Stories from Friday, October 31, 2003

Lucille A.K. Kurtz Willis, 73, of Sweet Springs, died Thursday, Oct. 30, 2003, at her home. Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. Tuesday, Nov. 4, at Christ Lutheran Church near Sweet Springs. Rev. Douglas A. Dubisar will officiate. Congregational hymns will be "Rock of Ages" and "What a Friend We Have in Jesus." Visitation will be from 10 to 11 a.m. ...

George Dubach, 76, of Marshall, died Thursday, Oct. 30, 2003, at his home. Funeral arrangements are pending under the direction of Sweeney-Reser-Wills Funeral Home in Marshall.

Eight students from Bueker Middle School in Marshall will participate in a daylong choir workshop in Warrensburg Saturday, Nov. 1, with a concert to follow at 3 p.m. Cheryl Lines, who teaches general music and directs four choirs at BMS, said participating Marshall eighth-graders, selected from the BMS eighth grade honor choir, are Amy Charles, Michelle Meyer, Brad Randolph, Jeffery Deutsch, Chasity Mayes, Ashley Schwald, Christine Cooper and Daniel Hoffelmeyer. ...

Students nationwide celebrated Red Ribbon Week this week, days filled with encouragement for youngsters to be drug-free. But as the week comes to a close, drug prevention education locally doesn't stop. Drug Awareness Resistance Education, or DARE, is a 17-week curriculum taught to fifth grade students at Bueker Middle School in Marshall and other fifth grade classes around the nation. ...

A little over a year ago, Marshall Municipal Utilities was still dealing with the effects of reduced utility usage by several large customers. As a result, budget deficits were projected and the MMU Board of Public Works voted to suspend payments to the Water Department's reserve fund...

Marshall police officers arrested two teens early Halloween morning after responding to a burglar alarm at the Barton Law Firm. Police arrived at the law firm, the private practice of Saline County Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Jay Barton located on the Marshall square, and discovered a back door had been forced open. Robert B. Wallen, 17, and a 16-year-old juvenile were found nearby in the parking lot of the Marshall Municipal Utilities office...

Blackwater received third place among towns in its population category at the 40th annual Missouri Community Betterment Awards Competition awards ceremony in Columbia Monday night. The community, with a population of 199, competed against eight others in its population category, Category 1, the smallest of eight divisions population-wise...

Shopping in bulk can be a good a way to save money, but a burglary at the Community Food Pantry in Marshall took that premise to a new level. Marshall Police Chief Jim Simmerman said the break-in occurred sometime between 5 p.m. Wednesday and when it was reported at 9:30 a.m. Thursday. Volunteers arriving to open the pantry discovered a large amount of food items missing...

Presiding Commissioner Plattner says vote on cabaret tax possible in 2004

Editor's note: Following is the third in a three-part question-and-answer series about the upcoming Marshall School District levy extension election on Tuesday, Nov. 4. The questions were posed by the Democrat-News on behalf of district patrons, with answers supplied by Joe Aull, Marshall superintendent of schools...

Continuing its mission to serve the health care needs of Marshall and the surrounding area, Fitzgibbon Hospital officially opened the Buckner Wellness Center with a ribbon-cutting ceremony Thursday evening. The new 6,400-square-foot cardiac and pulmonary wellness facility was made possible by a $1 million donation from the Buckner Foundation of Marshall. The foundation also provided a $250,000 endowment for the sustained operation of the center...

FOOTBALL Class 4, District 14 Warrensburg 21, at Raytown South 16 BOYS' SOCCER Non-conference Rock Bridge 2, at Hickman 1 at Hannibal 4, Wentzville-Holt 2 at Union 6, Fulton 2 VOLLEYBALL Class 3, District 13 Tournament (Oak Grove) (Semifinals) Boonville 25-24-25, Grain Valley 18-26-22...

Two men's soccer teams battling for a possible spot in the NAIA Region V Tournament played 118 minutes before settling matters Thursday at Valhalla Field. In the end, visiting Missouri Baptist got a "golden goal" in the second overtime period from freshman Gunther Koste for a 4-3 non-conference victory over Missouri Valley College in a match which may have been decided as much by the officials as the players on the field...

The Marshall freshman football team completed a 7-1 season with a 40-6 victory over Warsaw last week. After losing their first game to Columbia-West Junior High, 28-8, the Owls won seven straight -- beating Boonville (36-16), Chillicothe (18-8), Columbia-Jefferson (16-14), Oak Grove (30-16), Fulton (30-14), Smith-Cotton (46-8) and Warsaw...

It wasn't mat shoes, but Cinderella's slippers, that the Missouri Valley College men's wrestling team wore during the NAIA Championships last March. The young Vikings, given their erratic performances during the regular season, weren't considered title contenders when they arrived in Great Falls, Mont. Another top five finish -- as Valley had done the previous five years -- perhaps, but not first place. However, a funny thing happened along the way...

Maybe an early exposure to the bright lights of the football field will give a boost to the reeling Marshall team. "It was good to have a change," said Owls had coach Paul Thomas about this week's night practices. "The kids are excited." That's encouraging news for Marshall fans. Throughout most their current seven-game losing streak, the Owls have continued working and playing hard, only to have their efforts spoiled by miscues...

Not everything has gone bad lately for Missouri Valley College head football coach Paul Troth. His twin daughters, Kelsey and Keegan, were honored as Character Kids in their kindergarten this week. "Good news has been few and far between," the proud papa quipped upon hearing the news from his excited youngsters...

Do you have treats stocked up for tonight? Do you need to restock because the grown-ups have already staged their own pillaging expedition, fueled by the stress of a typical week plus having the kids out of school for a day and a half? Experts say that Americans will have spent $2 billion on candy by the time the last porch light is shut off tonight. That hoarding of candy for trick-or-treaters includes some 20 million pounds of candy corn...