Dec. 18, 1974 — PARTIAL ECLIPSE
The silhouetted clock at the First National Bank read 9:23 a.m. Friday as the sun reached this phase of a solar eclipse over Cassville. Partly cloudy weather permitted this telephoto shot of the event. The high point of the event was at 9:10 a.m. when the moon covered about 40 percent of the sun’s surface. The phenomenon occurs about once every three years. The entire show over Cassville started at 8:10 a.m. and was finished by 10:45 a.m.
— YOUNG RECORDING ARTIST GETS BREAK Will a dream come true? Who knows: For Robby England, Exeter, son of Mrs. Lela Cole, it just might. Robby is a young and talented country pop singer and guitar player. His dream as a small boy was to be able to play and sing well enough that people everywhere would enjoy his music. This past October, Robby got the opportunity to take a trip to Nashville, Tennessee. There he signed a contract with the recording studio and cut his record. He came out with a real good one. The titles are “I Feel Good When You’re With Me” and “For The Love Of A Girl”. Robby has everything going for him right now. He is 20 years old, single, with a good personality and voice. He is an intelligent young man despite the fact he didn’t get as much education Tedobyoer in school as he would have Robby says “I don’t really remember when I became interested in music. It runs in my mother’s family and I think I was just born a music lover with a great desire to play and sing. I love to sing and it comes natural for me, as easy as talking and a whole lot more fun. I love every minute of a song. It’s my way of having fun. It’s not like a job for me.” “It’s too early to tell what my record will do. However, it seems to be going over even better than I expected at this point. Even if I never go any farther I could never feel that I had failed. You just don’t fail at something you enjoy as much as I like to play and sing. There will always be someplace for me to entertain and someone who enjoys my music and there will always be someone who will shake my hand and tell me I have done a fine job. For me this is worth more than money.” There may be those in later years who will say “I knew Robby was pushing too hard too fast and this only caused him to fail”’. They may say I wasn’t Nashville material. For myself I will never fail as long as God sees fit for me to keep my health and I can play and sing. I count my blessings often and thank God almost every day because I am healthy and I realize there are so many who are less fortunate than myself. Could it be that through my music I can help brighten someone’s day. I love to see people smile and be happy. It always makes me feel good when people enjoy hearing me sing. I try not to bore those who do not enjoy hearing me but I could sing all night and still not be tired when I feel someone is enjoying my music. Being able to make this record has really been a break for me and I will be forever grateful.”
40 years ago
Dec. 19, 1984
— DIOXIN BURN EQUIPMENT AT FARM LOCATION The Blue Goose, a threeunit mobile incinerator which government officials hope may solve some of Southwest Missouri’s dioxin problem, arrived in the area Friday. Loaded into a 10-trailer caravan, the incinerator arrived in the Springfield area Friday night and was expected to enter the James Denney farm site near Verona Saturday morning after traveling from its home in Edison, New Jersey. Dr. Ralph Hazel, a scientist with the Environmental Protection Agen-cy, says the complete unit should be set up by next week, with test burns of uncontaminated materials to begin early next year. “We will come back immediately after New Years and start a shake down of the unit,” he says. The shakedown involves firing the incinerator with empty kilns to ensure that all the electronics and tubing is properly hooked up. After that, the unit will conduct test burns on No. 2 diesel fuel and clean soil. The first sample of dioxin-tainted soil will be burned by mid-January, Hazel says. After sample burns begin, he says, the EPA will monitor the results to determine the most efficient temperature and load levels for destroying the chemical. When that data is returned, in approximately one month, the unit will begin work on known area dioxin deposits. Those would include the buried soil at the Denney site, stored dioxin-tainted liquids in Neosho and soil from other Verona area farm sites. No soil from the Baldwin Park area in Aurora will be included in the burn because of the extent of the problem in that area will still not be known by the time the incinerator must return to New Jersey. The EPA and Missouri Department of Natural Resources have a one-year permit to operate the incinerator on the Denney farm site. The project, in the extreme northeast corner of Barry County, is intended to destroy about 25,000 gallons of dioxin-contaminated waste at the farm, part of waste from a defunct chemical company buried there four years ago.
