Early morning house arson destroys home, injures one
Sunday night, or early Monday morning, around 12:30 a.m. Curtis Poe heard at least two men outside his residence. He went to see what was going on, and just as he walked out of his bedroom someone threw a can of some type of accelerant into the bedroom window and it exploded. Fire shot from the bedroom up the hallway and through the mobile home. Poe luckily was able to escape, but lost everything he owned.
“I managed to get my dog unchained and the neighbor took her there for safe keeping until the fire was taken care of,” Poe said. “I got a pretty serious burn on my back and a place on my arm, but they are healing.”
Licking Volunteer Fire Chief Jimmy Sherrill said, “We arrived on scene a little before 12:30 and both trailers were already collapsed. It was a total loss.”
Sherrill stated that it was a very hot fire. Firefighters remained on scene until about 5:30 a.m. Contrary to some reports, no firemen were injured fighting this fire.
Air Evac creating 85 new jobs in Houston
HOUSTON, Mo. – Gov. Jay Nixon visited Houston last Thursday to announce the award of $183,361 in Enhanced Enterprise Zone (EEZ) tax credits to a Missouri company that operates the largest independently owned and operated air medical service provider in the United States.
The EEZ incentives will assist Air Evac Lifeteam in significantly expanding its operations in south-central Missouri through the renovation of an old manufacturing building. The expansion is a $1 million capital investment that will create 85 new area jobs.
Headquartered in West Plains, Air Evac Lifeteam recently began renovating the former Lee Apparel Co. manufacturing facility in Houston to convert to office space. Air Evac Lifeteam’s growth and prosperity made further expansion in the facility a necessity, leading the company to embark upon a second renovation.
The state of Missouri’s award of $183,361 in EEZ incentives will assist the company in completing its second phase of expansion, which will create 85 new jobs in the patient accounts division.
Air Evac Lifeteam is the largest independently owned and operated air-medical service in the U.S., conducting its operations through 90 mutually supporting air medical bases across 14 states. The company primarily provides air ambulance services to rural markets, serving over 1,700 diverse referral sources, including more than 1,000 hospitals and 700 EMS agencies.
The company operates the world’s largest fleet of more than 100 medically equipped Bell 206 Long Ranger helicopters and has safely flown more than 200,000 people in critical need of care since its founding. Air Evac Lifeteam is currently the largest air ambulance service provider in Missouri, Texas, Tennessee, Oklahoma, Mississippi, Illinois, Arkansas and Alabama.
Flu clinics scheduled
Texas County Department of Health
With flu season approaching and influenza reported in the region, the Texas County Health Department announces its seasonal flu shot clinics beginning Oct. 1 in the Houston office.
Satellite clinics will be held on the following dates:
- Friday, Oct. 1, 9-11:30 a.m., Houston Senior Center
- Monday, Oct. 4, 9-11 a.m., Licking Senior Center
- Tuesday, Oct. 5, 9-11 a.m., Cabool Senior Center
- Tuesday, Oct. 5, 3-6 p.m., Roby Community Center
- Tuesday, Oct. 12, 3-6 p.m., Raymondville Community Center
- Wednesday, Oct. 13, 9-11 a.m., Summersville Senior Center
“Getting an annual seasonal flu shot is one of the best ways people can protect themselves against getting the flu. Shots are given on a walk-in basis, so appointments are not necessary,” says administrator Jackie Smith.
According to the CDC, everyone six months and older should get a flu shot as soon as vaccine is available. The 2010-2011 flu vaccine will protect against three different flu viruses: an H3N2 virus, an influenza B virus and the H1N1 virus that caused so much illness last season.
In the meantime, the public is encouraged to protect themselves with proven disease prevention methods like washing hands well, keeping a distance from people who are sick, and making healthy choices that will boost their immune systems. It is also vital that people who are sick stay home for at least 24 hours after their symptoms, including fever, have gone.
For more information, contact your medical provider or call the Health Department at 417-967-4131.
Diana’s Grove: Confronting an urgent need, one precious dog at a time
by Durga Walker
Staff writer
thenews@centurytel.net
Last January, Richard Jensen of Licking—happy owner of an Irish Wolfhound and a German Shepherd—found himself ringing in the New Year by playing midwife to a litter of “Irish Shepherd” puppies.
“She was supposed to be fixed,” he says. “Then I got the Shepherd and before I knew it, they mated.”
Out of 12 squirmy little newborns, seven survived. With four dogs already and no way to take care of the new arrivals, Jensen called the Texas County Animal Shelter in Houston, a no-kill rescue with a brand-new facility on Route 17. The shelter, however, has limited kennels for rescue dogs.
Unable to help Jenson, they referred him to Diana’s Grove Dog Rescue, a 140-acre sanctuary founded and owned by Cynthea Jones and Patricia Storm, and located just outside of Bunker in Shannon County. A good hour’s drive away, but it’s the next nearest no-kill shelter serving the Licking area.
“I wasn’t sure they’d take the pups,” Jensen recalls, “but they did, and they took care of everything.”
Everything turned out to be quite a lot. One of the puppies had had a rough time in his young life: he first lost an eye to another dog and then was hit by a car. Jensen named him Hulker and decided to keep him around. When rescuers from the Grove showed up, they inoculated all the puppies, took the four that remained unplaced, and had Hulker’s eye tended to.
And, happily for Jensen, “they paid for everything.”
Jensen’s puppies were among the lucky ones. They landed in the laps of people who cared. There are many more who don’t.
Abandoned dogs roaming the country roads around Licking are difficult to count, and statistics are all but impossible to get. But the need for dog rescue in Texas County and surrounding areas is reflected in the numbers. Diana’s Grove alone takes in roughly 900 dogs a year and places 750. The number of dogs who find their way to the Grove each year is more than twice the population of nearby Bunker. Put another way, the entire population of Bunker would have to adopt two dogs each and every year to keep the Grove empty.
According to Jones, “There’s no place like this area when it comes to the need and the limited resources for help.”
At first glance, it would seem that there is no limit to the help offered by Diana’s Grove, and indeed, they do have a hard time saying no. A good 20 dogs can be seen sprawled across the kitchen floor at any given time, beneath whiteboards bearing notes like “Dog food” and “George needs to be wormed.” Dozens more lounge patiently on easy chairs, on the decks outside, in the indoor-outdoor kennels, or in separate pens under special medical care.
Still, there are limits.
“The maximum allowed by the Department of Agriculture,” Jones says, “is one hundred and fifty dogs. And that’s what we have.”
This generosity comes with a cost. All dogs rescued by the Grove are bathed, wormed and fully vaccinated, including rabies. Throw in transportation and this can add up to an initial cost of $25-50 per dog, before even starting on the vet care so many of them desperately need. In addition, many require treatment for heartworm, which can run $150 per dog. And, first and foremost, each and every dog is spayed or neutered.
Incoming dogs are also photographed and offered up for adoption at an average fee of $150. Along with donations, these fees are what should cover operational expenses. In reality, the average stay for one dog is two to three months, costing up to $180.
And because this is a no-kill sanctuary, many dogs never leave. They come to Diana’s Grove to live out their last years among dozens of others like themselves, wandering freely under the trees and popping through the dog doors to curl up on sofas in the residential buildings. These are the ones who will never be placed. They’re too old, too ill, or just not beautiful enough to catch the eye of an adoptive parent. Nevertheless, they will receive treatment and food until their very last days. Dora, for example, has been a permanent canine resident of the Grove for 18 years.
Fortunately for those who must stay, room is made by the many more who are passing through on their way to good homes.
“The bulk of our activity is caring for local dogs,” Jones explains. The Grove’s active adoption service takes in dogs abandoned in Dent, Texas, and Reynolds counties and places them either locally or in distant states. Sometimes this is done through their website, which is connected to Petfinders.com. Other times, dogs are channeled through the larger dog-rescue network that stretches across the United States.
One example of this network is Kim Morgan of Chicago, who places 5,000 dogs a year without running a shelter herself. Twice a month, a rescuer from the Grove fills a van with 20-25 south-central Missouri dogs and drives them to new homes in Chicago. The same van also drives twice a month to Chesterfield, Mo., with another two dozen dogs, where up to 13 can be adopted out in one day.
This surplus of homeless dogs is not peculiar to our area—after all, dogs are abandoned in every corner of the world—but Missouri seems particularly prone. For one thing, Missouri is the number one state in the nation for dog breeders, with a whopping 1,500, according to the Department of Agriculture, in contrast to the national average of 250. This situation alone is bound to create a number of unwanted dogs.
It’s not unusual to see purebred chows, cocker spaniels or Chihuahuas wagging their tails in the pens along with the Heinz-57 varieties at the Grove. Twenty-five percent of the space is devoted to breeders’ dogs that have been left homeless, either as a result of irresponsibility or for the best of reasons, as with the 14 dachshunds Grove rescuers picked up from a responsible breeder who simply couldn’t sell her dogs before illness struck. Recently, 50 dogs arrived at the sanctuary from one facility alone in just two months’ time.
On the whole, breeder dogs go quickly; they’re handsome, desirable and relatively cheap. But what about the big bruisers and those with behavioral problems? Patient rescuers at the Grove isolate and care for every problem dog they can. And others, well, they just might qualify for the most unusual programs.
Paws For Parole, for example, which began last April at the Bonterre prison, matched dogs and prisoners for a 10-week period of intense obedience training. Twelve dogs were each housed with two cellmates who groomed, trained and, possibly for the first time in the lives of either dog or prisoner, loved them. Prisoners and dogs strove together according to precise criteria to earn a Canine Good Citizenship Award at their August graduation ceremony. In preparation for matching dogs and prisoners, prison staff came to the Grove to meet the canine population and select dogs to participate in the program. Not surprisingly, the dogs most requested by the prisoners were those who were large and harder-to-place, those with hardship pasts.
“This program enables prisoners to be caring,” Jones says, “to interact. It creates common ground and a point of relationship between the staff and offenders. It’s a vehicle for love, and so it’s a vehicle for healing.”
And just as there’s a silver lining to every cloud, of an astounding 40 dogs found tied to trees and abandoned behind a foreclosed house not long ago, the Grove took in 19. Two of those dogs participated in the prison program.
