Stories from Saturday, April 4, 2009

Kenneth Loren Douglas, 78 of Cave Creek, Ariz., passed away Wednesday, April 1, 2009, while surrounded by his family. Ken was born in Fort Scott, to parents Bernice and Loren C. Douglas on Nov. 9, 1930. He attended Fort Scott Community College and Pittsburg State University. ...

Funeral services for Gladys E. Barr, 97, of Denison, will be held at 10 a.m., today, at Bratcher Funeral Home, 401 W. Woodard. The family was at the funeral home from 6 to 7 p.m., on Friday, April 3, 2009. Burial will be at Fairview Cemetery. Jerry Spradling will officiate...

Mona R. Hedges, resident of Ottowa, Kan., formerly of Fort Scott, died Friday morning, April 3, 2009, at the Ransom Memorial Hospital, in Ottowa. Funeral services for Mona Hedges will be announced by the Cheney Witt Chapel, 201 S. Main, Fort Scott...

Audrey and Mitchell Underwood, of Adrian, Mo., are proud to announce the birth of their baby girl, Ava Lee Underwood. Ava was born at 7:44 p.m., on March 2, 2009, at Olathe Medical Center, in Olathe, Kan. She weighed 7 pounds, 1 ounce, and measured 19 1/2 inches...

So, you want to join likes of John Colter, Jim Bridger and Kit Carson and become a trapper? The name of Jedediah Smith and men like him conjures up a romantic image of the lone mountain man trekking the wilderness clad only in animal skins and eking out a living by fighting off Indians with his Hawken rifle and pulling money from the forests and icy mountain streams in the form of fur...

FORT SCOTT, Kan. -- By the time Fort Scott Community College's baseball team got on the field Friday afternoon, it had been 10 days since they had last played. But there were no signs that the long layoff had provided any problems as the Greyhounds swept a Jayhawk Conference-Eastern Division doubleheader from Coffeyville, 2-1 and 3-1, at Lions Field...

The Nevada Tigers varsity baseball team suffered their second loss in as many games as they traveled to Carthage Thursday afternoon. Austin Baldwin and Taylor Scotten each went 2-for-3 in the contest, combining for three doubles. Ross Wolfe got the start on the mound and gave up just one run in his four innings of work...

Plenty of hilarious action and a good crowd are expected to keep Northeast Vernon County big gym buzzing when a Donkey basketball tournament is staged at the Walker campus on Tuesday, April 21, starting at 7 p.m. Tickets may be purchased from any FBLA member, Mrs. Hallam, Mrs. Bybee, NEVC Walker and Schell Campus, Madalyn's Kitchen, Davison's in Nevada, and Farmer's State Bank...

If you are among the estimated 1.4 million Kansans and 2.9 million Missourians who haven't filed your federal tax return, the IRS offers some tips to avoid the last-minute rush for doing your taxes. Don't Procrastinate. Resist the temptation to put off your taxes until the very last minute. Your haste to meet the April 15 filing deadline increases your risk of making an error and may cause you to overlook deductions and credits...

All five national parks in Kansas are sponsoring the "I, Too, Am America" student contest. The contest is an outgrowth of the Ken Burns PBS series, "The National Parks: America's Best Idea". The six-part, 12-hour series is scheduled to air on PBS stations nationwide this September. Both the contest and series are supported with grants from the National Park Foundation and Evelyn and Walter Haas, Jr. Fund...

Springfield, Mo., -- The numbers are in for the first quarter reporting period at Fantastic Caverns and the results are good. Coming off of a trying 2008 season, the popular Ozarks attraction is reporting a 36 percent increase in visitor traffic compared to the same period in 2008. ...

WHITEMAN AIR FORCE BASE, Mo. -- The American public will once again have an opportunity to view the world's premier weapon system, the B-2 Spirit, the workhorse of the Global War on Terror, the A-10 Thunderbolt II, and a host of military and civilian aircraft during the 2009 Wings Over Whiteman Air Show and Open House June 6. The event is free and will be open to the public from 8 a.m. till 5 p.m., with the opening ceremony beginning at 10:30 a.m...

