Stories from Friday, May 28, 2004

With the upcoming holiday weekend, the Missouri Department of Transportation is asking travelers to "drive smart." "Motorists can best stay safe by obeying traffic rules, paying attention and buckling up," said Don Hillis, MoDOT director of operations. "By simply wearing your seat belt, you reduce your risk of being killed or seriously injured by up to 70 percent."...

The Saline County Commission Friday approved a pay increase for jail division deputy Jesse James of the county sheriff's department. His salary will be increased from $20,625 to $21,625 effective June 9 after he completed a one-year probation period...

A forgery conviction this week ended the probation for a Marshall teen arrested last year for multiple counts of burglary and vandalism. Joseph Benjamin Crewes, 17, was charged in April with one count of class C felony forgery. He pleaded guilty this week in Saline County Circuit Court Division 4...

A Marshall teen convicted of burglarizing women's homes to steal their undergarments received the maximum sentence allowed under state law. After a two-week delay to complete a pre-sentencing investigation, Presiding Judge Dennis Rolf sentenced Christopher Ray Gann, 18, to seven years in the Department of Corrections for each of two counts of class C burglary in the second degree. Class C felonies carry a range of punishment from one to seven years in prison...

From "Buckle Up" to "Make It Click," the Missouri State Highway Patrol's seat belt awareness campaigns have had a number of slogans. This year is no exception as the patrol rolls out "Click It or Ticket." Captain Vincent J. Ellis, commanding officer of Troop A, said special enforcement campaigns are an important part of the Highway Patrol's safety efforts...

Dozens of volunteers and four 3-by-10 foot cooking pits will turn more than a ton of beef and pork into roughly 2,100 meals to be served at the annual Saline County Barbecue in Marshall. The 47th annual event will be held Saturday, June 5, on the Marshall square...

The Saline County Courthouse lawn could soon get a new look. The county is applying for a grant from the Missouri Department of Conservation to remove four to six trees from the lawn and plant 16 others. The Saline County Commission met this week with two conservation department representatives, local Master Gardener Jean Gaddy Wilson, courthouse custodian Bill Sleeper and University of Missouri Outreach and Extension specialist Cynthia Crawford to discuss how they will make the June 1 application deadline.. ...

BASEBALL MSHSAA Class 1 Sectionals Morrisville at Crocker, ppd. (today) MSHSAA Class 2 Sectionals Valley Park at Centralia, ppd. (today) at Hallsville 5, Palmyra 3 MSHSAA Class 3 Sectionals Sikeston at Bonne Terre-North Co., ppd. (today) at Herculaneum 3, Union 1...

JEFFERSON CITY -- The Slater powerlifting squad set 17 state and 12 national age group and weight class records during an April 17 meet at Jefferson City. Wildcats strength coach Chris Ferri was named the best overall lifter at 1,450 combined pounds after setting a new national mark in the dead lift at 635 pounds and a state standard with a 450-pound squat press. ...

SPRINGFIELD -- When Myles Yokeley took the court for his first singles match in the MSHSAA Class 1 Individual Championships at Springfield this morning, he looked across at a familiar face. The Marshall sophomore's opening opponent was Daniel Gillespie, a sophomore from Pembroke Hill of Kansas City whom Yokeley had beaten March 20 after coming back from a 7-2 deficit in the second round of the Smith-Cotton Tournament at Sedalia. ...

Ruline M. Walker, 96, of Marshall, died Wednesday, May 26, 2004, at Mar-Saline Manor Care Center in Marshall. Graveside services will be held at 1 p.m. Saturday, May 29, at Ridge Park Cemetery in Marshall. Rev. Russ Johnson will officiate. Honorary pallbearers will be Michael R. ...

At Tuesday's meeting, the Marshall Board of Education took a big step in helping to provide for the students in our school district. The board voted not only to adopt the Kid Guard Insurance plan from the Lawrence Smith Company for the students of the Marshall district but, for the first time, the board agreed to pay the premium cost to insure all students in the district...

It's been almost six years since I came to Marshall for the first time and traveled from Kansas City to Saline County via Interstate 70. One of the things which struck me during that drive -- and I'm sure has stuck in the craw of many local residents -- is billboards along the highway advertising "adult" entertainment...