Stories from Tuesday, June 14, 2005

By Steve Moyer Nevada Daily Mail Nevada will soon be looking for a new chief for the fire department, Chief Bill Gillette announced his retirement effective the end of June. At 51 Gillette isn't ready to dust off the rocker and do nothing but fish and tell stories...

Nevada Daily Mail Can the world's greatest slob live harmoniously with an obsessive compulsive "neat freak" who can't stop cleaning? What happens when you add four zany friends and two Spanish brothers to the mix? Audience members can find out during the Community Council on the Performing Arts production of the Neil Simon play, "The Odd Couple," directed by Linda Davidson. ...

Nevada Daily Mail The Nevada Parks and Recreation Board plans to meet at 5:30 p.m., today, at the City/County Community Center in Nevada, to discuss a work plan related to a capital improvements plan for parks. The meeting is open to the public.

By Steve Moyer Nevada Daily Mail Sometime during the night of June 12, Edward McBee, also known as Michael Walters and Edward Daniels, 44, Nevada escaped from the Vernon County Jail by kicking out a window that had been installed to let sunlight in. McBee was in jail for fraudulent use of a credit device, stealing, forging instruments and drug-related charges...

By John Milburn Associated Press FORT RILEY, Kan. -- Five of six murder cases involving soldiers from an Army infantry battalion are beginning their appeals for crimes that stretch from the streets of Baghdad to a rural Kansas farm. An eight-member military panel sentenced Sgt. ...

By Rusty Murry Nevada Daily Mail The Blue Public Safety Company Inc. of Grain Valley, Mo. finished installing a new Early Warning System in the village of Harwood, Thursday, June 9, by mounting the three-tiered unit atop a pole in the city park. The new tornado siren, acquired with a USDA Rural Development Grant and municipal funds totalling almost $12,000, is just the beginning of changes taking place in the small community...

Wilma Nadine Bogart, 80, Nevada, formerly of Sheldon, died June 8, 2005. Services were held at Ferry Funeral Home on June 13, at 1:30 p.m., with John Nichols officiating. Soloist was Wes Morton. Musical selections were "How Great Thou Art," "The Lord's Prayer" and "Go Rest High Upon That Mountain." Organist was Norma Mooneyhan. ...

Robert Lee "Bob" Seaver, 74, died June 7, 2005. Services were held at Evergreen Memorial Chapel on June 11, at 10 a.m., with John Nichols officiating. Taped musical selections were "I'll Fly Away," "The Lord's Prayer" and "How Great Thou Art." Pallbearers were Chris Seaver, David Cherry, Jeremy Seaver, Shan Lanham, Ryan Seaver and Steve Snyder. ...

Betty Crockett, 74, Lamar, died June 12, 2005, at Truman Healthcare in Lamar. She was born on Dec. 3, 1930, in Boise, Idaho, to Lester Vernon and Julia Ann (Strecker) McConnell. She married Robert (Bob) Crockett on May 17, 1949, in Pierce City, Mo., and he survives...

Irene Akin Powell passed away June 3, 2005, at Copperlake Assisted Living Center in Edmond, Okla., after a long illness with Alzheimer's Disease. Irene was born Feb. 14, 1921, to Obadiah and Sarah Jane Akin in Heavener, Okla. She attended school and graduated from Heavener High School after which she received her bachelor of science degree in home economics from the University of Oklahoma in 1944...

Evelyn Cora Simpson, 88, formerly of Nevada, died Monday, June 13, 2005, in the Galena Nursing and Rehab Center, Galena, Kan., following a lengthy illness. She was born May 13, 1917, in Liberal, Mo., to Thomas William Claypool and Flossie Fawn Wilcox Claypool. She married Leon Carpenter on Dec. 25, 1933, in Liberal, and he preceded her in death in 1970. She later married Clyde Simpson on June 1, 1971, in Miami, Okla., and he preceded her in death in 1996...

A recent story noted that a new blog (or Web log) is created every seven seconds. With 8.5 million blogs, up from 100,000 just two years ago, the blogging world is facing its greatest crisis in 5,000 years -- soon there will be no one left to read the blogs!...

**The Philadelphia Daily News, on the supreme court's decision against medical marijuana: Time to drop the doobie. Marijuana is bad for you, even if it's the only drug that makes the cancer that's killing you manageable. Yesterday the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that states can't make marijuana legal for medicinal purposes -- trashing the laws of 10 states that did just that. .....

100 years ago: Gas found at Rich Hill At a depth of less than 400 feet the prospect drill of Mr. Brown, who is drilling for the Rich Hill Development Co., on the C.C. McGennis land, about 5 miles west of town, encountered a good flow of as in about 40 feet of gas sand, says the Review of Saturday. ...

Nevada Daily Mail For the second straight year and the fifth time in the past 10, Nevada residents David Ferry and Mike Cragin teamed up to win the 36th Annual Four-Ball Invitational Tournament at Nevada Country Club. Ferry and Cragin won the 36-hole tournament, played Saturday and Sunday, by shooting a two-day total of 131. They won by five strokes over four other teams in the Championship Flight...

Associated Press TULSA, Okla. -- Will Shields wants to make the world a better place. Whether its through the foundation he founded or through a simple gesture, he does his best to do just that. Shields, a 10-time Pro Bowl offensive lineman from Lawton, Okla., is the male recipient of this year's Henry P. ...

Associated Press AUBURN HILLS, Mich. -- The Detroit Pistons are renowned for their resilience. If the defending champions don't rally from a 2-0 deficit against San Antonio in the NBA Finals, however, they might be as well known for their whining. The Pistons complained incessantly about the officiating during the Spurs' 97-76 victory Sunday night in Game 2, just as they have at times during the regular season and playoffs...

Associated Press ST. LOUIS -- The St. Louis Cardinals' strategy of negotiating with potential draft picks before selecting them continued to pay off on Monday, when the team announced 15 more players had signed contracts. Among the signings were Wilfrido Pujols, the 17-year-old cousin of star first baseman Albert Pujols, and A.Z. ...

Associated Press TORONTO -- Larry Walker might retire after this season, citing age and injuries. The 38-year-old Canadian entered the St. Louis Cardinals' game at Toronto on Monday night hitting just .249 with five homers and 23 RBIs. ''A lot of people say you know when your time is up. ...

Associated Press TORONTO -- Roy Halladay feels he is pitching as well as he did in 2003, when he won the American League Cy Young Award. The statistics show he is better. Halladay pitched a five-hitter for his major league-leading fifth complete game, and the Toronto Blue Jays beat the St. Louis Cardinals 4-1 on Monday night...