50 years ago
March 20, 1974
— State Too In Quandary About Highway Work
The 352 miles of state roads in Barry County face the same problems of maintenance and improvement as do county roads according to Bill Maroney, county maintenance supervisor for District Seven of the Missouri Highway Department. Costs of oil and materials will directly determine the amount of work that will be accomplished. Maroney said this week the county has $45,000 state •funds available for major summer leveling work on the highways. How far this will reach with increased costs has not been determined. The department has been told by oil companies that their purchases this year will be on the open market and not under contracts as in the past. Last year oil costs were about 13 cents a gallon. This year they could run as high as 30 cents, according to some estimates. Last year the state used 900,000 gallons of oil on 84 miles of leveling and routine maintenance. One salvation for the county might be that major winter breakup of asphalt roads has not been experienced. A mild winter is responsible for this asset in highway work possibilities. Maroney voiced the opinion of other area highway and road district people who at this time are uncertain about road work in the area under present shortages and spiraling costs. While a proposed program of work is ready for the State Highway Department in this area, it will not be released until scheduled meetings of county supervisors later next month.
— Schools $640,542 Richer With State Payments
Barry County school districts are $640,542 richer this week with their receipt of state aid funds from the Missouri Department of Education. The respective district receipts have been credited to accounts by Vedes Davis, county treasurer. According to the treasurer’s records, the March payment brings to a total of $1,791,071 receipts for this school year. Previous amounts received totaled $703,234 in September and $448,295 in December. breakdown of the districts and their amounts includes: Wheaton $48,291, Southwest $101,898, Exeter $38,348, Cassville $149,397, Purdy $78,211, Golden $4,940, Jenkins $14,790, Shell Knob $10,745 and Monett $193,922. Payments of state funds to the districts are made quarterly on the basis of average daily attendance and pupil numbers.
— Rowland going abroad
Wayne Rowland, dean of the school of journalism at Drake University, and one time Cassville resident, has been named for a two-week visit to Germany next month as a representative of the print industry to familiarize himself with modern German press and mass media facilities. Several years ago Rowland, brother of Dale Rowland of here, made similar trips to Korea and the Philippine Islands.
40 years ago
March 21, 1984
— Wierman Named To Barry Electric Post
An unexpired term on the Barry Electric Cooperative board of directors was filled by appointment Monday night. Richard Wierman, a cattleman in the Star City community, was named to the post, according to Joe Preddy, manager. Wierman will replace the late Earl Patton who passed away last year. Wierman will serve the remainder of the term, which expires with the annual meeting in 1985. Barry Electric’s up-coming annual meeting, April 12, at the American Legion Home in Cassville, will see the full election process name three members of the board. All incumbents, candidates were nominated in district meetings earlier. Included are Glen Hall and Glen Craig of Cassville and Cherry Warren of Exeter. Holdover directors include: Coy Harper of Wheaton, Frank Armstrong of Washburn, Curtis Thomas and Harry Eaton of Cassville and Lester Purdom of Jenkins. The board makes administrative decisions for the electric distribution cooperative that serves most of the south half of Barry County.
— Pre-Spring 3.43” Rain Douses Area
Spring arrived in unusual manner in Barry County, complete with a 3.43 inch recording of snow flurries Monday even-snow indies Maintaining, and temperatures scheduled to drop below freezing before a warming trend arrives. Rainfall was reported from the U.S. Forest Service in the Saturday and Sunday thunderboomers that went through the area. The storms were accompanied by heavy sleet that went through the county on the mid-east side, Hail was reported at Seligman. Weekend rainfall measured at Roaring River State Park was 3.3 inches. Major construction projects here at Cassville Manor nursing center and Justin Boot Company were delayed in the heavy soakings. Three Flat Creek bridges, at Black, Hungry Hollow and Route Y at the old Hancock place, were not crossable. In two cases of minor crossings, approaches were washed. The county road crossing had the low water bridge structure broken in the middle. A bridge floor at a Roaring River State Park crossing was heavily damaged. Also at the park, debris virtually covered some picnic tables and trash facilities were washed down-stream. Cattlemen were also in the fields replacing fences and waterway gaps that were washed in the heavy runoff. After the official opening of spring early Tuesday morning, the area is promised a warm-up later in the week. Table Rock Lake levels, down to the 906 mark before February snow run-off began, were reaching back toward the 915 top-of-power pool readings this week.
