Stories from Wednesday, May 18, 2005

By Nancy Malcom Nevada Daily Mail On May 14 the Bright Beginnings Preschool hosted its ninth graduation and spring program. This year there were six graduating "frogs" as well as four "tadpoles" performing songs and dances for friends, parents and grandparents...

Nevada Daily Mail At 3 p.m., Sunday, May 15, Sheldon High School graduates came into the auditorium as students -- and left a short time later, as graduates embarking on a journey into the future. Jerry Janes presented Rotary Club awards and offered words of advice to the students, encouraging them to build a bright future of hope...

Nevada Daily Mail The Missouri Division of Youth Services; Southwest Region will hold a graduation ceremony and job fair on May 19, at Remington's, 1655 W. Republic Road, in Springfield. A job fair for graduates and their families will begin at 3 p.m. Graduation will commence at 5 p.m. followed by a reception...

By Ralph Pokorny Nevada Daily Mail Tuesday night the council voted unanimously to appoint Jim Stacy to fill the seat that was vacated by the death of Mike Straight. Stacy will serve the remaining 10 months of Straight's term. Stacy was a member of the city council in the late 1980s...

Kenton J. and Amy S. Kent and Thomas and Lauren McBeth, Nevada, are proud to announce the birth of their son and brother, Austin James Kent. Austin was born at 8:09 a.m., today, May 18, 2005, at Nevada Regional Medical Center. He weighed 8 pounds, 7 ounces, and measured 20.5 inches. Paternal grandparents are Ron and Debby Kent, Anna, Ill., and the late Cheryl Kent. Maternal grandparents are Dan and Judy Rocco, Nevada...

Thomas Dale Hacker, 66, Nevada, died Thursday, May 12, 2005. Services were held at Ferry Funeral Home on May 17, at 1 p.m., with the Rev. Wes Anderson officiating. Prelude was presented by The Mizzou Marching Band. Eulogy was presented by Kenny Hacker. ...

Johnnie Bishop Walker, 81, Nevada, died Thursday, May 12, 2005, at Moore-Few Care Center, Nevada, following an illness of several months. He was born March 20, 1924, in Gainesboro, Tenn., to Benton Walker and Mary Louise Beech Walker. He was married Oct. 5, 1945, in Bakersfield, Calif., to Joyce Palfrey who survives of the home...

Open letter to parks board Dear editor: Apparently my March 31 newspaper column about the names (and misnomers) of Nevada's parks was to no purpose. Among other things, I tried to point out that since the city shortened the name Izaak Walton Park to "Walton Park" the average person fancies it's named after Sam Walton. (A friend of mine, too intelligent for that blunder, tends to call it "Walden Pond" after Thoreau's sometime home.)...

The people of Missouri gave us a mandate to restore accountability to government. At the beginning of this session, we made a pledge to improve schools, create new jobs, act as good stewards, uphold traditional family values, and protect our citizens. I believe this session will long be considered one of the most productive in Missouri's history...

A few months ago, I used a column that our oldest grandchild had written. Heather Ernsbarger is 14 years old and a ninth grader at Conway East High School, Conway, Ark. There were many comments made by readers of how good her column was. Many could not believe that with the quality of her writing that she was so young and only a ninth grader...

100 years ago: Class of 1905 graduates There was not a vacant seat in the whole of Moore's Theatre last night when the class of 1905 were graduated from the Central High School. The curtain rose promptly at 8:30 o'clock, but even before that, the large audience had arrived and were anxious for the program to begin. As the curtain rolled slowly upward, revealing tier after tier of seats with their dainty girl and dignified boy graduates, the audience enthusiastically applauded...

By Joe Warren Nevada Daily Mail The Nevada Lady Tiger swimmers concluded team competition this season at the Southwest Missouri Swimming and Diving Championships in Springfield Friday and Saturday. The Lady Tigers broke two school records at the meet, and finished fifth out of 13 teams in attendance...

Nevada Daily Mail The Nevada Tigers will be hosting a boys basketball camp at the high school June 6-10. The camp is for boys entering third through eighth grade in the fall. The camp times will be 1 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. for those in third, fourth and fifth grade. Students entering sixth, seventh and eighth grade will run camp from 2:45 p.m. to 5 p.m...

Becca Price, right, senior at Northeast Vernon County, and Steve Koshko, left, also a senior at NEVC, were selected as Athletes of the Year at the Athletic Banquet held May 10 at Northeast Vernon County High School in Walker.

Rachael Johnson, a 2003 Nevada High School graduate, placed third in the javelin at the Heart of America Athletic Conference outdoor championships May 6-7 in Lamoni, Iowa. Her throw of 34.61 meters earned Johnson All-Conference honors. Johnson is a sophomore at William Jewell College in Liberty. Johnson is also a Cardinal Scholar Athlete in both volleyball and track. Johnson is the daughter of Bill and Carla Luther of Nevada, and Michael and Lori Johnson of Bakersfield, Calif...

Associated Press KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Rafael Palmeiro had four hits, including his 555th home run, and drove in five runs, helping the Baltimore Orioles rally from a six-run deficit to beat the Kansas City Royals 12-8 on Tuesday night. Brian Roberts added his 11th home run and Sal Fasano had a pinch-hit shot for the Orioles (25-13), who moved 12 games over .500 for the first time since the end of the 1997 season...