Stories from Sunday, December 5, 2004

By Ben Holman Nevada Herald After an article titled, "Officials work to fix problems in tax relief law for older homeowners," ran in Tuesday's Daily Mail, the Vernon County Assessor's office has begun fielding calls from Nevada seniors inquiring about the Homestead Preservation Act, which was designed to protect seniors from large increases in their property taxes...

By Marc Powers Nevada Herald JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- A key Missouri lawmaker is floating a proposal that would slightly increase the state fuel tax each year. The lawmaker, however, says his primary purpose is to spur a discussion on how to best generate more money for transportation and that he doesn't expect the bill to become law next year...

By Ben Holman Nevada Herald On Dec. 1, the Vernon County Commission approved an amendment to ordinance number 35 relating to weapons being carried on county property. According to commissioners, the ordinance, which was passed in October of 2003 in response to Missouri's new concealed firearms law, did not go far enough to ensure that weapons were not brought into county buildings, such as the courthouse. ...

By Ben Holman Nevada Herald Miss Missouri Whitney Weeks visited the students at Nevada Middle School on Friday to present a program called "Right Decisions, Right Now." The program, which is sponsored by R.J. Reynolds tobacco company, is designed to deter kids from smoking...

Above, The Cottey Chorale, directed by Theresa Spencer, performed during the annual Hanging of the Greens chapel service Friday night at Cottey College. The Rev. Kimberley A. Osburne, Cottey College spiritual advisor, lights a candle of one of the people attending the annual Hanging of the Greens chapel service Friday night...

Patsy Ann Cannon, 63, Nevada, died Thursday, Dec. 2, 2004, at St. John's Regional Medical Center, Joplin, following a lengthy illness. Funeral services will be held at 2 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 5, at Ferry Funeral Home, Nevada. Interment will follow in Marvin Chapel Cemetery, Vernon County. Friends may call now and until the hour of service at the funeral home. The family receives friends 5-6 p.m. on Saturday at Ferry Funeral Home, Nevada...

Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives approved a change in party rules that is widely regarded by most Democrats and some Republicans as sending the wrong message. Republicans, emboldened by increased House and Senate majorities after this month's elections, replaced a rule that was adopted when the GOP took control of the House after the 1992 elections...

100 years ago: Walker telephone lines to connect with Nevada Fred A. Dalton and a number of other prominent citizens of Walker were in Nevada today and consulted with the managers of the two Nevada telephone systems. Walker has three telephone systems, all three of which have a large number of patrons...

Special to the Daily Mail Larry and Janice Flint of Harwood, Mo., announce the approaching marriage of their daughter, Sara Renee, to Errin Kemper, son of Larry and Karen Kemper of Mt. Grove, Mo. The bride-elect is a graduate of Northeast Vernon County. She obtained a Bachelor of Science in Biology and Psychology at Southwest Baptist University and is currently working on her master's in the physician assistant program at Southwest Missouri State University...

Special to the Herald Saturday, Oct. 30, 2004, at 2 o'clock in the afternoon, Genevieve Margie Breneman and James Matthew Riddle exchanged wedding vows in Peace College Chapel, Raleigh, N.C. Vows were solemnized by Bishop David Carroll. Parents of the bride are Keith and Carol Breneman, Apex, N.C. Grandparents of the bride are Bill and Margie Breneman and Margie Swarnes, all of Nevada. The groom's parents are Jimmy and Michele Riddle Fuquay, Varina, N.C...

Special to the Herald The children of John and Patsy Campbell have planned a Dec. 12 celebration to honor their parents 50th wedding anniversary. John Campbell and the former Patsy Whitworth were married Dec. 12, 1954, in the Moundville home of Mr. and Mrs. Cecil McKenzie by the Rev. G.W. Corporon...

Special to the Herald Ernest and Barbara Nikodim will celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary with a reception hosted by their family on Dec. 19 from 2 to 4 p.m. at the Walker Community Building. The former Barbara Harding and Ernest Nikodim were married on Dec. ...

Special to the Herald Mr. and Mrs. Larry Balk of rural Rich Hill celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary Dec. 1, 2004. Larry Vernon Balk and the former Deborah Dianne Adams were married Dec. 1, 1979, at the home of the bride's mother, Mary Anne Adams Seagraves, in Nevada, Mo...

By Joe Warren Nevada Herald The Cottey basketball team lost their second consecutive game Friday, falling to St. Louis Community College-Forrest Park 60-57. The Comets struggled to generate any offense and both teams were atrocious at the free-throw line in a game between Region XVI opponents...

By Joe Warren Nevada Herald So much for the saying, "Home, Sweet Home." For the Northeast Vernon County Knights, the home crowd was not enough to overcome the visiting Leeton Bulldogs Friday, in Walker. The Lady Knights started out well, playing with the Lady Bulldogs for most of the first half. But in the second half the game got away from NEVC, as Leeton went on to win 57-26...

Associated Press OAKLAND, Calif. -- Trent Green spent his first season as a starting quarterback under Norv Turner in Washington six years ago, and the Redskins lost their first seven games before bouncing back to finish 6-10. Green learned from Turner's steady approach during those difficult times...

With the very successful firearm deer season over and waterfowl pouring into the state, two hunters carried on a Thanksgiving tradition like few Missouri hunters. Harry Thomas and Dave Keyes spent the past weekend hunting woodcock. ...

At the dawn of his eighth decade, Jim Novak had waited just about long enough for that elusive World Championship the Boston Red Sox finally laid at his feet last October as they did to all loyal citizens of Red Sox Nation -- even those silly enough to buy the media driven notion of some bogus curse...

Hi neighbors. Nineteen, count'em, 19 more days till you can no longer shop. For 19 more days you can put off the trips to the malls, shops, stores and Internet shopping sites. You can probably wait 19 more days to wrap gifts. If you don't exchange gifts until the afternoon, you can even stretch the window for the wrapping routine until Christmas Day. I wouldn't recommend that though...

Up until recently, the voice of the Kansas City Star columnist and KRPS-TV personality Charles Guswelle spoke to me of life in a midwestern small town the way Kansas City was before World War II. Maybe others would refer to KC back then as a "city," but it's been my experience that as a young person you yearn for the excitement of the city, but as you get older the small town begins to exert its own draw. ...