From the beginning of the parade competition to the awards ceremony more than 12 hours later, the marching band festival Saturday promises to be a full day of activity for some 48 visiting high school bands plus Trenton High School.

Dinner and an auction benefiting the northwest Missouri chapter of the DREAM Factory is among the features during Missouri Day weekend in Trenton. The public event on Friday October 19th will include a spaghetti supper starting at 5:30 and the auction of painted and decorated chairs to follow, about 7:30. All are held at the Trenton Elks Lodge.

The softball players on the Class 3, All-District 15 team have been announced, and to nobody's surprise, district champion Trenton and runner-up Cameron have the majority of players named to the first and second teams. To see the complete list of players honored, click on 'read more':

The dominant football teams across northern Missouri remain that way through eight weeks of the high school football season, with the latest state football poll keeping Hamilton ranked #1 in Class 1, with South Harrison at #6, and Milan and Lathrop seeking entry into the top ten in their respective classes, despite a combined record of 14-1 between the two teams. Click on "read more" to see the latest rankings from the Missouri Sportswriters and Broadcasters Association:

Governor Jay Nixon announced today that Missouri Community Colleges will invest $15,000,000 through MOManufacturingWINs, a statewide training network that will create opportunities for Missourians to obtain the specialized training they need to begin a career in modern manufacturing.

Two people were hurt on Thursday morning, October 11th, just east of Green Castle, when a car went off Highway 6 and into a ditch. The Highway Patrol said a passenger, 71-year old Shirley Speiser of Green Castle, was flown by medical helicopter to University Hospital in Columbia, with injuries described as MODERATE.

The Livingston County Sheriff's Department is investigating the theft of five bronze vases taken from graves at the Utica Cemetery. It is noted that the Chillicothe Police Department has recently begun a similar investigation at a Chillicothe cemetery. People with information on these cases are asked to contact the Livingston County Sheriff's Department or Chillicothe Police Department.

A precautionary boil water advisory is in effect for Gilman City until further notice. Utilities Superintendent Larry Hyre says that a lightning strike on Saturday damaged a Gilman City water main midway between Gilman City and Coffey, leading to the water tower being drained and a water outage for Gilman City.

Two Illinois residents were hurt near Cameron when a southbound car went into the median of Interstate 35, crossed both northbound lanes, went off the east side of the interstate, hit an embankment, and overturned, coming to rest on its top.

Coming off of their recent District 15 championship game victory over Princeton, the North Harrison Shamrocks enjoyed the "fruits of their labor", with six girls from Eagleville named all-district in 2012.

The Missouri Day Parade on Saturday, October 20th promises to the biggest and best ever as a salute is given to our military. The theme is "Sounds of Freedom, a Tribute to our Military".

A spokesman for the U-S Postal Service says it is no longer considering closing any rural post offices. Instead, the postal service is aiming to reduce expenses by shortening hours of over-the-counter retail services at many locations.

The Gallatin Police Department, along with federal agents from the Department of Homeland Security, Department of Social Securities, and the Missouri Department of Revenue, have served an arrest warrant for 58-year old Jose Felix Gutierrez of Gallatin. The Livingston County warrant was for forgery.

North Central Missouri College Baseball Coach Donnie Hillerman invites NCMC baseball alumni and friends of the program to Burleigh Grimes Field for NCMC Baseball Alumni Day on Saturday, October 20.

Missouri State Fair Queen Emily Wood of Palmyra is to ride in the Missouri Day Festival Parade through the streets of Trenton on Saturday morning. The 19-year old is a sophomore at Moberly Area Community College, majoring in nursing. She hopes to eventually earn a Nurse Practitioner's license and a Doctorate in Obstetrics and Gynecology.

A teenager girl from Mount Ayr, Iowa sustained minor injuries when her SUV drove off Worth County Route C and hit an embankment on Thursday afternoon (October 11th).

The Missouri Department of Transportation will be replacing sections of Highway 6 between Novinger and Kirksville today (Tuesday) and tomorrow. It will result in one-lane traffic. Flagmen will direct motorists. There will be a 15 foot width restriction in the work zones from 7:30 to 3 o'clock both days.

The Grand River Conference named its first team, second team, and honorable mention selections for the girl's softball season last week. To see the complete list, click on "read more":

A car ran off a road in northeastern Chariton County on Saturday night, resulting in injuries for a young Higbee woman. Twenty-two year old Courtney Hayes was taken by private vehicle to Pershing Memorial Hospital in Brookfield, with injuries described as MODERATE by the Highway Patrol.

The Trenton Lady Bulldogs are in eighth place out of eight teams after day one of the Class 1 girl's golf state tournament on Monday at the Meadow Lake Acres Country Club in New Bloomfield.