Visitation will be from 11a.m. to 1 p.m., with the funeral service starting at 1 p.m., Saturday, May 19, at the Excelsior Springs Baptist Church in Excelsior Springs. Burial in the Hillcrest Cemetery.

Family suggests memorials to be made to the Main Street Baptist Church in Excelsior Springs.

Arrangements through Polley Funeral Home, Excelsior Springs, Mo. 816-630-3388

Anna Belle was born on April 26, 1927 in Hardin to Clarence and Flora (Summers)Trindle. She married Kenneth W. Lam of Hardin on May 26, 1951; he survives of the home.

Anna Belle was a homemaker. She was a member of the Hardin First Baptist Church where she was a Sunday School Teacher for several years and was the church Teller. Anna had worked for 27 years at Lake City Arsenal as a Secretary. She was a member of P.E.O. and the Ray County Hospital Auxiliary. Anna Belle was a board member of the Hardin Cemetery Association and was the secretary for the Hardin American Legion Auxiliary. She had lived in Hardin all of her life.

Additional survivors include one son and daughter-in-law, Rick and Pam Lam of Richmond; two grandchildren, Tracy and Dustin Anderson, Travis Curtis and his significant other, Casey; five grandchildren, Nicholas and Elijah Anderson, Kelsey, William and Lincoln Arnold; and several nieces and nephews.

In addition to her parents, Anna Belle was preceded in death by two sisters, Josephine Wheeler and Norine Perez.

The family suggests memorial contributions be made to either the Hardin Cemetery or to the Hardin First Baptist Church.

Funeral services will be held on Friday, May 18, at 2  p.m. at the Hardin First Baptist Church. Visitation will be held on Friday, May 18, from 1 to 2 p.m. at the Hardin First Baptist Church, where a P.E.O. service will be held at 1:45 p.m. Burial will be in the Hardin Cemetery.

Visitation will be from 2 to 3 p.m., Friday, May 18, with the funeral service starting at 3 p.m. at the Polley Funeral Home in Excelsior Springs.

Family suggests memorials to be made to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.

Written condolences may be left at www.polleyfuneralhome.com   Arrangements through Polley Funeral Home, Excelsior Springs, Mo. 816-630-3388

The Richmond Spartans celebrate their first-ever MRVC East baseball title following a 1-0 win at Holden Thursday afternoon. Front row from left, Jeff Nolker, Nathan Sickle, Kyle Carroll, Colby Bowers, Jake Stafford, Trent Dial and Ben Moses. Back row, Coach Brandon Quick, Coach Zach Reed, Dakota Hayward, Matt Stafford, Reid Summers, Jimmy Hamm, Brandon Pemberlin and Coach Bob Lauck. The Spartans ended the conference with a 9-1 record and take a 16-2 overall mark into tonight’s district opener at Crysler Stadium against Excelsior Springs. (Submitted photo.)

Spartans claim first MRVC East baseball championship

By Russ Green
Sports Editor

After shaking off a brief two-game slide, the Richmond Spartans have responded with three consecutive shutouts – the third one coming Thursday afternoon at Holden. The 1-0 win over the Eagles also gave Richmond its first-ever conference baseball championship.
The Spartans wrapped up the regular season by winning nine of 10 MRVC East contests and they will take a 16-2 overall mark into this evening’s Class 3, District 15 semifinal at Crysler Stadium in Independence against Excelsior Springs – a 17-2 winner Saturday over Lincoln College Prep.
Spartan coach Brandon Quick said it was hard to explain how great it felt to win the league title, but it took a great effort from a lot of people.
“Winning a championship requires so much from so many people, in addition, it also requires some things going your way that are out of anyone’s control,” he said. “This group was successful because they excelled at maximizing the things that were in their control and they had an incredible support system in the form of their parents and community.”
Quick said winning the conference accomplished one goal, and it was now time to focus on the next one of winning a district title that has also eluded the Spartans the past couple of years.
Kyle Carroll and Trent Dial teamed up to throw the shutout against Holden. Carroll worked the first four frames and scattered 3 hits with a pair of walks, a hit batter and 4 strikeouts. Dial did not allow a hit in his three innings on the hill. He walked 2, but fanned 3 Eagles.

The complete story is in the Monday, May 14, 2012 Richmond News.

