50 years ago

Nov. 28, 1973

— FIVE INCHES OF RAIN SWELLS AREA STREAMS, LAKES

Spring-like thunderstorms dumped inches, of rain on areas of Barry County in weekend and first of the week storms that swelled area streams and reservoirs. The official measurement Cassville was 4.84 inches at the U.S. Forest Service according to Paul Curry. Minus the winds that accompany spring storms, heavy lightning did cause some damage. Rural roads were especially hard hit in washing. Some cattle and minor home damage resulted from the heavy lightning. Curry’s review of weather records at Mark Twain National Forest Cassville station has November receiving total of inches of 6.59 moisture to-date. For the year the gauges have caught 59.08 inches, about 17 over normal. This year will probably high stand as the in third rainfall in this area since records are available. Table Rock is expected to crest today (Wednesday) at a 923 elevation, according to Richard Groves, resident engineer. Before the storms the 913.66. reservoir level was the level jumped to 918.33 between Friday and midnight Sunday. Curry said the moisture fell as follows: Saturday, .72 4.05 inches and .07 on Sunday, Tuesday. Heavy rainfall during these periods quickly filled farms, probably ponds winter supply of water and completely saturated the ground. By 9 p.m. Saturday evening three roads in Cassville were cut, two by Flat Creek and a third by run-off farmland west of town. Groves said this week that any time Table Lake is above the 915 top of power pool elevation it “Is classified as flooding.” On the lake proper there are no problems moisture falls unless moisture further complicate the situation up toward the 929 level. Rising waters of the reservoirs prompted reminder from the Army Corps of Engineers that owners of boat docks should take immediate steps to see that their facilities are properly anchored, and that any material on the shoreline be moved to prevent floating into the lake. This is the second high rise of water in the reservoir this year, Extended periods of high levels were experienced in the spring and summer. Table Rock’s power generating facilities were expected to be running around the clock for the next two weeks to handle the run-off water. Unseasonably warm temperatures, from 65 to 51 degrees day and night, accompanied the storms. High winds that struck elsewhere in the fourstate area avoided Barry County. Dry Hollow at Roaring River State Park washed out a portion of a retaining wall at the motel complex. No serious damage was reported. Hatchery personnel were watching over the weekend to make sure there was no damage to walls at the upper spring area of the stream.

— REALTOR OPENS NEW OFFICE

W. H. (Dick) Webb, Cassville realtor, has opened a new office for this area for operation under the name of Land-Mart. Webb’s office is on Highway 112 just south of the Hilltop area. Fulltime real estate services will be featured through the office.

40 years ago

Nov. 30, 1983

— EXETER WILL TRY MEET THIRD TIME

Exeter’s city council has a couple of important pieces of business to transact, providing a quorum of the city fathers can get together. next Monday evening. Mayor Ed Hodgson said this week two previous attempts to consider business had not been successful since aldermen were either out of town or unable to attend sessions. Before the council for about a month is a request from Burlington Northern Railroad to increase the permitted speed of trains passing through Exeter. The request is to try a faster speed for a period of time before a final decision is made. Also before the council is renewal of Gas Service Co. service franchise to the city. Hodgson said Monday night’s session was cancelled, with representatives of the companies involved present, when he, councilman Bobby Stephens and Dollie John-son, city clerk, were the only persons in council chambers. A new date for considering business is set December 5, the mayor said.

— TROJANS PULL FIRST TOURNAMENT UPSET

Southwest-Washburn ambushed second seeded Pierce City 84-63, and two other ranked teams coasted to vic. tory in the Pierce City Tournament. Billings, ranked first whipped Jasper 82-34 and fourth-seeded Wheaton downed Diamond 64-41. James Roller scored 22 points and Robert Hendrix added 19 to pace five Trojans players in double figures. Roger Osborn scored 22 points for Pierce City and Mike Zebert added 13. Derik Ball provided most of. the Jasper offense, pouring in 25 points. Four players scored in double figures as. Wheaton rolled past Diamond. Doug Goostree led the Bulldogs with 16 points and Chris Kennedy scored 14. Hoss Lancaster led Diamond with nine points. Wheaton: 8, Keeler Goostree 16, Kennedy 14, Tichenor 11, Winkler 11 Pointer 4. Southwest: Rose 15, D. Price 16, Haworth 10, Hamblett 2, Hendrix 19, Roller 22.

