon. Second-year Comets Petra Stankovic and Blaklee Sanders teamed up to score 39 points during the second half and in the extra session to lead Cottey's rally from a 32-27 halftime deficit. ...

Nevada Daily Mail The Nevada Lady Tigers junior varsity squad got back into action on Monday night, returning to Wynn Gymnasium to take on the Lady Tigers of Skyline High School. Things got off to a strong start for coach Jenny Allard's Lady Tigers in their attempt to wash away the bitter taste of Friday night's 37-20 defeat at the hands of Webb City. A strong effort by Allard's squad fell just short, however, as Skyline took the victory Monday night by a final score of 41-37...

Nevada Daily Mail What was initially thought to be a serious case of vandalism in the weekend breakage of windows and glass doors at three downtown Nevada businesses was determined to be something the late mystery writer Ellery Queen might have dubbed "The Case of the Wayward De-icing Trucks."...

Nevada Daily Mail Jin In will be the next speaker in the Distinguished Speakers Series sponsored by the Cottey College's Institute for Women's Leadership and Social Responsibility at 7 p.m., Tuesday, Jan. 22, in the Missouri Recital Hall. Jin In is the founder and president of 4Girls Glocal Leadership, a multigenerational and multi-international network of women specialists and undergraduate students from the U.S. ...

Nevada Daily Mail The Missouri Nut Growers Association will hold its 2013 Annual Meeting, Nut Show and Nutty Cookie Contest Feb. 1-2, at the Franklin P. Norman City/County Community Center in Nevada. Nut growers from across the the state will compare notes on pecan, hickory, black walnut and chestnut production and hear about methods of combating drought, the spread of thousand cankers disease, a pecan DNA study and intercropping in nut orchards...

Nevada Daily Mail Columbia, Mo. -- Thirty-one Missouri counties are among almost 600 counties across the U.S. that have been designated by the USDA as primary natural disaster due to drought and heat. Farm operators in these counties are eligible for low interest emergency loans from USDA...

Among the 1,500 lobbyists registered with the Missouri Ethics Commission in Jefferson City, Jerry Burch of Walker is one of only about 75 who pursue the profession full-time. He said one of the keys for a former legislator is to recognize "that you no longer vote" and show deference to those who do. ...

Jerry William Burch's life has been an adventure that carried him from a Vernon County farm to a savings and loan company, college, teaching, coaching, the Missouri House of Representatives and lobbying for some of the more important entities in the state...

Nevada freshman Trey Pritchett tries to put Jeremiah Ukens on his back minutes before Pritchett succeeded in pinning Ukens for third place at 197 pounds in the Nevada junior varsity wrestling tournament at Nevada High School Saturday. Full tournament results were not available at press time Monday...