Stories from Saturday, January 10, 2009

Leroy Zehr, 75, Nevada, passed away on Friday, Jan. 9, 2009, at his home in Nevada following a lengthy illness. He was born March 9, 1933, in Neosho, Mo., to Raymond Eugene Zehr and Emma Lee Tuggle Zehr. He married Shirley A. Perry on Dec. 3, 1955, in North Kansas City, Mo., and she survives of the home...

The clock is ticking as the Bourbon County Commission met Friday morning to discuss a possible change in ambulance services. In a press release submitted by Mercy Health Systems of Kansas on Jan. 7, it was announced that MHSK has submitted an increase in reimbursement to Bourbon County for the provision of an ambulance service. ...

Fort Scott Area Chamber of Commerce officials are hoping for a more positive 2009 after a stumbling economy created some tough times in 2008. "It's something I've been doing a lot of thinking on," FSACC President and CEO Vicki Pritchett said. "I think it will be a positive year, but I think it will be a tough year also. I think it will be a year that will be hard to predict on how we react to different things."...

Nevada, Mo. -- At the chamber luncheon at the Service Edge Cafe in the Bowman Building, Friday, State Representative Barney Fisher gave a few brief remarks on the state's economy. "We're not like some of the states who got into trouble and are looking for bailouts, we had a surplus in the rainy day fund," Fisher said. "But that's not to say we're not in trouble too. The insulation we've put around the state's economy is gone."...

A crowd of Girl Scouts, friends, leaders, neighbors and families gathered to watch the tasty spectacle of the annual Girl Scout Cookie Crunch-Off Friday night. As time for the event neared, anticipation was growing among participants. All the teams said they were ready for the competition and declared themselves the best pick to win the event...

For more than a decade, local resident Gary Mayfield has been more than just a typical school bus driver to the athletes who have had the pleasure of riding the Tiger bus. For the last 15 years, Mayfield's warm-hearted demeanor has etched a place in the hearts of many of the students and coaches who frequently rode his bus. ...

I don't know when the basic personality of the average human-being stops developing from its putty-like infantile malleability to finally become hard as concrete. Whatever the age, I suspect that at 68+, my own is about as set as 3-year-old Jello. The ancient Greek who said, "The unexamined life is not worth living" sure got it right, I think. ...

Louis B. Lundborg once printed a list of eight rules he affectionately called "Lundborg's Laws" that dealt with leadership in general. Law No. 1: MULTIPLY YOURSELF: Don't try to do everything yourself. Law No. 2: PICK WINNERS: Good people are tough to get, tough to manage, and tough to hang on to, but good people cost less because of their greater output...

Hi neighbors. Have you seen calendars listing bizarre holidays for every day of the month? Most of these are little known and all of them have no credible origin. It's my opinion that some smart e-card marketing department created most of them. Web sites that post these goofy so-called holidays are quick to point out that just bearing the title "National" or "International" doesn't mean they were created by Congress or celebrated in most countries...

PLEASANTON -- Rachel Richmond's 15 points led Pleasanton's girls to a 42-38 win over Rich Hill, Mo. here Friday night. Meanwhile, Blu-Jay boys suffered their first loss of the season by a 56-50 score. Carlee Campbell aided the Jays (2-4) by hauling down 11 rebounds. Johnnea Saulsberry picked up eight steals while Richmond finished with six...