Stories from Saturday, March 14, 2009

Harold Dean Hewett, of the Presbyterian Village, Fort Scott, died Friday morning, March 13, 2009, at his residence. He was born Nov. 27, 1919, in Farlington, Kan., the son of Ivan E. Hewett and Ethel Williams Hewett. Dean was a 1936 graduate of Girard High School and attended Kansas State Teachers College, Pittsburg. ...

Jon Alan Dunlap, age 63, of Fort Scott, died Wednesday, March 11, 2009, at his home as the result of a house fire. He was born Aug. 2, 1945, in Fort Scott, the son of Nellie Lorene Gramling Dunlap. Following the death of his natural mother, he was adopted by Ralph and May Dunlap. Jon Alan, formerly worked for Bruce Marble and Granite and most recently for Superior Wheels in Pittsburg until ill health forced his retirement. He loved to work on cars...

Charless R. Profitt, age 81, of Nevada, died March 11, 2009, at the Cedar County Memorial Hospital, in El Dorado Springs. Funeral services will be held at 1 p.m., Monday, March 16, at the United Methodist Chruch, in Schell City. Visitation will be from noon to 1 p.m., Monday prior to the services at the church. Friends may call after 1 p.m., today, at the funeral home. Burial will be at Green Lawn Cemetery, in Schell City...

I've got to hand it to my father. He used to tell me that when he was a child growing up in the tiny hamlet of Cherry Grove, just north of Cincinnati, Ohio, his fun-loving Uncle Aden used to warn him that every time he walked to the local grade school, he'd have to pass the little wooden Catholic church, the home of Father O'Brien -- the Devil incarnate! He warned my Dad to run as fast as he could past that church, because if he dawdled, Father O'Brien would surely rush out, catch him by the throat, and he knew what that meant. ...

Hi neighbors. My mom had a string on a board that she hung outside to predict the weather. It had some weather conditions printed on it that were silly. Like "if the string is wet, it is raining." Another one read "if the string is waving it is windy."...

All of us have seen what happens when a fish gets out of the water or a turtle gets turned on its back. That was my feeling as I stood before the Fort Scott Civic Symphony as the guest conductor during the Good Ol' Days back in 1985. After being reluctantly convinced that this would be a good thing to do, the doubts began to set in. ...

Attorney General Chris Koster says the Check a Charity feature on his Web site recently added the1,000th charitable organization to its records, giving consumers more information and options than ever before when considering charitable donations. The Check a Charity link can be found at the Attorney General's Web site, ago.mo.gov. Consumers without Internet access can obtain the same information by calling the Consumer Protection Hotline, (800) 392-8222...

For the past several years a number of local churches have gathered together during the season of Lent, the 40 days prior to Easter, to worship and fellowship. The evening services planned for this event will be held at 6 p.m. beginning March 1 and continue until April 5th. ...

Announcement is made of the engagement of Betty Laning and Jamie Barker. The bride-elect is the daughter of Wanda and Charles Maggard, Lamar, Mo. She graduated in 1996 from Lamar High School and is now enrolled at Ashford University. The prospective-groom is the son of Thomas and Donna Barker, Nevada, Mo. He went to Nevada schools and is now employed by Shepard Team...

Dwayne and Lori Craig and Bob Fulk, all of Fort Scott, and Kenneth and Misty Coatney, of Elk City, Kan., announce the engagement of their children, Sarah Fulk and Kenny Coatney. The bride is a 2005 graduate of Fort Scott High School and is employed by Cessna Aircraft, Independence, Kan. She is the granddaughter of Bill and Phyllis Cambers, Hidden Valley Lake...

Jim and Darlene Wood of Fort Scott, Kan., announce the engagement of their son, Michael Wood, to Ann Marie Hickey, daughter of Susan and Mike Hickey, of Omaha, Neb. Mike is a graduate of Fort Scott High School and a graduate of Pittsburg State University, where he obtained his Bachelor of Science in Construction Management...

Blake Moore and Tiffany Beisley will wed in a private ceremony, at 5:30 p.m., at Northwoods Wedding Chapel on March 21, 2009. A reception will follow at the VFW in Nevada. Tiffany is the daughter of Russell and Lesley Beisley, Nevada, and granddaughter of Helen Newton, Nevada; Bonnie Beisley, Sheldon; Charles Ellis, Schell City; and Herbert Beisley, Milo...

Michael Lefevre, of Edwardsville, Kan., and Deborah Lefevre, of Nevada, Mo., announce the engagement of their daughter, Kacy Elizabeth Lefevre, to Scott Hereford Center, son of Ronald and Linda Center, of Fort Scott, Kan. Kacy is the granddaughter of James Ramage, of Rich Hill, and the late Edna Ramage...

