Stories from Sunday, April 24, 2005

By Marc Powers Nevada Herald JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- An omnibus crime bill cleared the House of Representatives on Thursday despite the fierce opposition of black lawmakers concerned that certain provisions would be used by police to harass the innocent...

By Laurie Wade Nevada Herald Improvements at the Frank E. Peters Municipal Golf Course are on the way to make golfing there a more convenient and relaxing experience. Bench Craft Company recently entered an agreement to provide benches and golf ball washers for the course -- at no cost to the city...

Nevada Herald The spring 2005 Cottey College children's theatre production will be "Aesop's Fables," by James Brock. On Tuesday, April 26, and Thursday, April 28, nearly 1000 first, second, third, and fourth graders from Nevada and El Dorado Springs public schools will attend productions. Performances for the community will be held Saturday, April 30, and Sunday, May 1, at 3 p.m. in the Haidee and Allen Wild Center for the Arts. Admission is free...

By Laurie Wade Nevada Herald Circuit Judge Jim Bickel was recently honored as an "outstanding Missourian" by members of the Missouri House of Representatives. House resolution 2069, presented to Bickel by House speaker Rod Jetton and freshman State Representative Barney Fisher, salutes the judge for leadership activities with the Nevada Rotary Club and the Elks Lodge, the VFW, the Nevada Optimist Club, the Nevada/Vernon County Chamber of Commerce, Nevada's United Methodist Church and the Dr. ...

Michelle Gast's eighth grade exploring agriculture class works to install landscaping along the front walk of the Nevada Middle School. The class chooses a project every semester. This time, the class chose the landscaping project, in part, because of recent warm, sunny weather. ...

Josh and Michelle Jennings, Liberal, Mo., are proud to announce the birth of their son, Daniel Dale Jennings. Daniel was born at 2:42 a.m., on April 21, 2005, at Nevada Regional Medical Center. He weighed 7 pounds, 2 ounces, and measured 20.5 inches. ...

Mr. and Mrs. Kyle, Tracy, Karston and Konner Ast, Nevada, are proud to announce the birth of their daughter and sister, Kylie Dawn Ast. Kylie was born at 10:47 a.m., on April 15, 2005, at Nevada Regional Medical Center. She weighed 6 pounds, 4 ounces, and measured 19.5 inches. Paternal grandparents are LeRoy and Ann Ast, Nevada. Paternal great-grandparent is Agnes Ast, Conway Springs, Kan. Maternal grandparents are Wayne and Wanda Worthington, El Dorado Springs...

They'd moved in, I always imagined, long before we arrived in Normandy Lane, in the Larchmont Woods section of the suburb New Rochelle, New York. The first Coots I encountered was the son Clayton, who knocked on our front screen door one afternoon in Spring, 1945...

100 years ago: Burglars strike grocery store again L.L. Jones' East Cherry Street grocery store seems to be "marked" by some sneak thief. A few weeks ago burglars tore open the front doors but they made so much noise that Mr. Jones was aroused and when he appeared the burglars escaped. ...

By Joe Warren Nevada Herald The Nevada Lady Tiger swim team finished second out of five schools during the Carthage Pentathlon swim meet Thursday. Nevada scored 48 points, finishing well behind Joplin but 10 points ahead of Southwest Conference rival Carthage...

Nevada Herald There was a celebrity golf tournament at Frank E. Peters Municipal Golf Course Thursday, to raise money for the Children's Miracle Network. The tournament was one of a few put on throughout Southwest Missouri for the network. All local money raised goes to help local causes, which help children with illnesses and diseases from birth to age 21...

The doubles tennis team of Derek Fast and Adam Gullett placed third at the Thomas Jefferson Invitational Friday. Fast and Gullett were playing in the number-two doubles bracket. That was the best finish for Nevada which ended up sixth out of eight teams in the tournament...

The Nevada Lady Tiger Basketball Camp will be held May 31 -June 3, with the current Lady Tiger coaching staff hosting the event. The camp is for girls that will be in grades 3-8 beginning in the fall. The camp costs $25 per person, and each participant gets a t-shirt along with the opportunity to win contest prizes daily...

The Cottey Comets have signed Alyssa Luper of Fayetteville High School to play volleyball for coach Marla Kannady beginning this fall. Luper is an outside hitter and defensive specialist who averaged 10 kills and 12 digs per match her senior season...

