As many as 50 law enforcement officers were involved in a vehicle chase across four northwest Missouri counties Tuesday that ended in the arrest of two suspects now facing multiple counts related to alleged vehicle theft, drug possession, tampering and resisting arrest.

Youngsters enrolled in the after-school program at Eugene Field Elementary School learned first-hand Monday about animals native to the nation of Egypt during what amounted to a very exotic petting zoo presented by Richard Lang, an animal educator with Wildlife Encounters of Omaha Neb.

In what was a valedictory of sorts, the two state lawmakers representing Nodaway County made their annual post-session appearance Tuesday at the Greater Maryville Chamber of Commerce legislative coffee.

Now in its 46th year, "The Laurel Review," a nationally regarded literary magazine published by the Department of English and Modern Languages at Northwest Missouri State, is in many ways the heart of the university's efforts to foster excellence in creative writing.

Troy Hayes was recently appointed president of Midland GIS Solutions, a Maryville-based provider of geographic information system technology.

Fourth-grade students at Eugene Field Elementary School have spent the past month working on a special project designed to bring Show-Me State history to life.

The location will be different, but the pride, the memories, the reverence for sacrifice and the heartfelt patriotism will be the same.

Students at Eugene Field Elementary School are reaping rewards this week for helping out their school.

The Missouri Department of Conservation has designated the weekend of June 8-9 as Free Fishing Days.

This crafter is cleaning up

People in Clearmont take their rummage sales seriously.

With only a few days of school remaining, the Maryville Public Library is once again preparing to provide local youngsters with a summer's worth of good books.

The Greater Maryville Chamber of Commerce is making it easy for area organizations to keep their special events neat, clean and environmentally sound.

Pre-school and pre-kindergarten children enrolled at Northwest Missouri State University's Phyllis and Richard Leet Center for Children and Families headed outside Thursday for Water Day, an extended outdoor experience that included everything from fishing to water balloons.

The Missouri Department of Conservation has set the dates of the upcoming hunting season for gray and fox squirrels opens May 25 and runs through February 15, 2014.

Reviving a springtime tradition from the era of one-room schoolhouses, Eugene Field Elementary School on Wednesday held its first-ever Field Day, a just-for-the-heck-of-it gathering for several hundred parents and students featuring hot dogs, hamburgers, games, contests, a dunking booth and even a couple of sun-drenched afternoon naps.

A gift from a local nursery operation is making things a little greener this spring at Mozingo Lake Recreation Park.

The city of Maryville has hired the Kansas City-based architectural firm of Williams Spurgeon Kuhl & Freshnock to provide a "needs assessment study" for a proposed new Public Safety headquarters.

Richard Allman, a 1975 Northwest Missouri State University alumnus, has announced plans to leave more than $500,000 to the school's art department through a deferred estate gift administered by the Northwest Foundation.

NorthwestCell recently launched its new Long-Term Evolution 4G coverage and has plans to expand the service in the near future.

After wrestling with the question for months, the Maryville City Council is still not quite ready to make a decision on whether to raise the age standard for entry into local bars and taverns from 19 to 21, Missouri's legal drinking age.

The Maryville Optimist Club has been working with sixth-graders at St. gregory's School on a "Pay it Forward" program this spring that will benefit the New Nodaway Humane Society and the Ministry Center food pantry.

The 21st-annual Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive was once again a success in Nodaway County.

You can set your watch by it. Every weekday around 3 p.m., when the dayshifts let out at Kawasaki Motors and St. Francis Hospital, the traffic along South Main Street turns into a royal pain in the neck for an hour or so.

A military career spanning more than two decades has ended for a Maryville soldier.

Tylor Hardy, a senior GIS specialist and website administrator for Midland GIS Solutions, recently became a shareholder and part owner of the locally based firm.

With the advent of smart phones and dozens of other multi-tasking gadgets manufactured with tiny onboard digital cameras, taking a photograph these days is about the easiest thing in the world.

After a weeks-long delay caused by both bad weather and withdrawal of the general contractor from the project, work has resumed on South Depot Street, a million-dollar storm water and repaving effort between East First and Halsey on Maryville's east side.

Maryville Hy-Vee greeter Fred Mares saw a familiar face Wednesday when a company 18-wheeler bearing his likeness rolled into town with a load of groceries and merchandise.

On their last official day of school Thursday, Maryville High School soon-to-be graduates gathered in Bearcat Arena at Northwest Missouri State University for the Maryville R-II School District's annual senior recognition and scholarship ceremony.

City of Maryville officials have announced that applications are now available for a new program designed to encourage the owners of dilapidated structures to demolish old buildings and redevelop their property.

Those planning to participate in the Cancer Survivor Lap at this year's Relay For Life have a little more than a week to register.

Elizabeth Dimmitt, an instructor in the Department of Behavioral Sciences at Northwest Missouri State University, was recently was elected president-elect of the American Counseling Association of Missouri.

Four pilots recently took to the sky with members of Boy Scout Troop 75 during the Experimental Aviation Association's first local "Youth Eagle Flights" event.

Nodaway County residents will have a chance to help their U.S. Postal Service mail carrier make a very special delivery this Saturday during an annual anti-hunger drive focused on helping low-income families and individuals get enough to eat.

Northwest Missouri State University has named Roger Von Holzen as permanent vice president of information technology.

A U.S. Army National Guard non-commissioned officer from Maitland has been designated command sergeant of the 110th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade in Kansas City.

Local author Amy Houts has ventured into a new world as she recently self-published her newest book, "Mealtime Magic: Delicious Dinners in Half the Time."

With spring weather apparently here at last, the city of Maryville is working to get the delayed reconstruction of South Depot Street between First and Halsey back on track.

Most people probably associate the New Nodaway Humane Society in Maryville with stray dogs. But the society's shelter on South Depot Street also serves as a temporary home for nearly 100 cats, most of whom spend much of the day and all night cooped up in small cages.

Twenty-two Northeast Nodaway R-V High School seniors received diplomas during last weekend's commencement ceremony in Ravenwood. Katrina Freemyer was salutatorian, and Dalton Henggeler was valedictorian.

Oregon, Mo., native Christopher Scroggins was one of more than 700 Northwest Missouri State University students to receive a diploma last weekend, but that's hardly his only distinction.

Technology used by police in the southeast Missouri town of Cape Girardeau to automatically scan large numbers of license plates is being hailed as an effective crime-fighting tool. But a civil liberties organization thinks deploying such devices on streets and highways constitutes an invasion of privacy.

Thirteen Northwest Missouri State University employees recently graduated from the institution's Institute for Social Justice, a new program designed to advance "intercultural competence."

Northwest Technical School FFA Chapter President Alex Wiedmaier is one of eight Missourians recently honored at the state Capitol in Jefferson City with a Breaking Traditions Award from the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.

It wasn't exactly spring weather outside, but spirits were warm and sunny Saturday at Maryville High School during this year's "Family Fun Fest," an annual fundraiser for the Eugene Field Elementary School Parent-Teacher Organization.

Most folks growing up in northwest Missouri probably go to Sunday School during at least a portion of their childhood or teen years.