Stories from Saturday, April 23, 2011

Beryl Alene Alexander, 96, Nevada, passed away Thursday, April 21, 2011, at Moore-Few Care Center, Nevada, following a brief illness. She was born Sept. 2, 1914, in Metz, Mo., to Frank Everett Brown and Lanora Belle Rider Brown. She was married Feb. 24, 1934, in Metz, Mo., to John Carson Alexander and he preceded her in death Feb. 13, 1995...

John Oliver Skiles, 85, a resident of Fort Scott, Kan., died Friday, April 22, 2011, at his home. He was born Jan. 12, 1926, in Windom, Minn., the second of seven children born to Martin L. and Lucille Larimier Skiles. He attended Pine Grove School near Willow Springs, Mo., and at Devon, Kan. In 1940, he joined the Civilian Conservation Corps and was stationed at Grand Junction where he helped build roads to Grand Mesa and Colorado National Monument...

Rosella Fern Vann, 80, former resident of Fort Scott, and more recently of Springfield, Mo., died Friday, April 22, 2011, at the Springfield Rehabilitation and Health Care in Springfield. Funeral services for Rosella Vann will be announced by the Cheney Witt Chapel, 201 S. Main, Fort Scott...

Irene Herrero, 87, of Fort Scott, died Thursday evening, April 21,2011, at the Via Christi Medical Center in Pittsburg, Kan. Funeral arrangements for Irene Herrero are incomplete and will be announced later by the Konantz-Cheney Funeral Home.

The Kansas Department of Transportation will host a public information open house to gather comments on the U.S. Highway 69 Fort Scott to Arma Corridor Study. The gathering will be held from 5-7 p.m. Tuesday at the Danny and Willa Ellis Family Fine Arts Center on the campus of Fort Scott Community College, 2108 S. Horton. KDOT will brief public officials on progress of the study at 4 p.m. the same day, also at the college fine arts building...

Three Vernon County authors and one former native are all featured in a just-published book, Mysteries of the Ozarks, Volume III, compiled and edited by Ellen Gray Massey. This book of 26 short story mysteries, both factual and fictional, is written by authors from the Ozarks or who have a strong tie to the area. In addition, all the stories take place in the Ozarks...

Over the decades, the town has shown support for Fort Scott Community College, and for the past three years, the school has reciprocated by hosting Community Appreciation Day. This year's event is scheduled for noon to 2 p.m. on the campus at 21087 S. ...

The Cottey College Department of Theatre will present a special day for the young -- and young at heart -- at 3 p.m. Saturday, April 23, in the auditorium of the Haidee and Allen Wild Center for the Arts. Children from the area are invited to see Ama and the White Crane by Maureen O'Toole. The show is free and no tickets are required...

Youth Activities Team members Clayton Tatro, Eric Bailey, Larry Fink, Tom Robertson, and Paul Martin stand at the future site of the Pennies for the Park project at Ellis Park Friday afternoon. Work began Friday morning to begin leveling the ground at the site. YAT Co-convener Diana Mitchell said Friday morning during the Bourbon County Commission meeting that the group has had several large fundraising efforts and it is time to start showing some progress...

The American eagles engraved into the stone entrances around Sam Foursha's historic Nevada home tell you a lot about him. So does the delight in his eyes when he talks about all the places he has been and what he did there. Foursha is a matter-of-fact man who tends not to glamorize his work as a U.S. State Department official in Iraq and Afghanistan...

For the past 50 years, one of the fringe benefits of the spring turkey hunting season in Missouri has been finding morel mushrooms. Ever since the first modern turkey season opened back in 1960, turkeys and morels have gone together. The golden morels start to pop up in the turkey woods when the ground is moist and the weather is warm. Morels provide excellent table fare and have attracted a following that is growing...

FORT SCOTT, Kan. -- A youth baseball clinic, sponsored by 5 Corners Mini--Mart, will be held May 3 from 5-6:30 p.m. The clinic will be conducted by the coaches and players of the Fort Scott Community College baseball team and will be held at Lions Field on the FSCC campus...

BURLINGTON, Kan. -- Uniontown's Emily Aikins won three events at the Southern Coffey County Invitational here Thursday. It was the Eagles' second visit to Burlington in three days for meets that were hosted by other schools. They were here Tuesday for the Waverly meet...