Haley Rachelle Head announces the engagement of her mother, Cheryl L. Head, Humboldt, Kan., to John W. Farley, Bronson, Kan. Cheryl is the daughter of the late Everett and Hazel Haslett, Pomona, Kan. John is the son of James and Martha Farley, Bronson, Kan...

Charles Evans Jr. and Sunshine Burk announce their engagement and plans to be married in August. The bride-elect is the daughter of Randy and Leisa Warren, Cedar Creek, Mo., and the late Johnnie Ramsey. Sunshine is a 1998 graduate of Prairie View High School. She is currently employed by Tri-Valley Developmental services, of Fort Scott, Kan...

E.J. and Kay Newman, of Carthage, Mo., will celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary on March 29, 2009. E.J. and the former Kay Youngblood were married March 29, 1959, at the Church of the Nazarene, Carthage, Mo. The Newmans are parents of one daughter, Gayle, and two grandchildren...

Air Force Airman 1st Class Kyle B. Giunta has graduated from basic military training at Lackland Air Force Base, San Antonio, Texas. During the six weeks of training, the airman studied the Air Force mission, organization, core values, and military customs and courtesies; performed drill and ceremony marches, and received physical training, rifle marksmanship, field training exercises, and special training in human relations...

Carol (Steve) Mahaffey is 90. The family will host a reception in her honor and would welcome all of "Granny's" friends and family to the event to be held on Sunday, March 22, from 2 to 4 p.m. at the First Baptist Church, 301 E. Highland. The omission of gifts is requested. The family notes that the presence of family and friends will be a treasured memory...

Former Fulton, Kan., resident Flora White is turning 90 and her children wish Mrs. White's family and friends to know that she will be celebrating her 90th birthday on March 15, 2009. To honor the occasion, her children are requesting a card shower, noting that if anyone can "recall a special memory, or a short story, a picture, or just a line, she's sure to enjoy them, time after time."...

FORT SCOTT, Kan. -- Fort Scott Community College's baseball team had just won game one of a Jayhawk Conference-Eastern Division doubleheader with Kansas City, Kan., at Lions Field Friday and had a chance to perhaps shake the Blue Devils' spirit after scoring quickly in the second game...

The Nevada Youth Softball Association is set to hold signups for four youth softball teams. Teams will be open to players in grades 1-9, and each team will consist of players in a two-year age group. Those age groups will be first and second grade, third and fourth grade, fifth and sixth grade and seventh to ninth grade...

March Madness doesn't just mean the big college basketball playoffs or the start of the trout season at the trout parks, it also means more to the growing number of paddlefish anglers whose season opens on March 15. This year, the season kicks off -- just like the trout season -- on a Sunday which means the hot spots for paddlefish snagging will be filled with snaggers after a big spoonbill...

The Nevada Fire Department is proud to announce a change in their fire protection class rating, by the Insurance Services Office (ISO). The Fire Department has improved their fire protection rating from a Class 5 to a Class 4, which is going to mean a potential savings to the citizens and businesses located in Nevada...

FORT SCOTT, Kan. -- Five local women recently received awards for their outstanding artwork in the Bourbon County Arts Council's annual Fine Arts Competition and Exhibit. Local winners in the 17th annual competition, which were announced Thursday along with other winners from Kansas and Missouri, include Bobbi Kemna, who won first place in the ceramics category; Jeanie Hart, who earned first place in the fiber art category, and Joyce Gobl, who received an honorable mention award for that category; Barbara Gibson, who won first place in the jewelry category, and Debbie Anderson, who earned an honorable mention award in that category. ...

Nevada, Mo. -- The most important thing for children to know if there is a fire in their home, is to get out of the house. "Don't try to find family members or toys or anything else, get out of the house," Robert Benn, Nevada fire chief, said. "If they wake up in the middle of the night, they need to get out of the house," he said...

Fort Scott, Kan. -- The Eastern Kansas Health Care System VA Medical Center in Topeka has branched out to make health care for veterans in the local area more accessible. A Veterans Affairs Community Based Outpatient Clinic, which opened in July of 2000 in Fort Scott, makes it possible for residents in the local area to receive much needed medical care without being required to travel extensively...

No, the subject of this column is not the very expensive 20th Century horseless carriage of the same name (viper) and it is not about the poisonous snake of the same name! According to Mr. Webster, a less used definition of a viper, today, is a "Malicious, spiteful or treacherous person." What a perfect word to describe Kansas "Redlegs" (maverick soldiers and civilian outlaws) and Missouri guerrillas/bushwhackers in the Civil War. ...

FORT SCOTT, Kan. -- Phoenix Committee members have decided on their downtown project ideas and are now ready to enter the planning stages. Committee members came to a general consensus during their meeting Friday on two major ideas for the remaining $400,000 of the $1.4 million grant from the Kansas Department of Transportation. The committee has now decided to develop a master plan...