SPURGEON FIRING HIS WAY TO THE TOP
SEE PAGE B8
Lewis County
Serving the communities of Lewis County, Mo. since 1862
Thursday, March 15, 2012
(USPS 088-820) Vol. XL New Series, No. 11 Canton, Mo. 63435 • 16 Pages • 2 Sections • 55 cents
BREAKING NEWS UPDATES AT
EARLY SPRING BRINGS FLOWERS, FOG
Two arrested on drug charge March 11
Two Monroe City residents were arrested Sunday night in LaGrange on a drug charge. Ruben Gene Williams, 30 and Christina M. Canella, 43, both of Monroe City are charged with the conspiracy to manufacture methamphetamine, a class C felony. The Lewis County Sheriff’s Office deputies initiated an investigation after receiving information the two were buying pseudo ephedrine pills to assist in the manufacture of meth. Bond for each is $50,000. Williams is also wanted in the state of California for burglary and theft and is on parole from the California Department of Corrections. Assisting the Sheriff’s Office were the Northeast Missouri Narcotics Task Force and the LaGrange Police Department. Further arrests are pending.
Two hurt in onecar crash March 6
Two LaGrange residents were injured in a one-vehicle accident March 6 on Route C, seven miles southeast of Monticello. Driver Norma L. Farr, 72, was taken by Lewis County Ambulance to Blessing Hospital with apparently moderate injuries. Her grandson Jacob K. Farr, 12, of LaGrange was taken to the same hospital by private auto with apparently minor injuries. The Missouri State Highway Patrol said N. Farr’s westbound 2010 Toyota went off the right side of the road, struck a culvert and overturned. The vehicle was totaled. Both occupants wore seat belts.
St. Patrick events planned
A variety of events are planned for St. Patrick’s day in St. Patrick, Mo. A new event, Irish Road Bowling begins at 10 a.m. with registration beginning at 9 a.m. Corned beef and cabbage will be served beginning at 11:30. From 10:30 to noon Irish band Rag Tag is scheduled and at 1 p.m Irish harp and flute music by Eric Steitz will be featured. Santa Claus arrives at 2 p.m. and kids can join in a Blarney stone hunt and receive goodies from Santa. The band, Steppin Back from Quincy, Ill., will be playing favorite songs from the 60s beginning at 2:30 p.m. Amish baked goods will be available and the Old Irish gift shop will be open all day with prizes drawn hourly, persons must be present to win. Special cancellation postmarks will be available at the Post Office.
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Photo by Rita Cox
ABOVE - A seemingly early spring has everyone enjoying the warm weather. Daffodils and other plants are blooming in the county, and residents are getting their gardens ready a little earlier than normal. RIGHT - Canton students arrive for classes Tuesday morning with a heavy fog shrouding the parking lot, before the sun burned off the fog later in the day. The forecast for the upcoming week shows temperatures in the 70’s and 80’s. Photo by Dan Steinbeck
Ex apartment site to house community garden BY DAN STEINBECK EDITOR dan@lewispnj.com
The site where a recently razed Canton apartment house stood could soon be a community garden. Project spokesperson, Third Ward Alderman Sharon Upchurch said that the project was born out of a study about a year ago to study hunger in Lewis County. A group of Culver-Stockton students did the study. While commodities are distributed through the Canton First Baptist Church and the Council of Churches maintains a food pantry at the Canton Christian Church, the students found there wasn’t a
good resource for fresh fruits and vegetables. Canton dentist Dr. C. Clark Todd offered two lots once an apartment at the corner of Sixth and Clark Streets. That was accomplished before March 1. Demolition contractor Bud Campbell brought composted hog manure and spread it on the site, and left a pile of bricks, which can be used to make pathways, or separate garden bed plots. While the intention of a steering committee is to allow the plots to be used this spring for growing crops, there are several issues the committee is still discussing. These include possible cost to participants (to pay for water on
the site), the number and size of the plots, \whether fencing will be needed or can be afforded, and whether they will be individual plots or co-operative effort with various plots designated for fruits, flowers, vegetables or herbs. A meeting to discuss these issues, to which the public is invited, is tonight (Thursday, March 15) at 7 p.m. at Primo’s restaurant. A shed on the property was not razed and needs some work that Upchurch is suggesting the Culver-Stockton Extreme Dome Makeover might consider. “We have a commitment to the city it won’t be used as a weed patch,” Upchurch said.
She said the Canton R-V FFA and some other youth service clubs might be participating to help. Upchurch said the project has already garnered some interest, from both experienced and beginner gardeners. She said a lot of seed has been donated, that will likely go to the first participants. “This is an experiment. I’m excited about it. I see it as a fun thing,” Upchurch said, adding that although she has another garden, she might consider buying a community garden plot for the social aspect and to gain advice from gardening experts.
Filing has started for public offices BY DAN STEINBECK EDITOR dan@lewispnj.com
Less than two weeks remain for filing for public office. County Clerk Sharon Schlager has reported no further filings for Lewis County offices. The candidate that have filed are: Jesse Roberts, Southern Commissioner; John Campen, Northern Commissioner; Larry Arnold, Coroner; Craig Myers, Assessor;
David Parrish, Sheriff; all Democrat incumbents; Brett Bozarth, Public Administrator, the Democrat appointed last year to fill Bill Murphy’s post when Murphy retired; and Carson W. Lay, Surveyor, a Republican. Russell Steele, the incumbent Democrat Second Judicial Circuit Judge, has also filed for re-election. Redistricting changed some borders – and some district numbers. Craig Redmon, Canton, the incumbent Re-
publican First District State Representative has filed for the new Fourth District, which encompasses more of Adair County and none of Marion County, as well as Lewis County. Current U.S. Representative, Ninth Congressional District Republican Blaine Luetkemeyer (which now includes Lewis County), has filed for the Third Congressional district, which doesn’t include Lewis County. Instead, the new Sixth District, which
covers most of the top third of the state –including Lewis County -, has two Democrats who have filed, Kyle Yarber or Gladstone and Ted Rights of Hamilton. Statewide, there are to date five candidates who have filed for U.S. Senator, six for Secretary of State; six for Governor, 11 for Lt. Governor; three for Attorney General; and two for State Treasurer. A full list of pertinent candidates will be listed after filing closes March 27.
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