Stories from Thursday, January 14, 2010

James Clayton Ruppert, 75, of Warrensburg, formerly of Slater, died Sunday, Jan. 10, 2010, at Missouri Veterans Home in Warrensburg. Memorial services will be held Thursday, Jan. 21, 2010, at 10:30 a.m. at Slater United Methodist Church, with Rev. Jess Spurgin officiating. Inurnment will be at 1 p.m. at Missouri Veterans Cemetery in Higginsville. Memorials are suggested to Slater United Methodist Church or Missouri Veterans Home, in care of Weiker Funeral Home in Slater...

David Shawn Jasper, 31, of Alma pleaded guilty to class C felony possession of methamphetamine in Circuit Court Monday, Jan. 11. Jasper was sentenced to a suspended term of seven years in Missouri Department of Corrections and will serve a 5-year term of probation...

Austin M. Roettgen, 21, of Marshall pleaded guilty in Circuit Court Monday, Jan. 11, and was sentenced to three concurrent five-year terms in Missouri Department of Corrections. Roettgen was charged in December 2009 with class C felony theft/stealing, class C felony tampering with a motor vehicle in the first degree and class A misdemeanor resisting/interfering with arrest, detention or stop...

Arrest warrants for three Marshall teens were issued Tuesday, Jan. 12, in connection with the theft of a laptop computer and other equipment from a local residence. Jason M. DeFriese, 19, Joshua A. Wright, 18, and Anthony W. Heaper, 18, all of Marshall, are charged with class C felony burglary in the second degree and class C felony theft/stealing...

An Independence man received a three-year sentence in Missouri Department of Corrections after pleading guilty to class D felony driving while revoked in Circuit Court Monday, Jan. 10. Ronald J. Pycke, 62, was charged in July 2009 after he was involved in a traffic accident in Slater. ...

Judge Dennis A. Rolf imposed a seven-year sentence on Dominic Allen Woods, 21, of Blackwater, for class C felony assault in the second degree in Circuit Court Monday, Jan. 11. In exchange for Woods' open plea of guilty, the original charge of class A felony assault in the first degree was reduced, and the accompanying charge of armed criminal action dismissed...

An arrest warranty was issued Monday, Jan. 11, for Derek W. Yokeley, 26, of Marshall. The warranty, with a cash or surety bond of $15,000, charges Yokeley with class C felony possession of a controlled substance (methamphetamine) and class C felony receiving stolen property - $500 or more in specific goods/explosive weapon...

An arrest warrant for $15,000 cash only has been issued for Shanelle L. Henderson, 23, of Liberty, who is charged with class C felony possession of a controlled substance (cocaine). When local law enforcement officers were called to a domestic disturbance in Marshall Saturday, Jan. ...

A Marshall woman suffered moderate injuries late Wednesday in a crash on Interstate 70, according to a Missouri State Highway Patrol report. Christina L. Girard, 32, was taken by ambulance to Fitzgibbon Hospital in Marshall and later was transferred by air ambulance to University Hospital in Columbia...

In April, many area municipal governments, school districts and other public bodies will hold elections for members of their ruling boards. The filing period to sign up as a candidate in these elections is from Dec. 15 to Jan. 19. Below is a list of the open positions of miscellaneous elected offices in the county...

Area high school basketball scores for Wednesday, Jan. 13

Marshall Public Library will soon begin fundraising for new flooring, board members decided at their meeting Tuesday evening, Jan 12. Librarian Amy Crump read bids for carpeting from Marshall Home Store, $3.31 per square foot; Ehrhardt Floor Covering, $3.73 per square foot; and Carpet Plus, $3.29 per square foot. Crump also had a bid of $5 to $6 per square foot for epoxy floor covering from Epoxy Coating Specialists Inc...

Herbert H. Droege, 81, of Knob Noster, died Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2010, at Western Missouri Medical Center in Warrensburg. Funeral services will be held at 2 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 16, 2010, at Faith Lutheran Church in Knob Noster, with Pastor Joel Kurtz officiating. ...

Doris M. Draffen, 89, of Slater, died Thursday, Jan. 14, 2010, at Fitzgibbon Hospital in Marshall. Funeral arrangements are pending at Weiker Funeral Home in Slater.

Interesting news and features published in our print edition and e-edition January 14. On page 2: A photo of a ribbon-cutting at Quik Cash and a story about the Hartley twins on the business page. On page 3: Advice from Annie's Mailbox and the calendar of events. News from Marshall Optimist Club and marriage licenses...

It was lunch time and I had heard him say that he was getting rather hungry. I watched as he stood there, mulling over his options. To the right was a salad bar with all the trimmings, including a hot well with what appeared to be canned ravioli in tomato sauce -- the kind his mom used to heat up for lunches on cold winter afternoons...

David W. Anderson, 61, of Marshall, was arrested Tuesday, Jan. 12, and charged with class D felony unlawful use of a weapon in connection with an incident at his rural home. According to a report from Sheriff's Department deputies, Anderson got into an argument with a woman acquaintance in his home, after which he retrieved a shotgun from elsewhere in the house and loaded it in her presence, calling her names as he did so...

NEW FRANKLIN -- Defending champion New Franklin took a small lead into the fourth quarter Wednesday and held on with strong free-throw shooting for a 48-43 decision over the Slater girls' basketball team in the semifinal round of the 81st New Franklin Tournament...

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa -- Senior Joe Cornejo was named "outstanding wrestler" in the NAIA division last weekend, leading Missouri Valley College to second place in the NWCA/Cliff Keen National Duals at Cedar Rapids, Iowa. A national finalist a year ago, Cornejo won all four of his 157-pound bouts, three by fall. Those pins helped the seventh-ranked Vikings defeat No. 11 Campbellsville (Ky.), 36-9, No. 10 Dickinson State (N.D.), 34-3, and No. 3 Great Falls (Mont.), 24-13, in the preliminary rounds...