Senior Action student Bailee Claypool has organized a toy drive for St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital. All of the toys gathered during the drive will be donated directly to the patients at the facility, a pediatric care and research facility dedicated to helping bring about change in care and outcomes for pediatric cancer. No family is turned away because of an inability to pay...

Area residents are invited to attend an event which was created to entertain and inspire attendees. According to event organizer Fort Scott High School student Sterling Braun, beginning at 6 p.m. on April 11, at the Liberty Theatre, 113 S. Main St., the Mojo Fest will provide the general public the opportunity to view pieces of artwork created by local artists...

Cindy Buck, Nevada Regional Medical Center CFO presented information on how the federal stimulus package known as the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 would impact the hospital at the monthly board of director's meeting Tuesday evening. Buck held her fingers a few inches apart and said that the information she was presenting was boiled down from a document that was approximately that thick...

FORT SCOTT, Kan. -- The fish frys sponsored by the Knights of Columbus Council No. 796 have seen an increase in attendance this Lenten season. According to K. of C. Grand Knight Joe Barr, this year's fish frys have served approximately 3,000 people. Last year's attendance at the events was 1,477 and served one less day due to a winter storm...

UNIONTOWN, Kan. -- Emily Simpson's budding photography career is already yielding her recognition. The Uniontown High School freshman's photograph of a grape hyacinth was recently chosen to be printed in the spring 2009 edition of Kansas Magazine. Simpson, of rural Hiattville, said staff at the magazine called her over Christmas break last year to notify her that her photo was chosen for publication in the magazine...

It's finally here... April, my favorite month of the year with turkeys gobbling, fish spawning, mushrooms popping, baseball starting and nature coming alive. It's a great time for the outdoor-minded people. Last April, we finished the month by picking more than 50 nice morel mushrooms after taking two big gobblers and limits of big crappie. This April holds lots of promise...

Hi neighbors. Did any of you get "fooled" on April 1? I certainly hope you had a few kind-natured laughs on each other. April Fools Day is also my birthday. This year my son got me a Wii video game. If you are not familiar with it, it is an interactive game you play on your television. The hand-held controller sends electronic messages to a sensor bar placed on your television set that makes the character in the game that represents you (called your Mii) move as you move...

It's the Kansas-Missouri border again! Previously it has been mentioned that after Quantrill's successful raid and destruction of Lawrence, Kan. on August 21, 1863, the Union Army in Kansas and Missouri established a line of posts or camps to defend their respective borders. ...

Kenny and Janyce Hinkle of Nevada, announce the engagement of their daughter, Courtney Charlene Hinkle, to Blake Landon Baker, son of Dennis and Sherry Baker, Nevada. The couple plan to be married on May 2, 2009. Courtney is a 2005 graduate of Nevada High School and a 2008 graduate of Pittsburg State University with a degree in Early/Late Childhood Education...

Ellen and Doug Gundy, Bixby, Okla., formerly of Nevada, announce the engagement and approaching marriage of their son, Evan Gundy, to Anna Lawrence, daughter of Robin and Gordon Lawrence, Broken Arrow, Okla. A June wedding is planned at Redeemer Covenant Church, Tulsa, Okla...

Jimmy and Brenda Summers, El Dorado Springs, announce the engagement and upcoming marriage of their daughter, Jamie Nicole Summers, to Jeremy Lee Watkins, son of Scott and Barbara Watkins, also of El Dorado Springs. Jamie and Jeremy will graduate from Crowder College this spring and plan to continue their education at Missouri Southern State University in the fall...

LeRoy and Ann Ast, Nevada, are observing their 45th wedding anniversary today. LeRoy and the former Ann Shulte were married April 4, 1964, in Conway Springs, Kan., and lived in Conway until 1972 when they moved to Nevada. The Asts are parents to 11 children and their spouses and 21 grandchildren. LeRoy is a farmer and enjoys gardening and fixing things as hobbies. Ann, a homemaker, lists gardening and the grandchildren as hobbies or interests...