Superheroes of Kindness highlight active March

In March, Cottey College announced it had been approved to establish new four-year degree programs, which will likely be in business and liberal arts. Cottey also announced that it has been granted 10 years of additional accreditation by the Higher Learning Commission, which is Cottey's accreditation agency.

March also saw a trial date set for Bob Beisly II and Jeremy Maples in the death of Belinda Beisly, in 2009.

Four days before Mark Bishop was scheduled to stand trial for the Oct. 1, 2011 murder of his wife, Mary, he entered a guilty plea to her beating death and was sentenced to 17 years in prison.

On March 2, the Children's Center kicked off a campaign to raise $150,000 for a new facility to replace the storefront location currently used. After nearly a year of work, the Children's Center is getting close to having enough money for a new building.

The Superheroes of Kindness received the Nevada/Vernon County Chamber of Commerce's Pacesetter Community Involvement Award at the annual Chamber of Commerce banquet. The Superheroes of Kindness are preschool students at St. Mary's School. The organization was started in 2011 and pays visits to businesses, individuals and organizations around town, expressing their thanks for what these people and organizations do.

The Corporate Challenge, sponsored by the Nevada Parks Department wrapped up in March, with the team from On My Own, Inc., winning because of the number of fans the team brought to the various events. During the two weeks, teams from On My Own and the Nevada R-5 School District competed in events showing the team members' athletic and mental skills in basketball, lights out volleyball, a scavenger hunt that involved tasks to be completed at various businesses the teams visited on a Saturday morning, making a healthy dessert, team spirit and a quiz about the team members knowledge of healthy topics. A second Corporate Challenge is tentatively scheduled for February or March.

In mid-March, the Vernon County Sheriff's Office visited with Deerfield residents who wanted to establish a Neighborhood Watch program.

A fire at the Parole and Probation Office, 330 S. Prewitt St., that did extensive damage was ruled arson by authorities, forcing the office to relocate in temporary quarters.

Another fire in a house at 219 S. Adams left two people with injuries.