Stories from Wednesday, October 5, 2011

Southwest defeated Hurley and Wheaton but lost a tough match to Pierce City in high school volleyball action. "It was a good week," said Coach Steve Voyak. "Pierce City is exceptional; best team we've seen this season. Our players fought to the end, and the game was in doubt until the final point. We know what it's going to take to win the district now. The other games were fall less challenging, but the girls responded and earned wins."...

The Cassville Wildcat soccer team earned an exciting 3-1 victory over Thomas Jefferson last Thursday night. In front of a home crowd, Cassville got on top early when Austin Deffenbaugh punched in a goal at the two-minute mark. The goal came off a rebound from a cornerkick...

The Cassville Wildcats freshman football team took on a conference foe Monday night as they battled the Lamar freshman in their fifth game of the season. The Cassville freshman again proved their mental toughness at they beat Lamar 28-24. The Wildcats look impressive early as the defense forced a quick three and out from Lamar. ...

The Cassville Wildcats finished 10th of 15 teams with a score of 229 in the Lamar Invitational cross country meet, held last Tuesday, Sept. 27. Southwest finished 14th with 264 points. Ryan Beaver, of College Heights, was the boys individual champion, running 16:18 on the Lamar Golf Course. Savannah Beaver took the girls race, winning with a time of 19:38.16...

The Cassville Lady Wildcats enjoyed a 2-1 week on the volleyball court, defeating Aurora and Galena but dropping a match to Monett. Cassville took three sets to put away Aurora on Monday night. The visitors won the opening set 25-21, but the Lady 'Cats rebounded to take the final two sets, 25-20 and 25-19...

It didn't take long for the JV football team to get back into the win column after suffering its first loss of the season a week ago at the hands of Aurora Houn' Dawgs. This past week the Mt. Vernon Mountaineers traveled to Cassville, and the Wildcats won 32-6...

The Lady Wildcat softball team enters district play today (Wednesday) after a week that featured several big wins and a few disappointing losses. A highpoint of last week's schedule included an exciting Senior Night victory over visiting Willard last Tuesday. Cassville fought hard and came away with an 8-7 victory over the visitors when Emily Speakman clobbered a home run to earn the win in the eighth inning...

On Sunday, Oct. 2, Lee Stubblefield, of Cassville, won the inaugural Kickin' Route 66 50K road race, and in doing so, set a new Missouri state 55-59 age-group record with his time of four hours, 23 minutes and 44 seconds on the 31-mile course. Stubblefield, who turns 56 in January and just became a grandfather for the fifth time, didn't just break the old record of four hours, 51 minutes, 39 seconds, he shattered it by over 27 minutes. ...

The Cassville Wildcats continued their regular season win streak on Friday night, pounding the visiting Lamar Tigers, 49-21. Senior Ricky Nichols ran for three scores and threw for another to lead the 'Cats past Lamar and into the lead in the Big 8 Conference rankings...

Tickets are now available for the 19th annual version of The Show, which will be held at the Crowder College Cassville Campus Community Center on Thursday, Oct. 20, Saturday, Oct. 22 and Sunday, Oct. 23. "The theme is 50s and 60s," said Greg Beck, The Show director. "We will have music that represents what was happening in the world during that time period. We will start the show with a popular song from 1950 and will conclude with a song from 1969...

The City of Cassville will conduct major maintenance on the water tower located near the Cassville Walmart Supercenter over the next few weeks. Maintenance is scheduled to be completed by Oct. 28. "We wish this could be done without affecting water pressure to homes and businesses, but that just isn't possible when you are cleaning and painting the inside of a tower," said Steve Walensky, public works director. ...

Mary Jane "Nell" Lee, 100, of Cassville, passed away Thursday, Sept. 29, 2011, in Cassville Health Care and Rehabilitation. She was born July 22, 1911, in Washburn, the daughter of Charles M. and Lillie (Dunn) Heffley. On Dec. 5, 1931, she was united in marriage to Raymond Lee, who preceded her in death on May 5, 1990. Also preceding her in death were her parents, one brother, one sister, and a great-great-grandchild...