— ROUTE F PROJECT TO GALENA CONTRACTOR The Missouri Highway and Transportation Commission has awarded a project totaling $362,862.15 to the Joe Stewart Construction Company of Galena, for the replacement of a low water crossing on Route F, in Barry County. Joseph A. Mickes, District 7 Engineer, said that this project would involve the replacement of the metal pipes across Off Davis Hollow Branch on Route F just east of Roaring River State Park. This area has long been a problem due to the flooding which occurs five or six times a year, making the road impassible. The new structure will be a multiple opening concrete box culvert which will handle ordinary flood waters. During the construction of the new culvert, traffic will be handled over short by-passes and over the existing road. Care should be taken while traveling in the area to avoid the equipment working there. Little inconvenience should be caused to the traveling public and work should be completed in the summer of 1985. The work is under the jurisdiction of Mickes, from the Joplin office. The resident engineer for the project will be Gary Miller who may be contacted at the Neosho office.
30 years ago
Dec. 7, 1994
— PARK PLAN HOLDS; SETBACK WITH CONSULTANT Location plans for a multi-million dollar project at Roaring River State Park won’t be changed. That’s the word this week from Douglas Eiken, director of the Division of State Parks. Eiken was in Roaring River in September to review the hillside location of the $4.2 million motel, restaurant and store facility. A projected three week decision period was apparently complicated in setbacks with the Kansas City consulting firm that has been designing the project four years. Eiken said in his letter the state’s Division of Design and Construction had informed him the firm “has a tax lien filed against his practice.” The designer has assured the state agencies, “the plans for the lodge will be completed.” Eiken’s comment, “we are, uncertain though, as to the delays this will cause. 99 Further text of Eiken’s letter follows: “I am sorry for the delay in informing you of the status of the Roaring River Lodge Project. We had put all plans on hold until after the November 8 election. The following is an update on the status of the project. After hearing the comments and reviewing the project process, 1 have asked staff to proceed with this project as originally designed. It is my opinion that this project has incorporated adequate public input and followed a normal and professional project process. However, some of the issues that were discussed at our September 2, 1994, meeting will be addressed. We have studied the issue of parking and will propose additional parking spaces. Secondly, we are coordinating with the Missouri Highway and Transportation Department regional staff to ensure egress into and out of the lodge site complies with the state standards for site distances and geometry.” Eiken came to the park in early September as a result of differences of opinion concerning location of the new two-story facility on the hillside on Highway 112. Opposition to the location had been expressed from several avenues in this area as a result of access, safety and compatibility with the remaining features of the park. At the time, Eiken said the parks division had “no ego” concerning the location or design of the facility. Of the original funds provided by the legislature out of State Parks and Soil Conservation sales taxes, parks officials last fall said $3.87 million remained in the fund, an adequate amount to construct the facility. At the time of the meeting, Eiken and James Crabtree, director of planning and development for Department of Natural Resources, assured the group the project, initially started in 1990, was “now on spring and construction completion in 1996.” In his communication noting no location change was being considered, Eiken did not elaborate further as to what delay consultant problems might cause in building the 45,000 square foot facility. As stated in his letter, park plans are for expansion of parking facilities from the two acre design to handle 90-plus vehicles. Plans call for the restaurant to seat 300, store area to occupy 3,000 square feet and 24 motel units in the com-plex. Possibilities of providing more housekeeping units for the park in addition to the project were not addressed in Eiken’s letter. That avenue of improvement had been approached by concessionaire Jack Nickols during the fall meeting. Previous delays in the project, over the first three years since original funding was approved, brought “off the record” comments from both Eiken and Crabtree in September. Consultant problems noted in the letter was the first solid comment from the parks division concerning the length of time required in putting the project toward a contract.
— STUDYING WAYS TO KEEP COWS CONTENTED Dairy producers are learning new ways to keep cows comfortable at a dairy conference being held at the University of Missouri this week. One way to make a cow contented is to give them cow mattresses in the loafing barn. Currently mattresses on test are filled with washed river sand. Barry Stevens, extension dairy specialist reported on his cow comfort research underway at the MU Foremost Dairy Farm. The dairy mattresses are made of woven polypropylene filled with three or four inches of sand. “It’s important that the sand be washed,” Steevens said. “Sand with dirt in it cakes and becomes hard.” “Cows prefer a soft bed over a hard bed,” Stevens said. Other fillers for cow mattresses include straw, shredded tires and sawdust. Clean, dry beds are the first line of defense against mastitis, an udder inflammation, David Hardin, MU extension veterinarian, told the 120 dairy producers attending the opening session of the annual University Extension Commercial Agriculture dairy conference. Mastitis is a problem on every dairy farm in the state, Hardin said. He estimates three out of every 10 cows in the state develop clinical cases, where milk is lost, at some time each year. That adds up to estimated $40 million loss to state dairy producers. The losses are in production and added veterinary and pharmaceutical expenses.
