Stories from Thursday, July 3, 2003

Quick action by Saline County residents and a sharp-eyed clerk led to the speedy arrest of two men suspected of robbing a truck stop along Interstate 70. Saline County Sheriff Wally George said the strong-arm robbery at the Sweet Springs Amoco Truck Plaza on I-70 was first reported at about 4 a.m. Thursday. The clerk told authorities two men had taken the store's entire cash register and fled on foot...

SABL Senior League Marshall 16-13, at Carrollton 10-4 Junior League ConAgra 10, Rinker 7 ConAgra 15, Brunswick 13

Team W L T RS RA GB Red Cross 11 2 0 145 30 ... ConAgra (1-0) 9 4 0 100 73 2 Rinker 8 4 1 101 90 2.5 Rose Acre 5 6 0 120 98 5 Slater 2 8 1 69 128 7.5 Brunswick (0-1) 0 11 0 59 165 10 (record by forefeit)

Overall League Team W L RS RA W L RS RA GB Marshall 15 3 167 86 11 2 134 69 ... Kaysinger 6 9 108 125 2 4 58 80 5.5 Carrollton 7 9 105 127 3 6 53 78 6 Brunswick 5 8 77 97 3 7 53 81 6.5

Paul Thomas had six hits, drove in nine runs and pitched five innings of no-hit ball as ConAgra won twice Wednesday at MHS Field -- 10-7 over Rinker Materials and 15-3 against Brunswick -- to climb into second place in the Babe Ruth Junior League standings...

The 38th annual Holiday Junior Tennis Tournament provided some strong competition in all age levels for dozens of participants Monday and Tuesday at the Indian Foothills Park and Marshall High School courts. Although occasionally taking a back seat to contestants from Columbia and Jefferson City, Marshall players held their own. Among the high school boys, Jeremy Gilpin won the 18-and-under singles and Myles Yokeley and Hunter Hsu teamed up for a gold medal in doubles...

CARROLLTON -- Sean McCracken and Nick Thompson combined for 11 hits, nine runs and nine RBIs Wednesday to power Viking Athletic Goods to a 16-10, 13-4 Babe Ruth SABL Senior League doubleheader sweep at Carrollton. The Marshall squad scored in 13 of the 14 innings played to run its winning streak to eight games. The visitors were helped by Carrollton's defense, which committed 12 errors, allowing 10 unearned runs...

This time when the Salt Fork YMCA Swim Club hosted an event at the new Marshall Aquatic Center, somebody came. After calling off two meets last week, the Manta Rays enjoyed the company of Mexico and Chillicothe -- even though Tuesday's triangular was short of effective competition, except for a couple of top-flight visiting performers in the 11- and 12-year-old and 6-and-under girls' divisions. ...

There will not be a print edition of the Marshall Democrat-News or an on-line update on Friday, July 4, and the newspaper's business office will be closed because of the Independence Day holiday.

An American Red Cross blood drive will be held from 2 to 6 p.m. Tuesday, July 8, at Our Redeemer Lutheran Church, 361 W. Summit in Marshall. The Red Cross has issued an urgent appeal for all blood types, stating current collections will not meet the growing demand through the summer months and holidays. ...

They only occur every few seasons, but Timothy Shew's appearances at the Arrow Rock Lyceum Theatre are something to see. As Sky Masterson in the theater's production of "Guys and Dolls," Shew uses his rich voice and awesome stage presence to lay an excellent foundation for the rest of the production to build upon...

The Saline County Commission approved several salaries of new employees at its Thursday morning meeting. Mary Toliver, taking over as the county's public administrator after Jean Harms stepped down due to health reasons, will make $41,500 a year. The commission also approved hiring Kathy Austin as a part-time clerical assistant for Toliver at $9.01 an hour...

Aftereffects of the April switchgear fire at Marshall Municipal Utilities' Miami Substation continue to be felt months later. At Wednesday's meeting of the MMU Board of Public Works, department heads discussed how the loss of the switchgear and transformer have affected the recent power outages experienced in the MMU system...

Without paper and pencil for math or the needed glue and scissors for art, students couldn't complete school assignments. A lack of adequate resources for school could also frustrate students and dampen their desire to learn or even go to school. In what has become an annual event for Saline County families in need of school supplies, the Missouri Valley Community Action Agency in Marshall is helping students prepare for school by coordinating a Back to School Fair. ...

Author's note: This week's installment of The Shepherd's Heart is not one of my creations. It is a selection written by our middle daughter, Angela, in October 2001. She has granted me permission to use it in this space and I now submit it for your reading pleasure. I truly believe you will enjoy it...