July 2024

Sophomore Pilgrim Zee Brown tours state capitol
Exeter High School sophomore Zeanndrea (Zee) Brown was selected as the 2024 recipient of the Silver Leaf Benefit Club’s Sophomore Pilgrimage scholarship. Brown joined chosen high school sophomores from across the state in Jefferson City on the second Tuesday in April for a tour of government buildings and lunch with elected state officials.

Cassville grad wins national FBLA award
A Cassville graduate is making a major mark in the collegiate Future Business Leaders of America scene. Crowder College student Grant Preddy, of Cassville, is the National Champion in Finance, a title he won at the FBLA National Leadership Conference in Orlando, Fla., recently.

Kyle Troutman: It’s in your hands
In six days, Barry County voters who select a Republican ballot in the Primary Election will have their say in 10 contested races for local, state and national positions. While all the state and national winners on the GOP ballots will have Democrat opponents — including our state house and state senate districts — for the three contested races locally, Tuesday represents the culmination of a long and arduous campaign season with no opponents waiting in the wings.

Dakoda Pettigrew: The hateful embrace
The temperature in the Old Senate Chamber reached a sweltering 90 degrees — but within Charles Sumner raged a fire hotter than any that could be accurately recorded. On May 19, 1856, the avowed abolitionist senator from Massachusetts rose to deliver a 112page speech on “The Crime Against Kansas.” As with Lincoln, the Kansas-Nebraska Act stirred a flame of defiance within Sumner.
County Treasurer Tripp endorses Malek for state treasurer
Missouri State Treasurer Vivek Malek has announced that Barry County Treasurer Gretta Tripp has endorsed his candidacy for the full term as State Treasurer. The Republican primary election will be held on Tuesday.

6 cheerleaders nominated for All-American
Cassville had six squad members nominated for the National Cheerleaders Association All-American: Violet Rillstone, Caysee Stillings, Jadyn Stewart, Lilli Proffitt, Arianna Greathouse and Mckenzie Wall.

Southwest grad gets rootEd scholarship
Jordan Long, of Washburn, a 2024 Southwest High School graduate, was recently named as a recipient of the rootEd Undergraduate Scholarship. The root-Ed Undergraduate Scholarship offers students attending a 4-year University up to $12,000 a year for five years.

Electric co-op youth program means education, fun
Mallory Kelly, of Wheaton High School, was among the 85 students from across Missouri who participated in the Missouri Electric Cooperative CYCLE (Cooperative Youth Conference and Leadership Experience) program. The conference was held July 16-19, 2024 at the DoubleTree Hotel in Jefferson City.
News Briefs, July 31
The Southwest School District will hold an open house on Aug. 15 in all three buildings.

Northern Commissioner candidates participate in forum
Two candidates for county government stood together on Thursday to answer a set of 10 questions at the Cassville Democrat’s Northern Commissioner Candidates Forum on Thursday at the FEMA Event Center in Cassville.