Although they’ve been able to relocate so many dogs and sustain the sanctuary for 17 years, it’s time for Diana’s Grove itself to relocate in order to survive. Jones and Storm are looking at Texas County as a possibility, where they can build a smaller facility that will service 75 dogs. Not incidentally, a move to Texas County would place them closer to Dr. Tom Dunn at the Houston Veterinary Hospital, first stop for many of the dogs rescued by the Grove.
“We couldn’t do what we do without Doctor Dunn,” Jones says.
In fact, the Houston Veterinary Hospital is where Jeff Breedlove of Licking took the second of two beagles he found dumped on his property this year. He first called the Texas County Humane Society, who told him they simply had no room and referred him to the Grove. Arrangements were made to drop the dog off with Dr. Dunn, where a Grove rescuer picked it up.
“They were very good and very helpful,” Jeff says. “They really care a lot about animals, that’s for sure.”
Stephanie Morgan, also of Licking, agrees. She’s another whose call to the shelter in Houston led her to the Grove and, ultimately, to Dr. Dunn, where she brought the miniature pinscher/Chihuahua mix that was hanging around her house.
While there are stories of homeless dogs everywhere, Texas County seems to be smack in the middle of a high-need zone. The sheer numbers don’t lie. Every week, Grove rescuers take in ten “Death Row Dogs,” often purebreds with no physical ailments, marked to die simply because no one wants them.
“The need is so great in this area,” Jones says. “People generally rally in times of emergency. The dog situation in the Ozarks is an emergency.”
If you find a dog you can’t keep or, better yet, would like to offer a loving home to a dog in need, call Diana’s Grove at 573-689-2400. Donations are gratefully accepted; all funds go directly to the dogs. You can also look for a dog on Petfinder.com or find out more about the Grove at www.takeafriendhome.org.
Licking lowers tax rates
by Myrna Van Deusen
Licking City Administrator
The Licking City Council held a public hearing for the purpose of setting tax rates for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2011. An ordinance was adpoted setting the tax rate at $0.6467. The rate is $0.0768 lower than it was last year.
Jimmy Sherrill was appointed to serve an additional five-year term on the Board of Adjustment.
The Council accepted recommendations from the Planning and Zoning Commission to include in R-1 Single Family Residential Zoning, homes for Independent Living and to include in Industrial Zoning permitted Drug and Alcohol Treatment Facilities. These changes were required to comply with State law.
New laws related to Driving While Intoxicated and Alcohol Offences were reviewed. It was decided to adopt a new policy for the Municipal Court to comply with the State laws.
Resolutions were adopted approving water line easements from Don and Chris Storm and Guffey properties. New line installation is to service property north of Highway 32 and the Friendly Village Shopping Center.
The Council accepted a bid from R & L Electronics in the amount of $5,000 to purchase radios that had been approved under a Department of Homeland Security Grant.
Complaints pertaining to excessive noise created by exhaust brakes were discussed. The Council approved the installation of signs at the city limits stating “NOISE ORDINANCE ENFORCED.”
The City Council heard that a good response had been received from the swimming pool survey. Eighty-two percent are in favor of constructing a pool and voting for a 1/2-cent park and recreation sales tax to fund it. The City will proceed with getting further information for pool facilities, construction cost, land requirements, etc. “As plans progress, we will keep the citizens informed. A tentative plan is to hold a sales tax election in February,” said Myrna Van Deusen, Licking City Administrator.
Due to scheduling conflicts, the September meeting will be moved to Sept. 21, and the October meeting will be moved to Oct. 19.
Not just horsin’ around: Draft Horse Pull is a show of strength
by Debbie Dakin
Staff Writer
thenews@centurytel.net
Licking Chamber of Commerce hosted their 11th Annual Draft Horse Pull last Friday evening. The lighter weight division had seven teams vying for top honors.
Photo by Debbie Dakin
Jack and Satan, owned by Lyndell Galloway, are Percherons and were the winning team in the heavyweight class.
The lightest team, Spud and Bud, are owned by Kenny Martin of Cherryville and weighed in at 1400 pounds. Kenny also owned the second lightest team, Mike and Ike who weighed 1850 pounds. Larry Hayes of Ellis Prairie had the third lightest team, Frank and Dusty who tipped the scales at 1950 pounds. Fourth heaviest team was Clyde and Bill at 2000 pounds, belonging to John Munn of Owensville. Tony and Fred, belonging to David Fry weighed 2150 pounds, Candy and Sammy weighed 2450 pounds and belong to “just call me Butch cause my last name is too hard to say” from Sullivan. And the heaviest team of the light class was Queen and Kit who belong to Bill Shelton of Graff.
Each team first has to pull their combined weight a distance of five feet. The team has three chances to pull each designated weight.
This year took an amazing 14 rounds to determine the winner. Finally Candy and Sammy took the top honors by pulling 6200 pounds. Taking second place honors was the second lightest team of Mike and Ike.
Mike and Ike are a young team and have only been pulling 30 days! The first match they ever pulled in they took first place. This small but mighty team also oozes personality. When tied at the fence waiting their turn to pull this pair was like a couple of kids with their antics to amuse onlookers the whole evening. But when it was their turn to pull, the team was all business and put heart and soul in their effort. Owner Kenny Martin was very proud of his team and also his other team of Bud and Spud who took fourth place.
The heavyweight class also had seven teams competing. The teams and owners from lightest to heaviest were Esther and Lester belonging to Cody Shelton, Barney and Jim belonging to Jim Miller, Ron and Charlie driven by Ranae Poole, Pete and Bob owned by Joe Miller, Jack and Satan owned by Lyndell Galloway, George and Dave owned by Robert Poole, and Doc and Dan belonging to Larry Hayes.
The winning team was the beautiful white Percherons, Jack and Satan, owned by Lyndell Galloway of Centralia, Mo. Lyndell is a seasoned veteran of pulling, he’s been doing it for 21 years now.
Jack and Satan have been pulling together as a team for 2 years now. They weigh in at a whopping 3,650 pounds.
Lyndell said, “I work them a little just about every day. I have a light sled that I hook them to and they know what to do. I don’t have to work them too hard, just keep them in shape.”
When asked about having a horse named Satan (not reflective of the horse’s disposition) Lyndell replied, “He was named that when I bought him. I thought about changing it but everybody remembers that name.”
A True ‘cowgirl’
by Debbie Dakin
Staff Writer
thenews@centurytel.net
This year had something new at the Draft Horse Pull. For the first time, in Licking at least, they had a girl driving a team. And this young lady may be a “girl” and not have a lot of experience, but she did a great job handling the more than a ton of horse flesh she was controlling.
Ranae Poole is a vibrant 11-year-old who is following in her father’s footsteps. She drives the team of Ron and Charlie, who weigh in at 2,600 pounds. This is her second year competing.
This is a family affair for the Pooles. Her dad drives the team of George and Dave, and her mom helps both teams out.
When asked if she ever feels afraid being in control of two such big, strong animals, Ranae replied, “Not really. The only thing I don’t like is when they bounce me hard on the sled, but you get used to it.”
Ron and Charlie aren’t the only horses Ranae works with. She also has her horses, Jett for riding and Bullet for halter. You might say Ranae is a true cowgirl.
Ranae and her family are from Windyville (near Buffalo). She is in the sixth-grade and living a life around horses that many only dream of.
Licking Fire Department receives grant
During June, July and August, matching funds grant checks for rural fire departments are being distributed by Missouri Department of Conservation Forestry Division staff. One hundred sixty-nine fire departments will be receiving checks of up to $3,000 to help them with the purchase of personal protective gear and firefighting equipment for wildfire as well as structure fires. The total funding for fire department matching grants this year is $373,585.
Submitted photo
Pictured is Licking Fire Chief Jimmy Sherrill accepting the check from Department of Conservation forester Gary Oakley at their monthly meeting on Aug. 17.
Fire departments are required to match these funds, which are provided by the U.S. Forest Service and the Missouri Department of conservation. During the last 28 years, nearly $5,904,429 has been distributed to rural fire departments to help them increase the safety of their fighters and provide them with better firefighting equipment.
Licking Rural Fire Department received a $2826 matching grant check to help purchase 24 sets of firefighting clothes and two drip torches. This purchase will help Licking firefighters on brush and forest fires.
In addition, Licking also received a 1985 Chevrolet brush truck and generator from the Department of Conservation Excess Property Center in Lebanon through the Fire Fighter Property Program.
“These items aren’t new,” said Gary Oakley, Department of Conservation Resource Forester in Houston. “But they help rural fire departments do their job better. And I know how much I appreciate these guys when we are working together fighting fires.”
Board of Education sets operating levy for 2010-2011 school year
The Licking R-VIII Board of Education held the annual public tax hearing Monday, Aug. 9, at 7 p.m. During the tax hearing the Board of Education reviewed district assessed valuation totals as provided by the county clerk’s office of Texas and Phelps counties. The Board of Education then established the operating levy for the 2010-2011 school year at $2.75 per $100 assessed valuation.
After calling the regular meeting to order, the Board of Education reviewed minutes from the previous meeting and approved payment of bills. Items of business included adoption of the newly established operating levy, review of district financial statements, and approval of the Annual Secretary of the Board Report (ASBR). Sealed bids were considered for service items and Board of Education policies pertaining to student attendance and financial disclosure were reviewed and adopted.
The Board of Education reviewed district annual yearly progress (AYP) performance results. District administrators presented performance results by building (elementary and high school) and district-wide performance results. Each state is required to assess all schools annually to determine if adequate yearly progress (AYP) has been met. All students are tested in math and communication arts each year during grades three to eight and once in high school. The state uses those scores to track the academic progress of districts, schools (buildings) and specific subgroups.
These subgroups include five racial ethnic groups, special education, low-income, and students learning English as a second language. When one subgroup of at least 30 students fails to meet the established target in any testing area, the school (building) does not meet AYP. When one subgroup fails to meet the established target for two consecutive years, the school (building) is considered to be “in need of improvement.” During the 2009-2010 school year, subgroups at the Licking elementary and high school buildings did not meet the state established targets. Therefore, the Licking R-VIII School District is considered to be “in need of improvement.”
