Stories from Friday, November 20, 2009

Nov. 12 There were reports of a theft in the Vernon County area, a burglary in the Nevada area, a traffic stop in the Vernon County area, a traffic stop in the Nevada area, an auto theft in the Nevada area, a careless and imprudent driver in the Nevada area, a burglary in the Milo area, a vehicle accident in the Vernon County area, a disoriented subject in the Vernon County area, and a vehicle accident in the Vernon County area...

La Dora Mae Mead, 69, Nevada, passed away on Tuesday, Nov. 17, 2009, at Freeman West Health System in Joplin following a lengthy illness. She was born Dec. 7, 1939, in San Dimas, Calif., to Harvey Robert Sneed and Edna Mae French Sneed. She married Donald P. Mead in 1961 in Roseville, Calif., and he preceded her in death in 1999...

Ruth Allene Peckman, 79, Milo, Mo., passed away on Thursday, Nov. 19, 2009, at Nevada Regional Medical Center following a lengthy illness. She was born Aug. 21, 1930, in Carthage, Mo., to Glen A. Lindenman and Ruth Mildred Grundy Lindenman. She married Richard W. Peckman on June 16, 1949, in Bentonville, Ark., and he survives of the home...

Barbara L. Ann Lockhart, 60, St. Louis, Mo., formerly of Nevada, passed away on Tuesday, Nov. 17, 2009, at the Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St. Louis, following a lengthy illness. She was born on Aug. 20, 1949, in Plainview, Texas, to James Ambrose and Barbara Ann Hibdon. She married Joseph A. Lockhart on Jan. 23, 1981, in Dumas, Texas, and he survives of the home...

Want to delight your favorite rock enthusiast this Christmas? If so, consider giving a Missouri Rock and Mineral Set. After a 15-year hiatus, these popular, educational rock and mineral sets are once again being offered by the Missouri Department of Natural Resources' Division of Geology and Land Survey...

Tipsy, merry, sauced, snockered, jazzed, goosed ... whatever word you use, the Missouri Coalition for Roadway Safety reminds all motorists that if you drink and drive this holiday season...you lose. "It's not just a slogan, it's a fact," says Leanna Depue, director of the coalition's executive committee. "Whether it is your license, your money or your life --You Drink and Drive. You Lose."...

The Vernon County Health Department has signed a contract with the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services to continue providing W.I.C. services in to about 700 clients per month in Vernon County for the federal fiscal year 2010. Under the terms of the contract persons will be served as eligible. Standards of eligibility and participation for W.I.C. are the same for everyone regardless of race, color, national origin, age, disability, or sex...

Editor's note: This is the second in a series from the Nevada Daily Mail on the state of the Missouri Public Defender system. Last Friday's edition offered a brief overview of the issue: clearly, they're overworked and underpaid. This week's story delves into the impact on the attorneys at work and their ability to fulfill their role in the justice system...

The Osage Prairie YMCA is preparing for its annual Strong Kids campaign and holiday festival Saturday, Nov. 21 at 5 p.m., in the gymnasium at the facility, 500 W. Highland, Nevada. The gym will be closed Friday and Saturday for the event. Matt Schneringer, YMCA director, said he was excited about the event...

The older I get the less I follow that advice. As a youngster, I looked up a great deal. There was a lot to see up there. I am not sure why age has changed my outlook, or should I say upward look, but it has. I noticed on the Internet news, that tomorrow night there is going to be a return of the famous Leonids meteor shower. As a kid we knew these shows by a different name, "falling stars."...