Stories from Thursday, December 13, 2007

I used to love reading the poem "Snowbound." It sounded like great fun to be shut in the house together for several days while still taking care of all the animals and people in the homestead. This week we had a modern version of that poem. However I did not wax poetic about it, but saw enough funny things about it that I can at least write a column about our two episodes of being in the dark...

Last time around we reviewed and recommended as a Christmas gift the new book about Gen. Joseph Bailey, "Hero of the Red River." The first buyer, appropriately enough, was a descendant of the general. It's anything but the only work of regional history to have recently appeared. If many of them concern the Civil War, remember, the 2011 sesquicentennial of that war will be upon us sooner than we think. Interest, great to start with, is growing by leaps and bounds...

Local residents can take care of some holiday shopping and help a local school at the same time on Friday. A host of items are up for auction at St. Mary's School, 330 N. Main. The auction is being held to help raise funds for the school's Parent Teacher Organization fund to help pay for school operations...

First Baptist Church is set once again to host Dave Ramsey's bibically-based income counseling seminar for families, "Financial Peace University." Following a successful class held in August, the video-based seminar is planning a return to Nevada. More than 180,000 families across the country have attended the program consisting of 13 class sessions which gather one day per week. ...

Missouri's geographical location midway between northern and southern weather systems often means surprise amounts of ice and snow accumulations in the winter. They are a cold reminder of the difficulties involved in running a modern farm when the power goes out, even for just a few minutes or hours. ...

When Missouri National Guard Officer Candidate Neilson Rudd saw an accident during ice storms on Sunday evening, he stopped to check on the vehicle occupants, even though he was off duty. When he was returning to his own vehicle, at the Katy Trail Bridge, just north of Jefferson City on Highway 63, another vehicle lost control and struck Rudd down. He was pronounced dead at the scene, according to Missouri State Highway Patrol reports...

Community Council on the Performing Arts veteran Charlie Johnson first played multiple roles in Jason Williams', Joe Sears', and Ed Howard's hilarious comedy "Greater Tuna," when he was barely out of diapers, in 1988. Back then, together with his superb acting partner Ron Gilland, he lit up the stage and prompted their audience, of which I was forTUNAte enough to be one, to howl with laughter. ...

Seven people were arrested Saturday in Bates County in connection with the seizure of marijuana estimated to have a street value of more than $3 million. According to a report from the Bates County Sheriff's Office, on Saturday, Dec, 8, at approximately 12:15 a.m., a K-9 unit with the Bates County Sheriff's Office spotted a truck, south bound on FF Highway from State Route 18, failing to maintain the right side of the roadway...

The Cottey College Comets managed to stay within striking distance of the Penn Valley Community College Scouts all night Wednesday, but were unable to get enough shots to fall in the last couple of minutes, losing to the Scouts 64-59. This loss against the toughest opponent they have seen so far puts the Comets 6-3 for the season and 0-1 against regional opponents...

Floy Meryl Rynard, Nevada, passed away on Dec. 11, 2007, at the Nevada Regional Medical Center. She was born May 22, 1915, at La Cygne, Kan. Floy used to brag, "She was the only Jayhawker in her family." She was the daughter of Charles and Olive Hartsock Reynolds. She was the last of 14 children including a twin brother, Loy Beryl, who did not survive...

Sharon Sue Hagerman, 67, Bronaugh, passed away on Wednesday, Dec. 12, 2007, at her home in Bronaugh. She was born on Aug. 6, 1940, in Seneca, Mo., to Doris Roark Yocum and Froda Enna Turner Yocum. She married George Ducy Hagerman on Nov. 9, 1963, and he survives of the home...