Stories from Friday, October 2, 2009

Miriam Elaine Baer, 83, of Riley, Kan., died Sunday, Sept. 27, 2009, at Medicalodge of Clay Center, in Clay Center, Kan. She was born Feb. 11, 1926, in Otis, Colo., the daughter of Lorenz and Miriam (Lewis) Pfeffer. Elaine and her husband Raymond owned and operated Baer Gas & Electric, in Riley, Kan., for 40 years, retiring in 1998. She was a member of the Riley United Methodist Church, the Rebekah Lodge, the Riley Neighborhood Club and the Riley Country High School Booster Club...

Elsie Vernette Mitchum, 89, Nevada, died on Thursday, Oct. 1, 2009, at Christian Health Care of Nevada. Family information and funeral arrangements will be announced later by Ferry Funeral Home, Nevada.

"To nourish the hearts and minds and develop the talent of young musicians through challenging and rewarding orchestral experiences" -- that is the mission statement for The Youth Orchestra of the 4 States, which is currently struggling in its second year to attract participants...

Childhood obesity is at epidemic proportions and all anyone has to do is look around to see it, Dawn Jones, Nevada Trails Coalition member, told members of the Nevada Parks Board during their Wednesday night meeting. The Nevada Trails Coalition is a branch from the Multi-Sport Club, she said...

The Missouri Department of Transportation Southwest District will host a community briefing regarding future Vernon County Safe and Sound bridge projects on Tuesday, Oct. 6, from 5-7 p.m., in the diner at the Vernon County fairgrounds, Nevada. During the informal come-and-go meeting, MoDOT representatives will discuss the Route H Bridge over the Marmaton River near Deerfield; the Route F Bridge over Little Drywood Creek near Moundville, and the Route DD Bridge over Clear Creek near Milo...

The United Way kicked off their fund-raising season with a breakfast at the Nevada Senior Center Wednesday. President Adam Dean welcomed members of participating agencies and invited them to give a short presentation on their groups. This year the United Way is funding 19 agencies, 18 agencies that participated last year plus a new one. ...

Hope. That's what lays in store for Amanda Smith, as she prepares to move across the state. Amanda lives with her parents Leon and Kathy Smith, in a modest home on a quiet country road just east of Nevada, but she and her mother will move to St. Louis soon, so they can be near the Barnes Jewish Hospital, where Amanda will eventually undergo surgery for a double lung transplant...

My topic hopper has a long list of ideas for columns. Many regular readers often ask me to write about something important to them, and I am quite often more than willing to oblige. Sometimes there are some concepts or thoughts that are far from earth shattering in importance, but they simply appeal to me. ...

The Nevada Lady Tigers tennis team added yet another strong performance to their record in dual competition as they hosted Fort Scott High School Tuesday. Fort Scott struggled right from the start of the match and never really recovered as the Lady Tigers dominated throughout the day. After seeing the Lady Tigers cruise through most of the contest, Fort Scott was unable to pick up a win in any of the nine varsity matches, falling by a final score of 9-0...

Erin Quest and Reed Slates, of Nevada, are proud to announce the birth of their son, Xavier Allen Quest-Slates. Xavier was born at 5:55 p.m., on Sept. 28, 2009, at Nevada Regional Medical Center. He weighed 6 pounds, 13 ounces, and measured 20 inches...