Missouri statewide AYP results indicate that of 552 school districts, 116 or (21.07%) met the state target and 436 or (79.0%) of school districts received not met. Currently 383 school districts are in improvement. The Licking R-VIII School District is one of 46 schools entering District Improvement Level 1 based on 2010 AYP results. The Licking Elementary School is at School Improvement Level 1, while the Licking High School is Non-Title 1 School Improvement Level 3.
The goal of the Licking R-VIII Board of Education and administration is to modify the current high school improvement plan, develop an elementary school and district wide improvement plan, and implement the strategies within the improvement plans to continue increased performance and growth throughout the district. The improvement plans will be developed with input from students, parents, teachers and state education officials.
During closed session, the Board of Education considered student and personnel issues. The next regular meeting of the Licking R-VIII Board of Education is set for Monday, September 13, at 7:00 p.m., at the office of the superintendent.
Every day was a new adventure
Today’s My Story is written by Ronald Mikulski, a retired USAF Major with 21 years of service. He has flown over a dozen different aircraft and earned the Distinguished Flying Cross and six air medals. Submit a My Story on any subject to thenews@centurytel.net or mail to P.O. Box 297, Licking, MO 65542 or drop by the office at 115 S. Main St.
When I was in helicopter school in 1965, I was given a choice: go into air rescue and eventually go to Vietnam, or volunteer for immediate service in Vietnam with the 20th Helicopter Squadron, a cargo-hauling outfit. The Ch3-C was the most modern helicopter in the Air Force. It was a dream to fly, and if I was going to Vietnam, cargo missions sounded better than rescue.
After several survival schools, I finally reached Vietnam. I was immediately whisked to an undisclosed location, and the sign on the building said, “14 Air Commando Wing.” I never signed up to be an Air Commando, but now I was one. It was sort of “on the job training.” Now they call it Special Operations.
We were also told we were never stationed in Vietnam, but on temporary orders to Southeast Asia. Since we really didn’t exist, not many people knew who we were. But those who found us knew we were a resource they could use.
Every day was a new adventure. One day I came to the office in anticipation of the day’s mission. A call came in: two B-52s had had a mid-air collision over the South China Sea. There were survivors. Every helicopter was scrambled for rescue.
Since we were the fastest, we reached the scene first. Calls came in that survivors had been found, but we were still searching. Finally, we spotted a chute in the water. The survivor was not responsive when we dropped a sling to him. We tried landing on the water, but the seas were too rough and we nearly ran him over.
The only solution was that someone had to jump in to get him. The loadmaster couldn’t swim, we needed the crew chief to work the winch and my fellow pilot outranked me, so that left me. I took off my boots, stuck my knife in my teeth Rambo style and jumped in the rough sea.
I swam to the survivor and found him bloody, unconscious and tangled in his chute. There was an inflated life raft next to him, so I hung on to that as I began to cut him out of his chute. I guess I was too aggressive because the next sound I heard was a hiss. I had punctured the raft and it was gone, and I was three feet under water. I reached under my arms and inflated my life vest, the one my crew chief insisted I wear before jumping in. It saved my life.
I eventually cut the guy out of his chute and we winched him into our copter. Then it was my turn; it’s a weird feeling being rescued by the helicopter you were flying just a short time ago. We got our survivor back to base, and he turned out to be the pilot who had caused the collision.
Back at the office, it was time for another mission. I found myself on special duty at a Special Forces camp in Northern Vietnam. After all, we didn’t exist and weren’t in Vietnam.
Local teen drowns while camping along Current River
Casey Brown, 13, of Licking was a drowning victim this past weekend. Missouri Water Patrol reports that Brown walked away from his campsite, near Jadwin, either late Friday evening or early Saturday morning. It’s believed he was swimming in the Current River when he fell into a deep hole near Cedar Grove in Shannon County.
Ranger Konkie and and Missouri Water Patrol officers recovered Brown’s body around 1:40 p.m., Saturday, Aug. 14, about 300 yards down from Big Creek Crossing in about eight feet of water.
Assisting in the search was the Dent County Sheriff's office, because it was originally thought the incident occurred in Dent County, and members of the Jadwin Fire Department, according to Dent County Sheriff Rick Stallings.
Brown was not wearing a personal flotation device, according to the report.
Draft Horse Pull coming to Licking on Friday
by Durga Walker
Staff Writer
thenews@centurytel.net
The 11th Annual Draft Horse Pull will take place Friday night, Aug. 20, at the Licking Rodeo Grounds on Maple Avenue, starting at 7 p.m.
The horses, each standing up to 17-hands high and weighing up to 1,800 pounds, will be competing in teams in two divisions: Farm Class (Light Weight) and Heavy Class.
To qualify for competition, a team must be able to pull a sled holding the equivalent of their combined weight. The sled must move far enough to dislodge an anchor that has been attached to the sled by a chain. This first pull counts as the qualifying round. If the team qualifies, the weight on the sled is increased with each pull. The team has three chances to pull each new weight and the longest pulled distance is the one counted.
Last year’s winners in the Heavy Class were Pete and Barney, owned by Joe Miller. Clyde and Charlie, owned by David and Jared Self, won the Light Class. Come out and see who this year’s winners will be.
The Draft Horse Pull is sponsored by the Licking Chamber of Commerce. Children 11 and under are admitted free.
Nixons get their feet wet on Current River
by Brenda Jessen
Staff Writer
newsstaff@earthlink.net
Praising volunteer efforts of Missourians to help keep our rivers pristine and promote tourism here, Missouri Governor Jay Nixon and his family Aug. 9 took a 7.5-mile float and fishing trip on the Current River.
First Lady Georganne Nixon and their son, Will, also attended. Their other son, Jeremiah, could not attend. The Nixons floated from Cedar Grove to Akers Ferry, saying they wanted to highlight the world-class floating, fishing and recreation available in southern Missouri.
They were joined by members of four area Stream Teams, Director of Missouri State Parks Bill Bryan, Director of Conservation Bob Ziehmer and Dave Murphy, executive director of the Conservation Federation of Missouri.
Stream Teams pick up litter, stabilize stream banks, plant trees and monitor water quality.
“This stream is rich in Missouri history, and I commend community volunteers who work to keep it pristine and help make it a great vacation spot for families,” Nixon said.
Nixon said Missouri Gov. Herbert Hadley popularized boat fishing in the Ozarks after a Current River excursion in 1909 from Welch Spring to Round Spring. Dent County native Congressman W.P. Elmer organized the excursion. That trip also included a banquet in Salem.
Current River is the most spring-fed of all the Ozark rivers and is one of the most popular float streams in the state. Located within the Ozark National Scenic Riverways, the Current and Jacks Fork rivers include 134 miles of streams that travel through more than 80,790 acres of the Ozarks National Scenic Riverways. The ONSR was established in 1964 by an Act of Congress.
Nixon, during his 1992 campaign for attorney general, took an 11-day float trip on the Missouri River from Kansas City to St. Louis.
The Nixons arrived Aug. 8 at Montauk State Park and heard a presentation by a member of the State Parks Youth Corp. The governor fished at Montauk early Aug. 9 before starting the float trip on the Current River.
They also made stops at Welch Spring and Howell-Maggard Cabin, had lunch on a gravel bar, fished along the way and rode the historic Akers Ferry before retuning to Montauk State Park for a barbecue Monday evening.
Nixon is in the process of visiting all 85 Missouri State Parks. Montauk marked the 59th park he has visited.
Nixon said that in an effort to help reverse the trend of declining attendance in the state parks, he is taking a strong position on promoting the awareness of Missouri’s state parks, promotion of tourism and vacationing in Missouri.
Elected in November of 2008, Nixon is serving his first term as the state’s 55th governor. He is a native of De Soto and earned undergraduate and law degrees from the University of Missouri-Columbia. He is a former Missouri senator and attorney general.Extrication training given to area volunteer firemen
by Michael Drozdo
RVFD Training Officer
On Wednesday, Aug. 4, Raymondville Volunteer Fire Department hosted an Advanced Vehicle Technician Extrication class. The class was taught by Michael Drozdo, Assistant Chief from Raymondville. This class was designed to cross train fire department personnel to use each other’s equipment and to have common advanced training in vehicle extrication.
Submitted photo
Firefighters practice using the jaws-of-life to pry open a wrecked car.
Volunteerism is down in the fire service, and we needed to cross train personnel so that we have coverage in the event of an emergency. Twenty-four firefighters from Raymond-ville, Licking, Roby, Houston, Arroll and Summersville participated in the class.
We train together because we work together. On any given day we can be called to help each other in a time of need. To tell you the truth, it happens quite frequently. This type of training is invaluable when it comes to working together at an accident or structure fire.
The class consisted of a one-hour lecture on new extrication techniques needed to cut out a person that is trapped in a vehicle. The class learned specialized techniques such as third-door creation, clamshell, tunneling and a modified dash raise. All the participants would like to thank Curlile Auto Salvage of Summersville for donating a vehicle and transporting it to the class. You can check out our video on the day’s events on YouTube using the link “Raymondville VFD.”
Have you ever thought about becoming a volunteer? Have you ever wanted to help your fellow neighbor in a time of need? All of your local fire departments are finding themselves short on manpower. We are in need of people of any age looking for a way to serve their community. If you are interested, talk to a fireman.
Fatality accident claims life of Bucyrus man
Elmer E. Vasseur, 66, of Bucyrus, was killed in an ATV accident at 7:10 p.m., Aug. 8. The accident occurred on Route AA, 10 miles south of Success.
The 2006 Honda ATV was driven by Matthew N. Vasseur, 13, of the home in Bucyrus. The driver lost control on a curve, ran off the right side of the road and struck a road sign.
Elmer Vasseur was pronounced dead at the scene by Texas County Coroner Thomas Whitaker. Matthew Vasseur was taken by ambulance to Texas County Memorial Hospital for treatment of moderate injuries. Neither party was wearing a helmet.
Services for Elmer Vasseur were Wednesday, Aug. 11, 2010, at Evans Funeral Home in Houston.
Serving our nation is a proud family tradition
Today’s My Story is written by Rick Sullins, U.S. Army Sergeant First Class, Military Intelligence Retired. Submit a My Story on any subject to thenews@centurytel.net or mail to P.O. Box 297, Licking, MO 65542 or drop by the office at 115 S. Main St.
