Stories from Wednesday, June 16, 2004

The Marshall Municipal Band will try to squeeze in its second straight concert around early summer showers at 7:30 p.m. Thursday on the courthouse lawn. After its traditional opener, "The Star-Spangled Banner," the band is set to perform "American Fanfare" by John Wasson, a work originally composed for the Dallas Brass...

Members of the Marshall Public Library's Lewis and Clark discussion group met Tuesday evening, taking up where they left off on their perusal of journals written by members of the Corps of Discovery. Jeanne Snoddy of Miami took her turn as discussion leader, guiding the group through events that occurred from June 25 to July 8, 1804. She said the explorers were moving along the Missouri River through present-day Jackson and Clay counties, having just left the Saline-Lafayette county area...

Urgent repairs to the Waverly bridge on highways 24 and 65 will require a lane closure from 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. each Monday through Thursday until at least July 1, according to a Missouri Department of Transportation news release. One-lane traffic will be flagged at each end of the bridge, alternating northbound and southbound...

The city of Sweet Springs acted to sell a 250-foot-long plot west of the city's lagoon in closed session Monday night. The Board of Aldermen approved the $3,500 sale 4-0 during its monthly meeting. Charles Lance, owner of Lance Auto Investments, purchased the property after asking the city for land nine months ago. The city approved the sale with the stipulation that it retains a permanent easement on the land...

The Saline County Commission on Wednesday approved an earlier resignation date for Robert E. Quick, janitor at the Saline County Criminal Justice Center. The motion carried 2-0, with Presiding Commissioner Becky Plattner absent. The commission approved Quick's June 30 resignation last week but approved moving the effective date to June 12. He will be replaced by Jimmy C. Davis, who starts July 1...

Sweet Springs will send a notice before shutting off residents' water, the city aldermen decided Monday at their monthly meeting. Mayor Roxanne Hinton suggested the notice be sent by mail no later than the 17th of the month to let residents know their water will be disconnected if their bill is not paid by the 20th. The information is also printed on each water bill, sent at the start of each month...

A citizen tip late Tuesday led Marshall police to a stolen vehicle. Marshall Police Chief Jim Simmerman said the call came in just before 11:30 p.m. The caller told police of two suspicious men in a truck parked at a local gas station. Marshall police sent to investigate discovered that the truck, a 1984 Mazda B2000, had been reported stolen from Lynnwood, Wash...

The Slater City Council looked at a draft ordinance for prohibiting concealed weapons from city buildings at its regular meeting Tuesday. But with three of its eight members absent, the council decided to wait to vote on the ordinance. City Attorney Pat Cronan based the ordinance on one approved by the Saline County Commission in April. ...

Above: Millie Landreth, a gardener at Indian Foothills Park in Marshall, shows 6-year-old Cole Huston some day lilies growing near the edge of a garden. A group of children involved in Nature Week learned about perennials such as coneflowers, cockscomb and spider plants...

CASPER, Wyo. -- Veteran goat tyer Lacie Moore made a big move for both herself and the Missouri Valley College women's rodeo team Tuesday at the College National Finals Rodeo in Casper, Wyo. The senior from Cedar Rapids, Iowa -- in eighth place after the first go-round -- jumped into the second spot during two gos on the same day. Although her first time of 9.1 seconds was far back in the pack, her second try of 7.3 seconds was the round's third-best -- good for 60 points for the Lady Vikings...

John Jasper got his revenge Tuesday. A week after getting beaten by Rinker Materials to knock his team out of first place, the Rose Acre Farms right-hander tossed a two-hitter over seven innings against the Babe Ruth Junior League leaders Tuesday for an 8-3 win, creating a tie at the top of the standings...

Mary Ferguson Dewart, 86, of Lake Forest, Calif., died Friday, June 4, 2004, in Lake Forest. Burial was Wednesday, June 9, in Newport Beach, Calif. Born Dec. 23, 1917, in Marshall, she was the daughter of the late David Kennedy Ferguson and Mary Eleanor Barton. She grew up in Marshall and was a member of First Presbyterian Church, where her father was pastor for 40 years. In 1950, she married Gordon M. Dewart, who preceded her in death in 1968. She was a retired elementary school teacher...

Mary Butterfield, 69, of Marshall, died Wednesday, June 16, 2004, at University Hospital and Clinics in Columbia. Funeral arrangements are pending at Campbell-Lewis Funeral Home in Marshall.

Points to ponder "A library card is the best gift you'll ever give a child. It can't break, wear out or be outgrown!"   Thank you We would like to thank patrons who continue to support the library by donating their gently used bestsellers, audios, CDs, VHS videos and DVDs. ...

I don't know about you, but I think fathers are harder to buy for than mothers; of course that could be because I am a mother and can always think of things I want and need! Well anyway, everyone knows that the best gifts are the ones from the heart and that goes double when your child creates them with their own hands....