The News-Star from Monroe, Louisiana • Page 8

FROM 1A THE NEWS-STAR WWW.THENEWSSTAR.COM 8A THURSDAY, JUNE 2, 2011 Hire mM ill The steeple of The First Church of Monson lays in rubble on the ground Wednesday after a tornado swept through the downtown area of Monson, Mass. ap rested him on a fugitive from justice warrant out of Livingston Parish. The warrant charged him with one count of unauthorized use of a motor vehicle. The following day deputies arrested him on one count of failure to register as a sex offender, but that charge was later dropped. Mayo said the city has learned from this incident and will try to strengthen the process to ensure that it doesn't happen again.

But, Mayo said, he will continue to give convicted felons a second chance when hiring for various positions. "What people need to realize is that we are not forming a policy to eliminate the practice of hiring felons, but to add another layer by doing background checks," Mayo said. "This will give us all the information and facts we need. We have to look at each particular case to make sure that the person will not bring any harm to employees or to citizens." City officials maintain that Yost's schedule was flexible and that he was not able to work at the golf course when children were present. number of victims attributed to his conviction.

Monroe Councilman Jay Marx said he received calls last year from people who recommended Yost for the golf course position. Marx said he inquired on the status of the position, but he never recommended Yost for the job. "He was laid off, and some people tried to help him get a job, and I was one of the people they called," Marx said. "I didn't recommend him for the job. It is not a practice and will not be a practice for me to help get anyone a job with the city of Monroe.

That is an administrative function, not a council function." According to the state's sex offender registry, Yost was released from jail in January 1999. Yost's criminal history includes more than the sex offenses. He was arrested in 1995 on charges of burglary of an inhabited dwelling and contributing to the delinquency of a juvenile in Baton Rouge. Yost was living in Ouachita Parish on July 10, 2006, when Ouachita Parish sheriff's deputies ar 14. Court documents state that Yost engaged in various sexual conduct with the children in 1997 while he was employed as a teacher, coach and youth ministry supervisor at Redeeming Word of Life Church and Academy in Baton Rouge.

The victims were members of the church and students at the school. According to the court documents, the crimes occurred at the home of the church's pastor at that time. The pastor is not the biological or adoptive parent of Yost. Yet, documents stated Yost lived with the pastor most of his life. Mayo said ultimately it was his decision to hire Yost, and Yost came highly recommended for the golfing job.

Before applying with the city, Yost worked at Bayou DeSiard Country Club. Mayo said he met with Yost and his family before agreeing to hire him, and Yost was an exemplary employee during his time with the city. But, city officials said they still can't overlook the fact that Yost lied about the age and Continued from Page 1A Yost was hired by the city in March 2010 at a salary of $27,700 a year. Monroe Mayor Jamie Mayo admitted that the city knew Yost was a convicted sex offender when he was hired, but city officials did not know the nature of the charges. "In this particular case, we recognize a weakness in our system that didn't afford us to get all of the facts," Mayo said.

"We are working to create a policy." Mayo said that Yost filled out his application and listed his convicted felon status. Yost led city officials to believe he was convicted of indecent behavior with a 16-year-old girl when he was in his early 20s, officials said. City officials terminated Yost on Friday because they said he lied on his application about his felon status. According to court documents, Yost was convicted on seven charges, and the crime involved two victims younger than office when the storm started and he went to a downtown bar in Springfield to wait for a ride. "The next thing you know the TV says a tornado hit the railroad bridge in West Springfield," said Pashko, 50.

"It's the bad-dest I've seen." The Rev. Bob Mar-rone of The First Church of Monson said the storm cleared a view he's never seen across the valley where the town sits. "I can see the plywood of roofs, and see houses where most of the house is gone," he said. The storm hit the Springfield area after a tornado watch was issued for much of the East Coast, including Philadelphia, New York and Boston. Sen.

John Kerry, D-Massachusetts, said he was joining Patrick in a planned tour of tornado damage Wednesday night. Patrick said there was extensive damage in Hampden County. Have a Hearing Loss? I Take advantage of our i i FREE HEARING SCREENING I LOUISIANA NATIONAL GUARD YOUTH CHALLENGE PROGRAM Ages 16-19 High School Drop Out? Need a GED? This 5 month residential program offers you a chance to earn a GED, become physically fit, self disciplined and motivated. To Apply Call Today For An Upcoming Southern States Hearing Aid 716 North 7th Street West Monroe, LA Tornado Continued from Page 1A in Springfield. Police said five of the injuries were reported serious and required surgery.

Patrick said the path of damage from the first and more powerful of the two tornadoes extended from Westfield, just west of Springfield, and extended east to the community of Douglas. He said the second, slightly less powerful, tornado cut a path from West Springfield all the way to Sturbridge in the central part of the state. Patrick declared a state of emergency and called up 1,000 National Guardsmen. The storms also caused an unknown number of injuries and extensive damage. Patrick said the death total was preliminary.

Bob Pashko, of West Springfield, said he was coming from his doctor's Spell Continued from Page 1A "I knew how to spell it," Miller after working his way through biolumines-cent. "I felt relieved." In March, Miller, who is home-schooled, won the All-Parish Spelling Bee competition sponsored by The News-Star to advance to his first national bee. The sixth-grader was among 275 spellers ranging in age from 8 to IS and including competitors from China, Ghana, Japan, New Zealand and South Korea. This year's competition began Tuesday with a 25-word written test (Miller got 19 right). The scores on the written test were combined with the results of Wednesday's two oral rounds to determine which spellers compete in Thursday's semifinal rounds.

Forty-one spellers advanced to the semifinals. Finalists compete at 8:30 p.m. Thursday. ESPN will broadcast the semifinals and finals. Last year, Anamika Veeramani, 14, of North Royalton, Ohio, won the bee by correctly spelling "stro-muhr," an instrument used to measure blood flow.

This year's champion will receive $30,000 cash, a $2,500 U.S. savings bond, a $5,000 scholarship and other prizes. Each of the spellers will receive, at minimum, a $100 gift card and a $100 U.S. savings bond. Early Wednesday, Miller, who had to stretch to reach the microphone, repeated the first word he was given, then used his finger to write it on his left palm.

"It helps me spell the word, and it helps me keep track of all the letters," he said later. Miller has taken spelling bee classes in his home-school program and prepared for the bee by spelling words daily, often with his mother, Michelle. "I think he likes to compete," she said. "It's anybody's game. These kids are brilliant." Miller, who has never visited the Washington area before, spent Tuesday visiting the Capitol, the White House, the Smithsonian and other sites.

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