Stories from Saturday, November 15, 2014

Betty L. Pettibon, 64, of Bronaugh, Mo., passed from this life on Friday, Nov. 7, 2014, at her home after a lengthy illness. She was born Oct. 4, 1950, in Nevada, the daughter of Frank Junior and Rhoda Mae (Russell) Burdick. On Oct. 4, 1968, she was united in marriage to Larry Pettibon and he survives of the home...

William Joe (Bill) Kannady, 80, Sheldon, Mo., passed away Thursday, Nov. 13, 2014, at Freeman West, in Joplin, Mo., following a brief illness. Bill was born on July 28, 1934, in Collinsville, Okla., to Francis William and Alpha Mae (Hilderbrand) Kannady. He was united in marriage to Wanda S. Lemons on Oct. 21, 1954, in the First Baptist Church, in Bixby, Okla., and she survives of the home...

Last week I attended the funeral of a deputy sheriff who was shot and killed while involved in a pursuit. Hundreds of fellow officers, deputies, rangers, and agents from just about every agency you can think of arrived in full uniform with looks on their faces that would appear they had just lost someone they knew very well...

In middle school basketball action Thursday night, the Nevada seventh-grade A-team (3-1) steamrolled Fort Scott 51-4. Nevada's B-team followed suit, dispatching Fort Scott 31-0. "We rebounded from a tough loss to Webb City on Tuesday and came out aggressive tonight," Nevada head coach Danny Penn said. "We did a nice job of putting pressure on their ball-handlers and turned that into lots of turnovers and fast breaks."...

Hi neighbors. In case you've forgotten, winter does not begin until Dec. 21. Of course, Mother Nature doesn't buy calendars so maybe she is unaware of that fact. Please, if you have any influence on the weather, I'd like a few more weeks of temps in the 60s at least...

We can pat ourselves on the back, or at least half of us can. Voter turnout approached nearly 50 percent in Vernon County. We had a number of contested county races, important state and national races on tap, as well as decisions on four constitutional amendments, ranging from allowing certain types of evidence in sex abuse cases of children, one that focused on teacher tenure and local school board control, another centered on early voting, and the last one targeting the governor's budget power.. ...

Nevada Daily Mail Nevada High School student Alyssa Cole had her photograph "Aspirations of a Young Beauty" selected as the winner in the Gordon Parks contest, which recognizes poetry, essays and photos. There were five schools in the competition and 97 entries. Among those entries, 15 were selected to be honored...

Nevada Daily Mail Nevada Fire Department Chief Bill Thornton gave members an update on the progress of the new station during the monthly Nevada/Vernon County Chamber of Commerce luncheon Friday at the Nevada Country Club. Thornton noted the new facility, expected to open early next year, would be "very functional...

Nevada Daily Mail Southwest Community Services (formerly the Nevada Habilitation Center and State Hospital) will be moving to a new building, adjacent to the Sheriff's Department, during the first week of December. The former facility has been an integral part of this city and county for nearly 130 years, noted a press release...

Nevada Daily Mail A question regarding a campaign donation has been raised in the Vernon County presiding commissioner election. In a call to the Nevada Daily Mail Thursday, presiding commissioner elect Joe Hardin said he had been contacted by other media outlets seeking information on a contribution to his campaign from the Vernon County Ambulance District Employee Fund...

Nevada Daily Mail Missouri deer hunters are getting ready for opening day of the November portion of the statewide firearm season. Today, more than 400,000 orange clad deer hunters will kick off the 2014 November portion of the firearm deer season ---- looking for a trophy buck or a nice size doe. Many of the first weekend hunters will be rewarded as opening day and weekend usually results in a sizable harvest of up to 80 percent of the 11-day season...

Fort Scott Tribune Fort Scott, Kan. -- Fort Scott Community College Meats Judging Team Coach Jenilee Martin said after meeting the group of students who would become the first team she ever led, she wondered what she had gotten herself into. But she soon learned they were more than just a team -- they were a winning team -- national champions, to be exact...

Nevada Daily Mail The Cottey College Comets basketball team suffered their first loss of the season Friday night, falling to the visiting Hesston Larks in overtime, 74-71. With the loss, the Comets are now 3-1 on the season. The Comets were in excellent position to seal the victory, leading 63-61 with 18.4 seconds remaining in the game, but were unable to keep Hesston off the offensive glass, as Larks forward Morgan Coffman corralled J'liyah Tillman's off-target 3-pointer, and went up strong for a layup to tie the game 63-63, with 3 seconds remaining.. ...