Stories from Saturday, December 20, 2008

Jordan Blair Johnson and William Nornhausser Hale exchanged wedding vows in the Tarrytown United Methodist Church, Austin, Texas, on April 19, 2008. The 6 p.m. ceremony was officiated by the Revs. Ron Campbell and James Carter, amid floral decorations of green hydrangeas, and pink and white stock, reflecting the couple's chosen wedding colors. ...

Randy and Debbie Ketter, of Nevada, announce the engagement of their daughter, Michelle Ketter, to Peter Bugaiski, of Springfield, Mo., son of Peter and Regina Bugaiski, of Hamburg, Germany. The bride-to-be is a 2001 graduate of Nevada High School. She graduated from Missouri State University, Springfield, Mo., with a Bachelor of General Business in 2005, and a Master of Business Administration, in 2008. She is currently employed by Bank Midwest in Springfield...

Mitchel Booher of Bethany buys a set of Show Me Cash numbers every Saturday for the entire week's worth of drawings. He spends $7 and selects the same numbers, a mixture of birthdays and his favorite NASCAR drivers -- Dale Earnhardt and Dale Jr. On Dec. 11 those numbers came through, and Booher was the only winner of the $55,000 jackpot. The winning combination was 7, 10, 22, 33 and 38...

WASHINGTON -- U.S. Senator Sam Brownback attended press conferences in Olathe, Topeka and Wichita, Thursday, hosted by Phil Blumel, the president of U.S. Term Limits, during which Brownback was thanked for honoring his pledge to not seek a third term in the Senate...

SHE is here! Rust MO/KS, publishers of the Nevada DailyMail/Fort Scott Tribune have come out with a bold new publication celebrating the women of southeast Kansas and southwestern Missouri. "We've gathered together some of the best writers in our region to tell the stories of today's women. ...

While many people are well aware of the dangers of being out in freezing temperatures and inclement weather conditions, they may not realize the potential dangers of cold weather on family pets. According to a press release from the Southeast Kansas Human Society, all pets should be provided with a warm shelter during the frigid winter months. ...

Local health officials are preparing for tests next spring that will indicate whether Bourbon County is ready for a possible flu pandemic or other health emergency. Bourbon County Public Health Nurse Alice Maffett said the Southeast Kansas Multi-County Health Department will coordinate with the Kansas Department of Health and Environment next spring to conduct a variety of drills associated with health preparedness and efficiency...

PLEASANTON, Kan. -- Santa's coming a little early to Mine Creek Battlefield State Historic Site. He's bringing free admission for all visitors Saturday and Sunday, Dec. 20 and 21, along with a wealth of Kansas gifts, including children's games, books, CDs, videos, and more. The visitor center and store will be open 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday, and 1 to 4 p.m., Sunday, and is located approximately three miles south of Pleasanton on K-52...

Students from Bright Beginnings Preschool presented the school's annual Christmas program Friday at the City/County Community Center, and the children sang proudly under the direction of Tracy Sewell, as they await the Big Day -- Christmas. Christmas is coming, and all of the children reported they've been good -- at least good enough for Santa to visit. In the program, children sang "Jingle Bells," "Little Children," "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" and "We Wish You a Merry Christmas."...

Layne Short, 78, a resident of Kansas City, Mo., passed away Dec. 18, 2008, at his home. He was born in Davenport, Okla., in September of 1930, the son of Ralph L. and Opal E. Short, and moved to Bronson, Kan., at an early age. He graduated from Bronson High School in 1948. ...

Robert and Shannon Miner, of Fort Scott, are proud to announce the birth of their daughter Brooklynn Marie Miner. Brooklynn was born on Nov. 3, 2008, at Mercy Hospital, in Fort Scott. She weighed 7 pounds, 11 ounces, and measured 20 3/4 inches. Maternal grandparents are Chuck and Kristy Holmes, of Fort Scott and Deborah Brannon, of Fort Scott...

David and Amanda Chase, of Nevada, and siblings Madison and Robert, are proud to announce the birth of their son and baby brother, James David Chase. James was born at 2:50 p.m., on Dec. 8, 2008, at Mercy Hospital, in Fort Scott. He weighed 6 pounds, 4 ounces, and measured 18 inches...

Dec. 6 Donald L. Dobbs, El Dorado Springs, failure to stop at a stop sign. William James Dujardin, Nevada, failure to keep right, no valid operator's license, and no proof of insurance. Vanessa M. Masterson, Nevada, interference with an officer, failure to obey a police officer, and no proof of insurance...

Here's that rogue regiment again! After the "Union" pursuit of Price's "Confederate Army of Missouri" to the Arkansas River in the fall of 1864, the companies of 15th Kansas Vol. Cavalry Regiment were stationed along the Missouri/Kansas Border to protect the "Jayhawk State." However, the regiment could not escape the memory of it's activities on the recent campaign which surfaced to haunt it well into 1865. ...

Hi neighbors. I hope you have all been warm and dry this week. It seems we are back to the ice ages of the last two years again. With all the talk about global warming, I can't figure out why we have more and more ice in the winter and less snow? There are several groups of scientists with conflicting theories...

FORT SCOTT, Kan. -- Fort Scott High School's girls will be the only team unbeaten in Southeast Kansas League play going into the holiday break as a result of a 52-37 whitewashing to Columbus in league play at the FSHS gymnasium Friday night. The Tigers (3-0 SEK, 4-2 overall) have won four in a row after dropping their first two games at the Willard Four-State Classic on the season's opening weekend. They've won those four games by an average of nearly 18 points a night...