Jasper County News

By Jeff Lehr jlehr@joplinglobe.com A misunderstanding between two men Wednesday night at a home near Joplin may have escalated into a fatal bludgeoning with a baseball bat and a murder charge.

Aaron Pilgrim, 37, was charged Thursday afternoon with 2nd degree murder. He is charged in the death of Ralph Ivy, 50, Updated Nov.

Jasper County commissioners could face possible budget cuts for next year. The Jasper County commissioners and auditor held a budget meeting Tuesday at the courthouse in Carthage.

Richard Webster, Jasper County auditor, made it official on Tuesday when he told members of the county commission that the 2010 budget will include no funding to boost the wages of county workers.

Three members of the City Council who have already said that they would run for re-election have picked up nominating petitions today to start the process.

By Susan Redden sredden@joplinglobe.com CARTHAGE, Mo. - If all tax bills are paid, nearly $65 million will pass through the Jasper County collector's office this year, according to Steve Holt, county collector.

Joplin -- 'I've been by here hundreds of times, and I never knew about this.' That sentence, or some variation, was repeated Wednesday by many of those who gathered at a Civil War battle site a few miles north of Joplin.

A Joplin man waived his right to a preliminary hearing Thursday in Jasper County Circuit Court on a charge of possession of child pornography.

By Jeff Lehr jlehr@joplinglobe.com Sheriff's Deputy Adam Blankenship testified Thursday that he feared for his life when he shot an Oronogo man in the face during a domestic-disturbance call earlier this year at the man's home.

Right now it's a site with old buildings and brush. But the future could mean tourists and park benches for the Jasper County, Missouri site of a Civil War battle.

A Joplin man pleaded guilty Monday in Jasper County Circuit Court to a felony weapon charge and was assessed a four-year prison term.

A science teacher at Carthage High School says he warned state and county officials five years ago about high levels of E. Coli in Jasper County waters, but no one seemed to care.

KTTS A man from Jasper has a federal charge with receiving and distributing child pornography over the Internet.

A man accused of shoplifting at Kohl's department store in Joplin picked up a felony drug charge as well Thursday afternoon when security employees reported seeing him attempt to discard some pills in his possession while being held for police.

A woman testified Wednesday that a Joplin man punched her so hard in the face during a disturbance outside a fast-food restaurant that she is now blind in one eye.

The Missouri Office of Administration has announced that it had awarded a contract to Federal Construction, Inc., for construction of the new Missouri Highway Patrol Crime Lab in Jasper County.

A woman suffered serious injuries late Saturday when her car ran off the road and overturned.

The Jasper County Sheriff's Department believes that investigators solved a series of burglaries and thefts from vehicles in the Hickory Hills subdivision west of Joplin with the arrest Sunday of a 31-year-old man.

Felony charges have been filed against two men who were arrested by Joplin police on suspicion of being in possession of a stolen vehicle.

By Jeff Lehr jlehr@joplinglobe.com A 27-year-old man received a suspended sentence Monday in Jasper County Circuit Court on an arson conviction for setting his home near Carthage on fire for insurance gain.