Stories from Friday, October 5, 2007

BRUNSWICK -- The Slater softball team was hoping lightning would strike twice and it could beat host Brunswick for the second time in as many weeks during Thursday's semifinal contest in the Class 1, District 12 Tournament. Unfortunately, the top-seeded Lady Wildcats jumped out to an early lead and junior pitcher Krystal Wheeler never let Slater back into the game -- tossing a one-hitter and striking out 10 -- during a 7-3 victory...

The powerful Helias volleyball team rolled into Marshall for a non-conference match Thursday and sauntered away with a 25-17, 25-14 victory. Seniors Megan Sandbothe and Nicole Murphy and sophomore Julia Whitfield each had six kills to pace the Lady Crusaders (21-2), who had won their first 18 matches this season before dropping a pair last weekend at an upper-tier Kansas City tournament...

SWEET SPRINGS -- The Santa Fe volleyball team reached the .500 plateau for the first time this season and moved into a tie for first place in the I-70 Conference with Thursday's 25-10, 25-19 win at Sweet Springs. The Lady Greyhounds gave a battle in the second set with a defense led by junior Morgan Fuehring's eight digs, but couldn't match the visitors' firepower at the net. Sweet Springs (3-10, 1-6 I-70) was limited to five kills, two by senior Laura Keesaer...

CHILLICOTHE -- Junior Chris McCoy had the hat trick Thursday as the Marshall boys' soccer team pounded the first-year Chillicothe program for an 8-2 non-conference road win. McCoy tallied the match's first two goals, but -- despite a 3-1 halftime lead -- Owls head coach Derek Lark thought his club "played flat." A pair of scores by freshman Jonathan Najera during the second half had Lark feeling much better...

The tides of fortune are drifting out to sea two of the three teams which shared the NCMC football title a year ago. Both Marshall and Hannibal were playoff teams in 2006, but both are under .500 at the halfway point of the current season as they get set to meet in Twain-town. Head coach Paul Thomas knows why the Owls (2-3, 0-2 NCMC) have lost three in a row...

WARRENSBURG -- Despite being the bottom seed, the Marshall softball team had no intention of exiting the Class 3, District 13 Tournament meekly. The Lady Owls battled No. 3 seed Versailles down to the wire during Thursday's opening round, dropping a 5-4 decision in the bottom of the seventh inning...

Nellie Page Carter (1891-1977) was born in Marshall and lived most of her life in the house on North Brunswick Ave. where she was born. Her husband was a dentist in town named Woodward Lee Carter and the couple had three sons, Joseph, Robert and Lee. ...

Murrel E. Ferguson, 60, of Marshall, died Thursday, Oct. 4, 2007, at Harry S. Truman Hospital in Columbia. Funeral arrangements are pending under the direction of Sweeney-Reser-Wills Funeral Home in Marshall.

Robert Keating "Bob" Farrell, 83, of Marshall, died Thursday, Oct. 4, 2007, at The Living Center in Marshall. Funeral services will be held at 10 a.m. Monday, Oct. 8, 2007, at St. Peter Catholic Church in Marshall, with Fr. Kevin Gormley officiating. ...

Louise R. Douglass, 103, of Lawrence, Kan., formerly of Malta Bend, died Wednesday, Oct. 3, 2007, at home. Funeral services will be held at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 6, 2007, at Malta Bend United Methodist Church. Visitation will be held from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Friday at Campbell-Lewis Funeral Home in Marshall. Burial will be held in Little Grove Cemetery, south of Malta Bend. Memorials may be made to Little Grove Cemetery. Online condolences may be sent to www.campbell-lewis.com...

Marshall food pantry asks for donations The Marshall Community Food Pantry is seeking local donations to help stock their bare cupboard. Director Kelly Fulton said the food pantry normally receives most of its food from the Central Missouri Food Bank in Columbia but recently the food bank has been running low itself and has no food to share with the Marshall food pantry...

The Marshall Fire Department has a new thermal imaging camera, thanks to a gift of $10,000 from Monsanto. Fire Chief John Rieves was presented the check by Monsanto site manager Jeff Tremel at Monsanto's "Farm Safety Days" held Sept. 18 and 19 at their location on Highway 240 in Marshall...

Donny Ray and daughter, Jennifer, lost everything they owned in a early afternoon fire on Tuesday, Sept. 25, at their home in Nelson. Jennifer's boyfriend, Joe Miller, and their two children, Jake, 9, and Maggie, 3, also lived at the residence. "They don't have anything," said Tonya Shoecraft, Donny's sister. The destruction was caused by "an electrical fire in the basement from what they can tell."...

After two staff meetings and many inter-departmental discussions on the major problems that occurred during and after the electrical outage on Friday, Aug. 24, due to the faulty relaying at the North Street Substation, an improvement list and an emergency plan has been developed...

Adopting a child from any country is difficult but it is something the Wells family is tackling with great pride and large smiles. Andy and Angie Wells have two sons, six-year-old Jack and two-year-old Jude, but have decided to diversify and adopt a child from China to make their family complete...