Stories from Saturday, July 18, 2009

Hi neighbors. Sunday, July 12, the Vernon County Historical Society held its quarterly meeting at the Bushwhacker Museum. The guest speaker was Lyndon Irwin, Ph.D.. He gave a slide show presentation about the 1904 World's Fair held in St. Louis. After giving an overview of the Fair itself, he told the particular story about a train wreck that involved some Vernon county residents on their way to the fair...

Last week I went to Bolivar to watch the granddaughters play softball, and then brought them back to Fort Scott on Friday. Their parents were coming over as soon as they got off work...

Yesterday was the 145th anniversary of the Battle of Honey Springs or Elk Creek that occurred near the present town of Checotah, Okla. This battle was a large Union victory that included both Union and Confederate infantry, artillery and cavalry forces. ...

Missouri Governor Jay Nixon has signed a bill that provides help to Missouri military families and veterans and will go into effect on Aug. 28. House Bill 427, supported by Representative Barney Fisher (R-Richards) and handled by Senator David Pearce (R-Warrensburg) in the Senate had overwhelming support with a 33-1 vote in the Senate and only seven no votes in the House...

The Sheldon City Council held a special meeting Thursday, July 16, to discuss the continuation of improvements at the city's baseball field. In attendance were the Sheldon Mayor Rob Sewell, city council president Jerod Lamb and aldermen Robert Moran and Larry Gardner; Clara Smith was unable to attend. Several members of the park board were present as well, to voice their concerns...

FORT SCOTT, Kan. -- An upcoming workshop at the Fort Scott National Historic Site is designed to teach area youth how to explore history and learn about the mission of the National Park Service. The site's 10th annual Trailblazer workshop, a five-day educational camp that exposes young people to the National Park Service's mission of caring for the nation's national parks and historic sites, is scheduled to take place from 8:30 a.m. to noon, Aug. 3-7, at the site...

Vernon County, Mo. --A homicide investigation into the death of Belinda J. Beisly is currently under way by the Vernon County Sheriff's Office and the Missouri State Highway Patrol. The investigation began after the Vernon County Sheriff's Office responded to a check-well-being call at approximately 4 p.m., July 15, and discovered the body of Beisly in her rural Deerfield residence...

A group of talented children in Fort Scott took to the stage on Friday. The parents of school-aged children who are enrolled in New Generation's Totally Awesome Radically Groovy Elementary Team day care program attended a special TARGET Talent show Friday morning...

The love of "old things" inspired Jack and Shirley Bastow and their son, Stephen, to take on an aging house and restore it to its former elegance. The house at 504 S. Cedar St., in Nevada, Mo., was built in 1880 by John Clack. He built the four south rooms and reception hall. ...

Jack and Jean Gilmore observed their 50th wedding anniversary on July 11. They were married at the First Presbyterian Church in Gardner, Kan. on July 11, 1959. They have three children: Anita Yerkes, Olathe, Kan.; Louise LaGreco, Meridian, Mississippi; and Mark Gilmore, Fort Scott...

David and Julie Saker, of Fort Scott, Kan., observed their 25th wedding anniversary on June 29, 2009. David and the former Julie Wisdom were married in 1984 in Fort Scott. The couple have one child and two grandchildren.