Let me tell you about one of the most amazing days I had. On Aug. 5, I along with my family, grandparents, Grant, Tyler, and very good friends, the Gilbert’s from Joplin, attended the basic training graduation for my son, Benn.
Thinking back from that day, I had always been very proud of Benn’s decision at 15 or so to join the military, and later attended his swearing-in ceremony at the Military Entrance Processing Station in Saint Louis, sporting a tear in my eye as he held up his right hand and took his oath to defend this great country of ours with his very life at age 18.
Jumping ahead to the nine weeks leading up to this amazing day, it had kept his mother and me both on our toes, her trying to figure out how he was doing and worrying about his safety, myself reminiscing about my basic training days back in 1982, where my 22 years of service had taken the family and the impact that it must have had on him.
I made daily trips from my office over to the Post Mail Room to drop off my daily letter for the Company Mail Clerk to hand deliver to him the next day after the evening chow. Then on my way back to the office I would drive over to his company area to get a peek of him in the front lean and rest. Sadly though, I never did get to see him in that position.
I will say that having our young soldier going through his basic training here has been great for us. On July 4 we attended the fireworks display at Gammon Field, and were able to spend about four hours with Benn and several other soldiers from his unit who could not stop talking to Benn’s mom. One even confessed how much he missed his own mom in Alabama.
This leads up to the climax of all his training and hard work on Aug. 5 in the packed, standing-room-only Baker Theater, along with 204 Basic Trainees their Drill Sergeants, families, and friends as we watched films of soldiers in action during the current War on Terror.
I watched as awards were presented to many outstanding soldiers. During the few periods of silence there would be shout-outs to loved ones sitting at attention in their Dress Greens, black berets, marksmanship badges, and wearing the National Defense Service Ribbon on the left side closes to their heart.
Some of these soldiers looked younger than the 17 or 18 years that they were, but when they walked out on that stage and shouted out their name and the state they were from, they were soldiers, every one.
I heard the voices of soldiers that were ready to follow the orders of those directed over them, and if the situation called for it, to take charge themselves to accomplish the mission. They were not afraid of anything.
The oath of enlistment was administered once more and followed by the singing of the Army Song that shook the walls.
The American military man and woman has always been my hero, but today there is one hero that stands out above the rest. My hero: Private Benn Hayden Sullins, 35 Fox, Military Intelligence, son of Rick and Tammy Sullins, Brother to Lynsey and Kennedy, and uncle to his niece Mylie.
AYP results designate Licking schools ‘in need of improvement’
The goal of No Child Left Behind (NCLB) 2010 is to ensure that all children in this country receive a quality education.
Under NCLB, each state is required to assess all schools to determine if each school has made adequate yearly progress (AYP) toward meeting the academic testing standards and additional measures set by the state. All students are tested in math and communication arts each year, grades 3-8, and once in high school. The state uses these scores to track the academic progress of districts, schools (buildings) and specific subgroups. The subgroups include five racial/ethnic groups, special education, low-income and students learning English as a second language. When one subgroup of at least 30 students fails to meet the target in any area, the school does not meet AYP.
Missouri statewide AYP results indicate that of 552 school districts, 116 (or 21.07%) met the state target and 436 (or 79.0%) did not meet it. School districts not meeting the target for two consecutive years are considered to be “in need of improvement.” Currently, 383 school districts are in improvement.
The Licking R-VIII School District is one of 46 schools entering District Improvement Level 1 based on 2010 AYP results. According to Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) Federal Instructional Improvement Supervisor Dr. Curtis Lloyd, “it is phenomenal for a school district to avoid improvement to this point.” However, state targets are established, and school districts are expected to have 100% of their students, all subgroups, performing at the proficient or advanced level on related tests during the 2014 school year.
“Licking schools’ results are no worse than previous years,” said Dr. John Hood, Licking R-VIII Superintendent. “We have maintained scores. It’s just the State of Missouri has now increased the the state target, which makes the requirements now higher than they were before. Only 116 schools in the state met the newly increased requirement. There were 436 that did not, and we were among those.”
Individual schools or buildings within a district may be at various levels of school improvement. The Licking Elementary School is at School Improvement Level 1, while the Licking High School is Non-Title I School Improvement Level 3.
The goal of the Licking R-VIII Board of Education and administration is to modify the current high school improvement plan and develop an elementary school and district-wide improvement plan. The improvement plans will be developed with input from students, parents, teachers and state education officials. School districts and individual schools (by building) must meet the state target two consecutive years in all subgroups in order to be removed from school improvement.
The Licking R-VIII Board of Education and administration has stated it is very proud of our students, parents and teachers. “We thank you for your support and welcome your input as we work together to modify and develop our improvement plans,” Dr. Hood said. “We view this as a challenge and an opportunity to continue to improve upon the educational services that we provide to our students.”
Information about No Child Left Behind and what parents can do to improve student achievement can be found at http:/ed.gov/parents/landing.jhtml.Election Results, by Precinct
Election ’10: Incumbents win their races
by Angela Barne
Staff Writer
Texas County voters went to the polls Tuesday to select party nominations for the upcoming November election. Polls closed at 7 p.m.
At the county-wide level, the race for Texas County associate circuit judge was hotly contested. The only candidates for associate circuit judge were on the Republican ticket and listed incumbent Doug Gaston and Brad Eidson, both Houston residents. Gaston, winning by 61%, faces no opposition in November.
Photo by Durga Walker
Wesley and Regina Holmes of Licking pick up their ballots at their polling location. Their daughter Amelia, and her friend Evan Gifford, son of Sam and Carrie Gifford watch and learn about the voting process.
Vying for Texas County presiding commissioner were Andy Sodano and Fred W. Stenger on the Republican ticket. Stenger won by only 93 votes more than Sodano. Stenger will face Democrat Mike Impey in November.
In the 8th Congressional District, Republican Bob Parker of Raymondville lost out to incumbent Jo Ann Emerson of Cape Girardeau. Emerson faces Democrat Tommy Sowers of Rolla, and Libertarian Rick Vandeven in the fall.
Of the Democrats, the only local race was for recorder of deeds, which was won by incumbent Phyllis Staley. Staley will oppose GOP candidate Susan Elmore Warkentin of Houston, in the November election.
All other county positions were unopposed. Incumbent state representatives, Don Wells and Tony Dugger, were unopposed.
The circuit clerk position will be decided in November when Marci Mosley, a Republican, runs against Rita Williams, a Democrat.
There were two ballot initiatives for Texas County voters to consider, both of which passed.
Proposition C was a statewide measure giving state residents the ability to make their own insurance choices and opt out of the federal healthcare initiative. Proposition C won by a landslide with 71% of voters statewide, 79% of voters within Texas County, voting in support of the propostion.
Proposition 1, a measure asking for an operating levy of $3.20 per $100 assessed valuation through 2014 for Cabool School District, was the other initiative that was passed.
At the statewide level, GOP candidate U.S. Rep. Roy Blunt won the U.S. Senate position.
U.S. Representative Roy Blunt, Springfield, won the GOP U.S. Senate job being vacating by the retiring Christopher “Kit” Bond. Secretary of State Robin Carnahan of Rolla won the Democratic nomination and will face off against Blunt, Libertarian nominee Jonathan Dine, and Constitution Party candidate Jerry Beck in November.
Susan Montee won the Democrat ticket for the State Auditor position. Tom Schweich won the Republican nomination for state auditor. Montee, Schweich, and Libertarian nominee Charles W. Baum will run against each other in the fall.
Photo by Durga Walke
Susan Thompson votes in the primary election at the Fox Fire Station on Tuesday. This was an opportunity for voters to ensure their favorite party nominees are on the November election ballot. Licking voter turnout was 27.29% of those who were registered to vote.
| Candidate | Votes |
Percent of
Votes |
|
U.S. Senate |
||
| Democrat: | ||
|
17,433 264,742 33,612 |
5.5% 83.8% 10.6% |
| Republican: | ||
|
8,024 8,702 40,648 409,806 15,057 8,509 5,188 75,390 6,288 |
1.4% 1.5% 7.0% 70.9% 2.6% 1.5% 0.9% 13.1% 1.1% |
| Libertarian: | ||
|
2,050 1,452 |
58,5% 41.5% |
| Constitution: | ||
Total Votes |
512 819 552 898,784 |
27.2% 43.5% 29.3% |
|
State Auditor |
||
| Democrat: | ||
|
266,492 29,377 |
90.1% 9.9% |
| Republican: | ||
|
222,095 314,852 |
41.4% 58.6% |
| Libertarian: | ||
Total Votes |
3,329 836,145 |
100.0% |
|
U.S. Representative, District 8 |
||
| Democrat: | ||
|
27,873 |
100.0% |
| Republican: | ||
|
25,114 47,878 |
34.4% 65.6% |
| Libertarian: | ||
Total Votes |
241 101,106 |
100.00% |
|
State Senate, District 16 |
||
| Democrat: | ||
|
5,655 |
100.0% |
| Republican: | ||
Total Votes |
18,648 24,303 |
100.0% |
|
State Representative, District 144 |
||
| Republican: | ||
Total Votes |
5,724 5,724 |
100.0% |
|
State Representative, District 147 |
||
| Republican: | ||
Total Votes |
3,765 3,765 |
100.0% |
|
Circuit Judge, Circuit 25, Division 2 |
||
| Democrat: | ||
Total Votes |
3,996 3,996 |
100.0% |
|
Associate Judge |
||
| Republican: | ||
Total Votes |
2,383 3,905 |
61.0% 39.0% |
|
Presiding Commissioner |
||
| Democrat: | ||
|
835 |
100.0% |
| Republican: | ||
Total Votes |
1,779 4,486 |
48.7% 51.3% |
|
Circuit Clerk |
||
| Democrat: | ||
|
839 |
100.0% |
| Republican: | ||
Total Votes |
3,134 3,973 |
100.0% |
|
Recorder of Deeds |
||
| Democrat: | ||
|
681 317 |
68.2% 31.8% |
| Republican: | ||
Total Votes |
3,119 4,117 |
100.0% |
|
Prosecuting Attorney |
||
| Republican: | ||
Total Votes |
3,008 3,008 |
100.0% |
|
County Clerk |
||
| Democrat: | ||
Total Votes |
865 865 |
100.0% |
|
Proposition C Shall the Missouri Statutes be amended to: Modify laws regarding the liquidation of certain domestic insurance companies? |
||
Total Votes |
667,680 271,102 938,782 |
71.1% 28.9% |
|
|
||
Instinctual Courage: Young hero keeps 2-year-old from drowning in pool
Today’s My Story is written by Michelle Sample. Submit a My Story on any subject to thenews@centurytel.net or mail to P.O. Box 297, Licking, MO 65542 or drop by the office at 115 S. Main St.
