Stories from Friday, February 20, 2015

Bob E. Wirth, 88, died Monday, Feb. 9, 2015, at his home in Lebanon. He was born Jan. 22, 1927, in Bolivar, to Carl and Jennie (Andrews) Wirth. On July 14, 1956, he married Wynona Ecker. He spent much of his early life in Nevada, Mo. He served as a U.S. Army medic and ambulance driver in the Korean War, attaining the rank of sergeant and being awarded numerous decorations before his honorable discharge. He later served in the U.S. Army Reserve...

Lamae (Neas) Bryant, 72, Nevada, Mo., died Thursday, Feb. 19, 2015, at her home in Nevada. Family information and funeral arrangements will be announced by Ferry Funeral Home at a later date. View obituary and send condolences online at www.ferryfuneralhome.com...

Nevada Daily Mail Deadlines for the new safety-net programs established by the 2014 Farm Bill, known as Agriculture Risk Coverage and Price Loss Coverage, are approaching. The final day to update yield history or reallocate base acres is Feb. 27, and the final day for farm owners and producers to choose coverage is March 31...

Nevada Daily Mail Middle and high school students were recognized for excellent writing in the American History Essay contest, and high school seniors as Good Citizens by the Elizabeth Carey Chapter Daughters of the American Revolution during a reception on Feb. 8, at the First Christian Church...

Nevada Daily Mail Students from the Nevada Regional Technical Center Chapter of Missouri DECA, an international association of marketing students, joined more than 300 high school marketing students from Southwest Missouri at the annual District Career Development Conference Feb. 11, at MSSU in Joplin...

Nevada Daily Mail With the approaching dedication date for Habitat for Humanity's most recent accomplishment -- a home built by volunteers for a Nevada resident, the house got a step closer to completion Friday with the donation of a washing machine and dryer by TV Sales and Rentals...

Recently I have been a little awkward when cooking due to tremors and being unsteady on my feet. To help us out with this situation, many of our church family, club members, neighbors, and relatives have helped out by bringing food occasionally. Often the dish brought to us was some type of casserole. They are so good, easy to transport, and usually have meat, potatoes or rice, and some vegetables so very little more is needed for a balanced meal. We appreciated them very much...

I was still in grade school when I asked that question, with some degree of trepidation. The actual situation was quite serious, and to this day I am surprised it never resulted in a serious accident. Teachers and retired teachers in Missouri often experience the same fear and ask the same question...

By U.S. Sen. Claire McCaskill During my career, I've never been afraid to pick a fight -- including with the leaders of my own party -- because we can't let politics trump good policy. And for the last several years, that's the approach I've taken with construction of the Keystone XL oil pipeline. ...

Nevada Daily Mail The Sheldon Panthers ended their regular seasons by splitting their varsity games Tuesday night against the Bronaugh Wildcats, with the Lady Wildcats winning 71-26 and the Panthers beating Bronaugh's boys' team 55-45. While the snow fell thickly outside, the Lady Wildcats' season's success continued after finishing the recent conference tournament as champions. Behind a barrage of three-pointers, the team cruised to another win...

Nevada Daily Mail The Osage Prairie YMCA Tridents competed at the Valentine's Day Lebanon Yellow Jackets Swim Your Heart Out Invitational, at the Lebanon YMCA. Individual results First Place Leung, Cody Male (9-10) 50 SC Meter Fly Second place Raney, Ryan...

Nevada High School's swim team competed in the Southwestern Missouri Swim and Dive Championships hosted by Kickapoo at Hickory Hills Middle School. Placing for Nevada were: 200 Yard Medley Relay -- Eighth, (Makayla Haner, Melody Reichard, Morgan Ernsbarger, Emma Denman), 2:05.22...

In a fast-paced and exciting game, the Cottey Comets hosted the visiting Lady Pirates from North Central Missouri College in Trenton on Tuesday night. After almost 40 minutes of battle, who would prevail would be decided in the last few seconds. Alas, it was not meant to be for the Comets. With eight of the Pirates' 12 players scoring, the eight member Comets' squad had their hands full. Three ties and six lead changes kept both teams and fans alike on their toes...

WEBB CITY ---- The Nevada Tigers boys eighth-grade basketball team came from behind late, pulling out a 41-39 thriller over Joplin South in the semifinals of the Tri-County Basketball Tournament, Thursday night. Nevada trailed by as much as nine points in the fourth quarter, before taking the lead in the final seconds...

Nevada Daily Mail The Nevada Tigers seventh-grade boys basketball team fell to Carl Junction 35-25 in the opening round of the Tri-County Tournament, Wednesday night at the Nevada Community Center. With the loss, Nevada finishes the season 6-13. The Tigers dug an early hole, falling behind 25-3 at halftime, before regrouping and outplaying Carl Junction in the second half to get back into the game late...

Nevada Daily Mail After dropping their previous game by a single point, the Cottey Comets endured a second straight gut-wrenching loss, losing a late four-point lead as they fell to the MCC-Penn Valley Scouts 69-61 at Hinkhouse Center Thursday night...