Ted R. Lane, 84, of Springfield, passed away Wednesday, Sept. 28, 2011, in Red Rose Health and Rehabilitation Center, Cassville. He was born Feb. 12, 1927, in Ponca City, Okla., the son of Ted R. and Minnie (Mitchell) Lane. In 1951, in Wichita, Kan., he was united in marriage to Jeanette Homesley, who preceded him in death in September 1998. Also preceding him in death were his parents and one brother...

Gary Ray Stewart, 72, of Cassville, passed away Sunday, Oct. 2, 2011, in Cox-Monett Hospital, Monett. He was born Dec. 1, 1938, in Washburn, the son of Ray and Audrey (Watson) Stewart. On Dec. 1, 1957, in Cassville, he was united in marriage to Lucy Jane Tiner, who survives...

Robert "Bob" Roden, 86, of Cassville, died Wednesday, Sept. 28, 2011, in St. John's Hospital, Cassville. He was born Oct. 7, 1924, at Monett, the youngest child of George Greenberry and Lelia (Baker) Roden. In addition to his parents, preceding him in death were his brothers, Lester, Ralph and Herschel, and two sisters, Ruth Hayward and Irene Roller...

Helen Berry (Curran) Morgan, 88, of Cassville, formerly of Chillicothe, died Monday, Oct. 3, 2011, at Red Rose Health Care and Rehabilitation, Cassville. She was born Sept. 11, 1923, in Glosgow, Scotland, the daughter of George Curran, Sr., and Margaret Fleming Curran...

Along with 14 other southwest Missouri school districts, the Shell Knob School District received a $7,200 donation through the Silver Dollar City (SDC) Foundation's Care For Kids Program this year. School districts, including Shell Knob, also received donations in the amount of $3,000 from Woodland Hills Church in Branson. The church's pastor serves on the Foundation's Board of Directors...

The Exeter R-6 School Board set the tax rate for the 2011-12 school year at its regularly scheduled meeting on Aug. 17. The operating levy was set at $3.4227, and the debt service levy was set at 65 cents. The total tax rate will be $4.0927 per $100 assessed valuation...

Hungry Wildcats and area golfers celebrated Cassville's Homecoming at a luncheon and golf tournament held Friday, Sept. 30 at the Cassville Golf Club. Proceeds from the day's event benefitted the Cassville Education Fund, a permanent endowment for funding the educational needs at Cassville R-IV schools...

The Cassville Area Chamber of Commerce is now conducting its annual board of directors election. Board members Dr. Chip Kammerlohr, Stacy Runnels, Jan Massey and Blake Whitley will complete their terms in December. Elected members' terms will begin in January of 2012. Chamber members will vote for new directors...

SUPPORT GROUP: The Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) group of Cassville meets at 8 p.m. at 1308 Harold St. in Cassville. For more informa-tion, call 846-4044. SUPPORT GROUP: Anyone who is concerned about a friend's or loved one's drinking is invited to attend the Cassville Al-Anon Family Group, which meets at 8 p.m. at the United Methodist Church in Cassville...

The second annual Cassville Education Fund Motorcycle Poker Run will be held in conjunction with the Cassville Area Chamber of Commerce Fall Festival and Chili and Salsa Cook-Off on Saturday, Oct. 22. "It is going to be a fun ride," said Joe Cavness, who is organizing the poker run. "It is a lot of fun to go through town when all the people are here for the cook-off."...

The Cassville Area Chamber of Commerce's annual Chili and Salsa Cook-Off will be held on the square in Cassville on Saturday, Oct. 22. Booths will open at 8 a.m. The theme for this year's event is 50s and 60s. Participants will be encouraged to decorate their booths using the theme. Prizes will be awarded to the most spirited and best decorated booths...

Three special bull breeding soundness clinics are scheduled during October in Lawrence and Barry counties. "Since we've had a very hot summer and some bulls may have lost significant weight, it's likely they've lost fertility. These clinics will give producers a chance to get their bulls evaluated ahead of the breeding season that for most starts around Thanksgiving," said Eldon Cole, a livestock specialist with University of Missouri Extension...

During September there have been a number of cattle deaths around southwest Missouri. The puzzling question has been: what caused the deaths? At the same time, dry and hot weather depleted much of the forage the cattle would normally have been grazing. About the only green material left was Johnsongrass, according to Eldon Cole, a livestock specialist with University of Missouri Extension...

