50 years ago
Oct. 24, 1973
— CONCESSION PLAN FOR STATE PARK FUTURE OPERATIONS
Contracts for the operation of stables at Roaring River State Park will be awarded by the Missouri Park Board on November 30 according to Samuel F. Gearhart, concession chief. The contract period will be April 1, 1974 through October 31, 1975 with a renewal option for two years Present holders of the con-tract, Mr. and Mrs. Jim Stacy of Cassville, said this week they had decided not to take up their twoyear option on the operation. They will be completing eight years at the horseback riding concession at the park. Involved in the operation is guided trail rides for the general public and instruction in horsemanship at the park, which annually attracts the largest number of visitors in the Missouri system. James Wilson, director of the Missouri park system, says facilities for the stable contract are open for inspection at any time by contacting Superintendent James Woods. Another major contract in the park, operation of concessions, restaurant and accommodations, will remain under the direction of Mr. and Mrs. Norman Chaney for an additional two years. Mr. and Mrs. Chaney this year complete eight years in the major concession operations. Although options have been available for them in the last four bid periods, proposals have been completed each two years by the Chaneys. Only other bid contract in the park is for ice machine operations which are presently held by Richard Carney. Bids on the saddle horse stable operations will be opened at 9 a.m. on the above date in the park offices in Jefferson City. Current season operations at the park will complete eight months, on October 31. This season has all indications of being one of the most popular in several years.
— TRUCK AND BUS OPERATIONS TOP TRANSPORT NEED
Truck and bus operations in Barry County last year reached an all time high, with 1,391 men and women employed full time and 4,443 truckers registered. Wages and salaries paid to these workers totaled $11,140,519, with another $5, 600,910 going to the county’s merchants for motor fuel, new vehicles, tires, parts and accessories. These are some of the facts contained in a new 32-page reference booklet entitled “Facts About Missouri’s Bus and Truck Industry” compiled by the research committee of the Missouri Bus and Truck Association. The booklet reveals that 1.7 billion dollars worth of Missouri farm products were moved by trucks during the year. The State’s 130,000 farm trucks transported 106 million pounds of fresh fruits and vegetables to 29 major markets throughout the nation. In Missouri three out of five communities no longer have rail service and must depend on trucks and buses exclusively for public transportation. In Barry 67% of the County, without rail communities are is 18 service. This total with 12 communities, without rail facilities. The facts say that since 1935 truck registrations have been increasing twice as fast as the growth in passenger cars. Of the funds available to the State Highway Commission for the construction, maintenance, and administration of the highway system, 40% comes from the truck and bus industry ate through payments in Stand Federal trust fund taxes.
40 years ago
Oct. 19, 1983
— WHEATON PROJECT UNDER DEVELOPMENT
Possible improvements on the Wheaton school district campus will be reviewed in the near future according to Charles Cudney, superintendent. The board of education in a regular session last week employed a Springfield architectural firm to provide guidance and plans. District administrators also announced up-coming parent-teacher conferences set October 28 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Supervising the program will be Don Cope, elementary and L. B. Nolan, high school. Other issues discussed by the board in the session were increasing graduation requirements and possible change of the length of school day and year. Approved was purchase of computer equipment and audit compliances. Members conducting the board sessions were: Joe Higgs, president; Neal Vinyard, Ronald Schad, Lynn Dilbeck, Larry Butler, Lester Prewitt. Connie Forgey is board secretary.
— $2,078,018 TAX BILL IN COUNTY
Approximately 30,000 tax statements went into the Cassville post office Tuesday morning, billing Barry County property owners for a total of $2,078,018.32 in real, personal and merchant and manufacturing taxes for 1983. Mrs. Misha Hull, county collector of revenue, said the taxes were due and payable on or before December 31. Division of the total due includes: real estate $1,451,802.54, personal $522,249.69 and merchant and manufacturing $103,966.09. Of the total due, 74 percent will go to school districts, $1,542,649; 14 percent to road districts, $294,227; eight percent to the county $247,200 and the remaining four percent divided between state, library, ambulance, hospital, health unit and handicap mill levies. Mrs. Hull said the collector’s office would be open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday for the collection of taxes. Included will be the office staffed during the lunch hour. New computer equipment in the collector’s office this year ran tax statements in about three days, according to Mrs. Hull and Mona Bower, deputy. “Back before we received the equipment it required about three months to transcribe, make and address tax statements,” the pair said. Missouri permits a 10 percent allowance for delinquent taxes for county officials figuring income available for the tax year. Mrs. Hull said Barry County last year ran about seven percent not paid by the endof- year deadline.