On July 3, our family was celebrating Independence Day and I was watching the children at our relative’s pool in Licking. At this time, we had been in and out of the pool a few times already. Two-year-old Rhianna came up the steps, and I explained to her that if she wanted to get back in the pool, she would have to wear her life jacket. “Do you want to get back in the pool?” I asked.
“Uh-huh” came the reply, and foolishly, I believed her. Now, the pool is 4 feet deep and about 12 x 20 feet long.
At this time, I watched as my almost 6-year-old daughter ran down the side of the deck jumped in, and almost landed on top of another child playing (there were only five of us in there, so there was plenty of space).
I called my daughter over and was fussing at her, when my 8-year-old son, Jarrod, was carrying his 2-year-old cousin, Rhianna, out of the pool, soaking wet. I gasped at him and asked, “WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!”
To which he calmly replied “Just helping her out of the pool.” It was then that I realized that she was drenched, her curly brown hair sopping wet against her head. The more he told me, the more I realized what could’ve happened. I never saw any of it.
She went down the opposite side of the pool from where I was watching my daughter nearly plow over the other child.
According to Jarrod, “She jumped in and hit the back of her head on the pool, and when she opened her mouth to yell for help, her mouth filled up with water.” He saw all of this, I did not.
There were about six rafts floating in the pool, and the bigger kids had been jumping on them all day. I suspect Rhianna just wanted to try, too. I never would’ve seen her. I never would’ve known. It would have been too late.
A little while later we asked another boy that had been in the pool when this happened, “Did you see it?”
“Yes,” he replied. When we asked why he didn’t go to help, he simply said, “I was playing.”
Because that is the mentality of a 7- or 8-year-old boy, I do not hold that against him at all. I am, however, so grateful to God for putting my son in a position to see that baby girl, and gave him a discerning heart to realize her distress.
I wanted to share this story with your readers because it is all too easy to read about the tragedies. I just wanted to remind all of us that heroes do still exist. I am blessed to be married to one (Daddy is a firefighter) and to have another budding in our very own house.
Texas County Shootout this weekend at Silver Nickel Arena
by Angela Barnes
Staff Writer
thenews@centurytel.net
It may not be the Old West or the calvary, but today’s modern cowboys still hone skills that were highly prized in the old days. Cowboy mounted shooting today has become a highly competitive sport, and this weekend is your opportunity to see it in action.
The Texas County Shoot Out will be at Silver Nickel Arena this weekend on Saturday and Sunday with cowboys competing for double points and bragging rights (no payback). Many of the cowboys that will be doing the mounted shooting will be heading on to the Missouri State Fair shoot the following weekend in Sedalia.
Photo by Donald Dodd
Cowboy mounted shooting is a challenging sport requiring a combination of both shooting skills and horse skills. It is a quickly growing competitive sport.
The shoot out begins Saturday at noon.
Sunday will start with Cowboy Church at 9 a.m., with the shoot out continuing again at 10 a.m. Everyone is invited not only to the shoot out but to the Cowboy Church.
You may have seen the mounted shooting demonstration at the rodeo back in June and wondered how the cowboys are able to avoid shooting people in the audience if they miss their targets. “They’re shooting blanks,” said Cody Nickels, owner of Silver Nickel Arena. “The burning embers from the blanks pop the targets.”
Cowboys belonging to the Cowboy Mounted Shooting Association use .45 caliber single action revolvers like those used in the 1800s. The brass cartridges that are fired are called .45 caliber Long Colts, and are loaded with black powder, just enough to pop a balloon from up to about 15 feet away.
There is a person to load and unload the guns when the riders enter and leave the arena. No riders are allowed to carry loaded guns outside the arena or when not competing according to The CMSA’s rules.
The riders are scored on time and accuracy. For missing a balloon or dropping a gun, the rider will receive a 5 second penalty. There is a 10 second penalty for not running the course properly. And if the rider falls off the horse, a 60 second penalty is given.
The riders will race through several patterns, or courses, that were assigned to them. Each pattern will have 10 balloon targets that the riders must shoot.
In addition to the rules about riding and gun handling, the riders are required to dress western with a cowboy hat, pants or jeans covered in chinks or chaps, boots, and a long sleeved shirt. It is up to the riders whether they dress in modern traditional western style, or in style of the 1800s.
Silver Nickel Arena is a nice, new arena with seating, lights, concessions, bathrooms, plenty of parking, and has primitive camping available. To get to the arena, from Licking go south on Hwy. 137 about 8 miles. For more information, you can contact Cody Nickels at 417-967-6484.
Texas County Memorial Hospital completes feasibility study for expansion project
by Joleen Senter Durham
Texas County Memorial Hospital
Texas County Memorial Hospital has submitted financial feasibility data needed for the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) to determine if TCMH qualifies for special loan funds to expand the size of the hospital, members of the hospital’s board of trustees heard at their monthly meeting on Tuesday.
The USDA funding, released in 2009 as part of the Economic Recovery Act, is available until September 30. Currently, the interest rate for the USDA loan is four percent. If approved, TCMH could obtain low-interest funding to expand the physical size of the hospital, creating a new, larger emergency department and private medical surgical patient rooms and to remodel and renovate several hospital departments, such as obstetrics, intensive care and surgery.
Linda Pamperien, chief financial officer, was primarily responsible for gathering and submitting the financial data to BKD, LLC, in Springfield, Mo., the hospital’s accounting firm. BKD will ensure accuracy of the data and submit it, on behalf of TCMH, to the USDA office for the state of Missouri.
“Our state USDA office will look over the data and application,” Wes Murray, chief executive officer at TCMH, explained. “They will need about a week to determine if they approve the application at a state level, and it will be forwarded on to the federal USDA office in Washington, D.C.”
TCMH should know in September if they are approved to receive funding for some or all of the funds needed to expand the size of the hospital.
“I am as eager as anyone else in the county to see where we go from here,” Murray said, explaining that approval from the USDA would be “good and positive news for the hospital and community.”
Hospital officials and board members will determine the course of action for a proposed hospital expansion following word from the USDA.
The financial market collapse in late 2008 made utilizing the traditional bond market unfeasible, and expansion plans were placed on hold. TCMH picked the expansion plans back up in 2009 after the USDA expressed interest in the hospital project.
Recruiting several new physicians to work in the TCMH clinics and hospital and the addition of a clinic and ambulance base in Mountain Grove aided the hospital data that was submitted. The USDA looks at several years of financial data as well as the long-term growth and service potential of the hospital in determining whether or not to award funding.
In July, the Center for Medicare Services and the Department of Health and Senior Services released an 800-plus page document outlining the government’s definition for “meaningful use” of electronic medical records (EMR) in healthcare facilities. “Meaningful use” was defined as utilizing electronic medical records in a way that benefits the patient, the facility and payer groups such as Medicare.
Murray also reported that TCMH should receive an incentive payment from the government for achieving “meaningful use” of EMR in the hospital and clinics.
“It was very important to TCMH that we qualify for this incentive payment for ‘meaningful use’; we were one of the first facilities that jumped on board with electronic medical records,” Murray said. TCMH began the adoption of EMR in 2005, and today, EMR can be found throughout the hospital and its clinics.
According to BKD, TCMH is in line to receive about three million dollars from the federal government for the EMR that’s in use in the hospital and clinics.
“Everything we’ve done qualifies for an EMR incentive payment from the government,” Murray said. The first of several payments is expected to arrive in May 2011.
Technology use at the hospital will continue to grow with the addition of “centralized scheduling,” an $11,700 computer module capital investment that was unanimously approved by the TCMH board of trustees on Tuesday.
The hospital was notified in June that Medicaid would require pre-certification for almost all outpatient radiological procedures beginning in July. Since the pre-certification process involves more than one person and many departments, the need for a centralized scheduling became imperative.
“Centralized scheduling will expedite the process without inconveniencing the patient,” Pamperien explained when requesting the funds for the computer program.
The centralized scheduling module will work with existing computer software to allow many users to get pre-certification for patient procedures and to schedule those procedures as needed. All outpatient departments such as sleep laboratory, cardiac rehabilitation, physical therapy, laboratory, radiology and surgery can utilize the schedule within their department.
“Everyone can actually view all of the scheduling for outpatient procedures for our patients,” Pamperien explained. “And we can track patients that don’t show up for appointments, so we can follow up with the patient.”
Because TCMH has served as a training site for the hospital’s electronic medical records program, the software company agreed to sell the centralized scheduling module to the hospital at half price.
Members of the hospital’s administrative team and board chairperson, Omanez Fockler, spent a day in July working on the hospital’s strategic plan.
“We began by looking at the hospital’s mission statement, and we will continue the process by looking at each individual hospital department and service line,” Murray said.
Fockler described the day as “time well spent”.
Murray, Fockler and members of the administrative team are continuing to study where TCMH is today and where the hospital will be in five to 10 more years, setting goals and outlining plans where needed.
“In the past few years, we have accomplished many things that were part of our strategic plan,” Murray said. “With healthcare reform, we need to be flexible, not knowing exactly how it will affect us.”
Murray explained that Russell Huq, MD, the family medicine physician at the TCMH Family Clinic in Licking, has resigned his position, effective Sept. 4. Huq has taken a position in Oklahoma.
“We are moving forward despite this setback,” Murray said. “We are working on a plan that will be very satisfactory to our patients in the Licking area.”
In financial news, as of June 2010, TCMH is up by 83 admissions this year in comparison to the end of June 2009. In June TCMH posted a positive bottom line of $4,634.85, lowering the negative year-to-date balance to $25,298.55.
