Forum Flashbacks: Oct. 29-Nov. 4

FORUM FILE PHOTO
Halloween is in the air as every kid knows. Looking for candy and fun as they dress for the occasion. Jaecob, 2, and Jasmin Lynn, 5, of Maryville are ready to go. They are the children of Charles and Lisa Lynn.

25 years ago

• William Taylor was convicted of first-degree murder Aug. 26, and at 11 a.m. this morning he was sentenced to life in prison without possibility of probation or parole.
  After sentencing, Taylor accused the media of twisted and distorted coverage and expressed his empathy for the Wasson family. At no time did he express remorse for the murder, referring to the incident only as a tragedy.
  The statement was written by Taylor without the assistance of his lawyers. Taylor also announced his intention to file an appeal, based on inadequate legal (representation).
  While acknowledging Taylor’s intention, the court found no ground to substantiate inadequate legal representation, instead commending Taylor’s defense team for their efforts.
  Taylor was charged with murder almost one year ago after a Nov. 10, 1994 incident in which he used a dead cat as bait to run over his wife with a combine.

15 years ago

• The Jefferson C-123 School District was among 295 public and private schools across the country to be recognized as a Blue Ribbon School through the No Child Left Behind program.
  U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings recently announced the names of the schools recognized, based on their academic performance last year. Jefferson C-123 was among the six public elementary schools in Missouri to be honored.
  Blue Ribbon Schools are recognized for high academic achievement (in the top 10 percent of state tests) or for making dramatic progress in academic performance.
• When the forklift hoisted a refrigerator from Keane Thummel Trucking’s big 18-wheeler, Pat Dossman started crying.
  Dossman, a New York Life agent in Eunice, La., kept on crying — when she wasn’t telling outrageous jokes in a perfect Cajun dialect — for the rest of the day.
  “We just can’t believe you people are doing this,” said Dossman, who is helping coordinate the Eunice end of the Maryville-Nodaway County-Northwest Missouri State University hurricane relief effort. “It’s wonderful to know that so many people who are so far away care so much.”
  Laughter and tears were a frequent combination Tuesday, Nov. 1, when Maryville and Northwest representatives flew to Eunice to watch the truck unload, tour the city and meet with local officials. In the wake of hurricanes Katrina and Rita, Maryville adopted Eunice as a sister city.

5 years ago

• The National Aeronautics and Space Administration has awarded a multi-million-dollar contract to Midland GIS Solutions and Midland Surveying Inc. of Maryville to provide geospatial products and services to the agency’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia. …
  Midland President Troy Hayes said Wednesday the contract means his company will be tasked with offering the same kind of geographic information systems services the firm currently provides to numerous cities and counties, including Maryville and St. Joseph. …
  In essence, Hayes said, the team’s mission is to maintain and implement the Langley facility’s geospatial infrastructure, a complex of systems that includes utilities, buildings, equipment, safety features, new construction, and other components.
  Hayes said Midland, which has approximately 50 employees, competed for the contract against nine other firms and received the highest ranking during the NASA selection process, which began in late July.
• Local businessman Joe Baumli, who has been orchestrating efforts to purchase a vacant lot at the southwest corner of Third and Main streets on behalf of the Maryville Downtown Improvement Organization, which wants to install a “pocket park” at the location, disclosed more details about the project this week. …
  Baumli said the group of donors is seeking to acquire the park because they see landscaping, green space, and pedestrian amenities as vital to the resurrection of downtown into a vibrant commercial and residential area following decades of decline. …
  Baumli said he envisions the park, which is to be owned by MDIO, as a place where pedestrians can sit down with a soft drink or a sandwich and “enjoy a little bit of the outdoors” after shopping or conducting other business on and around the courthouse square.