Stories from Wednesday, December 14, 2005

First December 2002 came and went. Then April and May 2003 slipped into the past. July or August 2003 proved no better than June, July or August 2004. Neither June nor July 2005 could hold up either. Setting a completion date for the construction of the skate park in Indian Foothills Park has been something of a curse, almost inviting catastrophe...

While Marshall Municipal Utilities is in the business of selling electricity, the MMU Board of Public Works would rather residents not use electric space heaters this winter. The U.S. Department of Energy's Information Administration has projected that households heating primarily with natural gas can expect to spend about $350 (about 48 percent) more this winter on fuel...

A couple of items tabled at Monday evening's regular monthly meeting of the Sweet Springs Board of Aldermen will likely be back on the agenda in January. An ordinance to transfer the city's cable television franchise from Galaxy to Longview Communications was postponed until January because a representative of Longview was not present Monday...

By Mark Lile Staff Writer "What if?" That was the question of the day last Thursday during an agroterrorism awareness and planning meeting held in Marshall as part of a series of meetings around the state sponsored by the Missouri Department of Agriculture...

With the unanimous vote of the Marshall City Council, the city's contract to purchase power from Kansas City Power and Light will become a thing of the past. The council recently ratified the decision of the Marshall Municipal Utilities Board of Public Works to join the Missouri Public Energy Pool. Joining the energy collective is expected save the city millions of dollars in energy costs over the life of the agreement...

It won't be long before the sounds of saws will be filling the air around Marshall. Jeff Bergstrom, Marshall Municipal Utilities electric distribution superintendent, recently reported that trimming crews from Asplundh Tree Expert Company are preparing for a six-week stint in Marshall...

Jimmie R. Blum Jimmie R. Blum, 65, of St. Charles, died Sunday, Dec. 11, 2005, at St. Joseph Health Center in St. Charles. Funeral services will be held at noon Friday, Dec. 16, at Baue Chapel of St. Charles, 620 Jefferson St., St. Charles. Visitation will be from 5 to 8 p.m. ...

Nile B. Capper Nile B. Capper, 77, of Marshall, died Friday, Dec. 9, 2005, at I-70 Medical Center in Sweet Springs. Graveside services will be held at 10 a.m. Friday, Dec. 16, at Ridge Park Cemetery in Marshall. Friends may call Thursday, Dec. 15, until 5 p.m. at Campbell-Lewis Funeral Home in Marshall...

Warner Leroy Case Warner Leroy Case, 82, of Kansas City, died Monday, Dec. 12, 2005, at North Kansas City Hospital. Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. Friday, Dec. 16, at Englewood Baptist Church, 1900 NE Englewood Road, Kansas City. The family will receive visitors from 9:30 to 11 a.m. Friday at the church. D.W. Newcomer and Sons White Chapel is in charge of arrangements. Memorials are suggested to the Keith Worthington Chapter of the ALS Association or Englewood Baptist Church...

Dorothy Elaine Detring, 78, of Aurora, Colo., died Saturday, Dec. 10, 2005, at Colorado Medical Center in Denver, Colo. A memorial service will be held at 1 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 17, at Taylor Funeral Home in Farmington. Visitation will be from noon to 1 p.m. Saturday at the funeral home...

Irene Murcko Davis Ranabarger Irene Murcko Davis Ranabarger, 65, of Sedalia, died Sunday, Dec. 11, 2005, at her daughter's home in Sedalia. Funeral services will be held at 10 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 17, at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Sedalia. Father Vincent Hoying will officiate. ...

This year's eighth graders are a special group of students. Next year, they will become the first class of high school ninth graders to be affected by the new graduation requirements. The new requirements were discussed at great length last year and adopted by the State Board of Education this past October...

The holidays are filled with so many smells and tastes and one of the all- time favorites is peppermint. We're all familiar with the traditional candy canes but peppermint candy today comes in all shapes, sizes and colors. Better yet, not only can it be eaten, it can be used to create great gifts for everyone on your list. Use the following suggestions to get your own house filled with peppermint pizzazz!...

MOBERLY -- As well as the Marshall team has wrestled this season, the most it could do was scrap with the juggernaut from Hannibal when the two NCMC members met Tuesday at Moberly. The Pirates, after all, returned eight members of the squad which placed third in last year's MSHSAA Class 3 Championships -- including four state finalists, two of them gold medalists. ...

PARIS -- Junior Marco Falls controlled the game from the start Tuesday as the Slater boys' basketball team claimed a rare road victory at Lewis and Clark Conference rival Paris, 66-48. Falls scored 14 points during the Wildcats' 20-9 first-quarter spree, knocking down a pair of three-pointers in the process, and added six more points to extend the margin to 17 points by halftime. ...