The next meeting of the TCMH board of trustees is Tuesday, Aug. 24, at 12 p.m. in the hospital’s downstairs meeting room.Primary Election is Tuesday
by Angela Barnes
Staff Writer
Missouri’s state primary elections is this Tuesday, Aug. 3. Polling locations are open 6 a.m.–7 p.m. Eligible registered voter may select the party ballot of their choice. However, primary voters may select only one party’s ballot. Voters who do not wish to give a political party preference may request an issues only ballot, if one is available in that particular jurisdiction.
Due to the remodeling of Intercounty Electric’s lobby in Licking, those who are in the Licking Vote Distict (Boone, Lynch II, and Sherrill vote districts) will have to go to Fox Fire Station Community Room, 115 Old Salem Rd., Licking.
Texas County Clerk Donald Troutman has predicted 25.37 percent of registered voters will turnout to polls Tuesday.
Special on this year’s Primary Election ballot is Proposition C, which considers government controlled health insurance. The office of the Missouri Secretary of State, Robin Carnahan, states Proposition C, in plain language is as follows:
A “yes” vote will amend Missouri law to deny the government authority to penalize citizens for refusing to purchase private health insurance or infringe upon the right to offer or accept direct payment for lawful healthcare services. The amendment will also modify laws regarding the liquidation of certain domestic insurance companies.
A “no” vote will not change the current Missouri law regarding private health insurance, lawful healthcare services, and the liquidation of certain domestic insurance companies.
If passed, this measure will have no impact on taxes.
For a further discussion on Proposition C, see Capitol Report on page A7 of this newspaper.
Additionally, voters will be able to decide who will run for their political party of choice in the upcoming November election. Candidates are as follows:
U.S. Senate
- Democrat: Francis J. Vangeli, of Columbia; Robin Carnahan, of St. Louis; Richard Charles Tolbert, of Kansas City, Mo.
- Republican: R.L. Praprotnik, of St. Louis; Hector Maldonado, of Sullivan; Kristi Nichols, of Kansas City; Roy Blunt, of Springfield; Deborah Solomon, of Independence; Davis Conway, of St. Peters; Mike Vontz, of Lake St. Louis; Chuck Purgason, of Caulfield; Tony Laszacs, of Waynesville.
- Libertarian: Jonathan Dine, of Riverside; Cisse Spragins, of Kansas City.
- Constitution: Joe Martellaro, of Cuba; Jerry Beck, of La Monte; Mike Simmons, of New Haven.
State Auditor
- Democrat: Susan Montee, of Jefferson City; Abtul Akram, of Kansas City, Mo.
- Republican: Allen Icet, of Chesterfield; Tom Schweicht, of St. Louis
- Libertarian: Charles W. Baum, of St. Louis
U.S. Representative, District 8
- Democrat: Tommy Sowers, of Rolla
- Republican: Bob Parker, of Raymondville; and Jo Ann Emerson, of Cape Girardeau
- Libertarian: Rick Vandeven, of Chaffe
State Senate, District 16
- Democrat: Frank A. Barnitz, Lake Spring
- Republican: Dan W. Brown, Rolla
State Representative, District 144
- Republican: Tony Dugger, of Hartville
State Representative, District 147
- Republican: Don Wells, of Cabool
Circuit Judge, Circuit 25 Division 2
- Democrat: Mary W. Sheffield, of Rolla
Associate Judge
- Republican: Doug Gaston, of Houston; Brad Eidson, of Houston
Presiding Commissioner
- Democrat: David M. Impey, Houston
- Republican: Andy Sodano, of Houston; Fred Stenger, of Houston
Circuit Clerk
- Democrat: Rita A. Williams, of Houston
- Republican: Marci Mosley, of Houston
Recorder of Deeds
- Democrat: Phyllis Staley, of Houston; Pam McKinney, of Houston
- Republican: Susan Warkentin, of Houston
Prosecuting Attorney
- Republican: Mike Anderson, Cabool
County Clerk
- Democrat: Donald R. Troutman, Houston
If you have any questions about the election process, the ballot or your polling location, you may call the Texas County Clerk/Election Authority at 417-967-2112.
Notice to voters
by Donald Troutman
Texas County Clerk & Election Authority
The Primary Election is being held Aug. 3 to nominate candidates for federal, state and county offices for the following political parties within the state of Missouri: Democrat, Republican, Libertarian and Constitution.
State law requires that you as a voter notify the election judges as to which political party ballot you desire to vote. You may not ask for more than one political party ballot at this election.
After voting your ballot on Election Day, please check your ballot to make sure that you have not voted for more candidates than you are allowed to vote for in any race, unless this is your intention. Make sure you have not over-voted your ballot regarding any and all questions and/or propositions.
If you have over-voted your ballot and would like to correct your mistake, please contact the election judges and they will give you a new ballot. Once you have voted your ballot and placed it in the vote counting machine, your ballot may not be removed for any reason. At the Nov. 2 General Election, you will have the opportunity to vote for candidates from more than one political party, if you so desire.
NOTICE TO PHYSICALLY CHALLENGED VOTERS: If you are physically challenged and would like to vote with the assistance of a machine that is available to those with physical challenges, please advise one of the election judges at your voting location.
Current laws also allow the County Election Authority to change the voting location of a physically challenged voter upon request. If you would like more information regarding the current laws for physically challenged individuals relating to requesting and voting by mail an absentee ballot, contact the County Clerk’s Office at 417-967-2112.
VOTER NOTIFICATION CARD: All current voters in Texas County were mailed a voter notification card prior to the Primary Election. The cards were mailed to the address that the county has on file.
If a voter has changed his/her address since they registered to vote they are required by law to notify the county of their new address. Correct address information will assist election judges in processing a voter on Election Day.
In future elections, you may be asked to provide the election judges photo identification in order to vote.
Contact: Donald R. (Don) Troutman, Texas County Clerk & Election Authority 417-967-2112
Licking High School registration Aug. 9–12
Licking High School Students may pick up their schedules and select lockers beginning Monday, Aug. 9 at 8:30 a.m., for incoming seniors. Students will be required to complete an emergency contact form when picking up their schedules and choosing a locker, so it is important that students are aware of up-to-date contact information, including at least three emergency contact names and phone numbers.
Registration schedule is: Seniors Aug. 9, 8:30 a.m. to noon. Juniors Aug. 10, 8:30 a.m. to noon. Sophomores Aug. 11, 8:30 to noon. Freshmen Aug. 12, 8:30 a.m. to noon
Students who are new to the district and have not completed pre-registration will need to come for the following times and dates to complete paperwork. Students entering grades 11 and 12 will need to come in on Monday, Aug. 9, between 1:30 and 3 p.m. Students entering grades 9 and 10 will need to come in on Tuesday, Aug. 10, between 1:30 and 3 p.m.
Schedules will be completed once transcripts and transfer paperwork have been received from the student’s previous district. New students are required to have current immunization documentation and a copy of their birth certificate to complete registration. A copy of the required registration paperwork can be downloaded from the district’s website at http://licking.k12.mo.us.
Any student unable to pick up their schedule according to the set schedule should contact the high school office at 573-674-2711 to make other arrangements.
Incoming junior high students will receive their schedules and locker assignments on the first day of school, August 18, during first hour assembly in the Old Gym. Emergency contact forms will be distributed during that assembly for students to take home and return to the junior high office.
Capitol Report: Proposition C and ballot language
by Rep. Don Wells, Dist. 147
Over the last few weeks I have received phone calls concerning Proposition C and ballot language. Many people have already voted absentee ballots hopefully voting the way they intended to vote.
For full clarification: There is an election next Tuesday, August 3rd. On that ballot you will find Proposition C, the health Care Freedom Act which was passed in the last legislative session by a bipartisan, super majority vote of the House and Senate.
Proposition C provides Missourians a voice in the future of their own health care.
A “Yes” vote on Proposition C preserves your present right to keep your own health insurance plan or choose any other private plan or no plan without being penalized for that choice. It also allows Missourians to select the federal government designed and approved insurance plan.
A “No” vote on Proposition C would limit Missourians to only a government designed and approved plan.
The ballot language reads: Shall the Missouri Statutes be amended to *”Deny the government authority to penalize citizens for refusing to purchase private health insurance or infringe upon the right to offer or accept direct payment for lawful healthcare services. *Modify laws regarding the liquidation of certain domestic insurance companies?”
The entire language of the two page bill may be found at the following link: http://www.house.mo.gov/billtracking/billtracking/bills101/biltxt/truly/HB1764T.HTM. It simply states that government may not, “penalize citizens for refusing to purchase private health insurance or infringe upon the right to offer or accept direct payment for lawful healthcare services.” It does not require that the state opt out of any federal program or bar Missourians from participation in any plan of their choice including the federally designed plan.
Missourians will be the first Americans in the nation to have a vote on this issue. It is a very important election. Many people around the country will be watching for the Show-Me State election results.
Feel free to call me it you have any questions and I encourage you to forward this alert to your friends and family. My e-mail is don.wells@house.mo.gov or call 573-751-1490.
Licking 4-H: Breathing fresh air
by Durga Walker
Staff Writer
thenews@centurytel.net
The 4-H is alive and growing in Licking, with new members, new projects and a lot to say. 4-H is not new to Licking by any means, but thanks to some forward-thinking leaders, it is undergoing some encouraging changes.
For years, the family of Dawn Sprouse, leader of the 4-H in Licking, formed what’s known in the organization as a family club. As such, they pursued individual farming projects, held club meetings and kept records of their activities, all in accordance with the curriculum in the 4-H guidebook, “The Clover.”
Then last year, Sprouse’s club chose to change its form and open up to members outside the family.
“There’s always been 4-H in Texas County,” Sprouse says. “There just haven’t always been a lot of clubs.”
Even now, there isn’t a lot of advertising, so most folks don’t know about the projects and activities going on in the countryside around them. But the active members in the Licking area would like to change that.
“4-H is an awesome experience for children of all ages,” Sprouse says. “It’s an experience not just of farming, but of computers, robotics, entrepreneurship, home economics, whatever the kids want to do.”
