50 years ago

Dec. 3, 1975

— Ready Mix and restaurant go to new ownerships 

Two major business changes were recorded in Cassville this week. The Cassville plant of Kay Concrete Products has been acquired by Corky Stehlik, owner of Barry County Ready-Mix in Exeter. The name Barry County Ready-Mix will be used for the Cassville plant. The facility, located at 14th and Presley Drive, recently underwent expansion and equipment upgrades. Jim Sparks will continue with the company operating both locations, and radio communication will soon be added for coordination. Meanwhile, Mr. and Mrs. Richard Fry have sold their Kentucky Fried Chicken in Monett to Carr Enterprises of Cassville and have purchased Ernie’s Chicken Shack south of town, renaming it The Chicken Shack. The Carrs operate KFC franchises in multiple Arkansas cities and have recently opened Cassville offices.

— Barry countians pay $2 million tax at record pace 

Barry County residents are paying taxes faster this year, according to Collector Warren Drake. Receipts for the first two months total $645,940.73, compared to $559,746.58 during the same period last year. A total of $2,082,513.97 is due this year, including a 7.39 percent real estate increase ordered by the Missouri Tax Commission. Last year, $1.8 million was collected, with December accounting for over $1.1 million. After Dec. 31, a 1 percent monthly penalty will be added, up to 10 percent yearly, plus a 2 percent cost penalty. A new state law requires the number of vehicles owned to appear on tax statements to qualify for license renewal. Increased valuations pushed the county’s tax total above $2 million for the first time.

— Major projects at Roaring River to cost $173,000 

Four major capital projects will be completed or started at Roaring River State Park during the off-season, totaling $173,000. Projects include a new restroom and campsite renovation costing $67,000; construction of new hiking and nature study trails at $17,000; remodeling of existing restrooms, picnic areas and repairs totaling $49,000; and repairs to the Dry Hollow wall damaged by flooding, at $40,000. Most projects are scheduled to be completed by the park’s March 1 opening.

40 years ago

Dec. 4, 1985

— Eagles returning to Roaring River State Park for winter 

Bald Eagles have returned to Roaring River State Park from their annual northern migration, according to park naturalist Merle Rogers. The wintering eagles have used the park and other parts of Barry County for hundreds of years, according to Rogers. More and more have been observed over the past 10 years due to population growth in North America, a result largely of banning DDT and other pesticides. Rogers said the eagles are primarily fish eaters but also eat injured or dead waterfowl, rodents and carrion. They are often fed rainbow trout from casualty fish at the park’s hatchery. Most often the birds are observed around open water like Table Rock Lake, Flat Creek and the state park. They come here as northern lakes freeze over. They arrive around the time the park closes Nov. 1 and leave just before March 1 as park traffic increases. Mature eagles were first spotted this year on Nov. 8. Good viewing locations include the hatchery, picnic area and areas between campgrounds two and three. Immature bald eagles have also been seen, roughly the same size but lacking white heads and tails. Rogers will hold a Christmas bird count at the park Dec. 14 beginning at 9 a.m. at the Nature Center.

— Rotary vs. Thrillers roster for Cassville Cassville 

Rotary Club has announced its roster for a Dec. 9 meeting with the Harlem Thrillers in a benefit basketball game supporting Boy Scout Troop 76. Proceeds will help re-roof the Scout House. Tickets are available from troop members or at local banks. Officials will be Gary Youngblood, Kent Novak and Bob Norman, with various local volunteers handling support roles. The Rotary lineup includes Lefty Chip Lawson, Jim LeCompte, Gene Schlichtman, Elvin Kime, Dick Moger, Merle Rogers, Steve Buchheit, Kerry Brooks, Dr. Don Cupps, Tim Frye, Jerry Greuel, Ed Browning and Wayne Deffenbaugh.

