Forum Flashbacks: Aug. 27-Sept. 2

FORUM FILE PHOTO
Forum Flashbacks: 15 years ago – Gas prices soar, tanks run dry – Maryville was not spared from nationwide gas hikes as a result of Hurricane Katrina. On Tuesday, stations around town … raised their prices. The Casey’s convenience store in north Maryville ran out of fuel on Tuesday, after rumors circulated that prices would climb even higher — and possibly eclipse the $3 mark.

25 years ago

• After three and a half hours of deliberation, the jury in the William Taylor murder trial delivered its verdict — guilty in the first-degree.
  Taylor was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole in the death of his wife, Debra Jo.
  Taylor rigged a combine to run over his wife on Nov. 10 of last year.
  Co-counsel for the state, Kenny Hulshof, said the verdict was not one he could celebrate because it wouldn’t bring Debra Jo back.
• The early-morning skies were filled with smoke Saturday, as a well-established business went up in flames.
  Woodruff-Arnold, a lumber yard and hardware store, was gutted by a fire that apparently began in a dumpster, located between the main building and an out building, according to a spokesman for the Maryville Public Safety Department.
  The fire began at approximately 5:47 a.m. and burned for five hours before being completely extinguished.
  Also, firefighters, concerned it might spread, kept a close eye on the neighboring bank.
  A major part of the lumber yard was destroyed, but no one was injured.

15 years ago

• Northwest Missouri State University and the City of Maryville are looking for a small city affected by Hurricane Katrina in need of assistance, and they’ll be asking Maryville organizations, businesses and individuals to contribute to the relief effort.
  Officials hope to find a “sister city” of about the same size as Maryville, with a similar mix of businesses and residents. Also, they hope to find a city with a university.
  The idea to target local relief efforts at one city came from university President Dr. Dean Hubbard, who on Monday spoke with city officials about the best way to administer the plan. Hubbard said it would be more helpful to have a specific goal in mind before offering relief.
  “We don’t want to become a solution looking for a problem,” Hubbard said on Thursday.
  Ming-Chih Hung, a university geoscientist in the Department of Geology and Geography, and an expert on mapping technology, is currently working with Hubbard to find a hurricane-affected city similar to Maryville.

5 years ago

• The U.S. Postal Service office in Maryville has a new postmaster.
  Becky Giesken, who has worked at the local office for the entire 10 years of her Postal Service career, was named to the position following the June resignation of Paul Eschbacher, who left the independent U.S. government agency to begin a new career overseas.
  Giesken joined the Maryville Post Office staff in 2006 and spent two years as a city mail carrier before being promoted first to clerk and then to supervisor, the position she has held since 2012.
• The St. Francis Hospital Foundation has announced the hiring of Megan Jennings, Stanberry, as the organization’s first-ever full-time development officer.
  Foundation President John Yancey said Jennings will be responsible for “organizing and implementing a comprehensive major giving program” that contributes to the growth and sustainability of both the foundation and the hospital.