30 years ago

Nov. 17, 1993

— PARKING LOT PURCHASE, LEVY VOTE R-4 DECISIONS

Purchase of a pieshaped lot across East 14th Street from the R-4 elementary school entrance and officially calling a February 8, 1994, election raising the operating levy of the Cassville school district to a state mandated $2.50, headed board of education business Thursday night. The district paid $14,500 for the lot at 1310 Harold in the S.M. Mitchell addition to Cassville. Board president Tim Frye said the lot would be used for parking and to provide additional space for school activities. The purchase, from Lavern Madison, had been under negotiation two months during executive sessions of the directors. Boundaries of the lot include north line 125 feet on 14th Street, 88 feet on Harold Street and 47 feet on the west line. A resolution from the board “authorized and called an election on a partial waiver of proposition C rollback of the operating levy.” Dr. Dan Bailey, superintendent, said the election would be called by county clerk Rex Stumpff, Barry County’s chief election official. Question in the special election will be increasing the district’s operating levy to a required $2.50 per $100 valuation or required by Missouri to fully qualify for state aid. Cassville’s ballot will call for a $2.75 minimum levy beginning with the 1994 school year. Cassville’s present operating levy is $1.70, requiring a $1.05 increase on the minimum. The ballot proposal will also eliminate a Proposition C rollback provision in levy makeup. The Prop C rollback resulted from Missouri voters several years ago approving a sales tax increase for education which also required local districts to rollback their property tax levies. That provision is being eliminated in the process of the new state laws regarding school financing. In the property purchase, Madison was granted an option to move a dwelling on the property, under a deadline of June 1, 1994. Board action on the two major proposals got concurrence from Frye, John Sullivan, RaDonna Fancher, Mike Ball, Jeff Cooper, Landon Fletcher, and Greg Allen. Administrative reports came from principals Ron Richardson, Martha Dunnam and Jim Orrell. Middle school counselor has been nominated as the Missouri Middle School Counselor of the Year candidate. Bills payable in the session $130,226.59 for general purposes, not including salaries. Excess property sale, coming off the 40-acre new high school site, was authorized for a later date Crowder College course on the R-4 campus this spring were approved for English composition, computer application algebra 10-1, word perfect, general psychology. Orrell’s recommendation for employment of Bonnie Cox as replacement for Nola McMillen at part-time science teacher in middle schools approved. Employment to run the remainder of the school term. A second executive session of the meeting, this to discuss personnel, concluded the meeting. Board secretary Wanda Paul recorded proceedings, district attorney Joe Ellis was in the session as were faculty observers, assistant superintendent Larry Quinalty, purchasing director Marvin Henningson, assistant principal Joe Cavness, Annette Pry, Kim Crosby. Frye said a board briefing on Missouri Mastery Achievement Test, including a fiveyear comparison of R-4 grades two through 10, puts pupils at a median level or above in all categories. He noted the state examination report included comparisons from selected districts only and did not cover the testing of the entire state. Reports on the testing came from principals Orrell and Dunnam. Mrs. Dunnam said the testing program had been changed a number of times by the state. She also noted another change in MMAT testing was scheduled in 1996.

— RAINFALL TOTAL 57.95” DURING STORM SWEEP

Another general soaking of rainfall that produced 4.17 inches in downpours Saturday and Tuesday has kicked local rainfall totals to 57.95 inches for the year. Darlene Murphy, weather observer at the U. S. Forest Service, said Saturday storms brought 3.21 inches with them. A following storm Tuesday dumped .96 of an inch at the Cassville ranger district of Mark Twain National Forest. Murphy’s records put annual rainfall to-date for the area 14.16 inches above the 43.79 inches considered normal for the area. As the official measuring station for the area, the ranger gauges have 4.17 inches for the month of November. Jerry Dean, superintendent of the Roaring River State Park hatchery, said 2.55 inches were measured in rainfall in the park last Saturday. Winds accompanying the storms did considerable damage in a path that went through the south part of the county. Especially hit were areas of Table Rock Lake at Shell Knob, Golden and Eagle Rock. Johnny Roberts of Shell Knob said a number of boat docks, roofs and trees were destroyed in what some people thought were twisting winds. Whether conditions were tornados or straight winds, he said an area near Pla-Port Resort was heavily damaged. The Kunkler home at Twin Rivers areas of Kings and White Rivers suffered heavy roof damage. Trees in the area of Holy Family Catholic Church on the Viola side of the lake were uprooted. The storm’s path covered the same area as pelted by large hail earlier this year. Trees in the area of the George Bunch property at Viola were pushed over. A boat dock near White Cove was turned over with a large cruiser inside which was submerged. Sheriff Ralph Hendrix said no reports of injuries were received by his office. Streams got bankfull in the runoff water. Cattlemen were back at repairing water-gaps in fences for about the fourth time this year.