Texas

The distance between Nicholasville and Houston, Texas is exactly 1,000 miles. Trudi, a 10-month-old German shepherd, found that out the hard way. The pup disappeared from her Nicholasville owners, Tom and Debbie Griswold, April 25 while playing with the boxer next door. The neighbor, who had been watching the pair when they ran off, rang her dinner bell to call the dogs, but it was to no avail. About 10 minutes after the disappearance, the Griswolds, who live on Baker Lane, began looking around the neighborhood for the dog. When the boxer returned without Trudi, the couple knew that their German shepherd was in trouble.

A book that took more than 40 years of research has been presented to the Clark County Public Library by members of the Vivion family. The book, "Vivian, Vivien, Viviani, Viviano, Vyvyan, Biven, Bivens, Vivion, et al From Land's End to the Tip of Texas," was compiled by Naomi Vivian Ridge of Pleasanton, Texas, and traces the Vivion family history back to 1174 A.D. Attending the presentation were from left, Donnie Woosley, Irene Vivion Woosley, James...

Helen Rose Pendergraft of Stanford and Buddy Clyde Ballinger of Grand Prarie, Texas, will be united in marriage on Saturday, Oct. 13 at 2:30 p.m. at Calvary Hill Baptist Church. Pendergraft is the daughter of Mary Cochran of Stanford and the late Robert Cochran. She is the owner of Homes Medical Equipment. Ballinger is the son of the late Mr. and Mrs. Buddy Clyde Ballinger of Texas. He is retired. All family and friends are invited to attend.

Pvt. James Colten Mahan of Katy, Texas, formerly of Nicholasville, graduated June 27 from basic training at Fort Sill, Okla. Mahan left Fort Sill on June 28 for Fort Bliss in El Paso, Texas for 10 weeks training to be a Patriot Launcher Enhanced Operator Maintainer for the U. S. Army. Mahan is the son of Tammy Thompson of Katy, Texas and Jim Mahan of Nicholasville.

Erik M. Gilvin has successfully completed 10 weeks of technical training at Shep-pard Air Force Base, Texas. After a short visit at home he will be stationed at Langley Air Force Base, Va. Gilvin is a graduate of Winchester Christian Academy and an honors graduate of Air Force basic training at Lackland Air Force Base, Texas.

Martha Stratton Warfield, 71, of Stanford, died Monday, Jan. 7 in Corsicana, Texas. A native of St. Joseph, Ind., she was born June 10, 1936 to the late Van Buren Stratton and Evelyn Samuels Stratton. She was a retired bookkeeper. Survivors include a son, Ronald (Melissa) Warfield of Corsicana, Texas; and two grandchildren, Adam Lee Warfield of Lexington and Allison Shai of Corsicana, Texas. Graveside services were Jan. 12 at the Lancaster Cemetery with Rev. Aaron Hogue officiating.

Ethel Brumback Long, 88, died Tuesday, Nov. 20. Survivors are her ex-husband, Frank Long of Wilmore; two daughters, Louise Kober of League City, Texas, and Linda Ruth Godfrey of Waco, Texas; four grandchildren, Burt Hulett and Mirinda Brooks of League City, Elmer Dean Coyle Jr. of Moody, Texas, and Toni Locker of Stockbridge, Ga.; and seven great-grandchildren. Services were at 2 p.m. Saturday at Betts & West Funeral Home with Leonard Fitch and the Rev. John Miller officiating. Burial followed in Blue Grass Memorial Gardens.

Vicki N. Wheeler Gordon, 70, of Brownsville, Texas, formerly of McKinney, died Tuesday, Nov. 6, in Brownsville, Texas.   Born March 27, 1942, Vicki was a daughter of the late Willie and Minnie Fair Wheeler.  Survivors include her husband, Henry Gordon, Sr.; two daughters, June Trevino of Brownsfield, Texas and Cindy Bottom of Indian; sisters, Frieda Penman of Danville and Sheila Yocum of Highland; three grandchildren; and seven great grandchildren....

Ashley and Hoss Walters of Leander, Texas, announce the birth of their son, Stone Jaxson Walters, born April 27, 2011 in Leander at 7:22 a.m. He weighed 7 pounds, 3 ounces and was 18 1/2 inches long. He was welcomed home by big sister Keely, Grandma and Aunt Emily of Buda, Texas. His maternal grandparents are Kim Taylor of Nicholasville and Ernest Taylor of Lexington. His paternal grandparents are the late Tiny and Claudette Walters of Texas. His great-grandparents are Ronald and Shirley Sullivan of Nicholasville.

Hoss Walters and Ashley Taylor Walters of Leander, Texas, announce the birth of their daughter, Keely Ashlynn Walters, born at 6:03 p.m. on May 30 at Seton Northwest Hospital in Austin, Texas. She weighed 7 pounds, 12 ounces and was 19 inches long. She was welcomed home by Nana (Kim Taylor) of Nicholasville and Aunt Glo of Lexington. Her maternal grandparents are Kim Taylor of Nicholasville and Ernest Taylor Jr. of Lexington. Her paternal grandparents are Tiny and Claudette Walters of Buda, Texas.