The Hume Hornets baseball team defeated the Bronaugh Wildcats Thursday 9-7. Justin Wehar pitched a complete game for the Hornets to get the victory. Wehar and Matthew Sears accounted four seven RBIs for Hume, as they improved their record this spring to 4-4...

Nevada racer Shawn Hendren won the Factory Stock Feature after winning his heat at Nevada Speedway during opening weekend April 16. The track began its season the same day and will be racing most Saturday nights through October.

Nevada Herald Calvary Christian School track competed in a ribbon meet in Springfield Tuesday, winning five of the nine events they entered. Devan Scougal, Scott Borders, Tyler Borders and Tim Wallace combined to win the five events for the Eagles. Scougal won the 1600-meters with a time of 5 minutes, 48.50 seconds...

Associated Press KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Excellent starting pitching is the biggest reason behind a big start for the Chicago White Sox. Freddy Garcia threw seven strong innings, Juan Uribe had three hits and the White Sox defeated the Kansas City Royals 8-2 Friday night to stretch their winning streak to five games...

Associated Press KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- In Carl Peterson's first draft as the Kansas City Chiefs' general manager, he picked Derrick Thomas. In the 15 drafts since, just two of his other defensive picks have made the Pro Bowl. It's a slump that Peterson doesn't have much time to break...

Associated Press KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- If only some team would give him a chance, Darren Sproles may take an old baseball adage -- ''You can't hit what you can't see'' -- and make it work in the NFL. Whoever blocks for him at the highest level of football will be more than 100 pounds heavier and 9 or 10 inches taller than Kansas State's 5-foot-7 career rushing leader. For a few seconds after he takes the ball and his blockers set up, he might even disappear from the view of would-be tacklers...

Associated Press KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- The Kansas City Chiefs reached a deal with Miami cornerback Patrick Surtain and will send the Dolphins their second-round pick, coach Dick Vermeil told The Associated Press on Friday. The three-time Pro Bowler could go a long way toward shoring up one of the NFL's worst defenses. A Chiefs spokesman said Surtain was still in Miami at midmorning, but would be in Kansas City later Friday to take his physical...

I can always tell when the morel mushrooms are popping by the number of phone calls I receive, this week the phone was ringing many times from morel hunters that had found a nice group of those tasty fungi. Usually about the time the spring turkey season opens, the morels are starting to pop in large numbers and the hungry hunters are after them...

My time of year has arrived for what has now reached 50. That's because 1956 marked the first time in my life that baseball assumed a station of importance. While it's no longer nearly as much fun as it was from 1956 to 1967, I still love it. I got to thinking recently, wondering just who in my family might have been the most responsible for pointing me in that direction. Or was it inherited?...

Special to the Herald Chuck and Barbara Dahmer of rural Nevada are pleased to announce the engagement and approaching marriage of their daughter, Leslie Kay, to Morgan Walter Sommers, son of Robert J. and the late Jeanne Sommers, stepson of Dana Sommers...

Special to the Herald On March 26, 2005, family members surprised guests of honor Mark and Cindy Bean of Nevada, formerly of Jerome, Idaho, with a 25th wedding anniversary party at Greenfield's Harvest House, in Nevada. Guests included their son Jason Bean, his friend Jennifer Hope, Mrs. Charlene Wilson, Ms. Deanna Rainey, Kenny, Janyce, Courtney and Trevor Hinkle, Blake Baker, Jerry, Kathi Jo, Kieran and Keilah Cain...

Special to the Herald Thomas and Gail Clampitt of Frohna, Mo., announce the engagement of their daughter, Gwendolyn Clampitt, to Joseph Day, the son of Johnny Day and Erma Day of Nevada, Mo. Bride-elect Clampitt is a 2001 graduate of Jefferson Community College. She is employed by MidAmerica Hotels Corp...

Special to the Herald George and Annabelle Lolley of Nevada announce the engagement and upcoming marriage of their daughter, Anna Lisa Lolley, to Bradley Ross Ball, son of Michael and Susan Ball, of Lamar. Bride-elect Lolley is a 2001 graduate of Nevada High School. She will graduate in May 2005 with an associate's degree in biology, business, and medical terminology from Crowder College and will begin classes at Pittsburg State University next spring to pursue a degree in pharmacy...

Hi neighbors. How many cups of coffee did it take you to get your tax forms filled out? It didn't take me many because I have my taxes done by a professional accountant. Unless we count the number of cups it took to get all the information ready for her. That was more than three! Thank goodness that's all over and done for another year...