— CHURCH MINISTER
Bro. Mike Spillman has been named new minister of the Mill Street Church of Christ in Cassville. He replaces Bro. Ron Stough who recently resigned this post after 12 years to accept a church in Oklahoma. Bro. Spillman and wife Janan, will reside in the parsonage adjacent to the church Coming here from Newport, Ark., he previously served as youth minister at the Church of Christ in that community.
30 years ago
Oct. 13, 1993
— WASHBURN BAPTISTS IN 110 YEAR ANNIVERSARY
First Baptist Church in Washburn is celebrating 110 years of existence Tuesday night, October 19. The church will be in revival Sunday, October 17 through Friday October 22, in recognition of the event. Night services will start at 7:00 p.m. Glenn Erwin from Texas City, Texas is evangelist for the revival. There will be special music each night. A nursery will be provided. A special invitation is extended to all former pastors, church officers and their families to attend all of these special services. Tuesday night will be our anniversary celebration. Former pastors and church officers will be recognized. Following the evening service cake and punch will be served. Leon Erwin is pastor of the congregation. This anniversary recognition service is open to the public.
— COX TO PURCHASE ST. VINCENT’S
Cox Health Systems of Springfield, operators of Cox South Hospital, has announced plans to purchase St. Vincent’s Hospital in Monett. Arrangements for the purchase are scheduled in the near future, according to officials of the two organizations. A name change for the 78-bed facility is expected to reflect the new ownership.
— SHOPPING STRIPS IN KNOB’S TIMBER ROCK
Development of three acres at the intersection of Route YY and Highway 39 between Shell Knob and the Central Crossing Bridge will eventually provide a series of shopping strips, individual structures and offices, according to developers, Mr. and Mrs. Robert Baird. Initial site preparation has been underway several weeks. Mr. and Mrs. Baird, originally from Wichita, Ks., own the Timbers Resort on Route YY Lake Road 9 near the Barry-Stone county line east of Shell Knob. The 10-unit facility is open for year-around operations. Baird said this week there were a number of possibilities under consideration for the Timber Rock Village project. The developer speculated building processes would begin in the near future. Timber Rock Village will be developed about one-quarter mile from the bridge connecting the Shell Knob and Viola communities across Table Rock.
— EMERGENCY RESPONSES TO PATROL HELICOPTER CRASH
Response and action time of emergency units when a Missouri Highway Patrol helicopter crashed at the Cassville municipal airport last week were noted by law enforcement agencies in the area. Sheriff Ralph Hendrix said the actions of Cassville volunteer fire department and units of Cox Ambulance Service were both “examples of well trained units that knew what they were doing in an emergency situation.” Both organizations were quick at the scene about 9:30 a.m. last Wednesday when the Hughes 500 aircraft went down as it prepared to land and take on personnel for additional marijuana eradication sweeps through the area. Corporal Mark Tovar, pilot of the unit and passenger sergeant Tim Selvey, both of Troop D Headquarters in Springfield, received only minor injuries in the crash. Both were treated at South Barry County Hospital and transferred to St. John’s Regional in Springfield. Barry County deputy Jack Lowe, who was part of the ground crew waiting for assignment in the drug sweep, said the helicopter approached the airport in what appeared to be “a normal landing. All of a sudden the tail come up on it. It went to getting real erratic. It made four or five turns in the air and then made contact with the ground,” he explained the accident. When the craft struck the ground, sergeant Selvey jumped out of the craft. The pilot was unable to exit because the rotors were still crashing against the ground. When this process ceased Selvey and others on the ground got the pilot out. Cassville firemen at the scene, directed by chief Millard Andrews, began application of retardant foam to the aircraft and the ground, where a heavy leakage of aviation gasoline was evident. Rescuers said it was a wonder the rotor smashing against the runway hadn’t ignited the fuel. There was no fire in the crash of the four-passenger aircraft, acquired by the highway patrol last year. It is one of three leased by the patrol. Value of the aircraft was placed at near the half-million dollar level. Crash of the aircraft is under investigation by the patrol’s aviation division, the Federal Aviation Administration and McDonnel Douglas Aircraft, builder of the craft. The smashed helicopter and debris, gathered from a fairly wide area at the crash scene, was transferred to a hanger at the airport while arrangements were made to move the wreckage to Springfield. Observers at the scene said the craft fell about 30 feet in the crash. Muchofthedamageresulted from the rotors turning before the engine stalled. The witnesses said there was considerable vibration as the craft jumped about the ground when the long rotors struck the ground. Fire danger was rated high as sparks were heavy with each turn of the blade. Law enforcement officers said loss of the craft wasn’t necessarily a signal that marijuana searches would end. Part of the lease agreement the patrol has with the company supplying craft is that replacement will be provided within a number of days if something like the crash occurred.
