Stories from Saturday, May 14, 2011

Donovan Carrol Ball, 76, of Kansas City, Kan., died Thursday, May 12, 2011, at the Shawnee Mission Medical Center, Merriam, Kan. He was born on Sept. 26, 1934, near Centerville, Kan., the son of Forrest Donovan and Cecile Louise Knight Ball. He attended school at Keokuk and Centerville. He graduated from Parker Rural High School in 1952...

Catherine (Cathy) L. Tuttle, 53, Independence, Mo., died Friday, April 29, 2011, at the Kansas City Hospice House after a long battle with cancer. Cathy was born on June 5, 1957, to Carl L. and Ginger Hickman Rogers. Inurnment and remembrance will be held at 2:30 p.m., Sunday, June 5, at Sheldon Cemetery, Sheldon, Mo...

Lee Ellen Alexander, 77, a former resident of Fort Scott, Kan., and more recently of Lansing, Kan., died Friday, May 13, 2011, at her home in Lansing. Services for Lee Alexander will be announced by the Cheney Witt Memorial Chapel, 201 S. Main, Fort Scott, Kan...

Elden H. Corban, 75, of Nixa, Mo., formerly of Butler, Mo., died on May 10, 2011, at his home. The family will receive friends Friday, 7-8 p.m., at the Heuser Funeral Home, Rich Hill, Mo., with cremation following. Memorial contributions may be made to the American Diabetes Association in care of the Heuser Funeral Home, Box 42, Rich Hill, MO 64779...

Meghan and Abel Miranda, and Anna Marie, of Nevada, are proud to announce the birth of their son and brother, Jovani Alexis Lazaro Miranda. Jovani was born at 8:19 a.m., May 5, 2011, at Neavda Regional Medical Center, Nevada. He weighed 7 pounds, 13 ounces and measured 19.5 inches...

Bethany Jill Balk and Drew Cotten Liles exchanged wedding vows on April 2, 2011, at the First Christian Church, in Rich Hill, Mo. Parents of the couple are Larry and Debbie Balk, of Rich Hill; and Doris and Gregg Rice of Brownwood, Texas, and Jim and Vicky Liles, of Nevada, Mo...

Mike and Cheryl Combs along with Stewart and Carla Guss announce the engagement and approaching marriage of their children, Brooke Nicole Combs and Devon Stewart Guss. Brooke, a graduate of Fort Scott High School, is a student at Missouri State University pursuing a degree as a physician's assistant. She is employed by Outback Steakhouse...

Announcement is made of the engagement and approaching marriage of Brittney Sprague to Seth Meiwes. Brittney is the daughter of Max Sprague, of LaHarpe, Kan., and Raye Sprague, of Walker, Mo. Seth is the son of Gene and Karen Meiwes, of Iola, Kan. Brittney is a graduate of Crest High School and Allen Community College in Iola. She will graduate from Pittsburg State University in December with a degree in history education...

Heidi Walker and Peter Villa, both of Juno Beach, Fla., will be married on May 28, 2011, in a 5 o'clock ceremony at the Walker Family Farm in Uniontown, Kan. Heidi is the daughter of Jessie and Theresa Walker of Uniontown. She grew up in Bourbon County, Kan., and received an Associate of Arts in Business Administration in 2008 from Kansas City Metropolitan Community College-Blue River Campus...

Robert and Kristina Weisensee, of Walker, Mo., celebrated their 16th wedding anniversary on May 13, 2011, with an intimate gathering of their children, close family and friends. Robert and the former Kristina Wilson were married on May 13, 1995, in Springfield, Mo. They are parents of four children...

John and Frances Lewis of Schell City, Mo., will celebrate their 65th wedding anniversary with a reception hosted by their family at the Schell City Community Building on May 22, 2011, from 1 to 4 p.m. Friends and family are welcome. The omission of gifts is requested...

The Vernon County jail recently had an influx of prisoners from Jasper County, because that county's jail was woefully overcrowded, but an effort to house those prisoners in the Vernon County jail instead was short-lived. Sheriff Ron Peckman said that there were about 20 prisoners being held in the jail at the request of Jasper County Sheriff Archie Dunn, but all of the prisoners were sent back to Jasper County at the first of May...

Several personnel resignations and transfers were accepted during a special meeting of the USD 234 school board Friday. The non-renewals were funded by the federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. This is the last year that funding will be provided, Business Manager Tiffany Forester said...

More than 80 people from various countries are now naturalized United States citizens following a ceremony Friday afternoon at the Fort Scott National Historic Site. Eighty-seven applicants were sworn in at the public ceremony conducted by the U.S. District Court for the District of Kansas as part of its year-long 150th anniversary celebration. The event attracted about 300 people, including those in the ceremony and their guests and numerous local residents...

NEVADA -- The Nevada Multisport Club, Osage Prairie YMCA and On My Own, Inc. encourage summer health, fitness and safety by offering a Kids' Fun Triathlon and Bike Rodeo. The Nevada Multisport Club and the Osage Prairie YMCA are presenting the Second Annual Kids Fun Triathlon May 21. ...

FORT SCOTT -- The Fort Scott Community College men's basketball team will host a summer camp for grades 4-8, June 6-10. Daily instruction and stations will emphasize fundamental basketball skills and overall player development. Campers will compete on teams in order to apply their individual skill development to a team concept...

OSWEGO, Kan. -- Uniontown athletes won 15 medals at the Three Rivers League Relays here Thursday. Although the Eagles had no champions, they did have four runner-up finishes, two of which were by Emily Aikins. She went 15 feet, 4 1/2 inches in long jump and ran the 100 meters in 13.26 seconds...

PARSONS, Kan. -- Two Fort Scott High golfers took part in a tournament here Thursday to make up meets they had missed earlier in the season due to illness. Channing Nielson finished in fourth place shooting 40 on the front nine and 41 on the back for a total of 81, his second-best score of the season coming off the 78 he shot at the Tigers' home tournament at Nevada...

IOLA, Kan. -- Fort Scott High School's girls won three events while Griffin Knopp took the boys' high jump title at the Southeast Kansas League Relays here Thrusday. Pittsburg took both team titles, doing so for the second consecutive season. It's just the eighth time boys and girls teams from the same school have won the meet since girls began competing in 1974 and just the second time the feat has been accomplished in consecutive years...

CHANUTE, Kan. -- Fort Scott High School's softball team concluded regular-season play here Thursday, splitting with Chanute in a Southeast Kansas League doubleheader. Fort Scott won the opener 4-0 but host Chanute took the nightcap 12-2. In the opener, the Tigers (12-4 SEK, 13-7 overall) were held to 6 hits bur prevailed as Delane Gray (8-3) held Chanute to 4 hits. Gray walked 2 batters and struck out 3...

CHANUTE, Kan. -- A total of 37 runs were scored in a Southeast Kansas League doubleheader between Fort Scott High and Chanute here Thursday night. Fort Scott won both games, 11-10 in the opener and 9-7 in the nightcap. The second game lasted only five innings as the teams were at Neosho County Community College's field, which has a FieldTurf infield but doesn't have lights...