February in Review: Beisly murder investigation comes to an end

By Ralph Pokorny

Nevada Daily Mail

A 2009 murder investigation came to an end when Bob Beisly II was arrested Feb. 9, for the July 15, 2009 murder of his wife, Belinda Beisly. The following day, Jeremy Maples was also arrested in connection with the murder and on Feb. 11, both Bob Beisly II and Maples were arraigned in Vernon County Circuit Court.

After several weeks of work, the Nevada Parks Department -- with the assistance of volunteers -- turned the Wynn Gymnasium into a magical place for the first Father-Daughter Dance.

Leading up to the dance, parks director Dana Redburn said she would be happy if 100 people came. More than 400 fathers and daughters came to the big dance, making it an overwhelming success and paving the way for the Second Annual Father-Daughter Dance, which is set for this February.

Leading up to the dance, the parks department held a workshop for the young ladies attending the dance, providing information on make up, hair and dinner etiquette. Daughters ranged in age from toddlers to grown women.

After years of discussion of the issue, the parks board voted unanimously to recommend that the city council approve the sale of alcohol at the Frank E. Peters Municipal Golf Course. Although city ordinances prohibited the consumption of alcohol at all city parks and facilities, golfers routinely violated that. The recommended change will allow better regulation of alcohol and provide a new source of revenue.

In response to the parks board recommendation and the need to generate new revenue at the golf course, the Nevada city council voted unanimously to allow the sale of alcohol at the Frank E. Peters Municipal Golf Course and to give the parks board authority to regulate the sale of alcohol at the golf course. No alcohol will be sold until the new clubhouse is in use.

The city council also voted, 4-1, to approve the construction of a new clubhouse at the Frank E. Peters Municipal Golf Course. Council member Jayne Novak voted against the measure, saying that spending $350,000 to $500,000 for a new clubhouse was too much and the money could be better used for other work at the golf course.

The Vernon County Commission approved a contract to house prisoners for St. Clair County, at a rate of $35 per day, in the Vernon County Jail.

Healthy Nevada was incorporated as a not-for-profit corporation in February. Carol Branham was elected as the president and Ron Jones, vice president. One of the organizations first tasks was to expand the Farmer's Market to provide a source of locally grown fruits and vegetables.

After spending five years without a conference, the Nevada R-5 School District announced that it had been accepted as a provisional member of the West Central Conference, which includes schools in Clinton, Sedalia, Kansas City, Independence and Warrensburg. Nevada will officially begin competing in the West Central Conference in the 2014-15 school year.

Nevada lost its conference affiliation when the Southwest Conference disbanded, after Webb City and Carthage joined the Central Ozarks Conference. That left Nevada and McDonald County without a conference.

On Feb. 13, 2012, MFA acquired the assets of Producers Grain.