Stories from Saturday, July 2, 2011

Betty Jo Schubert, 55, of Uniontown, died at her home Friday, July 1, 2011. She was born March 27, 1956 in Pleasanton, Kan., the daughter of Lucian Ray and Rosie Fern (Jackson) Culbertson. She married John Schubert Dec. 11, 1974, in Uniontown, Kan. He survives of the home...

Robert Clarence Dillon, 81, Nevada, passed away on July 1, 2011, at his home in Nevada following a brief illness. He was born Oct. 9, 1929, in La Junta, Colo., to Clarence Edward Dillon and Bertha Eunice Spragg Dillon. He married Emma Ruth Inman on Aug. 25, 1950, in McPherson, Kan., and she survives of the home...

John W. Nichols, 87, Nevada, died Friday, July 1, 2011, at his home in Nevada. He was born Aug. 17, 1923, in Elizabethtown, Ky., the son of Roger W. and Elizabeth L. Robertson Nichols. Elizabethtown was the almost birth place of Abraham Lincoln. Abraham's parents, Thomas and Nancy Lincoln were married in Elizabethtown; their marriage license is recorded in the local court house. They lived in and around Elizabethtown for 12 years...

Donald L. Keeney, 87, of Fort Scott, went to be with the Lord Thursday evening, June 30, 2011. He was born Oct. 27, 1923, in Pawnee Station, Kan., the son of Perry and Hazel June (Picht) Keeney. He married Oda Harlow June 27, 1948, in Pawnee Station. She survives of the home...

Funeral services for Georgia Helen Applegate, 46, of Branson, Mo., will be held at 9 a.m., Wednesday, July 6, at Greenlawn Funeral Home in Branson with the Rev. Ross Fulton officiating. Burial will be at 2 p.m. in Clarksburg Cemetery in Garland, Kan...

The Rev. Dr. Timothy Davish, 53, pastor of the First Baptist Church, Fort Scott, Kan., died unexpectedly Wednesday evening, June 29, 2011, in the Mercy Health Center emergency room following an apparent heart attack. He was born Sept. 21, 1957, in Butler County, Ohio, the son of Melvin John Davish and Beda Christine Doyle Davish. He worked as a high school teacher for 15 years in Ohio, also coaching boy's basketball and girls golf...

As part of statewide money-saving measures, the Kansas Department of Social and Rehabilitation Services will close its Fort Scott office within the next several months, Public Information Officer Rachel Whitten said. The 30 people who work in the office in Fort Scott will be reassigned based on service needs in the areas served, but Whitten said where they will be relocated has not been decided yet. There are no staff lay-offs associated with the office closures, a news release said...

Fort Scott, Kan. -- What started on Surf Avenue in Coney Island, N.Y., in 1916 is moving to Fort Scott Saturday, as the Riverfront Authority hosts its first hot dog eating contest. During the Riverfront Authority's annual Fourth of July community hot dog picnic at the Riverfront Park on North National Avenue, to be held today, eight local residents will step up to the table and face off in a 10-minute hot dog eating contest...

Bourbon County, Kan. -- Eligible local residents who need help staying cool during scorching temperatures this summer can now get assistance through a local program. The Westar Energy Fan Program, which started June 20, provides free box fans for qualifying individuals or families in Bourbon County. ...

Representatives from Trout Beeman & Company will present the city's 2010 annual audit during Tuesday's city council meeting at 7 p.m., in the council chambers in the Public Safety Building, 120 S. Ash Street. The council also will consider the first reading of a special ordinance approving a contract with the Nevada Housing Authority for additional policing services...

This Fourth of July, the Missouri Department of Transportation will suspend all routine construction and maintenance for the long weekend to open the roads as much as possible to holiday travelers and improve safety. "We recognize it is a busy weekend for travelers, and a busy time of year for construction," said Beth Wright, MoDOT's state maintenance engineer. ...

On July 4, the award winning country recording group Blackhawk will land in Rich Hill, Mo., just 20 miles north of Nevada, to perform for thousands of fans at Rich Hill's "Famous for the Fourth" celebration. It's the one time a year when the small town of 1,500 swells to the size of neighboring cities...

Henry Bausch, a member of the local Vietnam Veterans of America, puts up a flag on the south side of the Nevada Square Friday evening in honor of the Fourth of July holiday. Fellow VVA members Joe Brooks and Vic Hinds also worked on putting up flags...

Scott Swink, 14, of Nevada demonstrates his athleticism Friday at Walton Aquatic Center, which has been averaging 250 swimmers a day since opening June 24. Admission is $3.50 for swimmers 4 years old and up and free for children 3 and under. The pool is open from 1 to 7 p.m., Monday through Saturday; and 1-6 p.m., Sunday...

Bob Walker, Raytown, Mo., is happy to see the Fourth of July arrive because that is when he starts getting serious about going after catfish in area lakes, ponds and streams. On July 6 of last year, Walker landed a 46-pound blue catfish. And that was just the beginning of a lot of catfish hooked by this fisherman last year...

FORT SCOTT -- Fort Scott American Legion Post 25 swept the Spring Hill Post 350 Braves in a doubleheader at Ty Cullor Field Friday night. Fort Scott won game one 9-1 as Post 25 collected 11 hits and pitcher Matt Carrillo struck out 11 Braves. They took the second game 2-1 despite committing 6 errors...

FORT SCOTT, Kan. -- Thirteen Fort Scott Community College athletes and three of the college's teams earned academic honors from the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA). There are three levels of individual achievement. The highest is the Pinnacle Award for Academic Excellence, given to those who earn a perfect 4.00 on a 4.00-point scale. Although no Greyhounds received that honor, one came within 0.08 points...