50 years ago

Aug. 22, 1973

— Ranger Gary Stewart of the Missouri State Parks has been transferred from Lake Ozarks to Roaring River to replace Cpl. Charles Weathers, who resigned to enter private business. Stewart, a native of this area, trained at Roaring River when joining the service this spring. He is an experienced law enforcement officer both on a city and council basis here.

— Law enforcement statistics for Barry County show there were 17 driving while intoxicated charges during 1972 filed before Magistrate Judge John Baty. Thus far in the eight months of 1973 there have been 27 such charges filed. Also, in two previous years, 1971 and 1972 there were 22 sentences to the Missouri Department of Corrections through Circuit Court…while thus far in 1973 there have been 10 prison sentences processed according to Prosecuting Attorney Edward Sweeney.

— Navy Seaman Recruit Stehpanie A. Gipson, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Noal Gipson of Route 1, Purdy, graduated from recruit training for women at the Naval Training Center at Orlando, Florida. A 1969 graduate of Purdy high school and a former student of a Springfield business school, she is scheduled to report to Radioman School in Bainbridge, Maryland.

— The Cassville school district plans to ask the Zoning and Planning Commission for a change in classification on a parcel of property in the west edge of town that will permit construction of a bus barn at the location. Superintendent James Ford said board of education action on the proposal Monday night set the project in motion. Purpose of the structure would be to move the transportation department of the present campus. At this time the king bus garage and parlot adjoin the elementary playgrounds on the campus. Purchase of the land is contingent on obtaining a zoning change. Involved in the proposal is a 255 x-131-foot lot on West 14th Street owned by Eugene Clark. The present owner will make the request to the zoning commission at an early date. The property, which adjoins Continental Telephone Co. headquarters, is presently zoned A-Residential. Under this classification buildings of this type are not permitted. However, industrial property classification is about one -half a block away from the location. Process of changing the classification will include a public hearing before the Zoning and Planning commission, at which area property owners will be permitted to express their opinion of the project. Ford said specifications on the building are being developed by architects employed by the board of education.

40 years ago

Aug. 17, 1983

— Gary Norris Ford-Mercury of Cassville has announced plans for a tire, wheel, battery and clean-up shop in the former Vanice Chevrolet Building, Fifth and Main here. Mrs. Norris said the firm manager would be John Milner. A September 1 opening is anticipated.

— Well problems for the city of Cassville at the FASCO Industries location were solved Friday, according to Jo Ledgerwood, city clerk. She said motor repairs to the pump were accomplished without replacing the unit. Appeals to local residents the day before to conserve water received a good response from water users, the city official said.

— Wheaton’s new post office, replacing a structure that burned earlier this year, is open in the former G & P Hardware Building. The structure was remodeled by Prewitt Construction Co. Postmaster Anna Hughes said the office had been furnished with new patron boxes and other equipment. Services were continued in the Community Building until the new location was available.

— One-hundred-degree temperatures at the beginning doesn’t look like football season, but the Wildcats are in Cassville sessions, practice making preparations for their September 2 opening at home with the Berryville, Ark. Bobcats. Coach Ron Martin and his staff which is in charge of trills for seventh through 12th grade hopefuls, are in preparation for a 20-game schedule for the entire program. “It will be the year of a youthful program, cording to Martin. He’s Talking about the varsity Wildcat squad being heavy on sophomores that moved. Up from last year’s highly Successful freshman team. Cassville will have a good schedule for the youthful Wildcats, playing their first two games at home. Heavy participation is noted in the sophomore class, including: Darin Waldrop, Mike Anglum, Cary Skinner, Bobby Haenig, Jim Hare, Paul Bailey, Tim Miller, Jeff Stockton, Jeff Long, Billy Knudtson, Doug Bowman, Kirk Anderson and Roy Frank Edmondson. Martin said jobs, vacations and other commitments have kept some of the prospects out of the first week of drills. Additional personnel is expected next week as the Wildcats prepare for their opener, which for the first time in history will be before the start of school.

30 years ago

Aug. 11, 1993

— Job Shop, a commercial machine operation, has opened in Cassville, according to owner Melvin Garrett. The former Cassville manufacturer is coming out of retirement with installation of equipment in an extensive shop near his home just west of First Street and Highway 37. Garrett said the shop would include automotive engine resurfacing, grinding, lathe and mill work, welding, truss building and all types of iron work. Emergency work will be completed anytime.

—BarryCountyofficers, the Highway Patrol and the Marijuana Eradication unit combined to successfully destroy 268 marijuana plants in the Eagle Rock area. After watching the cultivated patch for several days, it was decided by officers to destroy the plants with no arrests being made.

