Stories from Saturday, December 18, 2010

Peggy Lou (Tough) Westerhold passed away on Dec. 16, 2010, near Metz, from injuries received from an auto accident. She was born Sept. 12, 1931, in Metz, Mo., the daughter of Roy and Ruth (Walker) Tough. Peggy lived near Metz most all of her life. She was a graduate from Metz High School. ...

Ira L. "Sonny" Harman, 87, longtime resident of Sheldon, Mo., died Thursday, Dec. 16, 2010, at St. John's Regional Medical Center in Joplin, Mo. He was born Jan. 21, 1923, in Springfield, Mo., the son of Ira Lilburn Harman and Mary Lee Jones Harman...

In a continuation of a long-standing tradition held by the Leon Ogier American Legion Post No. 2, 402 E. Cherry St., Nevada, the group is once again hosting the Jolly Old Elf himself, Santa, who will give toys to children in need starting at 9:30 a.m., Dec. 25. A Christmas dinner will follow, with veterans and active military personnel especially encouraged to take part in the dinner, according to a news release from the group...

The location for the Elks Lodge No. 579 Community Christmas Basket program fundraiser set for today will be the Elks Lodge, 111 W. 19th St., and not the Liberty Theatre as reported in a story that appeared in the Friday edition of The Fort Scott Tribune...

A group of volunteers gave the gym lobby at the Northeast Vernon County schools Walker campus a makeover. The walls, bathrooms, floors, and lobby area of the gym were repainted; and a new gym entry door was installed. Volunteers will continue working on projects for the school. Next in line will be repainting the four locker rooms at the gym. Anyone interested in volunteering may contact the school at (417) 465-2221...

A stolen gravestone was recently returned to its rightful place in the Gill Cemetery in southwestern Vernon County. The stone was recovered from the trunk of a vehicle by the Barton County Sheriff's Department during a traffic stop. Upon the suspect admitting that the stone was taken from Gill Cemetery, it was turned over to the Vernon County Sheriff's Office...

FORT SCOTT, Kan. -- Although the planned launch of a high-power rocket designed and built by members of the Fort Scott Community College physics club and their instructor fizzled on Thursday, everyone involved said they learned much from the class project...

FORT SCOTT, Kan. -- Just over two years after the accident, a local resident's sentence for her alleged involvement in the death of her daughter has been continued. Vanessa Hershey was scheduled to be sentenced Friday afternoon in the Bourbon County District Court after entering a guilty plea to involuntary manslaughter on Nov. 18. The sentencing was postponed due to cases earlier in the day running longer than expected, according to the Bourbon County Clerk's Office...

Below, firefighters work to extinguish a fire that broke out in a home at 1028 E. Allison, Nevada, Mo., Friday afternoon, but the residents -- and their pets -- escaped virtually unharmed. Nevada Fire Chief Robert Benn said that when firefighters arrived, heavy smoke was pouring from the attic area, and the fire hadn't extended into the rest of the home. ...