Stories from Wednesday, April 6, 2011

The Sheldon Lady Panthers defeated Lakeland Tuesday night 11-2. In the contest, Alesha Laning pitched four innings, giving up two runs and Erica Conner earned the save, pitching three scoreless innings.

The Cottey College Comets traveled to St. Louis over the weekend to play three opponents in three doubleheaders in three days. Cottey had a tough weekend as they fell to Mineral Area Community College on Friday, 0-10 and 1-16, to St. Louis Community College-Meramec on Saturday, 0-16 and 2-10, and to St. Louis Community College-Forest Park on Sunday, 3-14 and 2-7...

Changes have been announced in the 37th annual Bill O'Dell Baseball Tournament at Carthage, with Monday's games postponed to Wednesday. Nevada's game Wednesday's against Carl Junction is set to begin at 4:30 p.m., and Webb City faces Seneca at 7. Nevada's next game will be against Seneca at 4:30 p.m., Thursday, and Tigers will face Webb City 2 p.m., Friday...

Local massage therapist Jennifer Bean will cycle the west coast this summer to benefit Vernon County People for Pets. On her bicycle, she will travel approximately 1,500 miles along the well-known Pacific Coast Highway. Bean has teamed up with Vernon County People for Pets in an effort to raise more than $1,500 -- 100 percent of which will go to VCPFP, and secure donations of 1,500 pounds of pet food, to be donated to the charity...

Betty L. Chrisenbery, 72, Moundville, Mo., passed away on Monday, April 4, 2011, at her home. She was born July 27, 1938, in Moundville, Mo., to Louis V. Swartz and Leona B. York Swartz. She married Richard S. Chrisenbery on March 15, 1957, in Nevada, Mo., and he preceded her in death on June 7, 2007...

Lewis Joseph Jones, 85, Milo, Mo., passed away on Sunday, April 3, 2011, at his home of natural causes. Joe was born on Jan. 17, 1926, in Corder, Mo., to David Lewis Jones and Freida AnnaAnn Cramer Jones. He married Ruth Ann Barker Jones on July 24, 1945, in Fort Scott, Kan., and she preceded him in death March 5, 2011...

Steven A. Kelley, 58, of Adrian, Mo., formerly of Independence and Pleasant Hill, died April 4, 2011. Funeral services will be at 10 a.m., Friday, April 8, at the Wallace Funeral Home in Pleasant Hill. Graveside services will be at 2 p.m., Friday, at the Moore Cemetery in Nevada, Mo. Family will receive friends 6-8 p.m., Thursday, at the funeral home...

The Nevada Police Department and the Drug Enforcement Administration will give the public another opportunity to prevent pill abuse and theft by ridding their homes of potentially dangerous expired, unused, and unwanted prescription drugs on April 30, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. At that time, residents may bring medications for disposal to the Nevada Police Department at 120 S. Ash in Nevada...

Rich Hill R-4 School District voters in Vernon and Bates counties Tuesday elected three board members while emphatically authorizing with a 380-209 vote the school's proposed two-year bond extension to borrow $1 million and build a half-dozen new classrooms...

Nevada City Council incumbents Brian Leonard and Sherry Steward easily won re-election Tuesday while Vernon County R-5 School Board incumbents Nora Quitno and Steve Cubbage got new terms with school panel newcomer Jeremy Fast prevailing in his effort to replace the retiring Larry Forkner...

During a brief ceremony on Monday morning the Nevada Fire Department retired the 1982 Ford C8000 fire truck that had been serving the city for 29 years as Engine 219, most recently as the brush truck, and placed the department's new, 2011 model pumper fire truck into service as the new Engine 219. The department's 1995 Freightliner pumper was moved to the status of rural fire response...

Presiding Vernon County Commissioner Bonnie McCord and Nevada Mayor Jayne Novak, seated, hold the National Crime Victims' Rights Week Proclamation they signed in the Vernon County courthouse on Tuesday. Representatives from the city and county, the police department, the judicial system and advocates for victims' rights gathered to witness the signing, show support for victims and recognize April 10-16 as the National Crime Victims' Rights Week. ...

Nevada Regional Medical Center directors learned that decreased out-patient visits this fiscal year and postponed surgeries during February snowstorms had contributed to a $1.5 million operational deficit. However, NRMC Chief Financial Officer Cindy Buck reported March 29 that the hospital's "cash on hand" situation remained healthy with enough in reserve, $2 million, to operate for 188 days -- a $257,228 improvement over June last year...