Stories from Monday, April 11, 2005

Beginning this Wednesday evening, a group of 15 talented students enrolled in the Music Theater Workshop course at Missouri Valley College will transform the Eckilson-Mabee Theater into a recreation of life in America during the 1950s and '60s. The students will perform their own high-energy version of the longest-running Broadway revue in history: "Smokey Joe's Cafe."...

A fund-raiser for the Missouri Valley College Department of Theater, Music, and Dance will be held Friday, April 15, in conjunction with the college's musical production of "Smokey Joe's Cafe." "Smokey Joe's Cafe" is a revue of music by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, who wrote many of the most popular songs of the '50s and '60s. ...

Should a disaster arise that's too big for the Saline County Health Department to handle alone, it has a new place to look for a helping hand. The Saline County and Lafayette County health departments have agreed to lend each other assistance in case of an emergency with the signing of a mutual aid agreement...

A Sedalia contractor could face stealing charges after failing to finish work he was paid for in advance. Saline County Sheriff Wally George reported Monday that his department investigated a complaint of stealing by deceit over the weekend. He said a couple from rural Slater had informed him Friday that Eli J. Hochstetler, 28, had been paid in advance to complete work on their home, but abandoned the project before the work was complete...

Alcohol is believed to have played a role in a single-vehicle crash that left a Salisbury woman with serious injuries Saturday. According to a preliminary report filed by the Missouri State Highway Patrol, the crash occurred at 3 a.m. on Highway 240 about a mile west of the Glasgow bridge over the Missouri River...

While certifying election results that kept some familiar faces on the Slater Board of Education, that same group accepted the resignation of a few faculty members, including an employee of over 30 years. In a special meeting at noon Friday, Superintendent Paul Vaillancourt said the board accepted the resignation of pep club sponsors Cindy Beltz and Pat Peterson, social studies and physical education teacher Nicole Victor and high school secretary Edna Gochenour. ...

During its regular meeting Tuesday, the Slater City Council announced that it has begun taking bids from companies for the demolition of five city-owned buildings that council members and other city officials have determined to either be eye-sores or in hazardous condition...

Margaret Hartwig, 87, of Blackburn, died Saturday, April 9, 2005, at Fitzgibbon Hospital in Marshall. Funeral services will be held at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, April 12, at St. Paul's United Church of Christ in Blackburn. Rev. Paul Wobus will officiate. Organist Julie Lewis will play congregational hymns "What a Friend We Have in Jesus" and "In the Garden." Pallbearers will be Raymond Fiene, Ron Fiene, Harry Meyer, John Purdy, Bruce Hartwig and Albert Limback. ...

Jose Lucio Hernandez, 53, of Marshall, died Friday, April 8, 2005, at his home. Funeral services will be held at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, April 12, 2005, at St. Peter Catholic Church in Marshall. Father Tom Alber will officiate. Visitation is from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday, April 11, and from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. Tuesday at the church. Burial will be in Sunset Gardens Cemetery in Marshall. Memorials are suggested to the family's choice in care of Campbell-Lewis Funeral Home in Marshall...

Everett G. Wagner, 88, of Marshall, died Saturday, April 9, 2005, at Fitzgibbon Hospital in Marshall. Funeral services will be held at 1:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 13, at Campbell-Lewis Chapel in Marshall. Rev. Doug Franklin will officiate. Visitation will be from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 12, at Campbell-Lewis Funeral Home in Marshall. Burial will be in Sunset Gardens Cemetery in Marshall. Memorials are suggested to Smith Chapel United Methodist Church...

Dorothy Wells Wallace, formerly of Saline County, died Tuesday, Feb. 15, 2005. Cremation. Memorial services will be held at 1:30 p.m. Saturday, April 23, at First Baptist Church in Slater. Burial was in Slater City Cemetery. She had lived in Saline County from 1946 until 1974...

Della West, 102, of Laurie, formerly of Marshall, died Sunday, April 10, 2005, at Laurie Care Center. Funeral arrangements are pending at Campbell-Lewis Funeral Home in Marshall.

The fourth annual Marshall Baseball Tournament saw the host Owls unable to sustain the combination of strong pitching and timely hitting which had marked the four-game win streak they brought into the weekend. Marshall foundered at the plate in losing to Savannah (4-1) and Lexington (2-0) on Friday. Grain Valley knocked around three Owl hurlers during Saturday morning's 13-1, five-inning rout. Finally, the Birds' bats came alive during a 9-7 victory over Chillicothe in the finale...

PARKVILLE -- Saturday was not a good day for favorites at the Mid-America Men's Volleyball Intercollegiate Conference Tournament at Parkville. Both regular season champion Park and runner-up Missouri Valley College -- ranked third and second, respectively, in the NAIA -- were halted short of the title match. The Pirates, the 2003 national champions, were defeated by Lindenwood in four games and the Vikings were downed by Missouri Baptist in five sets...

CONCORDIA -- Adam Maddox performed a feat Friday no opposing pitcher had accomplished since Santa Fe began its baseball program six years ago. The sophomore right-hander fired a no-hitter against the seventh-ranked Chiefs, striking out 10 in five innings, to end St. Paul's nine-game losing streak against its I-70 Conference neighbor with a 10-0 home win. The Saints hadn't won in the series since a 14-13 decision on April 17, 2000...

Graceland enjoyed strong pitching, hit well and took advantage of Missouri Valley College's defensive miscues to sweep a Heart of America Conference softball doubleheader, 8-1 and 9-1, Saturday at Marshall. The Lady Vikings, playing without head coach Kyle Mason -- who had emergency surgery Friday but is expected to return quickly -- had more errors (nine) than hits (eight) during the twinbill. The Lady Yellowjackets had no such difficulties, banging out 26 safeties...

MADISON -- Slater had 19 hits and scored 19 runs Saturday at the Madison Tournament. Unfortunately, the Wildcats gave up 40 runs on the day, losing to Canton (20-5) and Madison (20-14) to finish fourth. Opponents benefited from 28 hits, 13 walks and 11 Slater errors...

HANNIBAL -- Hannibal scored four goals within a 13-minute span of the first half Saturday for an easy 6-0 NCMC victory over the visiting Marshall girls' soccer team. The Lady Pirates took advantage of the banged-up Birds, with senior Marita McCampbell out with an eye injury and senior Nicki Erickson making a rare appearance in goal because of a pulled muscle, unleashing 23 shots on goal. Sophomore Kelsey Orthwerth scored two first-half goals and sophomore April Gilstrap had a goal and an assist...

An organization meeting for the Tomahawk men's golf league is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 112, in the golf house at Indian Foothills Golf Course in Marshall. All players and team captains are invited to attend.

Four-time Nextel Cup champion Jeff Gordon showed he could win even when everything wasn't running smoothly during Sunday's Advance Auto Parts 500 at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway. Gordon survived handling problems, a green-flag pit stop which put him three laps down and two run-ins with defending series champion Kurt Busch to claim his 71st checkered flag -- his sixth at the half-mile oval. The win jumps Gordon from 12th to sixth in the season points standings...