October: Lady Tigers take first state title

On Oct. 23, the Nevada Lady Tigers softball team beat the Boonville Lady Pirates 4-3 to achieve their long-held goal of winning the Missouri Class 3 State Softball Championship. After losing every game in their 2001 inaugural season the Lady Tigers ended their 10th season with a 23-5 record and along the way won their first-ever district championship and sectional games.

Several of the members of the championship team had gained much of their experience and skill while playing on the Dirt Dawgs traveling softball team coached and mentored by Jim Novak.

October also saw the discussion surrounding the upcoming November vote to have the Northeast Vernon County School District annexed into the Nevada R-5 School District heat up. In 2008 the NEVC district tried unsuccessfully to pass a bond issue for a new school for the first time and again in April 2010. After the school district lost a third try to pass a bond issue to build a new school in August, opponents to spending money for a new school building held a petition drive and succeeded in putting a measure on the Nov. 2 ballot to have the district annexed into the Nevada district. Letters to the editor, both for and against annexation filled the opinion page of the Daily Mail in the weeks leading up to the November election.

The NEVC School Board accepted a $92,000 bid from Tony Cocker for the property that had been slated as the location for a new school building near Harwood. The sale of this property ended talk of building a new school at that location.

October also saw the first public discussion of a proposal to have Alliance Water Resources, Columbia, take over the management of the city's public works department. Nevada City Manager JD Kehrman said that this was the only company with the track record and capability to take over the operation of the water, sewer and street departments. Kehrman said that he had waited to talk publicly about the proposal until he had met with all 35 employees in the public works department to let them know what was being proposed.

When the Meadow Lane subdivision was annexed into the Nevada more than 20 years ago, residents were promised city sewers. They still do not have them, but the city has renewed its promise. During October, the city council discussed the option of including the Meadow Lane project with a request that the city extend sewers to Camp Clark. The city already has sewer easements through the Meadow Lane development, which is close to Camp Clark. The existence of the easements will make it easier to extend the sewer lines to Camp Clark.

The city closed the 300 block of West Cherry Street for several days beginning on Oct. 26 because of a hazardous building at 301 W. Cherry St. The city had purchased the building in September because it was a dangerous building and the city had plans to use the property. The street was re-opened on Oct. 28, after the building was demolished.

United States Congressman Ike Skelton made his final campaign visit to Nevada on Oct. 27, before losing to his Republican opponent Vicki Hartzler on Nov. 3.