Stories from Thursday, December 6, 2007

Heating appliances pose risk of fire To the editor: We all know that the winter cold can be dangerous. But turning up the heat to combat the chill can also be a fire risk if heating equipment is not properly used. Heating equipment is the second-leading cause of home fires in the United States, according to the National Fire Protection Association. ...

American anxiety about our food system is at an all-time high. With every report of tainted or poisonous foreign food imports or new E. coli recall, consumer demand grows for locally produced, source-verified products. As a family farmer who grows collard greens, okra, watermelon, and squash and has struggled for years trying to obtain a fair price for my crops, I welcome wholeheartedly this phenomenon. ...

Now that it has turned colder, the brisk air, heated rooms, and frequent hand washings to avoid colds have caused complexion problems of dry skin. Recently my husband and I were at an Elderhostel at Trout Lodge (YMCA of the Ozarks) and discovered that neither of us had remembered to bring a bottle of lotion. ...

Amanda and Michael George, and big sisters Madalyn and Katelyn George, are pround to announce the birth of their daughter and baby sister, Gracelyn Fay George. Gracelyn was born at 7:32 a.m., on Nov. 9, 2007, at Nevada Regional Medical Center. She weighed 6 pounds, 6 ounces, and measured 19 inches long...

The Cottey College Comets had a tough night on the road as they fell to the junior varsity from MidAmerica Nazarene 67-74. It was a slow start offensively, coupled with too many fouls that led to the Comets ending up in a hole at the break. They were outscored 29-36 in the first 20 minutes. ...

Writers looking for resources in getting a book published can still sign up for the upcoming seminar, "Getting Your Book Published." to be held at the Nevada TeleCenter Dec. 11 and 12, 6-8:30 p.m. The sessions are primarily for writers with some prior writing experience, and will be taught by author and publisher Sharon Jeffus...

After only three years of operation in Nevada, Fortner Graphic Solutions, Inc. is expanding into a new Nevada location. The only worldwide dealer in printing press services, repair and relocation of its kind, the company was founded in 2004 by Sheldon native Harold Fortner of Fortner Precision in Santa Fe Springs, Calif.; and Joe Pierbon, previously of OEM Graphics in Chicago, Ill. Fortner Precision is still in operation and run by Harold Fortner...

It's a beautiful plant and one that is associated very closely with Christmas, but is it poisonous? Not according to scientists. Chris Dryer, Northeast Vernon County agriculture instructor, said the plant has a milky sap that may give rise to the myth...

Vernon County native Ellen Gray Massey grew up surrounded by the history of the Civil War on the Missouri/Kansas border and has always been fascinated with the problems this area faced before, during and after the Civil War. "I like historical novels the best of all the writing I do," Massey said. ...

The Missouri Department of Agriculture is hosting regional meetings to discuss proactive planning related to a livestock disease outbreak and other agricultural emergencies. The meeting will be from 6 to 8:30 p.m., Thursday, Dec. 13 at the Springfield Livestock Marketing Center. A meal will be served so an RSVP to (800) 897-1163, ext. 35 is requested...