Stories from Tuesday, October 14, 2003

The thunderstorm that moved through the area caused damage across town forcing emergency personnel to respond to problems ranging from downed limbs to a fire in a tree. The storm dropped .18 inches of rain on Nevada but the wind and lightning were the cause of most of the problems. ...

Nevada Daily Mail A crowd of about 200 gathered for the rededication of the William J. Stone memorial Saturday morning, 68 years after its original dedication. Local resident Franklin Norman spearheaded the effort to refurbish the monument, which had become somewhat dilapidated over the years and had lost its original luster. ...

During the Hume R-8 School Board meeting the members heard good news on several evaluations of the district during their meeting Wednesday night. The Missouri School Improvement Program evaluated the special education, public relations and board of education activities. ...

The high-flying Cottey Comets, riding a four-match win streak, were shot down by border rival Fort Scott Community College at Hinkhouse Center Gymnasium on Monday evening. A huge turnaround in the opener proved costly for the Comets (8-7), even though the match went four games. ...

JOPLIN, Mo. -- The Nevada Tigers, the bottom seed, took No. 3 Seneca to the wire in a district softball matchup at Missouri Southern University on Saturday. Whitney Smith's solid pitching -- three hits allowed -- and sound defense kept the Tigers hanging around in the 3-0 first-round loss. ...

The Nevada Tiger junior varsity volleyball team, minus three starters, placed fourth in the Nevada JV Tournament on Saturday. "I thought the girls competed and played well today," said JV coach Allison Gorman. "We were in every match we played." The Tigers emerged from pool play with a split against Adrian, 21-25, 25-18; a loss to El Dorado Springs, 16-25, 22-25; and a win over Sheldon 25-20, 25-11. ...

MONETT, Mo. -- The Pendrak sisters are ready to face the challenge of a second and final run at a state doubles championship. Gina Pendrak, a senior, and Lisa Pendrak, a sophomore, qualified for the individual championships of the Missouri State High School tennis tournament on October 24-25 at the Cooper Tennis Complex in Springfield, Mo., with a runner-up finish at the Class 1, District 5 Tournament on Saturday. ...

100 Years Ago -- October 14, 1903 Theo Gary, general manager of the Nevada Telephone Company, was here Monday in the interest of his company. Mr. Gary informs the Mail that the Nevada Exchange has completed its connection with the town of Walker. The line is free to Nevada Telephone subscribers when talking to Central to Walker, talking to others with a nominal charge of ten cents for a messenger service. ...