50 years ago

April 7, 1976

— Chamber To Request PSC Phone Hearing

The Cassville Chamber of Commerce board of directors went on record Tuesday in requesting the Missouri Public Service Commission to hold public hearings here in relation to requested telephone rate increases by Continental Telephone co. The board request will be forwarded to Jefferson City this week according to Bill Ward, manager. The hearing request followed PSC instructions that communities desiring hearings notify the state capital offices as quickly as possible. Continental Telephone, which serves the entire area of south Barry County, is requesting additional rate increases after being granted hikes less than a year ago. Before the last rate hike, public hearings in Cassville conducted by the commission, attracted testimony from throughout the area. A day-long session was held at the Barry County Bank meeting room. Chamber officials said complete details of the request would be announced when word is received from the PSC. Coming events covered the remainder of the board’s business Tuesday. Included in announcements from Joe Preddy, president and Ward, were: Mother’s Day Trout Derby scheduled for the weekend of May 8-9 at Roaring River State Park. A metropolitan newspaper advertising schedule will be conducted. The busy weekend of July 9-10, during which the Missouri Press Association will be here for their state-wide golf tournament and the Bicentennial committee will sponsor Old Fashioned Political Days with the first weekend of the Cassville Reunion, was also discussed. Ward told the group 5,250 Cassville brochures had been distributed through Ozark Playground Association participation in boat and travel shows this season. He said OPA efforts had returned 128 inquiries through the chamber this month. Board action favored an annual arts and crafts festival here after completion of the successful event over this past weekend. The board commended Mrs. Reba Wolf and her committee in their efforts. The American Legion Home auditorium was packed with 38 exhibitors during the weekend and Monday event. Motel and resort people at the meeting said indications were for large crowds in the area for the up-coming Easter holidays.

40 years ago

April 9, 1986

— Cassville Between Storms; 3.5 Inches General Rain

Sunday and Monday thunder-boomers, that weather forecasters had on the verge of tornado situations, virtually straddled Cassville. Damage, some rather heavy was recorded in the Eureka Springs, Arkansas area Sunday and in the Purdy community Monday evening. The storm that swept through northwest Arkansas, dropped one inch hail in the area. Winds were reported in the area at 60 miles-per-hour. However, the storm didn’t get north of the Missouri-Arkansas line. Chuck Edwards at Eagle Rock Landing, said there was plenty of wind and rain in the area, but didn’t know of any property damage. There was about a half inch of rain that covered the area as the rain showers swept through this area. High humidity Monday afternoon was a forerunner of things to come in a stormy Monday evening. Up to three and one-half inches of rain was recorded generally in this area. There were numerous reports of damage from lightning throughout the area. Heaviest damage in the Monday storm just before 7:00 p.m. was in the Purdy area. Deputy Sheriff Kermitt Howell, whose home was hit by winds and hail and considerable damage reported, said the following incidents had been sighted. Wayne Harris lost a trailer roof and the Nashville West sign was completely destroyed alongside Highway 37. Barn roofs were blown away at the Carl Jordan and Bill Kenney farms. Two metal grain bins at the Sam Hall place were destroyed. Hit heavy were trees in the Ar-nhart community. The cemetery there had several trees down. A number of windows were broken in the high winds and heavy hail. Damage at Butterfield was the Danny Conner mobile home and several outbuildings also suffered damage. Mrs. John McClure, a resident of the Hungry Hollow community down Flat Creek from Cassville, said their area recorded 3.8 inches of rain in about 30 minutes time. Mrs. McClure added this area “is a sight” ‘, with storm damage and limbs off trees. Rainfall in the storms officially at the U.S. Forest Service in Cassville stood at .65 of an inch Sunday and 2.23 inches on Monday evening. Officials said they had received no reports of serious injury involving the pass-through of storms. Joplin weather observers pinpointed the storm locations throughout broadcast interruptions during the early evening hours.

