Stories from Thursday, August 21, 2008

Recently, during the Missouri State Fair, Galen and Becky Gazaway had the honor of being inducted into the Missouri 4-H Hall of Fame. They were nominated by the Vernon County 4-H Council. The hall of fame is a special program sponsored by the Missouri 4-H Foundation, giving special recognition to those who have contributed much to 4-H...

I have been a visitor, aka a citizen, of Nevada for just a tad over a year and am heading back to my old stomping grounds, Branson. I have made many friends and a handful of close friends while I ventured the alleys, streets and byways of your fair city. ...

Aug. 17 There were reports of a theft in the Sheldon area, a 911 hangup in the Sheldon area, a controlled burn in the Nevada area, a stranded motorist in the Nevada area, a found item in the Sheldon area, vandalism in the Fair Haven area, animal neglect in the Sheldon area, a stranded motorist in the Sheldon area, wanted person information in the Nevada area, cows out in the Sheldon area and a 911 hang up in the Nevada area...

Bessie A. Folkner, 85, an 8-year resident of Sierra Vista, Ariz., passed away Tuesday, July 1, 2008. She was born Feb. 15, 1923, in Dustin, Okla., to John A. and Evaline E. Folkner. She was reared in Missouri, and attended school in the Moundville-Bronaugh area. ...

Kelly Fredrick Bradham, 61, Nevada, died Tuesday, Aug. 19, 2008, at Kansas University Medical Center, Kansas City, Kan., following a lengthy illness. He was born Dec. 8, 1946, in Nevada, to Joe and Sibbya Bradham. Kelly graduated from Nevada High School in 1964. ...

Terry Dale Pettibon, 49, of Nevada, died on Wednesday, Aug. 20. Family information and funeral arrangements will be announced later by Ferry Funeral Home, Nevada. View obituary and send condolences online at www.ferryfuneralhome.com.

A Nevada Daily Mail legend died Tuesday when longtime sportswriter Kelly Bradham succumbed to the many illnesses that plagued him over the past decade or more. There are others who can probably tell the story of his life better, so it would behoove me to simply tell the story of what he meant to me...

Basketball Coach Bobby Knight has always had a tempestuous relationship with sports writers. When Knight had refused to answer reporters' questions in a post game conference, a sports writer followed him out of the room to inquire about the stonewalling he and his colleagues had received. ...

Workers are busy at the future site of the Vernon County Jail. J.E. Dunn Construction is supervising the hectic crews who have been busy since the first week of July. "We actually started construction the first week of July," Les Paine, site supervisor said. "Thus far we've got 100 percent of the footing installed and 80 percent of the underground rough-in; pluming and electrical installed. We anticipate completion to be spring of '09."...

The University of Missouri Southwest Center field day, Sept. 12, will feature tours of research on forages, dairy, beef, horticulture, and a special tour on growing grapes in southern Missouri. "We've planted a new vineyard with over 700 grape vines," said Rich Crawford, superintendent. "We'll evaluate the varieties best suited for our region." The MU researchers will also compare irrigation methods...

Kelly Bradham, in the words of his sister, Cam Owen, was a Nevada legend. He spent 30 years as sports editor and writer at the Nevada Daily Mail and was also a lifelong member of the Baseball Writers' Association of America. Bradham was an avid sports fan, especially of football and baseball...

Marion Shrimplin just celebrated his birthday, or something akin to a birthday; the fifth anniversary of his heart attack and the quick thinking and acting staff at the cardiac rehab department at the Nevada Regional Medical Center's action in stabilizing him for transport to St. John's hospital in Joplin. Five years ago, Shrimplin was in the department doing some unsupervised exercise on a stationary bicycle when the attack struck him...

The Nevada High School Lady Tigers softball team is geared up and ready for the start of their new season. With eight returning starters -- including three seniors, three juniors and two sophomores -- head coach Brandi Thomsen has high hopes for the team. "I'm very pleased. I'm really excited for next week," Thomsen said...

COLUMBIA, Mo. --The University of Missouri Extension 4-H shooting team took second place overall at the 2008 4-H Shooting Sports National Invitational in Grand Island, Neb., June 23-26. Thirty-four Missouri youth competed against more than 400 young people from 28 other states in the national contest...

The Nevada Parks Board currently has $150,000 to spend on a new enclosed shelter house in Marmaduke Park and during Tuesday's city council meeting an ordinance to add $160,000 to that amount died for lack of a second after 30 minutes of discussion and the withdrawal of a second for the ordinance previously offered by Tim Wells...

"I have good news. We have a budget," Bill Erwin, Erwin Construction LLC, told members of the Nevada Parks Board during a special meeting Thursday afternoon. Erwin told the parks board that they have $150,000 to build the shelter house and he estimated that would be enough to build a1,200-1,500-square-foot building with heating and air conditioning, two bathrooms, a storage area, an open warming kitchen and a large open room...

The staff of Nevada High School gathered in the commons area for some training Thursday. No, it wasn't about new methods of teaching, although they do have that training regularly; this training was so the entire staff could learn CPR, the Heimlich maneuver and to use an AED, an automated external defibrillator...

Wade and Aylesa Rapp and family of Schell City were among 106 families honored during the Missouri State Fair's Family Day, Aug. 11. The Rapps were selected as the Vernon County Missouri State Fair Farm Family by the Vernon County extension council. Each year the fair sets aside a day to recognize farm families who are active in their community, involved in agricultural activities and who participate in local outreach and extension educational programs such as 4-H and FFA...

Taking place "on the set of a cable TV cooking show," Caroline Smith's broad comedy "The Kitchen Witches" pits one hoydenish and jealous female prima donna against another, as their fairly level-headed young male relative tries, with scant success, to step between them and get on with the show. Note: if you ordinarily use a hearing aid, you won't need it for this show...

In today's world of over produced country music that is made for the masses, it's not always a bad thing to be a little left of center. That road that is a little left of center is the exact road that the members of the John D. Hale Band intend on taking. Promoters say he JDHB is dead set on making country music their own way -- without exceptions...

A community picnic welcoming this year's Cottey College students to the area is scheduled for 6-8 p.m., Saturday, at Marmaduke Park. Each year. local groups, organizations and businesses gather together to offer information about the community to students new to the area and to welcome them to Nevada...