If there is anything Emmanuel Mudiay can't do well, his coach has not seen it. Ray Forsett, Mudiay's coach at Dallas Prime Prep Academy, said the 6-4 point guard, who is regarded as one of the top five overall players in the 2014 recruiting class, said Mudiay could play for virtually any school in the country. “He is just a special player. He can do it all from getting to the rim to shooting the ball. He's electrifying,” Forsett said. “You've got to see him play to appreciate all the special things he can do. He could go to Kentucky, Baylor, Arizona or about anywhere else because of the type player he is. “He can do it all. He can get teammates involved.

To hear the words “let it burn” is kind of odd when they come from a fire chief, but that's what Danville chief Woody Ball said will happen if many of the agricultural companies were to catch fire. Local fire, police and medical personnel met Thursday at Danville's 911 center to discuss the unlikely but possible danger of agriculture plants and factories in Boyle County. Ball said the sites are regularly monitored, but after the recent explosion of a fertilizer plant in West, Texas, he and other officials thought it would be beneficial to share their knowledge with the community.

WANDA JO ALDRIDGE Wanda Jo Aldridge, 83, of Temple, Texas and a former longtime resident of Lady Lake, Fla., passed away on Thursday, Oct. 25, 2012, in a nursing center in Texas. Mrs. Aldridge was born on Nov. 5, 1928, near Jackson, Ga. to Guy L. and Verna Crowley. She married Robert I. Aldridge on Oct. 26, 1945. He preceded her in death on Sept. 2, 2011. She was also preceded in death by one son, George L. Aldridge. Survivors include one son, Russell Lee Aldridge of Norfolk, Va.; one daughter, Sandra K. Bryant (George)

Margaret Jewell McKenzie, 89, widow of Lawrence McKenzie, passed away Sunday March 31, 2013 in Austin, Texas. Services will be conducted at 10 a.m. Friday at Scobee Funeral Home. Burial will follow in the Winchester Cemetery. Visitation will be 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday. The online guestbook is available at www.scobeefuneralhome.com and the 24-hour funeral information line can be reached by calling 744-2122.

UK Hoops' dream of winning an SEC tournament championship fell short Sunday, as Kentucky fell 75-67 to Texas A&M in a closely contested game where the Cats struggled to produce offensively in the second half. Kentucky shot 27-76 from the field, including 12-38 in the second half. From behind the arc, they were 6-24, with point guard Jennifer O'Neill shooting 2-13 from long range. After 20 minutes of play, Texas A&M and Kentucky looked to be heading towards a barn-burner. Neither team could wrestle the momentum away from the other, and the game was within four points or less the whole way. Then O'Neill drained a three-pointer at the 1:33 mark, which kicked off a personal 7-0 run that led to the Cats leading 36-34 at the half.

Final Score: No. 8/7 Kentucky 70 - No. 10/13 Texas A&M 66 Team Records and Series Notes     •    Kentucky improves to 23-3, 11-2 SEC, while Texas A&M drops to 20-6, 10-2 SEC.     •    UK returns to action on Feb. 24 when it travels to Baton Rouge, La., to face LSU at 3 p.m. EST.     •    The win snaps Texas A&M's 12-game home winning streak.     •    Kentucky is in its 39th year of varsity play and owns an overall record of 679-474 (.589)

LEXINGTON, Ky. -   The No. 9/7 Kentucky women's basketball team looks to keep its winning streak alive and chart its first win in College Station,¿Texas when it travels to No. 11/13 Texas A&M for a Big Monday showdown on ESPN2. The game will tip at 6 p.m. CST/7 p.m. EST in Reed Arena. Fans can also follow the UK Hoops team on the UK IMG Sports Radio Network with Neil Price or on Twitter at @UKHoopCats. Use the hashtag #UKHoops to comment on the game. The Wildcats will once again don their pink NIKE uniforms, socks and shoes in an effort to increase awareness for the Play4Kay initiative and the Kay Yow Cancer Fund.

Fifty years ago, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down as unconstitutional the devotional use of the Bible by public schools, in its ruling on Abington Township v. Schempp. But many school districts in the Lone Star State still haven't gotten the message, according to a report released last month by the Texas Freedom Network (TFN) entitled “Reading, Writing and Religion.” Conducted by religious studies professor Mark Chancey of Southern Methodist University, the study examines elective Bible courses offered in 57 Texas school districts and 3 charter schools and concludes that “evidence of sectarian bias, predominantly favoring perspectives of conservative Protestantism, is widespread.” (The full report is available at www.tfn.org/biblecourses.)

The first time Kentucky and Texas A&M met, Elston Turner and Kyle Wiltjer had dramatically opposite games. Turner put on a historic performance in Rupp Arena to score 40 points and lead the Aggies to a stunning 83-71 win. He was 14-for-19 from the field, including 6-for-10 from 3-point range, and also had six rebounds and no turnovers in 37 minutes. Wiltjer played just 19 minutes and the UK¿sophomore failed to score. He was 0-for-2 from the field, grabbed two rebounds and made a turnovers.

LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) - Elston Turner scored 40 points for Texas A&M, and the Aggies topped Kentucky on the road Saturday, 83-71, for their first road conference win as members of the Southeastern Conference. The loss was the first home conference loss in John Calipari's tenure as Kentucky's coach. Kentucky had won 24 straight home SEC games before Saturday. Texas A&M (12-3, 2-0) held an advantage as large as nine points early in the second half, but the Wildcats took a lead with a 12-2 run, a lead they stretched to four points.