Stories from Tuesday, February 21, 2017

High school basketball scores for Monday, Feb. 20

Denim & Diamonds is the Saline County Fair Association's only capital improvement fundraiser of the year, and board members were not let down. Saturday evening, Feb. 18, hundreds filed into the fairground's multipurpose building, finding their tables, ordering drinks and studying the items that would later be auctioned off. ...

Sara A. (Klinginsmith) Stockton, 82, of Blue Springs, passed away peacefully on Saturday, Feb. 18, 2017, at her home. The family will receive friends from 11 to 1 p.m., Thursday, Feb. 23, 2017, at the First Christian Church of Blue Springs, 701 NW 15th St., Blue Springs, MO 64015. ...

The Marshall Writers' Guild met at Marshall Public Library at 1 p.m. on Feb. 16. Those present were Penelope Athon, Melanie Campbell, Liz Davis, Sharon Eiker, Holly Forsman, Claudia Gratian, Authorene Phillips, Lois Pontius, Carol Raynor, Ed Richards, Carole Schaefer, Virginia Sprigg, Judy Stock and Sidney Sullivan...

Elizabeth Deer, 97, of Marshall, died Monday, Feb. 20, 2017, at Golden Oaks Residential Care in rural Marshall. Funeral arrangements are pending at Campbell-Lewis Funeral Home in Marshall.

Emergency Management Director Tony Day announced a burn advisory will be in effect from now until Tuesday, Feb. 28. During the county commission meeting Tuesday morning, Feb. 21, Day said, "We did have a little bit of rain ... we are gonna go ahead and lift the burn ban. We are going to have a fire advisory because the weather for the next two, three days is still going to be windy and dry."...

Mary Ellen (Barnes) Thompson, 85, of Marshall, entered in to God's Kingdom on Monday, Feb. 20, 2017, at St. Luke's Hospice House in Kansas City. Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 10:30 a.m. Friday, Feb. 24, 2017, at St. Peter Catholic Church in Marshall. ...

The Marshall City Council approved two contracts and two board appointments Tuesday, Feb. 21. The council first approved the previously budgeted purchase of body armor, 31 new vests, for the Marshall Police Department. Police Chief Mike Donnell noted the purchase of replacement equipment was required every five years...

Amending the budget of the 2016-2017 school year for Marshall Public Schools meant looking at revenue changes for the Marshall Board of Education Tuesday, Feb. 21. When reviewing the proposed amendments with the board, Superintendent Carol Maher said one notable revenue change is the railroad and utilities tax from the pipeline, in which the district reportedly received $31,000 less this year than last due to falling prices. She also talked about another revenue loss for this year...