30 years ago

April 3, 1996

— County commission is prepared to accept jail expansion project bids

Plans for expansion of Barry County Jail have reached the bid phase. County commissioners met with members of Archetype Design Group last Thursday to finalize bid specifications on the project, which will cost the county approximately $490,000. The commission divided the project into four separate bid pack-ages: general construction, detention modules, detention equipment and furnishings, and security electronics. Bids are due by 10 a.m. on May 2. A mandatory pre-bid meeting has been scheduled for April 18 at 10 a.m. at the courthouse. A tour of the existing jail will be conducted at that time. Plans and specifications are available for review at the County Commissioners’ office. Presiding Commissioner Cherry Warren said the jail addition will be completed within the 150-day period following notice to proceed. Few changes have been made since Archetype first presented the commission with design plans in December 1995. Warren said the commission opted to change the roof construction to a rubber-based pitch roof. They added sound board in the sheriff’s office and will provide a generator with natural gas hook-up. Warren said the generator is necessary in case of power loss. A key override will also be added to the centralized security system so that cells can be opened electronically or manually. The basic design approved by the commission will add 4,000 square feet to the existing jail. The expansion is designed modularly so that cells can be added on easily. Plans call for the addition of eight jail cells, which would give the county the ability to handle 16 additional prisoners. Each new cell will contain 85 square feet. Four of the cells will be located at the street level and four on a mezzanine level. The jail addition will also include a lobby area, holding cell, booking room, storage rooms, central control room, administrative offices and an enclosed 577-square-foot recreation yard. In other action last week, the commission: 

• Opened bids for county liability insurance. Bids were received from Willis Insurance of Cassville in the amount of $27,753.00, and from Custom Insurance Services, Inc. of Crystal City in the amount of $27,515.00. The commission voted to accept the bid from Willis because the Custom Insurance bid did not include property coverage. 

• Approved March payroll for 73 employees in the total amount of $74,433.26. 

• Opened bids for culverts. Bidders were Thompson Culvert, West Pipe and Viebrock Construction Metal Culverts. The commission accepted the low bid from West Pipe. 

• Appointed Louise Parson to fill a vacancy on the Barry County Health Unit board of directors, which was created by the death of her husband, Don Parsons. Mrs. Parsons will hold office until the next municipal election.

— The legend of the dogwood

Missouri’s state tree, the dog-wood, grows abundantly in the Ozarks. It attracts thousands of tourists each spring. The pink or white dogwood is a celebration of color across the awakening land Ozark residents take great pride in the flowering dogwood and its leg-end. It is said that at the time of the crucifixion, the dogwood was as large and strong as the mighty oak, and its wood was used for the cross. This so grieved the tree, that Jesus in his sympathy, promised that the dogwood would never again grow large enough to be used for such a desecrated purpose. He ordered that the blossoms take the form of the cross, the center a crown of thorns, with nail prints on the edge of each petal and that the tree be cherished as a symbol of the Holy Cross. Every spring the mystical beauty of the dogwood shines brightly throughout the wooded hills and has remained a symbol of love and life.

— SBCH installs new breath analyzer

South Barry County Hospital’s laboratory recently installed an Alco Analyzer 2100 gas chromatograph breath analyzer. The equipment was necessary to meet federal regulations for drug testing as required by several agencies including: Department of Trans-portation; Federal Aviation Agency; Federal Highway, Railroad and Transit Administrations; National Highway Traffic Safety Administration; and the Research and Special Project Administra-tion. The test is a simple non-inva-sive procedure. The operator types in responses to questions that appear on the screen. After the subject blows into the mouth piece, the unit quickly analyzes the breath sample looking specifically for the presence of ethyl (beverage) alco-hol. The system is fool proof. “This equipment is the most legally defendable instrument on the market,” said Laboratory Manager Barbara Herrmann B.S. MT (ASCP). SBCH is the drug screen collection site for Cassville and the surrounding area. Both urine drug screen collection and evidential breath alcohol testing are now available to help area employers meet federal regulations.