— With an export business increase of 60 percent expected during the next year, Luck ‘E’ Strike USA, of Cassville this week will start a 10,000 square foot expansion of company facilities. John Hendricks, Jr., president, said the firm’s successes at the recent American Fishing Tackle Manufacturers Association convention in Las Vegas, Nv., prompted the move. Spaces in the building addition in Cassville Industrial Park will convert the building to an L-shape, joining the existing 26,000 square foot structure. Hendricks said this week, “Our big increase in overseas business, exclusive in Finland and Hungary, expansions in Australia and Germany necessitate the expansion.

A new Japanese contract with a firm running 180 retail outlets will enhance our shipments that direction, “ he concluded. With the building expansion, soft plastics and lead manufacturing currently in a Shell Knob building will be moved to Cassville. Hendricks said employment opportunities would increase once the firm gets new products and increased business online. Cassville employee numbers are currently 30 with another 19 working at Shell Knob. These numbers will be increased up to 25 immediately, said the Luck ‘E’ Strike official. A trademarked product of Luck ‘E’ Strike is leading the charge in Japan, where one company has ordered 62 colors of Ring Worms in an initial quantity of 60,000 dozen, that’s 720,000 worms. Luck ‘E’ Strike USA was named regional exporter of the year last year by the U. S. Small Business Administration. The firm also received similar recognition from the State of Missouri. As excavation on the building expansion begins this week, the metal building will be erected by Contractors, Inc., owned by Kenneth Phillips. Hendricks, his wife Robyn and sister Marty Allen own the business. Luck E’ Strike came to Cassville full-time in 1985. The firm was the first to locate in the 60-acre industrial park at the southwest edge of town. The five-acre site was negotiated by the Cassville Industrial Development Corporation through the city of Cassville. Another company product, pork rind products produced exclusively by a Paris, Tn., firm, is boosting sales throughout the world. Hendricks said the trailer and floating attachments for baits has been a big boost for shipments from Cassville. At the AFTMA show this year, Luck ‘E’ Strike was one of 1326 exhibitors from throughout the world.

— Heavy construction units of Snyder Construction Co. of Joplin are beginning to arrive at the Cassville municipal airport to begin adding 600 feet onto the length of the runway. The joint federal, state, and city project is expected to begin full blast this week. Even with bulldozers and earth movers going about their jobs, Cassville still doesn’t know how much will be involved in costs to purchase two plots and acquire air easements over a couple of more areas. Snyder’s bid on the project to include other features in the improvement, extension of lighting, existing runway overlay, taxi-ways, etc., amounts to $582,649.85. Engineering cost totals will run in the $80,000 range. Engineer estimates on the project amounted to $712,443. City officials have yet to hear cost figures involved in adjacent property acquisitions. Two appraisal firms have been employed to provide those figures. Involved is the outright purchase of 10 acres owned by Kathy Hynes, across a county road at the west end of the project. Engineers from Bucher, Willis and Ratliff of Kansas City and government agencies involved recommended purchase to omit any problems with easements on this property. A dwelling is located near the end of the runway when the extension is completed. Another purchase will involve a pieshaped piece of land from Mr. and Mrs. Richard Weddington. Easements will be required from Mr. and Mrs. Troy Sapp and Mr. and Mrs. Gene Schlichtman. City clerk Jo Ledgerwood said under project guidelines, two appraisal firms, one from Lebanon, another from Springfield, will set payment schedules for the proper-ty. These firms, respectively, have contracts not to exceed $4,300 and $8,500 for their services.

—Stephen Blankenship of Jenkins was on the list of students who were named to the summer semester honor roll by SMSU. Of the 7,839 students enrolled, 791 were named on the list. Students must earn at least a 3.5 grade point average and completed at least six credit hours during the summer semester.

— The Missouri Department of Natural Resources has awarded 18 grants totaling more than $4 million to community action agencies, one local government agency and one United Way affiliate to weatherize 2,744 homes of low-income families throughout the state. The grants are provided through the weatherization program of the department’s Division of Energy. The agencies will use the grants to provide home energy improvements such as insulation, weather stripping, caulking and storm windows for individuals and families that meet federal low-income guidelines. “Because many low-income households use a disproportionate amount of energy due to the energy-inefficiency of their homes, the benefits of the weatherization program are even greater, “David Shorr, director of the Department of Natural Resources, said. “The environment benefits by the reduction in demand from power plans, plus money that was previously spent on energy bills is put back into the economy of the local community in other ways.” More than 116,000 homes have been weatherized since the inception of the weatherization assistance program in 1977. The grant money, administrated by the department’s Division of Energy, comes from federal Department of Energy funds and oil-overcharge funds allocated to the states.