Steve Scott started out running a vacuum cleaner at a J.C. Penney store in his hometown, Quincy, Ill. After a few promotions over nearly 44 years of service to the company, he’s retiring as manager of the J.C. Penney at Meadowbrook Mall.
The Frontenac Raiders were simply overpowered by the Pratt Greenbacks during a 10-4 loss Thursday night in the first round of the Class 4A state tournament at the Bill Burke Complex.
Left-handed pitcher Britnee Hill tossed 13 strikeouts and the Greenbacks relied on three big hits for eight of their 10 runs — Savanah Buntemeyer made the score 2-all with a two-run home run in the third, Kinzie Spurgin gave Pratt a 4-2 lead in the same frame with a two-run double and Bre Becker placed some major distance with a grand slam in the fifth to give the Greenbacks a 8-3 advantage.
The first two innings looked good for the Raiders, as senior pitcher Lindsey Gorham supported herself with a two-run homer in the first and blanked Pratt.
Frontenac could not avoid the two-run and four-run outbursts — Pratt scored four in the third, four in the fifth and two in the seventh.
PHOENIX — The judge in the Jodi Arias murder trial declared a mistrial in the penalty phase Thursday after the jury reported for a second time that it was deadlocked on whether to sentence her to life in prison or death for killing her boyfriend in 2008. The judge scheduled a retrial for July 18. A new panel likely will be seated to try again to reach a decision on a sentence — unless the prosecutor takes death off the table agrees to a life sentence.
GRAPEVINE, Texas — The Boy Scouts of America threw open its ranks Thursday to gay Scouts but not gay Scout leaders — a fiercely contested compromise that some warned could fracture the organization and lead to mass defections of members and donors. Of the roughly 1,400 voting members of the BSA's National Council who cast ballots, 61 percent supported the proposal drafted by the governing Executive Committee. The policy change takes effect Jan. 1.
As residents of Southwest Missouri gathered to remember the tornado that took 161 lives two years ago, their thoughts were with new victims of an equally powerful tornado that ripped through Moore, Okla. on Monday.
A total of 44,409 pounds, more than 22 tons of weight, was lost during the Governor’s Weight Loss Challenge, which ran from Jan. 15 to May 15. Crawford County employees lost 509.19 pounds of it .
The St. Mary’s Colgan Panthers are back in the state tournament following a one-year absence, making their first appearance in Class 3A* after being a dominant force on the 2-1A scene for several years.
The jubilation was apparent on the field of Galena High School when Colgan defeated Riverton 3-2 in last week’s regional final.
“Before the game, that’s all we talked about,” senior V.J. Piccini said. “We want to go back to state. I missed it personally and I know these guys have. I’m excited.”
“You could see the excitement there when Christian made the catch to end the game,” Colgan head coach Mike Watt said. “The kids dogpiled . . . that’s awesome. That’s why we play, that’s why I coach, to see that great sense of accomplishment and hopefully, we can get to do that again at the state tournament.”
Colgan enters play today at Tointon Family Stadium with a 17-5 record (counting a regional bye), facing No. 4 seed Lyons (18-3). The Panthers and the Lions have first pitch at approximately 1:30 p.m.
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