Stories from Saturday, November 10, 2012

Preston Lee Haverstic, 81, died suddenly of natural causes Thursday, Nov. 8, while cutting brush on his farm east of Moundville, Mo. He was born near Moundville on Sept. 12, 1931, to Leland and Mildred Tapp Haverstic. A memorial service will be held at 10:30 a.m., Tuesday, Nov. ...

Gertrud "Trudy" Kircher, 85, Nevada, Mo., died Friday, Nov. 9, 2012, at Kansas City Hospice House in Kansas City, Mo. She was born Oct. 6, 1927, in Munich, Germany. A graveside service will be held at 1:30 p.m., Tuesday, Nov. 13, at the National Cemetery in Fort Scott, Kan...

Grover William Greer, 49, Richards, Mo., passed away at his home on Thursday, Nov. 8, 2012, following a lengthy illness. He was born Nov. 21, 1962, in Nevada, Mo., to Paul James Pettibon and Lily Marie Greer Pettibon. He married Patty E. Spurgeon in 1982 in Nevada, and she survives of the home...

Marjorie Earlene Pitts, 83, a former resident of Uniontown, Kan., and more recently of Fort Scott, died Thursday, Nov. 8, 2012, at the Medicalodges of Fort Scott. She was born May 25, 1929, in Fort Scott, Kan., the daughter of Earl A. Rogers and Margaret L. Williams Rogers. She married Paul Ernest Pitts on Jan. 2, 1947, at Fort Scott. He preceded her in death on Jan. 26, 2012...

Daniel Vincent Gerant, 67, a resident of rural Fort Scott, Kan., passed away Thursday, Nov. 8, 2012, at his home surrounded by his family. He was born March 2, 1945, in Pittsburg, Kan., the son of John Martin Gerant and Louise Oberzan Gerant. Dan graduated from Southeast High School in Cherokee, Kan., and later attended both Fort Scott Community College and Pittsburg State University. ...

A crew of workers from USBank, Nevada, volunteered their time to give the grounds at the Osage Prairie YMCA a bit of a makeover on a sunny September afternoon. Alan Leimkuehler of USBank said that earlier this year, he'd contacted YMCA Executive Director Jeff Snyder to see if there was a way the bank could help with a volunteer effort, and they worked together to outline the project...

FORT SCOTT, Kan. -- The Fort Scott Area Community Foundation recently awarded grants totaling about $10,000 to 10 local nonprofit organizations. The foundation, an affiliate of the Community Foundation of Southeast Kansas in Pittsburg, presented its 2012 grants during the Fort Scott Area Chamber of Commerce Coffee on Nov. 1 at Citizens Bank...

Mercy Clinic Fort Scott will offer free glucose screenings from 7 a.m.-10 a.m. Wednesday, Nov. 14 and Thursday, Nov. 15 in the Mercy Hospital lobby. No appointment is necessary. Those who wish to be tested should refrain from eating or drinking 12 hours prior to the testing...

Lymphedema affects 2.5 million people in the U.S. and is a progressive condition of chronic swelling that usually affects the arms and legs, but can also affect other parts of the body. It is caused by insufficient or damaged lymph pathways that transport excess fluid from around the cells back into the circulation. ...

Hi neighbors. As usual there is as much debate after the various elections as before the votes were cast. As far as I'm concerned the die is cast, and what will be, will be. We all just need to figure out how to survive whatever future awaits us. As usual, I look for insights into contending with future problems from my ancestors who faced hard times with more grit than I feel I have...

Years ago I saw a movie titled "Home from the Hill" and one of the memorable scenes from the movie was the star sitting in a leather arm chair in front of a fireplace with his trusty dog by his side. After 31 years of living in a house with a fireplace, I'd grown accustomed to wood heat to warm up cool evenings and provide a break from the gas bill. Then with a move to the country, the new abode unfortunately had no fireplace...

By Lynn A. Wade Herald-Tribune Five DECA students from Nevada Regional Technical Center unveiled two public relations plans the students have been working on that impact the community. Martha Cubbage, DECA advisor, said it's important to get students involved in projects through which they interact with local businesses and community efforts. Two marketing campaigns the students have undertaken are doing just that...

Bob and Marlene McCarter will celebrate their 60th wedding anniversary on Nov. 23, 2012. The celebration will also include the 38th wedding anniversary of Mike and Vickie McCarter and the 34th birthday of their daughter, Melody (McCarter) Smith. The date of Nov. ...

