50 years ago

Aug. 4, 1976

— Close races and sweeps in Barry County Primary vote Tuesday

Voting went mostly as expected in Barry County’s primary Tuesday, but there were upsets and tragedy in state ballot reports. Congressman Jerry Litton, leading in a focus race for the Democrat nomination for the U.S. Senate, was killed in an airplane crash near Chillicothe. Litton, his wife, two children, pilot and the aviator’s son died in a fiery crash. With 93 percent of the state’s precincts reported, Litton had collected 311,424 votes. Former Gov. Warren Hearnes was second with 213,440 and Congressman Jim Symington was third with 204,741. Officials of the Missouri Democrat State Committee will name a replacement for the party for campaigning in the November general election. Biggest surprise in Missouri was in Democrat balloting for governor, where Kansas City attorney Joseph Teasdale was running ahead of State Sen. William Cason for the nomination. Teasdale, dubbed “Walking Joe” in previous campaigns, had 390,696 votes compared to Cason’s 314,354. About one-half of the county’s registered voters turned out for the primary election process. In county races, all incumbent candidates on both sides won renomination. The complete unofficial results as they appeared on the county ballot included the following: Democrat candidates — Jerry Litton carried his state majority into Barry County, receiving 1,689 votes. Two major contenders, Jim Symington had 718 and Warren Hearnes 452. Eight other candidates received minor votes. Barry County Democrats stumbled on the governor’s race, giving loser Bill Cason the majority, 1,614 to Joseph Teasdale’s 568. Seven other candidates received minor votes. For lieutenant governor: Richard Rabbitt 1,285, John McAllister 828, Alberta Slavin 193 and Leonard Bade 95. For secretary of state: James Kirkpatrick led the Democrat ticket in Barry County, receiving 2,339 votes to his opponent James Askew’s 332. For state treasurer: James Spainhower, 2,013, unopposed. For attorney general: James G. Baker 1,362, George E. Schaaf 1,006. For state representative, 140th District: Rufus Miller of Cassville received the nomination with a 1,033-vote majority in Barry County and a 570-vote plurality in McDonald County. Miller had 1,584 votes in Barry County to 551 for Ben Stanford of Monett. In McDonald County the voting went 1,050 for Miller to 480 for Stanford. For northern judge: The closest race in the county was between William Buchanan of Monett and Virgil Pugh of Purdy, seeking a seat on the county court. Buchanan had 645 votes to 590 for Pugh, a 55-vote majority. For southern judge: Lige Frost, incumbent judge, unopposed for a second term, received 1,184 votes. For sheriff: Bob Johnson of Golden, running unopposed for his nomination, had 1,914 votes. For prosecuting attorney: Dale Burke of Monett. The decorations will be reduced each month until nine notes at Cassville banks are retired. Plans for the annual Fall Trout Derby at Roaring River State Park were discussed. The session will be Oct. 8-9, with stocking arrangements through the Missouri Conservation Commission and trophies for prize catches furnished by the Chamber of Commerce. Ward told the directors that as of July 31 the Chamber had distributed 5,200 Cassville brochures through sport and travel shows and another 2,500 through state and travel information centers. He also noted another 750 distributed to direct inquiries this spring and summer. Plans for the upcoming airport dedication and horseshoe pitching tournament were also discussed by the Chamber.

