Stories from Friday, June 1, 2007

The Vernon County Youth Fair Rodeo kicked off last night. Damp weather kept the dust down, but contestants kicked up their heels in style. Above, Stetson Dagan leaves the chute after his calf in the tie-down roping competition during Thursday night's performance of the annual event, a fund-raiser for the Vernon County Youth Fair. ...

By Lynn A. Wade Nevada Daily Mail The first thing Shiho Hokari saw when she got of the airplane in Joplin was land. Open fields, some dotted with horses and cattle. The exchange student from Hemaji, Japan, who came to spend the school year with the Nicholses, a rural Vernon County family had spent most of her life in cities, so the livestock and open land was more prevalent than she'd expected...

Nevada Daily Mail Schell City, Mo. -- Once again the Schell-Osage Conservation Area has been the victim of vandalism. The 21-year-old eagle hacking tower located by Bell Pond was burned sometime on May 20, leaving only the poles sticking up out of the ground. Not only did this act destroy an valuable structure, it put an end to an important part of the history of the area, according to Conservation Agent Shawn Pennington...

By Steve Moyer Nevada Daily Mail "It's a good problem to have," Martha Bledsoe, Nevada Public Library's children's librarian said. "We outgrew the space we had in the library, so we moved over to the community center to have enough room." Bledsoe was talking about where the summer reading program would be held this year. ...

Nevada Daily Mail Columbia, Mo. --Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns has appointed Everett Forkner of Richards, Mo., to serve a three-year term on the 15-member National Pork Board. Forkner will begin his term on July 1. He and four other pork producers from across the United States were chosen from among eight pork producers nominated and ranked by the National Pork Act Delegate Body during its annual meeting in March...

Kiss a pig? Are you serious? Christian Healthcare of Nevada holds a variety of small fund-raisers each year to raise funds to supply activities for the residents. The most recent fund-raiser was a "kiss a pig" contest between department heads, each having a jar the residents and visitors filled with pennies and other cash. ...

Nevada Daily Mail A pair of special events are coming soon to George Washington National Monument in Diamond, Mo. Visitors may attend a presentation on firefighting in the national parks on Saturday, June 2, starting at 2 p.m. in the visitor center. ...

Nevada Daily Mail The Vernon County Community Health Assessment and Resource Team will meet at noon, Wednesday, June 6, at Crawford House, 1117 N. West St., Nevada. The meeting is a roundtable opportunity to share information and to get first-hand knowledge from other providers serving Vernon County about the services available in the area...