30 years ago

Nov. 29, 1995

— Cassville artist’s history paints an interesting canvas 

Frances Latimer is no ordinary woman although she claims otherwise. She has proven herself a gifted artist by creating Cassville’s nativity scene, which will be lit up for all the city to see this Saturday night. She is also responsible for a large oil painting that can be viewed at Roaring River State Park’s Nature Center. Frances’ love of art has guided her through an exciting 85 years of life. While shifting through a stack of old photographs, her friend Sandy Hartley discovered numerous pictures of Frances and Jimmy Durante. When asked about the photographs, Frances quickly shrugs them off. “People nowadays don’t know who Jimmy Durante was,” Frances said. The pictures are mementos from Frances’ short stint in Hollywood during the 1940s. After graduating from high school and taking a secretarial training course, Frances set off for California. She quickly got a job in MGM’s writing department and also worked as an extra. She first spotted Durante when she was looking out her two-story window at MGM. “He called to me and I waved back,” Frances said. She saw him a second time in the MGM parking lot, and he asked her to go to the set with him and then to a benefit. Frances eventually quit her job at MGM to attend Chouinard School of Art in Los Angeles where she studied life drawing. She also worked briefly at a ceramics factory. “We struck up a friendship that lasted five or six months,” said Frances. “He got married and that was the end of that. I got Christmas cards from them (Durante and his wife) for years after that.” In the late 1940s, Frances returned home to Wichita, Kan. where she began what would be a 27-year career at the Wichita Eagle-Beacon. During her tenure she worked her way from fashion artist to head of the art department. Other jobs have included working as a trainee at Hallmark Cards in Kansas City and creating charts in the drafting department at Opalocka Naval Base in Coral Gables, Fla. Frances retired to Cassville in 1978 but hasn’t stopped pursuing her love for art. She now spends her days painting and has her creations displayed on the walls of The Courthouse Café in Cassville, which she affectionately refers to as “her gallery.” “If I couldn’t paint I’d lose my mind,” Frances said. “If you sit still, you rust, and I’m not about to rust. I’m just paintin’ and livin’ and lovin’ it.” She continues to be proud of the 16-piece nativity scene she designed for the city in 1983. Frances explained that she began the project by drawing five-inch figures to scale and then enlarging them to their larger-than-life size. She still has the huge drawings of each piece. “I sometimes don’t think people realize what they’ve got,” Frances said. “We have one of the most beautiful nativity scenes in the area.” Frances lives off of Highway 112 with her treasured dalmatian, Cassie, named for the town she loves.

— Census Bureau statistics show business growth in Barry County 

The number of businesses in Barry County increased by 2.4 percent from 1992 to 1993, according to a new county business pattern report released this week. There were a total of 661 businesses in 1993 compared to 645 in 1992. Employee numbers increased by a greater percentage, growing by 6.5 percent from 9,949 in 1992 to 10,647 in 1993. Annual payroll in 1993 was $184,851,000, an 8.6 percent rise from $168,935,000 the previous year. Based on information released in the U.S. Department of Commerce report, Barry County’s employment numbers were significantly higher than those in the adjoining counties of Lawrence, McDonald and Stone. Newton County was the only nearby county that recorded larger employment numbers than Barry. The number of businesses in Missouri totaled 136,181 in 1993, an increase of 2 percent from 1992. Private sector employment for the state as of March 1993 was 2,040,435 compared with 2,008,554 in March 1992. Annual payroll per employee was $22,915, up 2 percent from $22,457 the year before, while payroll for the state totaled $46.8 billion, up 3.7 percent from $45.1 billion in 1992. The county business patterns report did not provide data about self-employed workers, agricultural production workers, domestic service workers, railroad employees and most government employees. The information listed in the report can be used by businesses and agencies in analyzing market potential.

— Family Services expands to provide workers more space 

The Division of Family Services in Barry County is scheduled to expand its space in the coming months. A 4,500-square-foot addition will be added to the existing building on East Eighth Street that currently houses the offices. County Director Bill Moseley said the division will not be adding employees but will be giving them more room to handle an increasing case load. At the present time, there are 35 staff members crammed into a space built to house about 23 to 27 workers. Desks are lined up side by side, and filing cabinets and stacks of paper cover every available surface. A portion of the conference room is used as a supervisor’s office, and the records room is filled to overflowing. This space must also be utilized by support staff who visit the division offices on a regular basis. The state’s newly initiated Family Assistance Management Information System (FAMIS) will also add to the division’s need for space, according to Moseley. Under this system, Barry County’s Division of Family Services is scheduled to receive personal computers for each of its workers and several printers in May or June 1996. “FAMIS will change the way we take applications (for public assistance) in that it will be more computerized with less paperwork,” Moseley said. “It will be an enhanced modern version that is more efficient, effective and manageable. It will speed service delivery to our people.” These computers will also require more work space. When the new addition is complete, Moseley plans to move his 15 income maintenance workers and their computers into the new portion of the building. The old space will be redesigned to include six individual offices, a conference room, a storage room, a file room, a data room, six interview booths and a family room. County records show that workers’ case loads have increased dramatically since 1986. From January through October 1986, the local division processed 2,116 applications for public assistance, as compared to 6,298 applications for the same ten months this year — a 335 percent increase. Because of downsizing, Moseley said he will not be hiring additional case workers. Work relief will have to come from the new computer system. As the information-gathering system and support network become more efficient, workers will be able to handle a greater volume in less time.