Stories from Saturday, November 16, 2013

When the 70th modern-day firearms deer season opened, it was much different from when the first modern-day deer season in Missouri opened, back in 1944. Back then, there was a two-day season for bucks in only 20 counties, in southern Missouri. That year, 7,557 hunters took 585 deer...

ST. PETERS, Mo. -- The Nevada High School boys' swim team entered the opening day of the 2013 Missouri State High School Activities Association Boys' Swimming and Diving Championships with high hopes, but at the same time, a lot of questions. Though the Tigers were able to qualify every member of the five-man team for the state meet, in two different events, two of those five swimmers were freshmen, leaving head coach Ryan Watts far less than certain of what to expect from his 200-yard freestyle relay team. ...

The Nevada Middle School eighth-grade girls' basketball teams got back into action on the road Thursday, and came home with strong results. In the A game, head coach Danny Penn's squad found itself locked in a close contest that came right down to the wire, but ultimately came out on top by a final score of 16-12. The B game brought even more success for Nevada, as Penn's squad picked up a 10-point victory by a final score of 24-14...

By Floyd Jernigan Nevada Daily Mail There aren't many high school sports teams that take the field more than 25 times during a school year, or compete nearly year-round, for that matter. But that's the challenge and the fun of competing for the Nevada High School Dance Team. Members perform at all home junior varsity and varsity football games, girls and boys' home basketball games, and school assemblies...

Laudell Dahmer Smith, 92, Independence, Mo., passed away Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2013, at Rosewood Health & Rehab Center, in Independence. She was born Jan. 6, 1921, to Charles E. Dahmer and Mary (Monroe) Dahmer near Nevada, Mo. She attended grade school in Milo, Mo., and graduated from high school in Nevada, in 1939. ...

Amy Caldwell, 89, Sheldon, Mo., died on Friday, Nov. 15, 2013, at Freeman Health System West, Joplin, Mo. Family information and funeral arrangements will be announced later by Ferry Funeral Home, Nevada. View obituary and send condolences online at www.ferryfuneralhome.com...

Justin and Katherine Wood are proud to announce the birth of their son, Noah Robert Daniel Wood. Noah was born Friday, Sept. 6, 2013, in Broomfield, Colo. He weighed 6 pounds, 10 ounces, and measured 19 and ½ inches. Maternal grandparents are Dan and Pauline Quest, of Nevada. Maternal great-grandparents are Irving and Joyce, of Watertown, Wis., and the late Palmer and Bernice Kirchoff...

William and Erica Faulkner, of St. Paul, Minn., and older sisters, Eleanor and Katharine, are proud to announce the birth of their son and baby brother, William Irving Faulkner. William was born Thursday, Oct. 17, 2013. He weighed 9 pounds, 10 ounces, and measured 21 and ½ inches...

Jay and Melissa Koehn, of El Dorado Springs, Mo., and older siblings, Todd and Kaya, are proud to announce the birth of their daughter and baby sister, Isla Brooke Koehn. Isla was born at 4:59 a.m., Sunday, Oct. 27, 2013, at Nevada Regional Medical Center. She weighed 8 pounds, 11 ounces, and measured 21 inches...

The children of Bob and Jane Hutchison will host an open house in honor of their parents' 60th wedding anniversary. Open to friends and family, the event takes place Saturday, Nov. 23, from 2 to 4 p.m., at the Walker Community Building, Walker. Omission of gifts is requested. Cards may be sent to 14779 S. 2600 Road, Walker MO 64790...

Ron and Hazel (Swank) Brown, rural Deerfield, will celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary with family during the Thanksgiving holiday. The Browns were married Dec. 3 at the United Methodist Church in Hume, Mo. Twenty-five years later, they renewed their vows at that same church, with the Rev. Mark Oskee presiding and witnessed by family and friends...

Hi, neighbors. We have a new tradition in my extended family. Whenever we get together for a holiday, special event or all just happen to be in the same place for whatever reason, we take photos. Everyone takes photos. Then, we make a CD of all the photos from our camera and mail them around. Everyone else does the same, so we all end up with all of the photos. This way, we eventually get photos of ourselves (we being the ones who always pack the cameras and take the photos.)...

Dear Editor: In reference to Richard Carpenter's Nov. 1 submission entitled, "License to Kill Is Sometimes Needed," in the opinion section of the Nevada Daily Mail, I have a thought or two I would like to offer. The letter was interesting and thought-provoking and I may have been inclined to agree with its many points if it weren't for some glaring discrepancies with regard to this nation's current government administration and its policies on spying...

Nevada Daily Mail Publisher You can make a difference and extend a helping hand to your neighbors. Every year is a challenge for organizations that rely on the donations of others to meet their needs. That's especially true with United Way, which provides support to many different local agencies. Those agencies, in turn, support numerous citizens in a variety of ways...

We are apt to forget that children watch examples better than they listen to preaching. -Roy L. Smith In my line of work, I see people every day who have made bad decisions or have found themselves at what they think is the "end of the line." Some of the people I deal with have just made a bad decision and appear to be eager to put it all behind them and move on. ...

Dear Editor: I would like to say a special thank you to Frank and Pat Arnold, Jennifer Eaton, and the members of the Veterans Committee or hosting the Third Annual Veterans Day Parade. As a veteran, it makes me proud to be from Vernon County. It takes work and effort to put on an event of this type. The recognition of the service of the veterans of the area is appreciated...

The Nevada Middle School's annual seventh and eighth grade Science Expo will begin Tuesday, Nov. 19 with students setting up their projects between 7:30 a.m. and 3 p.m. in the Nevada Middle School lobby and will end Friday, Nov. 22, with an awards assembly at 2 p.m. in the gym...

Circuit judge James Bickel served on the Missouri Supreme Court to hear the arguments in the Central Trust and Investment Company v. Signalpoint Asset Management, LLC case on Wednesday. After one of the seven judges was recused, Bickel was appointed through special designation Sept. 25...

The Nevada/Vernon County Chamber of Commerce is again hosting the Miss Merry Christmas Pageant. This year's event is Saturday, Dec. 7, at 10 a.m. in the new Ella Maxwell Performing Arts Center on the Nevada High School campus. The Chamber is seeking candidates for each category of the pageant: Miss Candy Cane (K-2), Miss Snowflake (3-5), Miss Holly (6-8) and Miss Merry Christmas (9-12)...

Nevada Daily Mail The Sheldon Board of Aldermen has taken a step towards demolishing dilapidated residences and commercial buildings at its meeting Thursday. "There is $500,000 available statewide," said Kristi Kelley, a Kaysinger Basin Regional Planning Commission representative. "First you need to determine which structures are dilapidated, and then we need to work with property owners on whether they want to participate."...