30 years ago
March 9, 1994
— HEALTH POST
Named as director of pharmacy services for the U. S. Bureau of Prisons is a Cassville native, commander John Babb. He will be moving to Washington, D. C. to assume the post. Babb, 48, is a pharmacist with the U.S. Public Health Service, assigned to the Bureau of Prisons. He has been with the service in Memphis, Tn. A son of Mr. and Mrs. B. F. Babb of Cassville, he attended Cassville schools into the middle school level, eventually completing high school in Mississippi. He received a bachelor degree from Memphis State and his pharmacy degree from the University of Tennessee. In his new assignment, Babb will supervise pharmacy operations at the 76 federal prisons in the United States. His family will remain in Memphis through the completion of school. Babb was among an early string of Eagle Scouts through Troop 76 in Cassville. He is a frequent visitor with his parents here.
— Hopefully, Winter’s Last Slap At Area
When Barry County gets a snowstorm that produces levels above knee high, it is usually in the early spring. There are reasons for this, principal above them being the usual flow of moisture from the gulf regions and its meeting of cool weather out of the north. Such a collision was evident over the south part of the county throughout the day Tuesday. Measurements of 18-20 inches resulted in school cancellations, business and commerce went to a virtual standstill as firms closed for the day Tuesday. Power outages were widespread along the south part of Table Rock Lake served by Carroll Electric Co-op. Barry Electric had three lines out in remote areas serving about 200 people. The Horner community was out near Cassville for sometime. While the area took on the look of a winter wonderland, highway and road district crews got on the wet snow and made travel possible Wednesday morning. Most damage in the storm could have been to boat docks on Table Rock that were breaking and sinking from the heavy snow on roofs. Snow fell in the area from about daylight Tuesday through just after dark that evening. Five miles north of Monett there was no snow reported at 3 p.m. Tuesday.
— Hobbs graduates
A Cassville student, Cary J. Hobbs, has graduated from Franklin Technical College in Joplin as a licensed practical nurse. He was among 21 in the class and is now employed in Carroll County Hospital, Berryville, Ar.
— Water Table Dropping Calls For Treating Wells
Plans are in the making for Cassville to bid a project this summer to chlorinate the municipal water system in an effort to elimitate odors in the system. Water users in the city continue to experience sulphur smells in the water after two new wells were cut into the system late last year. Mayor Rolland Meador, responding to questions at a city council meeting Monday night, explained officials have investigated the system and found no problems with purity of safe standards, but noting general dropping of water tables could be causing some of the problems. Going to a drawing board, Meador said Cassville’s existing sources of water, three in use at the time of $1.1 million being spent on drilling two new wells and installing towers, probably experienced a lowering of water levels with the addition of new sources in the water supply level. The water table lowering has been developing over a period of years as deep-level sources are tapped and consumption continues on the rise. Meador said Monday that accumulations on existing well walls might be flaking into the system as pumps are lowered, as has been the case in two of the three main wells. Chlorination of the system, expected to eliminate some of the odor problems, would begin after a program is developed and bids are accepted this summer. The mayor said city public works departments had been advised by project engineers and the Missouri Department of Natural Resources that some of the problems being currently experienced, would show improvement as the system is used more. Some problems have resulted after repairs are completed when higher pressure broke old distribution lines and larger lines were installed from the new tower locations. Covering an individual problem, Cassville Senior Housing Authority’s complex on Townsend Street had two representatives at the council session. Truman Baker and Bill Beck were inquiring into water quality at the project. City response to the problem is that the apartments are served on a dead end line with residents among the lowest users of water for the number of people residing in the duplexes. A suggested looping of the water line to create constant flow of water through the system will be investigated. Costs of the project have not been determined.
