Stories from Tuesday, March 7, 2017

A trip of a lifetime is just over the horizon for Mackenzie Pritchett. A champion on the softball diamond for Nevada High School, Pritchett is zeroing in on completing her degree in Middle School Language Arts at Avila University in Kansas City, Missouri...

The Nevada/Vernon County Chamber of Commerce annual gala and awards banquet attracted a near capacity crowd Saturday evening at Elks Lodge No. 564. "Now, the reason we are all here is to recognize the businesses and community members who strive to make Vernon County the place we all love to work and call home," Chamber of Commerce board member Ross Lawrence said following dinner. ...

Abuse of prescription opioids is on the rise in Missouri and this area. Painkillers like Vicodin, Fentanyl, OxyContin as well as codeine and hydrocodone are opioids, a class of drugs which includes heroin. According to the Missouri Hospital Association, 2.1 million people in the U.S. misuse opiates and "there is growing evidence which links analgesic opioid dependence to eventual heroin use."...

The Nevada Police Department is inviting members of the community to a Badge Pinning Ceremony today, at 6 p.m., in the City Council Chambers. The ceremony will recognize five officers that have recently been promoted within the department. Each officer's new badge will be pinned by a person of their choosing who will continue to support them throughout their career...

The 40th graduation ceremony for the Vernon County Adult Recovery Court will be held on Friday, at 5:15 p.m. in the Circuit Courtroom of the Vernon County Courthouse. Chief Justice Patricia Breckenridge, Supreme Court of Missouri will be giving the graduation address...

In conjunction with Severe Weather Awareness Week, the Missouri Statewide Tornado Drill will be held today, Tuesday, March 7, at 10 a.m. According to the Missouri Storm Aware website at https://stormaware.mo.gov/, "Severe weather can strike at any time in Missouri, making it important for all of us to be prepared to find the most secure shelter available no matter where we are. ...

Loucinda Maria Grant, 33, of Nevada, died Saturday, March 4, in Nevada. She was born on Oct. 26, 1983, in Nevada. Survivors include her children, Kristofer Grant, Clearwater, Kan., Kassandra Grant and Kendall Grant of the home; her parents, Cynthia Caviness, of Nevada, and Douglas Starbuck, Sr., Nevada; three brothers, Douglas Starbuck, Jr, Nevada, Dewayne Davis, Farmington, Iowa, and Dennis Caviness, Jr., of Arizona; three sisters, Jessica Fredrickson, Oklahoma, Samantha Stringfellow, Cameron, Mo., and Rebecca Davis, Keokuk, Iowa; and numerous nieces, nephews, aunts, uncles and cousins.. ...