Barry County
Debbie Kober: Gardening beyond annuals, a fresh look at perennials
Seed catalogs are out, and it’s time to select spring garden plants, with tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, beans and squash being the popular choices. These are all grown as annuals, plants that grow for a single season and are started again from seed the following year.

Michelle Hilburn: Cherishing the love, the magic, and the moments
The holiday season is here, and like many educators, I’m running on fumes. The holidays are stressful both in and out of the classroom.

Through the Years, Dec. 18
40 YEARS AGO: CHRISTMAS, AN IMPORTANT PHASE — Started in early October, the Little Joe Transplant Fund in Cassville is nearing the halfway point as funds bump the $175,000 figure. Goal of the effort for a heart-lung transplant for six-year-old Joe Starchman is $350,000.
News Briefs, Dec. 18
The Roaring River Nature Center on Jan. 11 and Feb.

An eye for an eye
Seventeen years ago, Skip White, owner and director of White’s Funeral Home and Crematory in Cassville, promised lifeless 9-year-old Rowan Ford that he would watch her killer’s execution. On Dec.

Tense debate over poultry farm
Sharp exchanges and misinformation fueled a meeting at the Barry County Courthouse on Dec. 9 as neighbors and Barry County officials grappled with a proposal to build another poultry farm south of Aurora.

Jail features lauded at ribbon cutting
Barry County Sheriff Danny Boyd cuts the ribbon for the new Barry County Jail on Dec. 4. Boyd said he aims to have the jail operational by the last week of December.

Kyle Troutman: Jail time
Last Wednesday, I spent some unexpected time in jail. Following a ribbon cutting to officially celebrate the newly constructed Barry County Sheriff’s Office and jail on Old Exeter Road, attendees were invited to tour the facility.

Through the Years, Dec. 11
40 YEARS AGO: SANTA IN SPECIAL VISIT HERE — Saturday was a special day in Cassville, Santa Claus took time out of his busy schedule to pay a visit here. The results were obviously good, the expressions on faces of youngsters who got a visit were ample reward.

Haven of the Ozarks Pet of the Week, Dec. 11
Chardonnay is a beautiful Retriever mix with gorgeous blue eyes. Her mom is a flat-coated Retriever. Chardonnay and 8 siblings were born on Sep. 29. Three pups from this litter are still looking for homes.