Stories from Saturday, May 7, 2011

April 15 Tyler G. Havens, Butler, Mo., speeding 28/15. David J. Larsen, Nixa, Mo., speeding 40/30. Mark D. Loomer, Nevada, expired license plate. April 16 Darvin D. Ford, Nevada, failure to maintain lane, driving while intoxicated. Whitney N. Fritts, Nevada, failure to maintain lane, illegal left turn, driving while intoxicated...

Morgan and Leslie Sommers of Andover, Kan., are proud to announce the birth of their daughter, Josie Fern. Josie was born at Wesley Hospital in Wichita, Kan., on April 22, 2011. She weighed 3 pounds, 11 ounces, and was 17 and 1/2 inches long. Grandparents are Chuck and Barbara Dahmer of Nevada, and Bob and the late Jean Sommers of Towanda, Kan...

Sandra Lee "Sandy" Key, 66, of Hume, Mo., died Thursday, May 5, 2011, at Mercy Health Center, Fort Scott, Kan. She was born July 30, 1944, in Boicourt, Kan., the daughter of Lloyd and Evelyn Shonk Graham. She was a graduate of Pleasanton High School. She married Randall Key on Aug. 10, 1984, at the Hume Christian Church...

Newell Wilson Franks, 94, passed away May 5, 2011. Newell was born Dec. 14, 1916, in Moundville, Mo., to Christie C. and Edith N. (Park) Franks. He was a mechanic and a veteran of the U.S. Army. He was preceded in death by his wives, Lula Dee Franks and Arlene Naomi Franks; and son, Earl...

Nelson Kircher, 73, Independence, Mo., passed away April 24, 2011, at Centerpoint Medical Center. A graveside service will be held at 2 p.m., Friday, May 13, 2011, at Antioch Cemetery in Nevada, Mo. Nelson was born, April 24, 1938, and was a lifelong resident of the Independence area, and was a 1956 graduate of William Chrisman High School. He was preceded in death by his wife, Lea J. Kircher, and his parents Aubrey N. and Viola (Potter) Kircher...

When David Farmer, Springfield, pulled out a pound bluegill from Stockton Lake last week, he thought he had hooked a 5-pound bass. "It's amazing just how hard these bluegill fight," Farmer said. "If they got as large as a bass, you would need 10-pound test line to hold them."...

The Nevada Habilitation Center will be hosting job fairs in several area communities during the months of May and June to recruit qualified employees for several different positions. Uncertainty about the center's future and a shortage of applicants have created the need for the center to hold the job fairs, according to Superintendent Chris Baker...

Vernon County's 47th Annual Bushwhacker Days, June 8-11, will bring a renewal of the Royalty Pageant with coronations of the Queen, Princess, Junior Miss and Little Miss Bushwhacker. The full slate of honorees hasn't been observed since 1998, when Marie Fleming was the queen, Amanda Nichols the princess and Fleming's granddaughter Bailee the little miss. ...

Teachers recall students and memorable years of learning at one-room schoolhouse.

FORT SCOTT, Kan. -- Mother's Day now has new meaning for Courtney Baker. At 23, she's a first-time mom of son Elias Baker, born April 26. Baker and her husband, Blake, live in Nevada, Mo., and she had the baby at Mercy Health Center with Dr. Amy Sachau providing prenatal care and Dr. Larry Seals delivering...

FORT SCOTT -- Fort Scott High School's hope to gain at least a share of the Southeast Kansas League title came to an end Thursday night when the Tigers dropped the first game of a league doubleheader to Columbus, 1-0, at Don Hewitt Field. Fort Scott (9-3 SEK, 10-6 overall) took the second game, 5-4, but Labette County (14-0, 17-0) clinched it's second consecutive league title when it swept Parsons. Those were the Grizzlies' 27th and 28th consecutive victories in league play...

IOLA, Kan. -- One moment, sunshine. The next moment, rain. Add in 10 medals and that's Uniontown's day at the Crest Invitational track meet here Thursday. "Kind of a crazy weather track meet," Uniontown head coach Jackie Hall said. "But our kids performed well with some of their personal-best performances."...

Nevada High School junior Dakota Mitchem fires a Civil War era rifle Thursday morning at Fort Scott National Historic Site. Nevada third graders visited the fort to learn about life in that period in history. Students also played games and took part in other activities...

Kansas State University football coach Bill Snyder, the architect of the "greatest turnaround in the history of college football," will speak at 7 p.m. May 9 at the Danny and Willa Ellis Family Fine Arts Center on the Fort Scott Community College campus...

UNIONTOWN, Kan. -- Uniontown's softball team came back from being on the wrong end of a first-game rout to salvage a split with Hum-boldt in a non-league softball doubleheader here Thursday. The Cubs scored 9 of their runs in the seventh inning as they beat Uniontown 16-1 in the opener. The Eagles (13-5) took the second game 8-7...

(NOTE: The location where the tournament took place has been corrected.) INDEPENDENCE, Kan. -- Fort Scott High School's tennis team will be sending three team members to the Class 4A State Tournament as the Tigers qualified one singles and one doubles entry from the Independence Class 4A Regional Tournament, which concluded Friday...

The Rev. and Mrs. Duane McCracken, Bonner Springs, Kan., formerly of Fort Scott, announce the engagement and approaching marriage of their daughter, Danae Leann McCracken, to Darren Matthew Rus, son of Mr. and Mrs. Steven Rus, Overland Park, Kan. Bride-elect McCracken is a 2003 Fort Scott High School graduate, and a December 2006 graduate of Ottawa University with a bachelor's degree in communications. She works in public relations at Shook, Hardy & Bacon, in downtown Kansas City, Mo...

Doug and Nancy Seifert of Saint Peters, Mo., announce the engagement of their daughter, Mandy, to C.J. Campeau, son of Cliff and Julie Campeau of Lake Saint Louis, Mo. Mandy is the granddaughter of Lloyd and Bonnie Seifert of Fort Scott, Kan. Mandy received a degree in communications from Truman State University and will receive a master's degree in business administration from Saint Louis University. She is employed by Edward Jones...

The family of Marvlyn Williams will honor her 80th birthday with a cake and reception Hawaiian style on Saturday, May 21, 2011, from 2 to 4 p.m. at the Community Christian Church, 1919 Horton St., Fort Scott. Guests are asked to "wear your favorite Hawaiian shirt and/or grass skirt."...