National 4-H week is Oct. 2 through Oct. 8, and area counties are celebrating 4-H youth who have made an impact on the community and are stepping up to the challenges of a complex and changing world. Recent findings from Tufts University's 4-H Study of Positive Youth Development indicate that young people in 4-H are three times more likely to contribute to their communities than youth not participating in 4-H. ...

The seventh annual Wooley Creek School History Days and Bluegrass Festival will be held on Oct. 8, 9 and 10. The event is sponsored by the Wooley Creek School Community Association and the Wooley Creek School Restoration Committee, and all proceeds benefit the restoration and upkeep of the historic Wooley Creek Schoolhouse...

October is Black Walnut Month, and now is the time to start picking them up and turning them into cash. Area groups and individuals can earn a record high price -- $13 per hundred pounds after hulling -- at over 260 sites across the midwest, including one hulling station in Cassville. Lonnie Yarnall will once again be hulling walnuts at 84 S. Main by his storage buildings...

Cassville High School junior Wil LeCompte completed a very unusual project in order to achieve the Boy Scouts' highest ranking of Eagle Scout. LeCompte's project not only satisfied his community service requirement but helped preserve part of Barry County's history for future generations...

This guest editorial by Doug Anstaett, executive director of the Kansas Press Association and current president of the Newspaper Association Managers, is being published in honor of National Newspaper Week, Oct. 2 through Oct. 9. Despite all the doomsayers out there writing obituaries for the nation's newspaper industry, 150 million Americans -- two out of three adults -- read a local newspaper last week...

Dear Editor: Recently, I have been troubled by the proposal by the City of Cassville to raise water and sewer rates. I decided to call the city to do a comparison between what my water bill is currently and what it will be when the new increase takes effect...

A Purdy man was seriously injured in a two-vehicle wreck on Saturday on Highway 37 one mile south of Washburn. According to the Missouri State Highway Patrol, the crash occurred at 12:55 p.m. when the driver of a 2005 Triumph motorcycle, Kenneth N. Key, 60, of Purdy, struck the back of a 2010 Harley Davidson motorcycle, ridden by Randy A. Newman, 54, of Monett...

In a special meeting of the Seligman City Council, aldermen split the vote to fire Police Chief Randy Kalbaugh for allegedly running a speed trap along Highway 37. Mayor Jason Raucstadt cast the final vote, terminating Kalbaugh's employment. Aldermen voting to terminate included Danny Joe Hendrix and Eric Freeman. Those opposed to the move were Latisha Pippin and Michael Steen...

Thorco Industries in Cassville held a special luncheon in honor of plant manager Bennie Ratterree on Sept. 28. Ratterree is retiring from the company after 33 years of service. "Bennie is leaving big shoes to fill," said Jeff Gardener, Thorco Industries president...

Herman Cain was the straw poll winner at the September meeting of the Barry County Republican Club where those attending were asked to pick their favorite candidate for the Republican presidential nomination. Cain, the former president and chief executive officer of the Godfather's Pizza chain and a syndicated columnist and radio host, received 26 percent of the votes in an informal poll of local GOP club members...

The Cassville R-4 School District has received a special Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) grant that will help its transportation department reduce harmful diesel emissions. "We received the grant to help eliminate diesel waste to the atmosphere," said Joe Cavness, R-4 School District operations director. "We were able to complete two projects with the grant funding."...

Aldermen warned about negative impacts of utility rate increase

A Barry County man was convicted of destroying public forest land by a federal grand jury in Springfield last week and now faces a sizable fine. The jury convicted Aaron Dalton, 64, of Eagle Rock, of bulldozing and cutting down trees on federal land owned by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers located near the Roaring River Bridge on Table Rock Lake...

The newest face of Gerber baby food has ties to the Barry County community. Tate James Rosendahl, the 11-month-old son of Ron and Amy Jo Rosendahl, of Springfield, has been selected as the winner of the 2011 Gerber Generation Photo Search. Tate's mom, Amy, is a 2001 graduate of Cassville High School. His grandparents include Jim and Diane Larson, of Shell Knob, and Ron and Linda Rosendahl, of Willard...

Event helps staff members improve emergency preparedness