— Area Awards To 4-Hers From Barry County

Eighteen 4-H members represented Barry County at the Area 4-H Achievement Day held on the SMSU campus in Springfield last week. These 4-H’ers qualified for competition by winning at the County Achievement Day in Cassville. Connie McDougle of the Lucky Four Club represented Barry County in the area senior dress revue and will represent the county at State 4-H Day in Columbia on Sept. 11. The senior dress revue and public speaking are the only events that advance to state competition. Two hundred seventy-five 4-H members from the 10 counties in Lakes Country participated in the area competition. Results of the Barry County members are: Diane Glatz, gold ribbon and third in Junior Dress Revue, Busy Bee Club; Elizabeth Glatz, gold ribbon and third in Girls Senior Grooming, Busy Bee; Richard Schmidt, gold ribbon and second in Boys Senior Grooming, Kings Prairie Club; Rebecca Miekley, gold ribbon in Girls Junior Grooming, Busy Bee; Randy Schmidt, silver ribbon in Boys Junior Grooming, Kings Prairie Club; Jo Nell Vincent, silver ribbon in Crafts Demonstrations, Leann Climbers Club; Donna Riggs, silver ribbon and first in Home Management Demonstrations, North Barry County; Debbie Roles, silver ribbon in Foods Demonstrations, Busy Bee; LaDonna Longstreet, silver ribbon in Veterinary Science Demonstrations, Leann Climbers; Robert and Joe Sperandio, gold ribbon in Tractor Maintenance Demonstrations, Kings Prairie; Robbie Hughes, silver ribbon in Crafts Demonstrations, Leann Climbers; Dianna Roles, gold ribbon in Foods Judging, Busy Bee; Cathy Watley, gold ribbon in Clothing Judging, Busy Bee; Valerie Nickle, silver ribbon in Clothing Judging, Black Oak; Jill Shepherd, gold ribbon and third in Clothing Judging, North Barry County; Wendy Thompson, gold ribbon and first in Home Management Judging, Busy Bee; Ronnie Schmidt, gold ribbon and third in Horticulture Judging, Kings Prairie; and Dale Koch, silver ribbon in Horticulture Judging, North Barry County Club. The Leann Climbers Club took part in the Share the Fun Contest.

40 years ago

Aug. 6, 1986

— Primary Races Decided By 20% County Voter Turnout

Primary election races, there were three of them in Barry County Tuesday, were decided by a 20 percent turnout of voters. Total vote in the U.S. Senate races on the Democrat and Republican ballots numbered 3,394 votes, according to Rex Stumpff, county clerk. Stumpff listed just over 16,500 registered voters in the county. That figures to 20.58 percent of eligible voters going to the polls to make primary choices. Unofficial tabulations Tuesday night had two incumbent Republicans pushing aside challenges to win nomination. Southern Commissioner Billy Chappell outran challenger Robert Scott 822 to 338. In a closely contested race for Northern Commissioner, Rodney F. Sisco, with 552 votes, outdistanced two others, Launce Bunnell, the closest at 458, and Connie Clayton at 111. Closest of all was the GOP race for treasurer where incumbent Gene Fare got 921, his closest challenger Arthur Hegi of Shell Knob had 857 and Ronnie Miller of Cassville got 565. A hotly contested race for state representative in the 131st District had incumbent Eddie Williams at 621 with principal push coming from Paul Clemons at 616. Barbara A. Lacey of Exeter got 148 and David Alumbaugh of McDonald County 312. All other votes in the county, on both sides of the ballot, Democrat and Republican, were unopposed. Individual township and total votes are available in a graphic this week in the Democrat. Featuring a race of two Barry Countians, the Seventh Congressional District vote for the Democrats apparently went to George E. Abramovitz of Springfield and the Pioneer community. In the county, he cornered 483 votes, Joe Lee Davidson had 231, Ken Young 282 and Ruby Oxendine 71. Stumpff and incumbent Presiding Commissioner Lloyd Dilbeck led the Democrat ticket with 1,014 and 1,005 votes respectively. For several GOP candidates, Tuesday’s vote was tantamount to election. Included were incumbent Associate Judge of the Circuit Court Edward Sweeney, Rodney Sisco for Northern Commissioner, Circuit Clerk Dick Sanders, Prosecuting Attorney John Lewright and Collector of Revenue Misha Hull, all of whom will be unopposed in the general election. Their only possible opposition would be a declared write-in candidate. Races set by Tuesday’s vote in the county included Dilbeck and Ray for presiding commissioner, Rena Crowe Scott and Billy J. Chappell for southern commissioner, Stumpff and Dean Hall for clerk and Freida Nokes challenging Gene Fare. County voters turned down three of five Constitutional Amendments. The votes: Number Two, 1,349 yes and 1,786 no, pertaining to unsigned legislative bills; Number Three, 1,608 yes and 1,505 no, cash operating reserve; Number Four, 1,719 yes and 1,369 no, county official compensation; Number Six, 1,398 yes and 1,670 no, state treasurer custodian of funds; Number Eight, 1,464 yes and 1,686 no, pertaining to county funds. Official tabulations of the precinct returns were to begin Wednesday afternoon in Stumpff’s office. He said a panel representing the two major political parties would go over returns to check accuracy. District balloting in the Democrat congressional nomination went to Ken Young, twice before the party choice to oppose Congressman Gene Taylor. He outpolled George Abramovitz of Pioneer and Springfield, Joe Lee Davidson of Rocky Comfort and Ruby Oxendine of Joplin. In the state representative race, November will see a rematch between GOP incumbent Eddie Williams and one-time legislator Nolan McNeill of Cassville. McNeill, unopposed for the Democrat nomination, served one term four years ago. Williams outdistanced three opponents with 1,049 votes. Others were Paul Clemons with 928, David Alumbaugh with 793 and Barbara Lacey of Exeter with 208. Unlike county returns, voters in the state were headed toward giving approval to all five constitutional amendments that were presented at the polls Tuesday. Statewide races followed county trends as Lieutenant Governor Harriett Woods got the Democrat nomination for U.S. Senator in a seven-way race. Former Gov. Christopher Bond was the GOP pick from four candidates. Travis Morrison will run for state auditor on the Democrat ticket, while incumbent Margaret Kelly was unopposed on the GOP ballot. North County voters gave the nomination to Ross Richardson for the Democrats and incumbent Earle Staponski for the Republicans in an upcoming battle for the seat of the 130th District state representative.

