Stories from Tuesday, December 29, 2009

January led off a year of cutbacks and belt tightening with economic news leading worries among readers. Mercy Hospital in Fort Scott laid off 30 employees, Nevada firefighters decided to not put on their annual fireworks display and riders of Nevada's taxis found rates increased and discount coupons costing more...

Anyone familiar with the clock in the courthouse tower knows that you may see radically different times on different faces of the clock, or at least it used to be that way. Vernon County Southern Commissioner Kennon Shaw reports that a county employee, Rick Warren, has fixed the clock and it is now showing the same time, no matter from which direction you view it...

February 2009 began with snow and ice covering Vernon County and although the month had both warm and cold periods, the county managed to avoid a lot of precipitation that sometimes makes winter in this area difficult. Bad weather would have only added to what was shaping up to be a bad year for some financially and or economically...

March was the start of many new beginnings in Vernon County. On March 3, Daryl Wright, past Nevada Habitat for Humanity president, presented the keys to the 10th home built by the local Habitat for Humanity organization, to Christy and Amanda Hepburn. Habitat requires each participating family to put between 300 and 400 hours of "sweat equity" into a house. Wright was quoted saying, "She (Christy) has been a wonderful partner."...

In April two large community projects were entering different phases; the new Vernon County Jail was entering the final phase of construction and the new community center was discussed in a city council meeting and plans were made to close Hunter Street to allow the current building to be enlarged, spanning the street to the north...

May began wet! Incessant rain, however, couldn't dampen the announcement that the new community building at Marmaduke Park was complete and already booked several events. And there was hope for better weather, at least for the future Schowe and Shine event which was front page news May 1. The first of May is also prime mushroom hunting season as written about on the senior page that day...

The beginning of June marks the annual Bushwhacker Days festivities in Nevada. A dog show held on Wednesday, June 10 was the kick off point of the festival. Categories included: Best Kisser, Patriotic Theme Costume, Craziest Tail, and many more. The carnival opened June 11...

Colonel James F. Keathley, superintendent of the Missouri State Highway Patrol, would like to inform the public that the Missouri Automated Road Condition Hotline is no longer in service. The hotline--800-222-6400--is unavailable until further notice due to computer hardware issues. However,...

Walter Dee Burris, 56, Milo, Mo., died Tuesday, Dec. 29, 2009, at his residence following a lengthy illness. He was born Jan. 9, 1953, in San Bernardino, Calif., to Oliver D. Burris and Betty Jean McCune Burris. He was married Oct. 16, 1975, in Nevada, Mo., to Nancy M. Stone and she survives of the home...

Ruth L. Woody, 79, of El Dorado Springs, died Dec. 29, 2009, at Community Springs Healthcare in El Dorado Springs. Arrangements are pending under the direction of Sheldon Funeral Home in El Dorado Springs.

Marvin L. Vickers, 83, of El Dorado Springs, died Dec. 29, 2009, at Cedar County Memorial Hospital in El Dorado Springs. Funeral services will be at 2 p.m., Thursday, Dec. 31, at the Sheldon Funeral Home in El Dorado Springs. Burial will be in the Mount Pleasant Cemetery near El Dorado Springs...

Norma June Rhyne, 83, Carthage, Mo., formerly of Nevada, passed away Tuesday, Dec. 29, 2009, at St. Luke's Nursing Center, Carthage, following a lengthy illness. She was born Sept. 11, 1926, in Jones, Okla., to Chester Arthur Keyes and Mary Blanche Finley Keyes. She married Albert Rhyne on July 3, 1945, in Springfield, Mo., and he preceded her in death on May 6, 2003...

Darrell Lee Riggs, 68, Liberal, Mo., passed away Saturday, Dec. 26, 2009, at Freeman hospital in Joplin, Mo. Darrel was born April 27, 1941, in Nevada, to Leroy R. and Hazel Irene Spainhoward. He attended the Hannon Baptist Church as a small child. He was a graduate of Nevada High School. Darrell married Sharon Kay Hobbs in Nevada, on Aug. 7, 1964...

