Many schools in the area will be back in session this week and, in Maryville, there will be a community pep rally to celebrate.

“We get so excited about football coming back here in Maryville with the Spoofhounds and the Bearcats being such great teams,” said Maryville Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Lily White.

White said the Chamber decided about five years ago to hold an event to kick off back-to-school season and highlight the fall sports teams.

“On the first Thursday night of the school year, we shut down part of the downtown and we get all of the high school teams to come out and celebrate their season starting off by having them all introduce their seniors and their captains and their coaches,” White said. “Sports in our town are such a community gathering place… so we want our community to know who’s representing them on the field and on the court. It’s a fun time to show the high school kids just how important they are to our community.”

White said the pep rally will include the Spoofhound mascot, the marching Spoofhound band, games for the students and more.

The event is open to the community and everyone is encouraged to bring lawn chairs.

The community pep rally takes place at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, August 16th, at 3rd and Market Streets in downtown Maryville. For more information, click here.

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. – The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) will provide an opportunity for deer hunters to find out whether their trophy deer qualify for record books.

MDC will host the 50th annual Antler Measurement Day 9 a.m. to noon on Saturday, Aug. 25, at the East Hills Mall, 3702 Frederick Ave., in St. Joseph.

According to a press release, MDC’s Northwest Region staff organizes the free event and measures antlers to assist hunters. The antler measurements provide a score that hunters can use to see if their deer trophy qualifies for honors from private organizations such as Boone & Crockett, Pope & Young, Long Hunter Society, and Show-Me Big Bucks.

“The record books are to honor the animal, not the hunter,” said Conservation Agent Dave Carlisle, event organizer. “This is another way hunters honor the animal, and, I think everyone wants to know how their deer measures up.”

Deer antlers are given scores based on counts and measurements that are applied to a formula. For example, scorers count or measure the number of tines, distance between tines, circumferences, inside spread between the main beams, and other factors. Hunters decide if they want to send paper work in to an organization for consideration.

Scoring stations will be set up in the mall. Hunters will check the trophy in with MDC staff and then check them back out after scoring. Found antlers that were shed or that are attached to a skull cap will also be scored. An antler can be scored if only one shed antler from a pair is found. Only deer will be measured, no other antlered species such as elk will be measured. The public is invited to drop by the mall and observe the deer antlers being scored.

MDC will also have staff on hand to answer hunter questions about white-tailed deer ecology, deer hunting, or any other upcoming hunting seasons. They will answer questions about hunter education classes and requirements. Another topic is the comprehensive deer study ongoing in northwest Missouri and the southeast Ozarks. Staff will also answer questions about deer diseases such as chronic wasting disease (CWD) and hemorrhagic disease, also called bluetongue.

For more information, call the MDC Northwest Regional Office in St. Joseph at (816) 271-3100. For information about white-tailed deer and deer hunting in Missouri, visit click here.

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. – Work is wrapping up on the resurfacing of the ramps at the U.S. Route 36 interchange at Route AC (Riverside Road).

According to a press release, crews from the Missouri Department of Transportation hope to be able to complete all work next week. They plan to work 6 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday, Aug. 16. The ramps are scheduled to remain open while the work is going on. Due to expected delays, motorists may want to use an alternate route during the work.

All work is weather permitting and could be rescheduled. MoDOT encourages all travelers to slow down, buckle up, eliminate distractions, pay attention and drive safely so everyone is able to Arrive Alive.

For more information call 1-888-ASK-MODOT (888-275-6636) or visit modot.org/northwest.

A Trenton man was seriously injured when his motorcycle hit a cow in the road Thursday night.

According to the Missouri State Highway Patrol, shortly after 9 p.m., 66-year-old Glenn M. Tucker was driving a 2009 Harley Davidson east on MO 6, four miles west of Jamesport, when the motorcycle hit a cow in the road.

Tucker was transported by Lifeflight to North Kansas City Hospital for treatment of serious injuries.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) – A St. Joseph home health care nursing assistant has admitted stealing more than $200,000 from one of her clients.

Thirty-three-year-old Ashley Garr pleaded guilty Wednesday to filing a false tax return and aggravated identity theft.

Federal prosecutors say Garr was caring for the victim for about a year when she found her checkbook, purse and identification at her home.

The victim’s bookkeeper later discovered fraudulent charges and reported them to the Nodaway Valley Bank, which found Garr wrote numerous checks on the victim’s account.

Garr also admitted that she filed fraudulent tax returns for 2014 and 2015.

She was ordered to pay $207,638 in restitution to the victim and $151,589 in restitution to the IRS. She also must forfeit to the government $207,638.