Stories from Saturday, January 24, 2009

Dec. 19 Dallas L. Yockey, Nevada, dog running at large. Jan. 2 Forrest S. Smith, Peculiar, Mo., failure to signal. Dustin E. Willis, Sheldon, expired license plates. Lacey N. Wyatt, Rich Hill, no proof of insurance. Jan. 3 Joseph L. Beisley, Bronaugh, driving while revoked...

Hunter Eugene Davidson, infant son of Resa K. Davidson, was stillborn Thursday, Jan. 22, 2009, at Mercy Health Center. Survivors include his mother, Resa Kathleen Davidson, Redfield, Kan.; maternal grandparents, Bryan and Tammy Davidson, Redfield; paternal great-grandparents, Donna Davidson and Clarence Williams, both of Mapleton, Kan.; four uncles, Travis Davidson, Ty Davidson, Cody Davidson and Barry Button; two aunts, Dana Button and Angela Burns; and two cousins, Alissa and Alex Button. ...

Denzel W. "Tinker" Hamilton, age 73, of Warsaw, Mo., passed away Friday afternoon, Jan. 16, 2009, at his home. He was born in Stockton, Mo., on July 30, 1935, the son of Harlen and Laverne Hyder Hamilton. He grew up in Stockton, Mo. On Oct. 11, 1953. he was united in marriage to Carol Sue Beeson. On Nov. 25, 1953, he was inducted into the United States Army. For two years he was stationed at Fort Riley, Kan., and Fort Knox, Ky. He was discharged on Nov. 25, 1955...

Joe L. Mills, 82, passed away Thursday, Jan. 22, 2009. He was preceded in death by his wife, Mary Elizabeth Mills in 2008. Joe is survived by his children, Jerry Lee (Marietta) Mills, Jane Lynn Irsik, and Marshall Joe (Lynette) Mills; stepson, Gregory (Ann) Saindon; sister, Fay Wellington; 18 grandchildren; and 16 great-grandchildren...

Jan. 22 There were reports of a controlled burn in the Bronaugh area, a jail incident in the Nevada area, a road sign down in the Deerfield area, littering in the Nevada area, a controlled burn in the Arthur area, a grass fire in the Rich Hill area, a vehicle accident in the Milo area, a brush fire in the Moundville area, a fire in the Bronaugh area, a vehicle accident in the Nevada area, a vehicle vs. deer in the Richards area, and a trash dumping in the Deerfield area...

The recent snow made a group of hunters happy. There was just enough snow to get a lot of rabbit hunters out with their beagles in search of the declining numbers of cottontail rabbits. Bob Lawson, Odessa, is one of the rabbit hunters who started to smile and make preparations to load up the dogs and go hunting. The cottontail population, although down from the good old days, is as good or better than it has been in the past few years...

Fort Scott High School senior Phillip Goodbody is reaching for the best this world can offer him, and he is not letting anything or anybody stop him. Goodbody, who has overcome many hardships during his young life was recently rewarded for his tireless efforts when he was notified that he was chosen as the only Kansas recipient of a $20,000 college scholarship from the Horatio Alger Association. Goodbody is one of only 104 seniors nationally to receive college funds from the group...

Vernon County seniors are once again being urged to participate in the Circuit Breakers program at the Vernon County Senior Center, 301 N. Main St., Nevada. Mo., beginning Wednesday, Feb. 4, 9 a.m.-noon. Assistance will be available every Wednesday through mid-April, according to a Care Connection for Aging Services press release...

Several Fort Scott Area Chamber of Commerce members, city and state officials, area business leaders and other residents plan to converge in Topeka next month to discuss issues facing Southeast Kansas this year. Southeast Kansas Day on the Hill, a legislative lobbying event sponsored by 13 regional chambers of commerce, is scheduled to take place at 7 a.m., Wednesday, Feb. ...

As the deadline approaches to file for the Fort Scott City Commission seats, a low number of entries is not worrying city officials. According to Fort Scott City Clerk Diane Clay, there have been four citizens who have filed for the three open positions. Candidates included Sam Mason, Jean Parker, Kathy Dancer, and Jim Adams, the latter of whom will seek to keep his spot on the commission...

January 18-23 is National Activity Professionals Week and across the nation, activity directors who care for geriatric citizens will be honored for the work they do so well. The week was started by the The National Association of Activity Professionals, the only national group that represents activity professionals in geriatric settings exclusively...

The historic barn at Walnut Springs Farm in Marshfield, Mo., was the setting for the wedding of Janeil Comstock and Christopher Anderson, on Nov. 2, 2008. The 3 p.m. ceremony was officiated by the Rev. Gerri Comstock. The bride is the daughter of Gary and Mary Comstock, of Bronaugh, Mo., and the groom is the son of Jim and Linda Anderson, of Chadwick, Mo...

Dusty and Misty Peterson were married on Dec. 6, 2008, at First Church of God, Fort Scott. Michael Hart officiated the ceremony; Philip Wilson gave the invocation. A reception at Elk's Lodge, Fort Scott, and a honeymoon cruise to Jamaica, Grand Cayman and Cozumel, Mexico, followed...