The Richmond Spartan tennis team earned runner-up honors in the Class 1, District 13 team tournament. Pictured from left are coach Julie Baker, Dominique Johnson, Jesse Bulk, Jeremy Chrisman, Edoardo Brioschi, Kyle Cox and Cody Horton. (Submitted photo)

By Russ Green
Sports Editor

Richmond tennis coach Julie Baker said her Spartans played well and made Higginsville work for its 5-2 Class 1, District 13 finals victory over her squad.
The Huskers, the MRVC East champions, defeated Richmond for the third time this season, but this win puts Higginsville into the sectionals against Maryville on Saturday.
Richmond opened with a pair of victories in singles play, but the rest of the afternoon belonged to the No. 1 seed.
“I’m very proud of the overall effort today,” Baker said. “Higginsville has a good team and they will do well at sectionals. We came home with a second-place plaque and were a initially very disappointed, but quite pleased after we had some time to digest the loss.”

The complete story is in the Monday, May 14, 2012 Richmond News.

RHS Sophomore Matt Tweedie finished second in the 800-meter run to qualify for Saturday's Sectional meet that will be held in Excelsior Springs.

By Russ Green
Sports Editor

ior Cody Gorham. Gorham qualified for two individual events and a relay for this Saturday’s Class 3 Sectional meet in Excelsior Springs. It was his effort in the 3,200-meter run that highlighted the day for Richmond.
Gorham took the lead from the starter’s gun and then proceeded to lap several runners on the final couple of laps as he set a new district record with his victory. Gorham crossed the line in 9 minutes, 58.37 seconds, with Liberty North’s Max Jobson finishing a distant second in 10:20.04.
Gorham was also the district 1,600-meter champion with his winning time of 4:34.05, which was two seconds ahead of Kain Ellis of St. Joseph Benton. Spartan sophomore Matt Tweedie ran a strong race in the 800 meters. Tweedie placed second behind Ellis with a time of 2:02.45, while Ellis crossed the line in 2:01.03
Both Tweedie and Gorham were members of the district champion 4 x 800 relay team. They teamed up with Luke Bailey and Daymean Probst to turn in the winning time of 8:26.11, to finish ahead of Maryville’s runner-up time of 8:33.73.

The complete story is in the Monday, May 14, 2012 Richmond News.

The Hardin-Central track team got three individuals and two relay teams past sectionals and into this weekend’s Class 1 State meet in Jefferson City. The Bulldogs had a pair of runner-up finishes and Lady Dawgs had one second-place finish at the sectionals held Saturday at Marshall High School.
Senior Grant Wheeler finished second in the 800-meter run with a time of 2 minutes, 9.1 seconds. Blake Goodin of Princeton had the winning time of 2:04.6. Wyatt Craven, a freshman, was a runner-up in the 400-meter dash with his time of 53.6. Santa Fe’s Jeff Kuntz crossed the line in 52.8.
Wheeler also qualified for state in the 1,600 with his third-place time of 4:50.7, but he finished eighth in the 3,200 with 12:12.4. The Bulldogs will also be sending a relay team to Jefferson City. The 4 x 100 team of Joey Gorham, Joe McMichen, Mitchell White and Terry Barron finished third with a time of 47.7.

The complete story is in the Monday, May 14, 2012 Richmond News.

Aimee Nicole Neumann receives congratulations following Stet High School’s commencement ceremony Saturday, May 12. Neumann is a member of the last class to graduate from Stet with the school closing its doors at the end of June. The last day of classes for the remaining students is Friday, May 18. (Photo by Mark Johnson/Richmond News)

By Mark Johnson/Richmond News

Seniors in their caps and gowns, tassels hanging from their caps; the school’s faculty in full regalia; and friends and family in the seats and stands of the gymnasium, shedding an occasional tear during times of remembrance.

On the surface, this graduation on Saturday looked like many others, but this one was different as it was the final time Stet students would be receiving diplomas with the school district just weeks away from closing its doors due to declining enrollment.

In his opening remarks, superintendent and principal Dr. John Wiggans said he couldn’t ask for a better group of young people to represent Stet’s final class.

Cheryl Ficken, a former agriculture teacher at Stet, delivered the graduation address.

“Don’t try to go at it alone,” she told the graduates. “Surround yourself with those who challenge you and inspire you to reach your aspirations,” she said.

