Stories from Saturday, September 17, 2011

Robert J. Hancock, 75, Nevada, passed away on Thursday, Sept. 15, 2011, at Freeman Hospital West, Joplin, Mo., following a brief illness. He was born Oct. 18, 1935, in Thayer, Mo., to Harold V. Hancock and Elsie Coose Hancock. He was married Feb. 5, 1954, in Kansas City, Mo., to Charlene Hanke and she survives of the home...

Georgia Eleanor Knight, 59, Nevada, formerly of Rich Hill, Mo., passed away Monday, Sept. 12, 2011, at Nevada, Regional Medical Center in Nevada. She was born Dec. 27, 1951, in Shreveport, La., to William Edward Jobron and Netty Eleanor Hargrove Jobron. She was married to Charles Hoyle Knight and he preceded her in death December 2009...

Mary Lucille (Wells) Gilmore, 84, the daughter of Francis Marion and Lillie Edith (Gamble) Wells was born Aug. 29, 1927, in Walker, Mo., and passed from this life Tuesday, Sept. 13. 2011, at the Overland Park Regional Medical Center in Overland Park, Kan...

Woodrow M. "Woody" Kramer, 92, of Hutchinson, Kan., died Sept. 15, 2011, at Elm Grove Estates in Hutchinson. Woody was born Dec. 10, 1918, at Fort Scott, the son of William and Gertrude Payne Kramer. He graduated from Olathe High School in 1936, Fort Scott Junior College and Pittsburg State Teachers College. ...

Gwendola Joyce (Von Wedell) Hildebrandt, 84, of Pittsburg, Kan., passed away, Wednesday, Sept. 14, 2011, at Via Christi Hospital, Pittsburg, following a short illness. She was born Aug. 7, 1927, in rural Cherokee County, to Harry W. and Audrey M. (Thomas) Von Wedell. She grew up in rural Hepler, Kan., and attended Immanuel Lutheran School. She graduated from Hepler High School in 1945. Following high school, she attended a school of cosmetology in Wichita, Kan...

There's usually not much predictable about a legislature and that held double true as lawmakers grappled with Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon's special session charge to boost economic development and revise a social media communications law for teachers and students...

During a meeting held in the conference room at the Vernon County jail on Wednesday, Sept. 14, Mark Mitchell, information technology director for the city of Nevada, told the Vernon County commissioners, Sheriff Ron Peckman and others that the city has to have new phones...

UNIONTOWN, Kan. -- City, county and chamber officials joined U.S. Sen. Jerry Moran, R-Kan., members of the Marmaton Watershed Board and other supporters on Friday for a dedication ceremony hosted by Marmaton Watershed District No. 102 to celebrate the completion of four large flood control structures...

Escorted by a Nevada High School ROTC color guard, first through fifth-grade students from St. Mary's School in Nevada marched around the Square ringing bells and singing "God Bless America," "It's a Grand Old Flag" and other patriotic songs on Friday, Sept. 16, in recognition of Constitution Week, which runs from Sept. 17-23...

Two local bull riders -- age 11 and 12 -- were ranked in the upper tier of their sport at the beginning of August. Twelve-year-old Trey Holston and 11-year-old Coy Pollmeier, both of Fort Scott, placed ninth and third, respectively, among the world's best in their age group at the CINCH Youth Bull Riders World Finals, presented by Championship Bull Riding in Abilene, Texas...

JOPLIN -- Two Fort Scott golfers earned medals at the Galena Invitational, held at Joplin's Schifferdecker Park Thursday. Karley Stark earned her second medal of the season finishing eighth with her 9-hole score of 54. Hayden Shelden, in just her second varsity tournament, earned a 10th-place medal, winning a scorecard playoff after tying with Caney Valley's Amanda Denny at 60. ...

CHERRYALE, Kan. -- Fort Scott High School Sophomore Katren Rienbolt has run three cross-country races in her high-school life. She's won all of them. She started the season by winning a junior varsity race -- her first ever -- at Labette County. Last week, she was moved up to varsity and won the Fort Scott Invitation. Thursday, she claimed the crown at the Parsons Invitational at Big Hill Lake...

LaCYGNE, Kan. -- Fort Scott High School's volleyball team won one of three matches in a quadrangular here Thursday night. The Tigers lost to Louisburg in the opener, 25-22, 25-17; defeated Prairie View in the middle match, 27-25, 25-16; and lost to Osawatomie in the finale, 25-23, 19-25, 25-18...

RIVERTON, Kan. -- Uniontown's volleyball team swept through a quadrangular here Thursday night, taking down three bigger schools. "We always enjoy going to this quad," Uniontown head coach Jackie Hall said. "We get to see some very competitive teams that we don't normally see. We played well; not as intense as I had hoped but the girls pulled together and worked through some adversity."...

FORT SCOTT -- Fort Scott's defense stopped visiting Independence five times in its Tiger territory here Friday night, including three times inside the Fort Scott 30-yard line as the Tigers claimed a 14-0 victory in Southeast Kansas League play. Indy advanced past midfield three times in the first half alone but came away with nothing to show for it...