March 28, 1973
— A Table Rock Lake area building and supply business, Central Crossing Building Supply, has been sold. A six-member corporation purchased the business this week from Mr. and Mrs. Herschel Stehlik of Cassville. Headed by Lowell R. Paine as president, the purchase included property and inventory of the firm, opened in June of 1969 by the Stehliks. Also involved in the purchase under True Value Lumber and Home Center, Inc., is Homer A. (Bud) White, vice-president; Thomas E. Smith, secretary and Ira DeJarnett, treasurer all of Shell Knob. Also associated with the new firm are Don Paine of Spence, Iowa and Don Williams of Lamonte, Missouri. Paine said this week the firm will continue maintenance of full lines of building supplies and materials and appliances. Bob James will continue as manager with Bill Foster as the assistant. All the officers in the corporation making the purchase are Shell Knob area businessmen. None of the Stehlik’s business interests in Cassville, Seligman, Ash Grove or Osceola were involved in the transaction.
— Area streams into wild rivers — With 27.21 inches of rainfall recorded in the Cassville area in the past six months, it’s understandable that streams throughout the Barry County Ozarks are taking on the appearance of wild rivers. Mrs. Charlotte Vinson, weather observer for the Cassville district headquarters of Mark Twain National Forest, says 7.30 of the total amount has fallen in March. This produced the biggest total measurement for the month in the 22 years of record keeping at the station. Since January 1 there has been 13.48 inches recorded. October through December last year added 13.73 inches to the six-month total. Table Rock Lake level stood at 919.4 as of Tuesday, still nudging at the top of the power pool at 920 elevations despite draw-dowm at the dam.
— Seligman’s boxing team competed at the western Arkansas tournament at Ft. Smith last week, returning with two championships, one runner -up and six others who made good showings before being eliminated. Coaches Randy Gauwain, Richard Sinclair, Joe Tate and John Sinclair say they were well pleased with the youthful boxers and their performances. They said the matches were good training for a planned event at the Washburn high gym on April 7 at which many teams from the four-state area are expected.
— To Lowry AFB—— Airman Teresa A. Leeper, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Joe C. Leeper of 1504 Luney Drive, Cassville, has been assigned to Lowry AFB, Colorado, after completing Air Force basic training; inuring her six weeks at the Air Training Command’s Lackland AFB, Texas, she stud. led the Air Force mission, organization and customs and received special instruction in human relations. The airman has been assigned to the Technical Training Center at Lowry for specialized training in the supply field. Airman Leeper is a 1972 graduate of Cassville high school.
40 years ago
March 23, 1983
— Marple Named Big 8 President — Officers for the 1983-84 school year were elected and basketball championships were awarded at a meeting of the Big Eight Conference, held in Joplin with MHS Principal David Sippy presiding. Named as president was Jerry Marple, principal at Cassville, with Don Johnson of East Newton named as vice president and Joel Denney of Aurora elected secretary. Basketball championships were awarded to Lamar and East Newton girls and Lamar, Mt. Vernon and Monett boys. Also during the session, sites for two spring meets were set with the first Big Eight Golf Tournament to be at Cassville on April 25 and the first Big Eight Track Meet scheduled for Missouri Southern State College in Joplin on April 28.
— National band award—Michael King, son of Mr. and Mrs. T.J. King, Cassville, has become recipient of the 1983 United States National Band Award. This award is a prestigious honor very few students can ever hope to attain. The United States Achievement Academy recognizes less than 10% of all American high school students. Michael was nominated for this award by his band director, Jeanette Cowherd.
— Happy Days Learning Center has sold — Mrs. Sue Trotter has announced the sale of Happy Days Learning Center here to Mr. and Mrs. Gary Lee and Mr. and Mrs. Ted Coatney, all of Exeter. Mrs. Trotter retained ownership of the building at 1308 Harold Street.The new owners will assume operation of the center on Monday, March 28. Wilda Lee and Carla Coatney will be operating the day care school and will continue the same hours, routines, etc. Mrs. Trotter will continue in her position as Home Economics instructor at the Cassville high school.
