June: New historic marker placed on Square; NFD marks 125 years

June began with a special citation for Nevada firefighters Lt. Noah Webber, engineer Taylor McKlintic and Engineer Brandon Leer, who used a thermal imaging camera to locate a fire victim at a fire in June 2009. The three were recognized during a June 2, 2010, meeting of the Nevada City Council.

Summer fun was just around the corner, and the Vernon County Youth Fair Rodeo helped kick off June's events.

Makenzie Melton, a third-grader from El Dorado Springs, Mo., returned from New York, N.Y., having won a regional contest "Doodle 4 Google" and went to New York, N.Y., to take part in the national competition and ceremony. In addition to the trip, Makenzie also won a $15,000 scholarship in the contest.

Meanwhile, Vacation Bible School season was in full swing, and area residents were busy preparing for Nevada's annual Bushwhacker Days celebration. During the celebration, a new plaque commemorating the burning of Nevada, which took place May 26, 1863, was dedicated. The plaque was sponsored by Metz Bank and Nevada Tourism and was placed by the Missouri Civil War Heritage Foundation. The plaque is located on the west side of the courthouse lawn in Nevada.

The Nevada R-5 school board reviewed the results of a controversial drug testing policy. The board had enacted a requirement that those involved in extracurricular activities agree to be subject to random drug testing. Three students, or 1 percent of the 300 students had "non-negative" results, two of which were attributed to prescription medications the students were taking at the time.

The city of Nevada's Planning Commission conducted a series of meetings requesting public input to update a master plan for the city.

Area children served by Medicaid programs gained greater access to dental care thanks to the new Smiles Clinic, 204 N. Cedar, Nevada. Many people, including local volunteers, members of the Vernon County Youth Task Force, and the Area Community Health Emissaries, not to mention the workers employed to meet the need, all worked together to make the clinic happen. Vernon County children now have greater, more local access to dental care.

As July neared, temperatures soared in the area, with heat indexes as high as 105 degrees, and residents turned to the Walton Aquatic Center -- and to staying in air-conditioned structures -- to find relief from the heat.

The Vernon County Ambulance District continued its efforts to make sure area hospitals, health facilities and more have life-saving capabilities through Automated External Defibrillators. Nevada Regional Medical Center received the first donated AED in 2009; and three more were donated to satellite facilities in June.

A plan to build group homes on the site of the Nevada Habilitation Center marked for closure due to state budget cuts continued to unfold. In August, still more changes came to the plan. The clustered group homes plan was shot down, but a plan to use ISL homes in the area to house some of the residents remained.

As the month came to a close, the Nevada Fire Department held an open house -- one of many activities held throughout the year in observance of the department's 125th anniversary. A special exhibit was also on display at the Bushwhacker Museum.