Stories from Friday, March 21, 2014

Rev. Gene Nelson, age 81, a resident of rural Uniontown, Kan., died early Tuesday, March 18, 2014, at his home following a cancer illness. He was born April 30, 1932, in Lincoln, Neb., the son of Harry and Juanita McKee Nelson. He married Donna Yvette Wilson on March 20, 1951, in Arkansas. ...

Ronnie Lee Sheehy, 71, of Athens, Texas, passed away on Jan. 27, 2014 in Palestine, Texas. Ron was born in rural Vernon County, Mo., to Rex and Betty Sheehy on June 12, 1942. He went to high school in Richards, Mo., and graduated in 1959. He was a longtime employee of AT&T and was involved in the Elks Lodge 564 and the fraternal order of Eagles of Nevada, Mo. ...

Keith Alan White, age 61, resident of Fort Scott, Kan., died Wednesday, March 19, 2014, at Mercy Hospital. He was born April 2, 1952, in Fort Scott, the son of Joseph and Bonnie Harkness White. He graduated from Warren High School in Downey, Calif., with the class of 1970. ...

DANVILLE, Ill. -- Fifth-seeded Phoenix College rallied from a 6-point deficit with six minutes to go and defeated Fort Scott Community College in the quarterfinals of the NJCAA Division II National Tournament here Thursday night to prevail 62-57. The Greyhounds (15-17) can still finish in either fifth or sixth place if they can advance past top seed Cincinnati State in a game that will tip off at 3 p.m. ...

Bourbon County Clerk Kendell Mason reminds residents the deadline for filing for a Homestead Refund is April 15. Those who are filing a federal tax return for 2013 must file for the homestead refund with their tax preparer. Others may receive assistance in the Clerk's Office, located on the second floor of the Bourbon County Courthouse...

Fort Scott Fire Department firefighters were able to quickly quell a house fire Wednesday afternoon in the 400 block of Margrave Street. Two FSFD trucks and about seven personnel responded about noon Wednesday to a structure fire at 408 Margrave St. The residents of the home reported the fire, which broke out in a bedroom in the northwest corner of the house, FSFD Chief Paul Ballou said...

Area extension district officials - both past and present - are not pleased with state legislation currently in the Senate that, if passed, would remove taxing authority from extension districts across the state. Senate Bill 411, originally introduced by the Committee on Assessment and Taxation, would essentially "remove extension district taxation authority," as the bill is described on the Kansas Legislature website, www.kslegislature.org...

DANVILLE, Ill. -- Fort Scott Community College took the lead with 9:44 left in the first half of its first-round NJCAA Division II National Tournament game against fourth-seeded South Suburban, Ill., at the Mary Miller Center here Wednesday afternoon...

Fort Scott Community College basketball players (from left) Kevin House, Dontae' Johnson, Dalton Rose and Will Harrington and assistant coach James Hays celebrate following Wednesday's 77-59 victory over South Suburban College, Ill., in the first round of the NJCAA Division II National...