Mr. and Mrs. Charles Hinkle will celebrate their 60th wedding anniversary at a reception hosted by their children. The event takes place at the Donaldson Center, 1st Street, in Sheldon, on Nov. 24, 2012, from 2 to 4 p.m. Charles and the former Joyce Tiedt were married Nov. 30, 1952, in Lamar Mo. The couple have four children, eight grandchildren; and 13 great-grandchildren...

The Rev. Dr. Mel Mabra and his wife, Carolyn, will observe their 50th wedding anniversary with a family celebration at Branson, Mo., on Nov. 19-21. The Mabras were married on Nov. 22, 1962, in Corpus Christi, Texas, at the Emmanuel Baptist Church by the Rev. Jack Walker...

Martin Edward Eslinger, former resident of Nevada for more than 60 years will celebrate his 100th birthday with a party Monday, Nov. 19, 2012, at 3 p.m. at Via Christi Retirement Village, Ponca City, Okla. A note of a memory of Martin would be welcomed by the family and may be sent to Martin Eslinger, c/o Karen Cripps, 1467 S. McCord Rd., Ponca City, OK 76404...

Johnetta Rushlow, Tammy Grout and Kevin Metcalf of Sheldon, Mo., announce the engagement of their granddaughter/daughter, Torie Nicole Arrington to Nathan Allen Walbourn, son of Karen and Ron Jennings of Walker, Mo., and Ron Walbourn of Hughesville, Mo...

Missouri Army National Guard Sgt. 1st Class Mike Selsor spent most of his career at Camp Clark in Nevada until his regional unit, Company A, was deployed in early 2005 for Operation Iraqi Freedom III, during which it encountered a situation more foreign and forbidding than anything the company's 117 soldiers had known...

FORT SCOTT, Kan. -- Local fire officials have determined the cause of a house fire Friday morning on the east side of town to be a power strip and cord. Fort Scott Fire Chief Paul Ballou said there was no one inside the home at 10 S. Barbee, and there were no injuries as a result of the blaze, which started shortly after 8 a.m. Friday. Ballou said following an investigation, fire officials have labeled the cause as a "power strip cord overload."...

FORT SCOTT, Kan. -- Though the face of homelessness may look a bit different in rural areas than in urban ones, Becky Gray, director of research, planning and grants development for SEK-CAP, said the problem exists. And her agency, the Southeast Kansas Community Action Program, is working to develop a more precise method of documenting the number of homeless in this region and ways to partner with various agencies to provide services to homeless persons...

FORT SCOTT, Kan. -- Bourbon County Commissioners decided Friday to accept a $122,675 bid from Victor L. Phillips for purchase of a 2009 Hyundai Crawler, Model R210 track hoe with 1,350 hours of usage for the public works department. The original bid of $114,500 was increased by $8,175 to allow for the addition of a quick attach coupler for buckets for the machine. Financing will be handled by UMB Bank...

Herald-Tribune MARSHALL, Mo. -- The Cottey College Comets basketball team used a strong second half to open its 2012-'13 schedule with a 77-51 victory over the Missouri Valley College women's junior varsity squad Thursday night on the road. The Comets found themselves deadlocked in a 31-all tie at halftime before coach Dave Ketterman's squad turned up the heat and outscored Missouri Valley, 46-20, over the final 20 minutes to take the victory. ...

Herald-Tribune ST. PETERS, Mo. -- The 2012 MSHSAA Boys Swimming and Diving Championships got under way Friday with one Nevada Tigers swimmer among those in search of an individual State Championship. Jesse Claypool entered the competition as one of just five sophomores in the 44-man field for the 100-yard breaststroke...

Herald-Tribune Former Nevada Lady Tigers softball player Jessica Neely may be done playing softball at Crowder College after this year, but her college career as a whole isn't over. Neely plans to sign a letter of intent next Wednesday to move on and continue her playing days at the University of Central Missouri. ...

Herald-Tribune NEVADA -- The Nevada Middle School eighth-grade girls basketball A team posted a pair of strong victories this week. On Thursday, the A team was responsible for a split against McDonald County, taking a 20-19 victory, while McDonald County won the B game, 30-6, at Nevada Middle School...

Herald-Tribune WARRENSBURG, Mo. -- Two former Nevada High School standouts are scheduled to be in competition tomorrow as the University of Central Missouri hosts its annual Open tournament at the University of Central Missouri Multipurpose building...