The four H’s on that familiar green clover logo stand, of course, for Head, Heart, Hands and Health. The 4-H organization, a multilevel structure with the Department of Agriculture at the top and countless 4-H members as its foundation, has always striven to help children develop in all those areas. In Missouri, the official “Clover Book” offers a curriculum that is funded and approved by the University of Missouri at Columbia. The choice of projects and how to enact them, however, is completely up to the kids.
“The 4-H is a kid-driven organization,” says Aleda Kivett, whose granddaughters Victoria, 12, and Taylor, 6, are members. “They plan fundraisers and projects, then document their activities and report them to the higher levels of the organization.”
According to Sprouse, “Parents are asked to be volunteers, but not to run the club.”
That’s left up to the kids themselves. In the process, the young members learn not only about their chosen projects, but also about parliamentary procedure, social interaction and community engagement. They choose their projects according to their passion. As they work with their special subjects, they take photos, draw pictures, write reports and share what they know. This makes learning a total hands-on experience.
And, interestingly, much of what they learn benefits their elders, as it was meant to from the start.
The history of the 4-H is rooted in cooperation between the generations. Back in the early 20th century, entrepreneurial individuals in diverse regions of the U.S. sought to make public-school education more relevant to country life. At the same time, researchers were looking for ways to make new agricultural discoveries more accessible to community farmers. As these two streams of thought merged, programs were developed for rural youth, who, it was thought, would test and publicize the new ideas and technologies. In fact, a lively exchange of information developed that would prove to be invaluable to hardworking rural farmers. At the same time, it afforded the young people an opportunity to develop their heads, hearts, hands and health.
The actual birth of the 4-H is generally considered to be the youth program set up in Ohio in 1902. The organization naturally underwent changes over the decades, eventually combining splinter groups into one single integrated program.
Today, through the Texas County Extension Council, our local groups are part of the Missouri 4-H, which in turn is part of the national organization. Although there are guidelines, a constitution and by-laws, choosing which projects to work on is up to the individual members. Children interested in the same subject can form a club mentored by adult leaders.
Take, for instance, the fledgling Flying Leads horse project in Licking, a new club that has attracted the expertise of horse trainer extraordinaire Vickie Ramsburg. Ramsburg, says Kivett, “likes kids, likes horses,” and is delighted to share her knowledge of horsemanship and horse training with a new generation of young horse lovers, wherein she stresses the safety of both rider and horse.
Kivett herself has been involved with natural horsemanship training for 20 years. What draws her about the method is “the magic you can do with a horse or a colt that’s developed behavioral problems, or one that’s never been touched.” It’s exactly this magic she’d like to see passed on to the young people who want to work with horses. The 4-H structure is giving even experienced young equestrians a chance to interact with horses in a new way, and to share this knowledge with others.
While Kivett’s granddaughter Victoria is active in the horse project, Taylor is still too young for the horse club. According to 4-H rules, children must be 8 years old to work with horses. Taylor, however, is undaunted; she’s using the 4-H to explore one of her other passions: chickens.
So while she waits to reach the age limit for horse work, Taylor will be learning and teaching the rest of us how to care for chickens, including how to bathe them. By the time she’s ready for the horses, she’ll be a veteran 4-H’er.
“The possibilities are endless,” Kivett says. “We have to remember that kids can do anything they want as long as they have adult support.”
It’s true that being a 4-H member requires dedication. In Texas County, the Central Club sponsored through the Extension Council in Houston meets once a month. Over 20 children are signed up, with eight to ten showing up regularly for meetings. The monthly get-togethers are generally for business, though Sprouse says a field trip may be in the works. The various projects within the larger club have their own meetings. Added to that, individual projects require a minimum of six hours devoted to the project itself, plus the homework outlined in the project booklet.
“That’s what’s so wonderful about 4-H,” Kivett says. “It gives kids a chance to grow within a structured environment, to tap into the knowledge contained in groups. And you don’t need to own a horse or chickens to join.”
In fact, the 4-H is very easy to join. Young people ages eight to eighteen who have an interest they’d like to explore through 4-H, or children five to seven who want to participate in the 4-H program Clover Kids, can call Betty Baney at the Texas County Extension Council at 417-967-4545, or Dawn Sprouse in Licking at 573-674-9119. If you know what you’d like to work on, just ask if there’s already a project set up around that subject, whether it’s animals, mechanics, food or anything else under the sun. If there’s not, you can set one up yourself.
Or come to a Central Club meeting in Houston at the Extension Council and meet local members. You can also visit the Missouri 4-H website at www.4h.missouri.edu.Trial scheduled for truck driver who caused the death of three Licking children in 2008
Alvin Lewis of Moorhead, Miss., the driver of the Freightliner semi that struck the vehicle of Mark Barton and his girlfriend Christina Miess, and killed her three children on March 20, 2008, is scheduled to appear in court on August 4.
Lewis’ vehicle slammed into the rear of Barton’s Ford Tempo while it was stopped for road construction about three miles south of Edgar Springs on Hwy 63. The construction zone was well-marked 55 mph and even had a flagman on duty. It is estimated that Lewis was traveling between 64 and 80 mph at the time, and the impact killed Miess’s three daughters in the back seat: Cristel, 12, Gracey, 5, and 6-month-old Gabrielle. Miess and Barton were also seriously injured.
At Lewis’ arraignment, he was charged with three counts of involuntary manslaughter and pleaded not guilty. He posted $50,000 bond.
After more than two years of postponements and changes of venue, Lewis is scheduled to go to trial on August 4 in Pulaski County. If you have any information pertaining to this accident, Christina Miess requests that you contact Prosecuting Attorney Courtney George or Judge Tracy L. Storie before that date.
Price indicted for arson and firearm possession
Steven Oakley Price, 40, of Licking, was indicted Wednesday, July 14 by a federal grand jury in Jefferson City. Price was charged on a two-count indictment for arson and illegally possessing a firearm.
Price is alleged to have set a fire May 11, 2010 in Kingdom City, Mo., that damaged a 1999 Wabash National Corporation 53-foot dry van trailer attached behind a 2006 Volvo 18-wheel commercial tractor-trailer rig. He was also charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm, allegedly having a Remington .22-caliber bolt-action rifle in his possession.
Price was arrested in West Virginia in late June, where he was watching one of the truck fires he is accused of setting. It is believed he is responsible for at least 14 truck fires in seven states and may face federal charges in other states as well as Missouri.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jim Lynn. It was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Missouri Division of Fire Safety, the Texas County, Missouri Sheriff’s Department, The Callaway County, Missouri Sheriff’s Department and the Missouri State Highway Patrol.
Price has two prior felony convictions for theft, as well as felony convictions for arson, burglary and hot check personal services.
Boiling Springs: Soaked in history
by Durga Walker
Staff Writer
thenews@centurytel.net
On a day with the kind of temperatures we’ve been having these last weeks, you’d think the river at Boiling Springs would be packed with swimmers splashing away the heat. Where else would you go on an afternoon like this?
But Boiling Springs was quiet Tuesday, just a couple of splashers and a group of fairly expert rope-swingers. For the most part, the river rolled along on its own, calm and cool and empty. There’s no telling where all the swimmers were, but never mind. The Murray clan was in town.
Every year around this time, descendants of the founder of Boiling Springs resort, plus friends, relatives, and “affiliated people,” drive in from St. Louis and occupy all the cabins.
“It’s an annual family event,” Kathleen O’Neill says. “We’ve been coming since the early 60s and we still love it.”
Sometime after World War II, a U.S. Marine (and Kathleen’s future uncle) named Maurice Murray left the Corps, bought the property now known as Boiling Springs and built a hunting lodge.
“The first little cabins were meant for hunters and had no amenities at all,” Kathleen recalls. “Very rustic, with outhouses. No electricity, no running water, concrete floors. Uncle Maurice was a bachelor, you see.”
Time went on until one day Maurice met Bertha. They married and he built her a home to live in at Boiling Springs, a cozy brown house that still sits close to the row of cabins, now across from the store. Bertha’s influence soon became visible. Flowers started appearing in the yard, and Boiling Springs began its long transition from a collection of sparse hovels to the enjoyable family vacation spot it is now.
Over the years, houses sprang up across the road from the cabins, and Maurice built Bertha her dream home up on the hill. The two houses across the road became part of the resort, and the Murray family has stayed in them often.
According to Kathleen, “The floors were so crooked that if you wanted to fry an egg you had to tip the pan up to keep the egg flat.”
Bertha’s dream house on the hill eventually served as a honeymoon location for Kathleen’s mother and Maurice’s brother in 1952—the location chosen because it was deer-hunting season—and today, somewhere in the row of cabins there’s a fire pit that was built with bricks from its chimney.
Without a doubt, the Murray family loves its Boiling Springs roots, down to the old pump house, where the Murray children went every day to haul water.
“Every year, thirty or forty of us come down for nine days,” Kathleen says. “We rent all 12 of the rentable spaces, including cabins and apartments. We wouldn’t miss it.”
What do they think of all the changes Boiling Springs has seen over the years?
“I have to admit that every time it gets sold, we wonder, ‘Oh no, what next? How will it be?’ But every time, it’s been great. They’re all wonderful. It all works.”
Clearly, the rope-swingers agree.
St. John the Baptist celebrates 50 years
Submitted by Mary Stone
“Fifty years down, eternity to go” is the motto the parishioners at St. John the Baptist chose for their celebration of 50 years of being a Faith Community in Licking, Mo.
Catholics have worshipped in northern Texas County since shortly after the Civil War. Irish immigrants living along the Big Piney River built a church on the John Haley farm. Priests traveled on horseback or, later, by buggy from Rolla for Mass about once a month. The church burned in 1914.
Services were held in homes until a new church was built near Beulah in 1932. In March 1960, a farm was purchased from Robert and Wanda Reed.
The property consisted of a house, garage, barn and 13 acres of land. Among the first families in the parish were the families of Cornelius Wulff, James Oligschlaeger, George Johnson, Hobert Trentham, the O’Malleys, Larry Foss, and Lloyd Williams. Parishioners cooperated generously in converting the home into a fitting place of worship. In 1996, the St. John the Baptist Catholic Church opened the doors to a new church on the same land.