30 years ago
March 17, 1993
— Elimination of county personal and real estate taxes in Barry County by 1996 would be possible if a one-half cent sales tax goes on the ballot in June and is approved. The plan came out of a meeting of sales tax advisory committee for the county commission Tuesday night. Dayton Mackey of Monett was named chairman of the group to coordinate an informational program if and when the issue becomes official with the commission declaring an election in early summer. With the proposed sales tax raising about $950,000 annually under present conditions, commission members Red Edens of the south district and Willadean Ray of the north, said passage in June would permit the commission in 1994 to eliminate personal taxes. In 1995 the county will have paid road districts a $I00,000 debt, accomplished some capital improvements and would eliminate one-half of the real property tax involved in the county’s present 22 cent per $100 tax levy. Projecting on into 1996, the county’s remaining 11 cent levy would be completely eliminated. Commissioners Ray and Edens said no salary increases are built into fiscal plans of the county. By 1996 county government is projected to be back in the black and require no borrowing.
— Kick-off of a membership drive and announcement of a financial effort to provide new Christmas decorations for Cassville were principal business items of the Chamber of Commerce board of directors in session Tuesday. Jon Horner, president, said the membership drive would initially target 35 prospects for contact but would not necessarily limit contacts to that number. In an effort to increase support and participation in the 150-mem-ber civic group, Horner said directors would team to make the contacts. Their breakout, Horner and Michael LeCompte, Stan Kelley and Dr. Dale Assing, Bill Shiveley and Annette Henderson, John Sullivan and Landon Fletcher, Mark Smith and Greg Beck, Merle Rogers and secretary Sonya Chasteen.
— Sales tax receipts for local entities has been reported by the Missouri Department of Revenue. Included were: Barry county road and bridge $14,987.84, Cassville general revenue $58,619.62, bond issue $29,300.40; Purdy $5,493.13, Seligman $3,461,05, Washburn $2,021.64.
— A St. Joseph banker and cattle-man, John L. Saunders, 50, has been named director of the Missouri Department of Agriculture by governor Mel Carnahan. The department is charged with finding new markets for the state’s agriculture products and making the department run more efficiently by the new director.
— Purdy Farmer Joins Dairy Center Event — Larry Purdom, of Purdy, joined in groundbreaking cere. monies last week for a new technical center at Mid-America Dairymen, Inc., headquartered at Springfield. Purdom is a member of the Mid-Am corporate board of directors. The new stateof- the-art dairy product research facility features functional research and development laboratories, as well as a small scale pilot plant to test current and new plant processes. “Product research and development is very important to the future of our business,” says Purdom. “Consumers today want to try new products, but they are looking for products that are low in fat and have other special properties. The new technical center assures that Mid-Am members will be represented in the marketplace with the kind of products consumers want to buy.”
— Cassville city government and FASCO Industries have no problems relating to a former Neosho laboratory employee faking results of waste-water tests two years ago. Both city clerk Jo Ledgerwood and FASCO plant manager Mike McCracken said their association with the test lab terminated two years ago. That is about the time Randall Ford, 36, of Cargill Analytical Services, has been charged by the federal government in making false reports. Charges stemmed from Ford making reports which he falsified a federally required discharge monitoring report that stated CAS had performed sampling tests. Officials said Ford could not have done the tests “because he did not have the necessary testing supplies on hand in the lab.” He was terminated from the firm in September 1991. He faces a possible two years in prison without parole, plus up to $250,000 in fines. He remains free on bond pending sentencing, a date yet to be set.
— Search For Century Farms Continues — The search is on again for Missouri farms that have been in the same family 100 years or more. These farms will be recognized in the Missouri Century Farm program, which was first launched in the bicentennial year of 1976 as the Missouri Centennial Farm pro-gram. In 1986, the Century Farm program was created. Since its inception, farms have been honored. Sixty-four were honored in 1992. “We know there are more Century Farms out there, and we’re anxious to give them recognition,” Dean Mitchell said. To qualify as a Missouri Century Farm, it must meet these guidelines: The farm must have been owned by the same family for 100 years or more as of July 4, 1993. The family shall consist of direct descendants only. The farm shall consist of not less than 40 acres and must make a financial contribution to the overall farm income.
