RICHMOND – Suspended from a cable attached to a crane parked beside the grain elevator on Old Highway 10, a wrecking ball swings out, brightened by sunlight against the blue sky. The “ball” – resembling a sinker attached to a fishing line – is cast, reaches a high point, seems to pause for a moment and returns with a purpose. The ball strikes the upper part of the west wall of the former Ray-Carroll grain elevator with a thunderous thud. The section of the wall quivers visibly, but still stands. On the ground, Kenny Rosencrans with Earthworks Excavating, Higginsville, watches small pieces of the building – most no bigger than bricks, but large enough to crack a skull – plummet after the ball strikes. The bulk of the debris tumbles inside the building, rather than outside, as planned. The idea is to keep falling debris within a confined area to minimize danger. Rosecrans sends hand signals to the crane operator, Scott Rasa, about the direction to send more swings from the 2,000…