Stories from Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Esther Sander, 102, Nevada, formerly of Moundville, Mo., passed away on Friday, Jan. 7, 2011, at Moore-Few Care Center in Nevada. She was born July 31, 1908, in Nekoosa, Wis., to Otto A. Borkowski and Eva Helena Hass Borkowski. She married Herman Sander on Dec. 21, 1929, in Carroll, Iowa, and he preceded her in death in 1987...

Tommy Tim Pike Sr., 71, Nevada, passed away on Friday, Jan. 7, 2011, at Freeman West Medical Center, Joplin, Mo., following an illness of several weeks. He was born Sept. 17, 1939, in Nevada, to Everett Pike and Berniece Scantlin Pike. Tommy was born and raised in Nevada, but spent much of his adult life in various locales. ...

Iona Mae Purvis, 87, Nevada, passed away on Monday, Jan. 10, 2011, at Barone Alzheimer's Care Center in Nevada, following a lengthy illness. She was born on Oct. 17, 1923, in Oswego, Kan., to Lloyd Laverne Peak and Edyth Ethel Ladsdowne Peak. She married Arthur L. Purvis on Feb. 14, 1946, in Oaklawn, Ill., and he preceded her in death...

Opal Irene Bigelow, 88, Nevada, passed away on Sunday, Jan. 9, 2011, at Medicalodge of Nevada, following a lengthy illness. She was born Aug. 12, 1922, in Ashland, Mo., to James William Simrell and Lily Vinita Collins Simrell. She was married to Kenneth Bigelow and he preceded her in death in 1984...

George Menego, 82, of Schell City, died Friday, Jan. 7, 2011. Services were held Monday, Jan 10, at 1 p.m., at the Lewis-Hoagland Funeral Home with the Rev. Paul Thorade officiating. Visitation was from 12-1 p.m., just prior to the service at the funeral home. Burial was in Green Lawn Cemetery, Schell City...

Sandra Higgins, 69, resident of Richards, Mo., died Monday, Jan. 10, 2011, at the St. Johns Regional Medical Center, Joplin, Mo. Funeral arrangements will be announced by the Cheney Witt Chapel, 201 S. Main, Fort Scott.

As of Monday afternoon, snow was falling or in the weather forecast for much of Missouri. Winter weather calls for drivers to make adjustments and the Missouri State Highway Patrol encourages motorists to plan ahead and drive safely or not at all during inclement weather...

Missouri Army National Guard Sgt. 1st Class Robert Wayne Pharris, 48, of Seymour, Mo., died Jan. 5, of wounds suffered at Nangarhar Province, Afghanistan when insurgents attacked his unit using an improvised explosive device. Pharris served as an agriculture specialist with Agri-Business Development Team IV...

Farm operating and farm ownership loans for women and members of minority groups who want to purchase or operate a family-size farm are available, according to Barbara Hedges, farm loan manager of the USDA Farm Service Agency for Barton, Bates, Jasper and Vernon counties...

Playing a crucial behind-the-scenes role, the Western Missouri 9-1-1 Dispatch Center is a busy place, with 13 dispatchers handling more than 2,100 calls per month. Working 24-7 in teams of two or three in the new county jail building at 2040 E. Hunter St., the center averages 1,400 calls for the Nevada Police Department, 700 for the Vernon County Sheriff's Office, 60-70 for city firefighters and a variable number for rural fire departments and Vernon County Ambulance District...

The light snow Monday covered the ground enough to give James Thomas, left, and Trent Lukenbill, right, the chance to have a couple of rides after school on an embankment at Walton Park.

EL DORADO SPRINGS, Mo. -- The Nevada Middle School seventh grade boys' basketball team took a second-place finish in the El Dorado Springs Tournament with two victories over the weekend. On Friday, the Tigers beat Warsaw by a final score of 38-13. Derek O'Dell, Bryson Leftwich and Zach Cullison combined to lead the offensive effort with six points apiece...

MONETT, Mo. -- The Nevada Tigers wrestling team had what head coach Devin White called "overall, not a bad day" at the Monett tournament on Saturday. Four Tigers returned from the tournament with medals. Slade Stiles finished second in the A pool at 112 pounds by winning four of his five matches. ...