Ghouls, goblins urged to be safe

SIKESTON -- Many children and their parents will venture out this Halloween in search of sweet treats, but local officials remind them to be safe on the streets this Thursday.

According to National Retail Federation's Halloween Spending Survey, 158 million Americans will celebrate the holiday, down slightly from last year's high of 170 million people.

However, 72 percent of Americans will hand out candy this year on Halloween, and 32 percent of Americans will take their children trick-or-treating.

"You should only go to homes of people you know and be supervised by adults," said Robert Cook, seed technician for Monsanto in Matthews, about practicing safety when trick-or-treating.

For several years, Cook and fellow Monsanto employees with Monsanto's chapter of Farm Safety Just 4 Kids visit an area school each October to advise them of safety habits on Halloween.

"We're trying to improve everyone's way of life and giving people facts to help everyone have a safe Halloween and a lot of fun," said Cook.

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