Stories from Tuesday, February 17, 2004

100 Years Ago -- February 17, 1904 The County Court today took up the petitions filed with the Court asking that a special election be called for the purpose of voting upon a proposition to build a new $75,000 Court house. About 250 taxpayers signed the petition. The law says that a petition signed by only 100 taxpayers is required and that the court must call the election as the proper petition is presented, consequently the County Court called the special election...

Aura Johnson Markert, 91, died Thursday, Feb. 12, 2004, at Wicomico Nursing Home in Salisbury, Md. Born Aug. 10, 1912, in Schell City, Mo., she was the daughter of the late Garland S. and Daisie Hahn Johnson. Mrs. Markert was a graduate of Schell City High School, Cottey College and Central State College at Warrensburg, Mo. ...

Velma Yola Thatch, 87, Carthage, Mo., formerly of Nevada, died Friday, Feb. 13, 2004, at her residence in Carthage following an illness of several weeks. She was born Feb. 12, 1917, in Baldwin City, Kan., to Clarence O. Brooks and Maude Stewart Brooks. She was married Dec. 11, 1942, in Kansas City, Mo., to Joseph D. Thatch. He survives of the home...

Paul C. Jeans, 96, of Cocoa, Fla., died Thursday, Feb. 5, 2004. He retired in 1970 from the Army Corps of Engineers as chief of electrical inspection for the Canaveral District. A Navy veteran, he served as leading chief of Boca Chica Naval Air Station in Key West, Fla., during World War II and received a Presidential Unit Citation from President Harry Truman...

Sherry Butler Hefferman, 45, Rich Hill, Mo., died Feb. 15, 2004, at the Bates County Memorial Hospital, Butler, Mo. Funeral services will be held Thursday, Feb. 19, at 2 p.m., at the First Christian Church in Rich Hill with burial in the Green Lawn Cemetery. The family will receive friends Wednesday, from 7 to 8 p.m., at the Sheldon-Booth Chapel. The family suggests memorial contributions to Children's Mercy Hospital in Kansas City, Mo., in care of the funeral home...

William "Bill" Hood, 53, Rich Hill, Mo., died Feb. 15, 2004, at St. Joseph Hospital, Kansas City, Mo. Funeral services will be held Wednesday, Feb. 18, at 10 a.m., at the Sheldon-Booth Chapel in Rich Hill with burial in the Green Lawn Cemetery. The family will receive friends Tuesday from 7 to 8 p.m., at the Sheldon Booth Chapel. The family suggests memorial contributions to the William "Bill" Hood Memorial Fund in care of the funeral home...

Vernon Leon Souder, 72, of Dawn, Mo., formerly of Schell City, Mo., died at his residence in Dawn, Mo., on Saturday, Feb. 14, 2004. He was born on Jan. 13, 1932, the son of Elijah Sabin and Ruth Lucille (Poyner) Souder. Mr. Souder was in the U.S. Navy and served for 20 years, he was a Chief Operations Specialist...

By Larry Lewis Nevada Daily Mail Four Nevada Tigers advanced through the Class 2 Sectional round on Saturday to the 2004 Missouri State High School Activities Association (MSHSAA) Wrestling Championships. The championships will be held at the Hearnes Center on the campus of the University of Missouri in Columbia, Mo., Thursday through Saturday...

By Larry Lewis Nevada Daily Mail The Cottey College Comets picked up their second straight win with a 56-49 win over St. Louis Community College-Florissant Valley on Saturday. The Comets (4-21), whose previous victory snapped a 16-game loss streak, appear to have gained a bit of momentum going into their final regular-season game prior to the NJCAA Region XVI Tournament...

By Steve Moyer Nevada Daily Mail Brandon Plunkett is like any other 16-year-old living in a rural area; sometimes he gets bored. Unlike many of his peers however, he doesn't mope around the house complaining of his boredom -- he finds his own way of keeping it at bay. He builds things or finds other ways of keeping busy on his parents' land southeast of Nevada...

Nevada Daily Mail The Nevada Youth Wrestling Club completed a busy weekend with two tournament appearances. On Saturday, 28 wrestlers competed in the Fort Scott Tournament. Seventeen brought home medals. Medalists and places were: Mason Heard (1st), Ryan Herda (1st) and Jerrod Alexander (1st); Kieran Cain (2nd), Trey Manes (2nd), Jordan Hagerman (2nd), Tommy Hagerman (2nd) and Ryan Herda (2nd); Luke Christenson (3rd), Wyatt Greenstreet (3rd), Zach Shepherd (3rd), Scotty Bough (3rd) and Sam Ellifrits (3rd); Zane Shepherd (4th), True Beisley (4th), Chris Crews (4th) and Alex Christenson (4th).. ...

Justin Baldwin/Daily Mail Kiia Dighero leads her steer onto the scale at the 4-H weigh-in Saturday morning. Animals must be registered and their weight recorded now by participants who want to show livestock in the Vernon County Youth Fair in June.