Stories from Tuesday, March 18, 2014

Debra Ann Smith, 61, of Nevada, Mo., passed away March 13, 2014, at her daughter's home in Joplin. She was born Nov. 8, 1952, in Nevada, to Robert James and Muriel Joyce (Miller) Smith. Debra attended school in Nevada graduating with the Class of 1971. ...

Marquerite Phelps, 93, Monett, Mo, died Sunday, March 16, 2014, at Cox Health Center, Monett, Mo. Funeral services will be held at 10 a.m., Thursday, March 20, at Ferry Funeral Home, Nevada, with interment following in Olive Branch Cemetery, Milo, Mo...

Virgil Willie "Billy" Burns Jr., 64, El Dorado Springs, Mo., died Sunday, March 16, 2014, at Landmark Hospital, Columbia, Mo. Funeral services will be held at 10:30 a.m., Friday, March 21, at St. Paul's Lutheran Church, Nevada. The family receives friends from 5-7 p.m., Thursday, March 20, with prayer service at 6 p.m., at the funeral home...

Shirley Ann Tucker, 68, of Schell City, Mo., passed away Saturday, March 15, 2014, at her home. She was born Sept. 19, 1945, in Weaubleau, Mo., to Marion Cea and Anna Laura (Vale) Terrill. Early in her life, Shirley, along with her family moved to the Kansas City, Mo., area where she attended school. ...

Dear Editor: Allow me to weigh in on the "separation of church and state" issue or "freedom from religion" as perhaps another way of putting it. Thomas Jefferson, in writing to the Danbury Baptist Association in 1802, addressed the First Amendment of the U.S. ...

Nevada Daily Mail Shoppers at Woods may find meal time inspiration between the aisles thanks to a new Healthy Nevada project that begins this week. The project works to find or create healthy meals that families can make at home, and provides the how-to on cards found throughout the store...

Nevada Daily Mail Vernon County commercial pig producers and swine exhibitors met under one roof Wednesday evening for a briefing on PEDv in the region. The virus, which affects only swine, causes high mortality rates among piglets and is easily transferable between pigs and farms...

Nevada Daily Mail Nevada is home to a pair of "well kept secrets," said Parks and Recreation Director Dana Redburn, alluding to two "hidden treasures" that she said may not be that well known. Postlethwaite Park, land that was donated to the city with the stipulation it be kept in a natural state, is home to a mountain bike trail...

Nevada Daily Mail "What kind of market do you want our market to be?" Kelly Ast, treasurer for the Vernon County Farmers' Market Board, asked vendors about their ideas for the market's second year at a Thursday meeting. Ast questioned vendors' preference on adding regulations for the farmers' market, specifically on selling produce that was not grown locally...

Nevada Daily Mail The Vernon County Recycling Center is getting extra sets of working hands thanks to a new Sheriff's Office program. On Monday morning, four inmates from the Vernon County Jail arrived at the recycling center, stripes on, cheese sandwiches packed and ready to work. They were the first participants of a new work-release program that allows selected inmates to work shifts at the recycling center. All four were vocally excited about being outdoors and getting to work...

Nevada Daily Mail Five Kansas residents were injured in a Sunday afternoon accident in Vernon County. According to an accident report from the Missouri Highway Patrol, the accident occurred around 1:28 p.m. on Highway 54 at the intersection of County Road 100...