— 39 Wildcats At 100 Percent For Football Camp

If the number of those who made all camp practice sessions during hot July weather is any indication of interest in CHS Wildcat football, there are good things ahead. Coach Joe Cavness said a total of 39 Wildcat hopefuls attended all sessions. Included in the number were 20 junior high players and 19 from high school. Junior high members at all sessions were Jon Miller, Brian Stockton, Joe Trotter, Kevin Easley, Jeff Hastings, Jason Privett, Brendon Barnes, Billy Sturgis, Kelly Mills, Tommy Matukywicz, Eric Lassiter, Kyle Williams, Landon Calhoun, Jason Manning, David Bolton, Mike Dunmire, Brian Stehlik, Jimmy Moore, J.D. Mitchell and Scotty Reed. Senior high perfect attenders included Robbie Payne, Mike Hastings, Bryan Madison, Shannon Barnes, Terry Madison, Kerry Madison, Travis Hilburn, Robert Black, Shane Boyd, Travis James, Todd Speakman, Move Tu, Bob Chapin, Lance Pilant, Joe Doty, Robert Wolf and Jerry James. Official start of the season is set next week. With the arrival of Aug. 13, the Wildcats will begin twice-daily workouts in preparation for the season opener. Cavness and his staff will hold sessions at 8 a.m. and 6 p.m.

