Stories from Saturday, January 5, 2008

Hi neighbors. Almost a week into 2008, have you already broken any of those New Year's resolutions? Maybe you haven't really made any yet. There's no need to rush into it. Surely there is no rule regarding when they should be made is there? I would think any time in the month of January. That would give us more time to ponder what we want to dedicate ourselves to for an entire year...

Trudy and Jay Fleeman, of Nevada, are proud to announce the birth of their son, John Charles Fleeman. John was born at 4:33 a.m., on Dec. 28, 2007, at Nevada Regional Medical Center. He weighed 9 pounds. 3 ounces, and measured 21 inches. Maternal grandparents are Rick and Joan Carter, of Overbrook, Kan...

Sarah Downen, of Nevada, is proud to announce the birth of her son, Hunter Ray Downen. Hunter was born at 2:03 a.m., on Jan. 3, 2008, at Nevada Regional Medical Center. He weighed 6 pounds, 14 ounces, and measured 18 inches. Grandparents are Timothy Downen and Ray Igoil, of Nevada, and Karen Foster, of Nevada. ...

Bill and Delpha Simmons, of Schell City, Mo., celebrated their 50th anniversary in December. Bill Simmons and the former Delpha Hillier were married on Dec. 31, 1957, in Nevada. The couple have three children. No reception was planned but the family did request a card shower for the couple. Cards may be addressed to: Bill and Delpha Simmons, Rt. 2, Box 38, Schell City MO 64783...

Spc. Forrest Wardin and Trish Cullison were married Nov. 3, 2007, in Aurora, Mo. The Rev. David E. Ellis Jr. solemnized the vows. The bride is the daughter of Pat Jackson and granddaughter of Opal Righter, both of Nevada. The groom is the son of Ralph and Jo Vega of Junction City, Kan., Margie Wardin and Steve Wardin, both of Nevada, and the grandson of Julia Carpenter and Nivea Wardin, both of Nevada...

The marriage of James and Maudie Snare took place Dec. 22, 2007, at the Little Chapel in the Woods in Nevada. Betty Plush officiated the ceremony and music was provided by the Chapel. Attending the couple were maid of honor Charity Tyler and Best man Chris Crews. A reception was held at the home of the bride's grandparents, Donna and Terry Rolando, in Bronaugh...

Dwayne and Sheena Brooks were married Oct. 27, 2007, in Moundville, Mo., in an outdoor fall theme officiated by Betty Plush. The bride was given in marriage by sons Lane, Braylin and Kynndrick. Parents of the bride are Rodney and Wanda Diggins and Debbi and Dave Beerman. She is the granddaughter of Ivan and Barb Diggins...

Daughter Jessica came home a couple of weeks ago, just in time to help us set up the live, or, rather, freshly cut Christmas tree she'd demanded as one of the conditions she'd imposed (jokingly, we hoped) for spending the holidays with her parents, instead of some Washington, D.C., ecologically careless soul who sported a live, or, rather, recently live tree...

Walker, Mo. -- Walker residents, officials and school staff all gathered together on Thursday, eagerly anticipating information about the current state of their school, students and the possibility of Northeast Vernon County R-1 building a brand new facility...

The news of former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto's assassination rocked the world on Dec. 27. Although saddened by the loss to the world, publishers of Parade magazine feel that this week's cover story featuring Bhutto is even more relevant than before...

Missouri -- Medicaid in Missouri is dead, or at least it has changed its form and been renamed. While no one disputed that helping Missouri's less prosperous families get health care was a good thing many critics did say that the old system was plagued by waste, fraud and mismanagement. Enter MO HealthNet, a system that replaces Medicaid but has already garnered its own set of critics. Governor Matt Blunt announced the changes during his State of the State address in Jan., 2007...

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Artist Brendan Meara refers to his work, "Inspirational Themes," which recently showed at the Urban Culture Project's Paragraph Gallery in downtown Kansas City, Mo., as a "gesamtkunstwerk" of light, video, and sound; and simultaneously an attempt to invoke feeling brimming with optimism."...

Fort Scott, Kan. --Working adults who are interested in pursuing a post-secondary degree or continuing their education will be able to learn more information about possible classes coming to Fort Scott during a series of two informational meetings scheduled later this month...

FORT SCOTT, Kan. -- Kenneth Davis walked along the bank of his pond as he prepared to burn a pile of brush recently cleared from the bank. In the cleared land, about 10 feet from the edge of the water, rested a small headstone. The aged stone had the name "George" engraved on the front. The last name was so faded it wasn't readable...