Robert Joseph Leatherman, 82, Nevada, Mo., passed away on Friday, Dec. 25, 2009, at his home in Nevada following an illness of a few weeks. He was born Nov. 9, 1927, in Wadsworth, Ohio, to Noah H. Leatherman and Ida Edith Buerge Leatherman. He married Esther Marie Hiebert on Oct. 16, 1949, in Hillsboro, Kan., and she survives of the home...

On Dec. 26, 2009, the angels came and took Neva Irene Rust, age 80, to be with her Lord Jesus. She was born on Feb. 19, 1929 to Frank and Ruby (Morlan) Simrell in Cedar Springs, Mo. Neva was the youngest of three girls. She married Jimmy Worthington on Aug. 4, 1944, and to this union she was blessed with five children. He preceded her in death in 1978. She later married Robert Rust in Stockton, Mo., on Jan. 14, 1986, and moved to El Dorado Springs, Mo. He survives of the home...

James Louis Wehar, age 78, a resident of rural Deerfield, Mo., passed away suddenly Sunday, Dec. 27, 2009, at the Mercy Health Center in Fort Scott, Kan. He was born Oct. 29, 1931, in rural Bates County, Mo., the son of Louis Wehar and Mary Malis Wehar. ...

Doris Jean Duffey McVay, 88, Nevada, passed away on Sunday, Dec. 27, 2009, at Freeman Health System West in Joplin, Mo., following a short illness. She was born Sept. 23, 1921, in Tulsa, Okla., to Thomas Benjamin Cox and Leola Lavera Davis Cox. She was married to her first husband, Boyd Duffey, for 27 years until he preceded her in death in 1971. She later married Robert McVay and he survives in Topeka, Kan...

Not many folks stay with the same job for any length of time these days. But that's not true of David Clyman. When his official retirement date rolls around next week, Clyman will end a career with the Natural Resources Conservation Service that has lasted 41 years...

The Nevada City Council will be holding a public hearing and considering the first reading of the city's 2010 fiscal budget and the city's five-year capital improvement budget during tonight's meeting at 6 o'clock, in the Public Safety Building, 120 S. Ash St., Nevada...

Nevada firefighters took the the sunshine and brief thawing on Monday afternoon Dec. 28 as an opportunity to make a snowman outside the fire headquarters, located at the corner of Austin Boulevard and Ash Street.

July brought with it hot weather, the annual Vernon County Youth Fair excitement, and tragedy to local families who lost loved ones. As the month began, a project to renovate the restrooms at the Vernon County fairgrounds was completed just in time for the big event. Joann Cash, who spearheaded the project said, "The contractors were wonderful." She expressed her gratitude to everyone that contributed saying that, "it was truly a community effort."...

The residents and two pets escaped from a house fire in the 800 block of North Lynn Street at the beginning of August. Firefighters responding to the scene of the fire were originally told that there were still residents in the structure but learned that all had escaped from a bedroom window...

David and Cindy Irwin, relatives of Belinda Beisly, a Vernon County woman found dead in her home near Deerfield July 15, the victim of a gunshot wound, have announced that the reward being offered for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible for the shooting death of Beisly is now $11,000. Anyone with information may call the Vernon County Sheriff's Office at (417) 448-5555 or the Vernon County Tips line at (417) 448-5599...

The roads around Nevada were reported in relatively good shape on Tuesday, and crews at all three levels said they were ready to face the next snowfall that was expected last night. Dave Irwin, public works maintenance manager, said most of the work was finished, that city crews got busy Christmas day and worked all weekend to clear streets, intersections and parking lots of the white stuff...

Norma Jean Shumate, 81, Nevada, Mo., died Thursday, Dec. 24, 2009, at Moore-Few Care Center in Nevada following a lengthy illness. She was born March 17, 1928, in Columbus, Kan., to Douglas Monroe Sisney and Mary Jane Hyde Sisney. She was married March 23, 1948 in Bentonville, Ark., to Lawrence Dale Shumate and he preceded her in death Jan. 30, 2004...