Stories from Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Kenneth Edward "Dick" Powell, 80, of Nixa, Mo., passed away on Thursday, Feb. 18, 2010, at 5:30 a.m., at Cox South Hospital in Springfield, Mo., after surgery, due to complications with pneumonia. Kenneth was born on May 10, 1929, to Cora Mae (Hatfield) Powell and Jessie Emory Powell in Collins, Mo. ...

Carolyn Sue Cliffman, 67, Sheldon, Mo., passed away on Friday, Feb. 19, 2010, at her home in Sheldon following a short illness. She was born on April 27, 1942, in Fort Scott, Kan., to Wayne Caldwell Johnston and Margaret Lucille Wirt Johnston. She married Vernon R. Cliffman on Jan.27, 1962, in Arcadia, Kan., and he survives of the home.

Theodore Rayford Thomas, 77, the only son of Victor Warren and Beatrice (Brown) Thomas, was born March 21, 1932, on a farm south of Schell City, and passed from this life at 11:52 a.m., Friday, Feb. 19, 2010, at the Ellett Memorial Hospital, in Appleton City, Mo...

The band Scratch Track will perform at Cottey College on Saturday, Feb. 27, at 8 p.m. inside Raney Dining Room. Scratch Track is best described as an acoustic hip-hop soul band that was Tennessee-bred and is Kansas City-based. The group comprises vocalist/beatboxing DJ Lee and guitarist Jason Hamlin. ...

Do you have a great idea for increasing sales of Missouri-grown fruits, nuts, vegetables or nursery stock? Has your group developed a plan to teach kids about healthy eating? Would you like to promote local foods, organic crops or sustainable agriculture? The Missouri Department of Agriculture wants to help...

The Nevada High School Debate and Forensics squad has once again earned honors in competition with other studetns in Missouri. The teambrought home a second place overall sweepstakes trophy and numerous individual honors from the Lamar Forensics Tournament on Saturday...

The Missouri Veterans Commission and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs reminds Missourians that veterans with a non-service connected pension or a widows or widowers who receive a pension from the VA must fill out and send in an Eligibility Verification Report by March 1, or the pension will be suspended...

Living Waters Ranch of Osceola is competing for a $25,000 grant from Pepsi Refresh project that would pay for more than 3,000 students from schools in St. Clair, Bates, Benton, Cedar, Henry, Hickory, Polk, and Vernon Counties, to attend the Tearing Down the Strongholds Challenge Course for free. ...

Members of the Vernon County Youth Task Force Dental Care for Kids subcommittee and individuals representing several local organizations met at the Nevada Public Library on Thursday, Feb. 18, to observe the month as National Children's Dental Health Month, recognize donors and continue planning the opening of the new Smile Clinic...

COLUMBIA, Mo. -- At the beginning of the 2010 Missouri State Wrestling Championships at Mizzou Arena, the Nevada Tigers wrestling team had four wrestlers out of an active roster of just nine still in action. All four of those wrestlers showed just how they had made it into the top-16 competitors in their respective weight classes statewide through day one as three of the four won their opening round bouts...

Now that the weather-delayed tournament has officially come to a close, the Nevada Classic All-Tournament teams have been announced. In the boys' division, Raymore-Peculiar's Cameron Coffman, Tony Jones and Josh Stockman joined Kansas City Central's Terrell Shears, Keyon Smith and Mikel Spearman to make up the All-Tournament squad...

The Cottey College Comets advanced in the Region XVI basketball playoffs with a 55-49 home victory over St. Louis Community College-Meramec on Saturday. It's difficult to beat a team three times in a season, and the Magic almost proved that after the Comets swept the season series. ...

"We didn't play like I thought we would play coming in." Nevada Tigers head coach John McNeley couldn't have summed up his team's performance much better as they opened the district tournament against the Cardinals of Clinton High School at Wynn Gymnasium Monday night...

Roy A. Slates, 55, of Nevada was arraigned in the Circuit Court of Vernon County on Monday, Feb. 22 on one class D felony count of concealing a felony and one class D felony of hindering prosecution of a felony. Slates pleaded not guilty to both counts and the law offices of Dee Wampler & Joseph Passanise, filed several motions on Slates' behalf. ...