In closing, Ficken had one final piece of advice for her former students.

“Don’t be afraid to love,” she said.

After Valedictorian Caitlin Ann Still gave her remarks about their journey through the years, there was a video presentation featuring the students followed by the formal presentation of the Class of 2012.

Darrick Allen Brisbin, Michael Darvin Childs, Dusty Jon-Thomas Koontz, Aimee Nicole Neumann and Still then received their diplomas.

There was also a special diploma presented by the Stet Board of Education to the family of Ralph Hall, a solder in WWII who moved to the Stet area in 1953 and served on the Stet Board of Education during the 1960s, making a number of improvements at the school, including the addition of two classrooms and the cafeteria.

Wiggans then addressed his closing remarks to the five new graduates seated before him.

“Your dreams are obtainable, you will achieve greatness,” he said.

It was a double celebration for the Orrick High School Class of 2012 Sunday afternoon in the OHS gymnasium. In addition to the 30 seniors going through the commencement exercises, they also found time to thank their moms on Mother’s Day.

The senior class made its entrance into they gym as the Orrick High School Band, directed by Jayson Moll, played “Pomp and Circumstance.”

Andrew Chamberlin, social studies teacher at Orrick High School, asked all of the moms to stand to be recognized along with their graduating seniors before delivering his remarks.

“I am honored you chose me to speak here today,” Chamberlin told them. “You seniors will always have a special place in my heart. I hope each of you have long careers, but right now you should enjoy this special moment that has been 13 years in the making.”

Chamberlin passed along some life lessons to the seniors. Among them was to never stop learning.

“Life never stops changing,” he said.

He also told them to never be afraid of failing, collect heroes and be honest about who you are.

Earlier in the ceremony, the class Valedictorian, Taylor Battagler, and Saluatorian Kailyn Dowell, gave brief remarks.

Orrick Principal Aerin O’Dell then presented the special awards to various members of the senior class, followed by a slide show featuring members of the Class of 2012. After Chamberlin’s remarks, the Orrick High School band played “Danse Bohemien” and O’Dell presented the class to receive its diplomas. They were handed to graduating seniors by Art Endsley, president of the Orrick Board of Education.

Those receiving their diplomas were: Taylor Battagler, Larry Blair, Devan Crow, Kaylee Dickens, Kailyn Dowell, Darian Eggleston, Leah Hannah, Brandon Harris, Derrick Harris, Kymberlee Higginbotham, Amy Isenhour, Tayler Kephart, Jessica Lane, Duncan McGregor, Ethan Nickols, Logan Oldham,m Ian Pigg, Tyler Roberts, Zachary Roberts, Kelsie Ross, Alyssa Sands, Bailey Schreier, Jena Shaw, Justin Snow, Caitlin Stevinson, Elizabeth Stockton, Victoria Talli, Devon Waters, Jordan Waters and Miranda Williams.

Blair, the class president, then presented his farewell address, which was composed of several famous quotes from history, movies and television.

Editor’s Note: Photos of the Orrick graduation were lost as the result of technical issues with photo computer software. If the problem can be remedied, those photos or others will be published at a later date.

Western County Commissioner Michael Twyman accepted a plea bargain Friday morning less than an hour before his jury trial on a misdemeanor DWI charge was to begin.

Formally charged in June 2011 for driving while intoxicated, Twyman plead guilty and will pay the maximum fine of $500, as well as court costs, his attorney and Special Prosecutor Kristin Ellis said.  His permanent record will show a conviction on a B Misdemeanor, Ellis said.

Twyman was initially stopped on April 29, 2011 near Highway 10 and Swofford Road for failing to stay in his lane. The arresting officer, a Highway Patrolman, suspected that Twyman had been drinking, arrested him and took him to Ray County Jail.

A subsequent blood-alcohol test found that Twyman’s blood-alcohol content was .190, well above Missouri’s legal limit of .08.

Ellis, the assistant prosecutor in Lafayette County, was brought in handle the case when Ray County Prosecutor Danielle Rogers withdrew because she, like Twyman, is a county employee and works with the county commission.

Ray County Judge James Thompson recused himself from the case as well, and Daviess County Associate Circuit Judge Darren Adkins was to have presided at Friday’s trial