30 years ago

July 31, 1996

— County voter totals increased 23 percent since 1994 primary

Next Tuesday, 17,458 registered voters in Barry County will have the opportunity to cast their ballot in the Aug. 6 primary election. Voter totals are up considerably from the 1994 primary when there were 13,532 eligible voters. County Clerk Gary Youngblood is predicting that 23 percent of the voters will make it to area polling places for the primaries. Flat Creek is the largest of the county’s 22 precincts with 3,209 registered voters. A breakdown of registered voters in the other precincts is as follows: Ash, 339; Butterfield, 540; Capps Creek, 279; Crane Creek, 504; Exeter, 1,045; Flat Creek, 3,209; Jenkins, 383; Kings Prairie, 430; McDonald, 105; Mineral, 345; McDowell, 151; Monett, 3,129; Ozark, 371; Pleasant Ridge, 209; Purdy, 1,291; Roaring River, 779; Sugar Creek, 649; Shell Knob, 771; White River 1, 652; White River 2, 766; Washburn, 597; and Wheaton, 914. Voters who have registered in the northern and southern commission districts are unevenly distributed. There are 8,037 voters in the northern district compared to 9,418 in the southern half. On the state level, Secretary of State Rebecca McDowell-Cook is predicting a 35 percent voter turnout. A canvass of the 116 election authorities around Missouri shows there are 3,231,986 citizens registered to vote for the primary. This total sets a record for voter registration in the state. The Secretary of State compiled her August turnout projection after conferring with county clerks and election officials throughout Missouri. Counties anticipating the highest turnout are those with active races for county offices or legislative seats. Youngblood reminds voters that the clerk’s office will be open Saturday, Aug. 3, from 8 a.m. to noon for absentee voting. The last day to cast an absentee ballot will be Aug. 5. Elections Deputy Donna Sanders said, as of Tuesday morning, the county clerk’s office has completed 157 absentee ballot requests. Voters should be prepared to pick a party ballot next Tuesday. Choices include Democrat, Republican, Libertarian or non-partisan ballots. A non-partisan ballot does not include candidates. Questions about the primary election can be answered by contacting the county clerk’s office at 417-847-2561 or 417-847-2762.

— Cassville Elementary receives tentative tech grant approval

Cassville R-IV School District received tentative approval on an almost $50,000 grant to upgrade the elementary school’s computer program through the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. The grant, entitled “Let’s Get Wired,” was written by Steve McNaught, Martha Dunnam and Marvin Henningson. According to Superintendent Dan Bailey, the grant was a competitive one. “We were one of a number of schools competing statewide for the grant,” Bailey said. “This is the next stage of our technology plan.” Bailey also stated that the majority of the grant will be used for elementary school computer purchasing. “Our goal is to have a computer in every classroom,” Bailey said. “We are moving that way. It will take a tremendous expense, and we need a tremendous amount of equipment. I estimate that in five years, or so, we will be up to speed.” The project’s central focus is on using technology to promote student learning. Teachers will be able to provide specialized instruction for individual students as well as cooperative group learning projects. As students participate in planned instructional activities, they will learn basic skills in targeted areas. McNaught believes in-service training will be essential. “We need to get the teachers trained on the computers so they are familiar with them. That will aid in teaching the students, and the students will easily learn the computer system.” “We want each teacher to have a computer in their classroom,” McNaught said. “Eventually this will tie technology together with all three schools. There will possibly be schoolwide, full Internet access next year.” According to the grant proposal, the total amount budgeted for the technology project is $99,480. The amount of state funds requested was $49,428. The grant requires a school district match of 10 percent, or $5,252. The district has also pledged an additional $44,800 in funding to set up the network. The total project is broken down into four categories. $69,750 will be used for equipment, which includes 36 Macintosh computers equipped with CD-ROMs, 15-inch monitors, keyboards and mouse. The cost of materials and supplies is $12,076. Other purchased services, including computer setup and network installation, is $10,160. A total of $7,776 will be used for employee salaries and benefits for teachers to attend in-service and follow-up sessions. In addition to the grant, the elementary school received a check for $16,700 from last spring’s P.T.A. carnival. The money was donated to the elementary for the purchase of computer equipment. The “Let’s Get Wired” project is designed to increase the language arts, reading and math skills of kindergarten through fifth grade students. Goals are to improve oral, listening, written language and basic math skills, as well as problem-solving and reasoning abilities. These objectives will be accomplished by providing a computer network that will access a variety of resources for students and teachers. Planned visual, oral and written activities that utilize computer network resources will provide students with the means to master these basic skills. The project targets the entire student population, approximately 900 kindergarten through fifth grade students and 36 homeroom teachers. Existing classroom technology and software will be expanded and enhanced by the installation of a local area network. Interaction with new technology will ultimately prepare younger students for the high-tech information age.