Chris and Peggy Ellis, Nevada, Mo., announce the engagement and upcoming marriage of their daughter, Monica LeAnn Compton, to Johnny B. Lewis, Florence, Ky., son of Boone Lewis and the late Kathy Lewis, Harlan, Ky. Monica is a 1998 graduate of Nevada High School, and a 2002 graduate of the University of Colorado, Boulder, Colo., with a Bachelor or Arts in Sociology and Ethnic Studies. She is currently employed by Ellis Furniture in Nevada and will be pursuing a graduate degree in the fall...

Mark and Janet Guthrie, of Nevada, Mo., announce the engagement of their daughter, Marcia Ellen, to Michael David Townsend, son of Gary and Yvonne Townsend, Leawood, Kan. Marci is a 2001 graduate of Nevada High School. She attended the University of Missouri-Columbia, receiving a Bachelor of Science in Business Management in 2004. She was a member of Kappa Kappa Gamma Sorority. Marci is currently employed by Commerce Investment Advisors in Kansas City...

Virginia Ornstein and James Golden announce their upcoming wedding. Virginia, the daughter of Pam Bloomfield and Dan Ornstein, Fort Scott, Kan., is currently a senior at Fort Scott High School. She intends to continue her student career at college following her graduation...

Carol and Mark LaFavre, Franklin, Kan., wish to announce the marriage of their daughter, Trisha Lashley, to Shane Kealoha, son of Sweetie Kealoha, native of Kahaluu, Hawaii. The groom is certified in Fire Science 1 and 2, Hazmat Operations and Awareness, and is a registered EMT-B for the state of Kansas...

Johnny and Sandra Stoneking, of Valley Center, Kan., will celebrate their 51st wedding anniversary on Jan. 31, 2009, with a reception at the Calvary United Methodist Church, 118 W. Jackson, Iola, Kan. The event will be hosted by the couple's family -- four children, nine grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren...

Richard and Susan Davis and Maxine Simhiser announce the engagement of Christopher Lee Simhiser and Jennifer Davis, Fort Scott. Both the bride and groom are Fort Scott Middle School and Fort Scott High School graduates. A Feb. 14, 2009, wedding is planned at the First Church of God in Fort Scott, at 4 p.m...

Jim and Suzanne Melton, of Nevada, will observe their 40th wedding anniversary on Jan. 26, 2009. Jim Melton and the former Suzanne Bailey were married Jan. 26, 1969, at the Nevada Presbyterian Church during a huge snow storm. The couple are the parents of Don Melton and wife Jill and their children Trey, Braxton and Riley, of Webb City, Mo., and Christy Ast and husband Kevin and their children, Bailey and Kellan, of Nevada...

Daryl and Nancy Swanwick, of Fort Scott, Kan., will observe their 40th wedding anniversary on Jan. 25, 2009. Daryl Swanwick and the former Nancy Austin were married Jan. 25, 1969, at the First United Methodist Church, in Parsons, Kan. The Swanwicks have two sons, Matthew and wife Carissa, Lenexa, Kan., and Daniel and wife Catherine, of Vienna, Va.; and three grandchildren, Tatum, Benjamin and Elliott...

The Nevada Tigers varsity basketball team put on an exciting show Friday night as they took on the Wildcats of Harrisonville High School. Coming into the game, head coach John McNeley was expecting a tough contest that would come down to the wire and that's exactly what he and all the fans present at the game got. An up-and-down battle that including four ties and eight lead changes ended with Nevada coming out on top by a final score of 66-62...

FORT SCOTT, Kan. -- Jacquain Williams, an All-American at linebacker for the Fort Scott Community College football teams this season, has given a verbal commitment to play at the University of South Florida next season. According to reports from a USF athletic Web site, Williams chose USF over Oklahoma State, Kansas, Nebraska, Alabama-Birmingham and Central Florida. ...

CREIGHTON, Mo. -- he Nevada Lady Tiger freshman basketball team suffered their eighth loss of the year in a very tough contest against Sherwood High School's junior varsity Thursday night. The Lady Tigers found themselves in a deep hole from the outset of the game and eventually went into the locker room at halftime down 35-7. "The girls just couldn't seem to find their rhythm in the first half," head coach Clay Wheeler said...

Nevada High School has a somewhat small following of very loyal fans, led by one very vocal person by the name of Jordan Tumm. Tumm is one of the founding members of the Brothers PIG, a group of students who's sole purpose is to attempt to recruit more fans and bring back the ever-decreasing cheering sections at Nevada High School athletic events. ...

NEOSHO, Mo. -- The Nevada Middle School seventh grade boys' basketball A and B teams split Neosho on the road Thursday night. In the B game, The Tigers found themselves in a very closely matched contest and fell just short. Nevada was able to stick with Neosho's B team throughout the contest, but by the time the final buzzer sounded, the Tigers ended up on the short end of the 23-27 final score. With that loss, the B team falls to 3-2 on the year...

Local business owners in Southeast Kansas are being warned by the Pittsburg Police Department of a possible scam involving an Okla. salesman. Pittsburg police were made aware Saturday of Drayton Gibbes, Yukon, Okla., approaching businesses and selling them Car Magnets, stickers, bumper stickers, etc., with local team mascots on them. He is reportedly taking money and not producing the goods that he is selling...