Stories from Tuesday, January 8, 2008

Mr. and Mrs. Michael and Michelle Reasoner, and big sisters Abigail and Breann Reasoner, of El Dorado Springs, are proud to announce the birth of their son and baby brother, Camren Michael Reasoner. Camren was born at 10:41 p.m., on Dec. 29, 2007, at Nevada Regional Medical Center. He weighed 8 pounds, 12 ounces, and measured 21 inches...

Thomas E. Liggett, age 72, of El Dorado Springs, formerly of Schell City, died on Monday, Jan. 7, 2008 at Sac Osage Hospital, in Osceola, Mo. Memorial services will be held at 10:30 a.m., Thursday, Jan. 10, at the Lewis-Hoagland Funeral Home, in Schell City. Interment will be in the Green Lawn Cemetery, Schell City...

Sadie Stafford, age 95, of Nevada, died on Jan. 4, 2008. Graveside services will be held on Jan. 8, at 12:30 p.m., at Eslinger Cemetery, in Albania, Iowa.

Mildred Cushman Collins, 97, Nevada, died Saturday, Jan. 5, 2008, at Moore-Few Care Center, in Nevada. She was born April 10, 1910, in Horton, Mo., to Edwin David Cushman and Elizabeth Comelia Lovell Cushman. Ms. Collins was born and raised in Horton. ...

Willard Lafayette Houston, 86, formerly of Fulton, Kan., died Saturday, Jan. 5, 2008, at the Joplin Health Center, in Joplin, Mo. He was born Oct. 15, 1921, in Bagnall, Mo., the son of Andrew Jackson and Ida Mae (Snelling) Houston. He married Margaret Ann Barnes April 30, 1947, in Fort Scott. She preceded him in death March 1, 2006...

Gerald Preston Moore, 81, Nevada, passed away Saturday evening, Jan. 5, 2008, at St. John's Regional Medical Center, in Joplin, following a lengthy illness. He was born April 18, 1926, in Criner, Okla., to Harry Arthur Moore and Letha Eloise Galley Moore. He married Twila Rose Hendrix on Sept. 21, 1946, in Fort Scott, and she survives of the home...

Stephen Lee Wardin, 57, Aurora, Mo., passed away on Sunday, Jan. 6, 2008, in Aurora, following a brief illness. He was born July 21, 1950, in Nevada, to Hudson W. Wardin and Neva T. Watson Wardin. Stephen graduated from Nevada High School, in 1969. He served in the United States Army during Vietnam, Working as a laborer was his occupation...

Mina Ann Bray, 75, Walker, passed away on Sunday, Jan. 6, 2008, at Cedar County Memorial Hospital, El Dorado Springs. She was born on Feb. 10, 1932, in Nevada, to Everett B. Wood and Anna Mary Atherton Wood. Mina worked at Nevada Habilitation Center in Nevada for nearly 23 years. She was a member of the V.F.W. Lodge No. 2175 and the American Legion. Post No. 2...

The Cottey College Comets were in a tough, physical battle with Region XVI foe St. Lous Community College-Meramec on Saturday. The Comets played hard, but unltimately fell to the home team 54-62. "Our players played well on both ends in a very physical game," said head coach Dave Ketterman. "Our players did a great job did a great job of getting to the basket, drawing the contact, but the result was repeated no-calls by the officials."...

Although the Nevada Tigers lost 52-37 to a much bigger Warrensburg Tigers team Saturday night, Nevada head coach John McNeley was not disappointed with his teams performance after their lackluster performance against Pleasant Hill on Thursday night...

This just in: Pamela Anderson is getting a divorce after two months. Or maybe she isn't. Whatever. But of perhaps more interest is a surprising scientific breakthrough by none other than Jennifer Lopez: Pregnant women put on weight. Recently a Web site released the news that, according to an informed source (as opposed to an uninformed source, who are best to stay away from, unless of course you want to make the story more interesting), "Jennifer loves being pregnant, but she's not happy about the weight gain." The weight gain, apparently, took Lopez by surprise since it's never been noted before in the scientific literature. ...

Here are excerpts from recent editorials in Missouri newspapers: Dec. 31 The Southeast Missourian, on Southeast Missouri State band: He is probably far better known nationally among university marching band leaders than he is in his own city. You might have already seen Barry Bernhardt's work on national television this week. Bernhardt has had his hands on the marching band performances of eight bowl games this year, including the Champs Sports Bowl and the Gator Bowl, which he was to direct...

The Nevada City Council will be considering the first reading of an ordinance during their meeting Tuesday night to terminate the city's contract with Adams & Associates and Bucher, Willis and Ratcliff to develop a master plan for the city's parks system. The work was stopped in 2006 due to budget constraints...

Understanding just what a child is saying can be difficult. They tend to use their vocabulary in ways that confuse adults. It can be quite amusing when it is part of a program designed to highlight the effect, as the "Kids Say The Darnedest Things" television program does...

Chris Benjamin, Harrisonville, former Republican chief of staff for Missouri House Speaker Rod Jetton, has announced his intentions to run for a seat in the State Senate -- as a Democrat. In a kick-off tour that began in Warrensburg and followed a trail south stopping in Harrisonville, Butler and finally Nevada, the current Cass County resident announced yesterday at the Vernon County Courthouse that he has joined the Democratic party and will run for the 31st District Senate spot currently held by Chris Koster. ...