Stories from Wednesday, February 1, 2006

SLATER -- Senior Andrea Greer returned to action with a double-double Tuesday to lead the Sweet Springs girls' basketball team to a 61-56 non-conference victory at Slater. Greer scored 20 points and grabbed 10 rebounds, and came up big for the Lady Greyhounds down the stretch when -- her team clinging to a one-point lead going into the final minute -- she blocked three shots. ...

MOBERLY -- The demons of last year's district loss to underdog Moberly have been exorcised by the Marshall boys' basketball team. The Owls swept the season series with its NCMC rival Tuesday with an easy 68-47 road victory. Senior Lee Standley's three-pointer started a 13-0 Marshall run to open the game, the defense forcing the Spartans into 11 first-half turnovers...

SLATER -- In a showdown of two of Saline County's top basketball talents, the nod went to Slater junior Marco Falls. True, Sweet Springs junior Andrew Kueker -- a 6-foot-7 all-state forward -- scored 34 points, but most of them came after his team fell woefully behind the Wildcats during Tuesday's 68-57 non-conference road loss...

Flu season is upon us and realistically, no matter what the season, children will get sick! A child confined to their bed quickly results in a bored child finding it hard to pass the time away. Good news! There are fun, easy activities that recuperating kids can do. When you find yourself with down in the dumps, "I don't feel good," kids on your hands, nurse them back to health while they do some of the following activities...

By Amy Crump Library Director Next week is Library Advocacy Day in Jefferson City. This is an opportunity for librarians throughout the state to visit their elected representatives and make them aware of the need for public support for libraries. Many of you know that the Missouri State Library had $3 million cut from its budget last year. ...

Tola Jean McGrew, 69, of Marshall, died Sunday, Jan. 29, 2006, at Fitzgibbon Hospital in Marshall. Cremation. No services will be held. Born July 17, 1936, in Oklahoma City, Okla., she was the daughter of the late William Clarence Maxey and Aletha Dunham Maxey. She had lived in Marshall since 1990, moving from Carrollton, and worked at the Marshall Habilitation Center, retiring after 14 years of service. She was a Baptist...

Logan "Bubby" Laster, 57, of Marshall, died Tuesday, Jan. 31, 2006, at his home. Funeral arrangements are pending at H.T. May and Son Funeral Home in Marshall.

Danny R. Cramer, 47, of Houstonia, died Tuesday, Jan. 31, 2006, at University Hospital and Clinics in Columbia. Funeral services will be held at 2 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 2, at Moore Funeral Home in LaMonte. Rev. Richard Cramer will officiate. Pallbearers will be Terry Hall, Chuck Hall, Richard Hazel, Sam Hall, Hank Hall and Donnie Hood. ...

Mildred I. Cornett, 82, of Marshall, died Tuesday, Jan. 31, 2006, at Fitzgibbon Hospital in Marshall. Funeral arrangements are pending at Campbell-Lewis Funeral Home in Marshall.

Marshall police are investigating an attempted robbery reported late Monday. Jim Simmerman, Marshall chief of police, said officers were called to Long John Silver's at 11:39 p.m. by employees who said they were approached by a male wearing a white stocking cap and a Halloween skull face mask...

A chain reaction crash near Slater hospitalized a Glasgow woman Tuesday night. According to a preliminary report filed by the Missouri State Highway Patrol, the crash occurred just after 8 p.m. on Missouri Highway 240 near its intersection with County Road 136...

Editor's note: This is the last of three articles about proposed do not call list legislation. Missouri lawmakers so far are not embracing state Rep. Ed Wildberger's proposal to include political solicitations as part of the state's no call list, but they do seem to be interested in making changes to the current law, especially by making it possible for people to add cell phone numbers to the list...

After four years as superintendent of the Marshall Habilitation Center, Mary Fangmann is moving to a new position with the Missouri Department of Mental Health, but she will not be saying goodbye to Marshall entirely. Fangmann informed the MHC staff Monday that she is joining a new administrative team that will be responsible for overseeing and improving the department's 11 psychiatric facilities and six habilitation centers...

The Saline County Commission wrapped up the first month of the year Tuesday by giving its formal approval of the county's 2006 budget. During Tuesday's public hearing there were no comments or discussion over the budget from the audience -- consisting only of County Auditor Tara Vogelsmeier and representatives of the media -- or the commissioners...

After a spike in 2004, the number of crimes reported in Marshall fell more than 19 percent in 2005 to its lowest level in a decade. The annual report compiled by the Marshall Police Department tracks reports of murder, forcible rape, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, larceny, auto theft and arson -- the crimes used by the FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting Program...