Forum Flashbacks, Jan. 12-18

FORUM FILE PHOTO
15 YEARS AGO: Family fun to the finish line – Tiger Cub Will Mattock, 7, eyes the derby cars before the official Pinewood Derby race. Parents, kids and cub leaders had the chance to pick best in show and best design before the cars even raced. Each category had a first, second and third place award.

5 years ago

Maryville Public Safety officers are investigating an early morning burglary this week that occurred Wednesday at the Hy-Vee supermarket convenience store on South Main Street.

MPS Director Keith Wood said the break-in happened shortly after 12:30 a.m. just after the store, located about 50 yards west of the supermarket, closed at midnight.

Suspects entered the building by breaking out a large glass display window and, once inside, removed an interior ATM. The burglars then loaded the machine into a van stolen from the First United Methodist Church at 102 N. Main St.

Police recovered the van shortly after the break-in near the intersection of Lincoln and Munn streets. Pieces of the ATM were located nearby.

The Rev. Scott Moon, FUMC’s pastor, said the 1996 Ford 15-passenger van was “hot-wired” by the thieves, causing damage to the steering column and ignition. Other damage included a small dent to the rear bumper.

Moon was notified of the van’s theft by police early Wednesday, and said officers identified the vehicle as belonging to the church after viewing video images recorded by a Hy-Vee security camera.

Wood said MPS is pursuing all avenues of investigation but has yet to uncover any solid leads or information that might help identify the perpetrators.

Police suspect, however, that the van theft and subsequent burglary were the work of professionals.

15 years ago

Volunteers scattered across community yards Saturday morning like the limbs that had fallen after the ice storm. People of all (backgrounds) met at 8 a.m. to pick up sticks, hack into fallen trees with chain saws and to clean up Maryville yards.

“We’re doing this in efforts to hopefully go out and bid and remove all the debris from the curbside,” City Manager Matt LeCerf said.

Because the city cannot remove debris from private property, volunteers were called upon to take care of the task.

The city was split into four quadrants from First and Main streets and color-coded dots marked the 85 homes the volunteers would meet at to move debris to the curb. Teams, like southwest green and northwest yellow, followed a map to the few homes they were designated to clear. Using chain saws, they cut into huge limbs and with gloved fingers, fished around in the snowy grass for twigs.

“The people we are helping are those who called and asked us for assistance,” LeCerf said. “Many were those who weren’t able to do it on their own.”

25 years ago

The communities of Maitland, Graham and Skidmore are banding together this Tuesday night in hopes of easing the pain of one area family.

Eleven-year-old Steven Cureton was diagnosed with acute lymphatic leukemia, the most common type of leukemia, on Nov. 11. Since then, Steven and his mother, Diane, have been making numerous trips to Children’s Mercy Hospital in Kansas City to battle the disease.

To help defray the expense of the numerous trips to the hospital, the Nodaway-Holt fifth grade class, along with several community volunteers, will be hosting a benefit supper for the Curetons at 4:30 p.m., Tuesday, in the Nodaway-Holt Middle School lunch room.

Because of the chemotherapy Steven must undergo, he has missed several days of school in recent months. Diane said that has made him realize how much he enjoyed school and his classmates.

“He got behind (in his studies) for a while,” Diane said. “Now, he wants to go to school whenever he can. He misses seeing the other kids.”

Despite the time he has missed, his teacher, Cindy Lemar, said he is doing well in his classes.

“He’s doing wonderfully,” she said. “And he never complains. He is in school whenever possible.”

Lemar went on to say Steven’s classmates have also had to deal with his illness.

“We’ve had visits from the school nurse and counselor,” she said. “It’s the first time most of them have had to deal with something like this.” …

Since the family has no insurance to cover the treatments, the financial burden on Diane is enormous. It is hoped the benefit supper at the middle school will make at least a small dent in the huge costs.

100 years ago

NEW ORDINANCE ON POOL HALLS PASSES COUNCIL

————

A new ordinance for the licensing and regulation of pool halls, bowling alleys, skating rinks and shooting galleries was passed by the city commissioners last night and becomes effective at once. The first license in the new ordinance was granted last night to E. T. Godsey, allowing him to operate four pool tables for a year.

The provisions of the new ordinance are very stringent in regard to regulating the operation of the amusement places and Mayor F. P. Robinson said this morning that they would be strictly enforced.

The commissioners had intended to enact an ordinance closing all the pool halls at the expiration of the licenses under which they are now operating, but found that they could not legally take such action. The ordinance passed last night was prepared to take the place of the old one, which was full of loopholes and the provisions of which were mild.

The license fees remain the same as before—$10 per table per year for pool tables; $20 per table per year for billiard tables; $100 a year for skating rinks and shooting galleries; and $50 per alley per year for bowling alleys. …

Minors will be allowed to play only upon permits signed by parent or guardian, and witnesses by the proprietor of the amusement place. …

Boisterous and profane language are prohibited and the proprietor who permits bad language in his place of business stands a chance of having his license revoked.

… The amusement places must be closed on Sunday, and may run until 10 o’clock all nights except Saturday, when they may be open until 11 o’clock. No blinds or screens which would obstruct the view from the street may be erected.

EDITOR’S NOTE: The 100-year flashback is courtesy of the Missouri Digital Newspaper Project from the State Historical Society of Missouri, viewable at shsmo.newspapers.com. The original article ran in the Jan. 12, 1923, edition of The Maryville Tribune, a predecessor of The Maryville Forum.