Stories from Wednesday, May 30, 2012

It was a year marked with monumental changes and personal challenges combined with a commitment to improve their lives. In a time-honored ceremony Friday evening, that dedication was rewarded as Mountain Home High School honored 227 of its students during a graduation ceremony Friday evening...

For the first time in several days, the clouds receded, and the sun shone brightly across the field of honor. Hundreds of people stood silently, many with their heads bowed in reverence. Across the cemetery, small American flags waved in the gentle spring breeze. Each flag stood next to hundreds of grave sites, each one marking the final resting place of a military veteran...

Even as a young child, Phil Gridley dreamed of being a firefighter. He was transfixed each time the engines rolled past his grandparent's place in California. Sometimes, he'd roll out of bed at 2 or 3 o'clock in the morning if he heard the sirens as the trucks left the nearby station...

Our congratulations go to the Class of 2012. Whether you received your diploma through Mountain Home High School, Richard McKenna Charter High School or other learning centers, those who stepped forward to receive their diplomas reached a major milestone in their lives...

Dear editor, My name is Erica Taylor. I was a student in Mrs. (Sandra) Nye's fourth grade class at East Elementary School in the 2003-2004 school year. I am now graduating from Borah High School, and because I can no longer thank her personally for her contribution to my life and those of my peers, I would like to express my gratitude to East Elementary School in the Mountain Home school district...

Jessica Ravenscraft and Bradley Wiersma II, both of Mountain Home, were united in marriage during a ceremony April 27 at the Bible Baptist Church. Chaplain David Ravenscraft Sr. was the officiating minister of the ceremony. The bride is the daughter of David and Vicki Ravenscraft, formerly of Mountain Home and currently living in Fort Hood, Texas...

Kimberleigh M. Jordan and Keith Hawkins, both from Mountain Home, have announced their engagement. The bride-to-be is the daughter of Wilmer Biggs and Melissa Pendleton of Mountain Home and Melisa and David Row of California. She is a senior at Kaplan University for Medical Assisting...

After five years of service in Mountain Home, the Life Flight Network will close its air ambulance base at the city airport on Thursday. "Our program was proud to continue this uniquely high level of coverage for Mountain Home area members and residents first established by Saint Alphonsus Life Flight in 2007," said Life Flight's chief executive officer, Michael Griffiths. "However, flight activity was never sufficient during those years to financially justify a local base of operations."...