Stories from Thursday, January 16, 2014

By Eric Wade Daily Mail Sports Editor The Cottey College Comets basketball team has been forced to play its last four games on the road, leaving head coach Dave Ketterman's squad road-weary, to say the least. For that reason, Wednesday's home contest against the Lady Red Devils of Wentworth Military Academy was a more than welcome experience...

Nevada's Grace Reichard made two more state cuts at Tuesday's Ozark Invitational, at Webb City. This brings her qualification total to five events. She has qualified for all eight events in her high school career and head coach Amyl Bishop said she expects Reichard to do so again this year...

PITTSBURG, Kan. -- Brandon Barker's 3-pointer in the final minute put the Nevada Tigers varsity basketball team ahead to stay in a 45-41 victory over the Panthers of St. Mary's Colgan Tuesday night. The Panthers led, 41-39, with just a little bit more than 40 seconds left in the fourth quarter when Barker made his trey from the right wing and the Tigers closed out the win that snapped a three-game losing skid. Barker led Nevada's offense with 14 points...

Minnie Marie Benbrook, 90, Peoria, Ariz., formerly of Mt. Vernon, Mo., passed away on Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2014, at Moore-Few Care Center, in Nevada, following an illness of several weeks. She was born Nov. 26, 1923, in Chesapeake, Mo., to George Franklin Blevins and Dora Elsa Josephine Pryor Blevins. Minnie and Leo Carl Benbrook were married on Feb. 12, 1942, in Mt. Vernon, Mo. He preceded her in death on March 16, 1998...

Joe Scotten, 73, died Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2014, at Moore-Few Care Center, in Nevada. Graveside services will be held at 1 p.m., Saturday, Jan. 18, at Green Mound Cemetery, Harwood, Mo. Friends may call after 1 p.m., Thursday, at the funeral home. Memorials may be made to the family...

Emma Chrisenbery and Derek Woodall, of Nevada, Mo., are proud to announce the birth of their son, Conner Dean Chrisenbery. Conner was born at 4:37 a.m., Sunday, Jan. 5, 2014, at Nevada Regional Medical Center. He weighed 6 pounds, 14 ounces, and measured 20 and 1/2 inches...

A Kansas woman has been arrested on a Vernon County warrant for possession of a controlled substance. According to Vernon County Sheriff Jason Mosher, Amberly L. Merriman of Fort Scott, Kan., signed a waiver of extradition on Monday and is scheduled to be transported from Kansas to the Vernon County Jail early Tuesday...

No injuries or deaths were reported in the structure fire at 245 N. Lynn Street owned by Stephanie Foley. The damage is estimated at $40,000. The Nevada Fire Department responded to a report of a fire on the back porch of the house and found smoke pouring from the two story building on Monday night...

Nevada Daily Mail In an effort to deter crime, the village of Deerfield brought in KCP&L to install better lights throughout the town. "We had a total of 15 mercury lights, ranging in wattage from 70 to 100," Deerfield board trustee Terry Forgey said at the Board of Trustee meeting on Tuesday. "We eliminated three lights and replaced all the others with 150 Watt sodium filled light bulbs."...

Nevada Daily Mail Lower energy bills and hands-on education are some of the benefits the students and faculty at Northeast Vernon County schools will experience as four solar panel systems come online next week. "This is important because it's saving the district money," Superintendent Charles Naas said. ...

Nevada Daily Mail A fresh start was the theme for many agencies at Tuesday's Community Health Assistance Resource Team meeting. About five agencies attended the meeting and discussed upcoming plans for the year along with changes within their organizations. Several organizations have added programs or classes for community members...

Nevada Daily Mail "This is by far the largest performing arts center they go to. It's such a beautiful venue," Wes Morton, Nevada High School show choir director, said of the Ella Maxwell Performing Arts Center. "They love it. They feel like they are on Broadway," he said...