St. John’s was established as a mission community in 1960; the first Mass was held May 15, 1960. From 1960-1982 our priest came from Salem once a week to celebrate Mass. In 1982 the priest came from Houston. Presently the mission community is being attended by Fr. Matt Rehrauer who resides in Houston.
The anniversary celebration with a Mass and dinner was held June 24 on the feast of St. John the Baptist. Other events include an evening of Prayer and Adoration on Sept. 23, Dedication of the Prayer Garden, Sept. 26, and in Advent we will invite those Catholics not in attendance in our community to join us.
Our mission at St. John is to lead others to Christ through love, loyalty, dedication and service to mankind. We humbly thank God for our many years of blessings, and pray for His continued blessing and divine guidance.
Animal Control Ordinance adopted, effective next year:
In response to numerous complaints concerning dogs and cats running loose and creating noise and odor nuisances, the City of Licking has adopted an ordinance that makes several changes to the laws regulating animals.
• Any animal (dog or cat) off their owners’ property must be on a leash.
• It is unlawful for the owner or keeper of any dog or cat to permit them to run at large outside of the enclosure of the owner or keeper’s property in city limits.
• The maximum number of dogs and cats that may be kept or harbored within the City of Licking by any owner or keeper shall be three or any combination thereof. This is the maximum limit per household, and the presence of multiple owners does not increase the number. This law will take effect July 13, 2011.
It shall be unlawful to own, keep, harbor or in any way possess within the city limits of Licking, any pit bull. This law will take effect July 13, 2011.
Copies of this ordinance is available at City Hall.
Prescription discount card available
Texas County Clerk Don Troutman announced this week that Texas County will join many other county government units in the nation by participating in the NACO (National Association of Counties) FREE Prescription Discount Card.
The cards will be available from county officials at the upcoming Texas County Fair and at participating county offices and departments.
This is NOT insurance. Discounts are available only at participating pharmacies. By using the card, you agree to pay the entire prescription cost, less any applicable discount.
Participant may call toll free 1-877-321-2652 for additional information regarding this program, or visit caremark.com/naco to look up a participating pharmacy, a price estimate for your prescription or other health-related information.
The card is easy to use. Simply present it at a participating retail pharmacy and save an average of 22% on your prescription medicine. There is no enrollment form, no membership fee, only one card for immediate use. You and your family may use your prescription discount card any time your prescription is not covered by insurance. There are no restrictions and no limits on how many times you may use your card.
On the back of each discount card is information, website and phone number for your local pharmacist to use for processing claims regarding the CVS Caremark program.
Phyllis Staley, candidate for Recorder of Deeds
Phyllis Staley, Circuit Clerk and Recorder of Deeds of Texas County, has announced that she is running for the Recorder of Deeds office. Staley has held her current office for several years.
On January 1, 2010, the Missouri Supreme Court ordered that all circuit courts not already consolidated with the associate circuit courts should do so. This ruling put her in charge of three offices, even though she is only paid for being Circuit Clerk.
“I have never received any salary for being Recorder of Deeds, although like others before me, I was happy to do the extra work without pay,” stated Staley. “I made a major move to the justice Center the past year-and-a-half with the Circuit Clerk’s office, which took an enormous amount of work preparing approximately 2,500 files, plus many other things. I requested a grant and was very fortunate to have enough funds to have help boxing up the files to be moved. I am just now getting everything in my office at the Justice Center, where it is working quite well.”
“I have made a hard decision. It was hard because I enjoy working with the court system and also the recorder’s office. I like the people I work with in both places. Since I have had to put most of my time in the Circuit Clerk’s office, I have made the decision to run for Recorder of Deeds. I spent a good deal of my own funds and a lot of time and effort to keep the recorder’s office in the same area where the builders meant it to be, keeping your records in a vault that the original builders fixed for your records. I feel that there is more I can do in the recorder’s office, as I have been so busy with moving and running the Circuit Clerk’s office, and now, with the associate court added, I will be responsible for three offices through 2010.”
Phyllis Staley has been married to Jim Staley of Licking for more than 40 years. They have one son, James Staley. She is a life-long member of the First Christian Church.
Staley has a lot of experience in her field. She has worked a chief deputy clerk for two preceding Circuit Clerks and Recorder of Deeds, Roy Gentry and Wilmer Diedrich. She has been elected to and held both offices since 1997. She is a charter member of the Circuit Clerks and Recorder of Deeds Association, and has completed additional educational courses on the operation and duties required to run both offices.
“I promise I will be dedicated and do a good job for you as I have always tried to do in the past,” pledged Staley. “I would appreciate your vote and support in the upcoming election.”
Dent County part of wildlife sting
From Special Reports
A large investigation involving illegal commercialization of wildlife and wildlife parts was brought to a close this weekend, where a total of 299 serious violations were documented in 7 counties across southern Missouri, according to a release from the Department of Conservation.
“Investigators were able to document that 62 percent of the wildlife brought in for mounting at a local taxidermy shop was taken illegally in some manner,” According to Protection Regional Supervisor Gary Cravens. The violations include those related to deer, turkey, furbearers, both game and non-game fish, and migratory birds. This documentation occurred over the past two years in Crawford, Dent, Miller, Howell, Iron, Oregon and Shannon counties.
Beginning July 17 conservation agents contacted individuals believed to have been involved in violations.
“Teams of agents met with 68 individuals and were able to document another 126 violations, bringing the total number of violations to 425,” Cravens said. “And of these, 289 were related to deer and 23 were related to turkey.”
Conservation agents seized a total of 240 items including 90 deer mounts or sets of antlers, approximately 20 various small game, fish, or furbearer mounts, 70 frog legs, one rattlesnake, and 16 firearms.
Some of the wildlife was sold illegally. Additionally, 3 individuals were arrested on a total of 11 outstanding warrants including 2 for out of state felonies.
“This investigation was important to the state,” Cravens said. “These violators are in effect stealing wildlife that belongs to all of us here in Missouri who obey the laws. And it’s our job to make sure that wildlife resources are protected.”
“A lot of hard work went in to investigating these wildlife violations but it is worth our time and effort if we change the attitudes and behavior of those who commit such acts.” Cravens said.
In published reports, an undercover taxidermist secretly recorded the illegal activity. The storefront, Craig’s Taxidermy, was in Birch Tree.
The department set up the undercover taxidermy shop in 2008 after receiving numerous complaints about illegal hunting in the area, said Cravens, the department’s regional supervisor for law enforcement operations. The state agency closed Craig’s Taxidermy early this year - but only after its hidden video and audio recorders captured plenty of evidence.
As customers came into the shop, “we were listening to them,” Cravens said. “They were bragging about how they shot out of so-and-so’s yard or off the road, or claiming it as archery even though it had a bullet hole.”
The cases are being turned over to prosecutors in seven counties - Crawford, Dent, Miller, Howell, Iron, Oregon and Shannon - where the hunting occurred, the department said.
The Dent County Prosecuting Attorney’s office has not yet received documentation from the case, according to a spokesman at the office.Classic cars make a comeback at show
by Durga Walker
Staff Writer
thenews@centurytel.net
Saturday, July 12, was a day David Fry will never forget—and that his Cabool car club will never stop talking about.
Driving up to Licking for the 27th Annual Route 63 Car Show, the 88-year-old Fry had just been thinking how nice it would be if his ’65 Mustang finally won a first-place trophy after seven years of showing. As it happened, no one was more surprised than Fry himself when he walked away with not just First Place but Best of Show as well.
Photo by Durga Walker
David Fry of Cabool and his 1965 Ford Mustang, which won First Place and Best of Show.
Photo by Durga Walker
Licking Mayor Linda Miller presents Mayor’s Choice Award to Dallas Warren of Cadet, Mo., for his black 1956 Thunderbird.
The popular Licking car show, held in the Old City Park across from Licking Manor, is hosted each year by the Route 63 car club, with all proceeds going to charity. And each year, the event draws scores of automotive enthusiasts who, like David Fry, just love their cars.
This year, the fine weather contributed to a good-sized crowd of fellow car-lovers. Fascinated visitors wandered through the rows of gleaming cars and motorcycles parked across every square inch of the grass. Owners and families, equipped with lawn chairs and ice chests, sat chatting under the trees while a team of judges walked from car to car, marking score sheets and taking notes.
“It’s a good turnout,” said Larry Meier.
Meier is the president of Licking’s Route 63 car club, which meets once a month to share a passion for cars, and chief organizer of the annual car show each summer.
“You don’t need to own a car to join the club,” Meier said. “We talk about everything. We just all love cars and bikes.”
Looking around at the stunning display of vehicles at the park—from clubs and individuals as close as Licking, Salem, Cabool and West Plains, and as far away as Columbia and even Arkansas—that love was clear, in the pride of ownership and the effort of maintenance that went into each entry. While there were some 20 cars on the grounds that had shown up for display only, another 110 cars and eight motorcycles had registered to be judged by MAACC, the Mid-America Association of Car Clubs.
MAACC was founded in the early 90s to fill the need for objective judging at car shows such as this. For a nominal fee paid by the organizing clubs, MAACC judges all but donate their time—and perhaps take the opportunity to display their own cars as well.
Vehicles are judged in four main categories: Engine Compartment, Brightwork (chrome, windows, etc.), Interior, and Paint.
“But really,” said Dave Wilson, veteran MAACC judge and owner of a sharp 2004 Corvette, “ninety-percent of it comes down to cleanliness.”
And there were some mighty clean vehicles present. The following winners went home with special trophies:
People’s Choice, Rickie Renegar of Mountain View for his 1968 Chevy C-10; Car Best of Show, David Fry of Cabool for his 1965 Mustang; Motorcycle Best of Show (and first place), Donnie Wilson of Houston, Mo., for his 1948 Harley; Mayor’s Choice, Dallas Warren of Cadet, Mo. for his 1956 T-Bird; Police Chief’s Choice, Marty Wiseman of Houston, Mo., for his 1966 Mustang; Kids’ Choice, Chuck Roling of Rolla for his 1966 Mustang GT.
The club with the most participants was the Klassik Kruisers of West Plains. And a special entrant at his very first show, young Nick Holliday of Arkansas, won the MAACC Judge award with his 1977 AMF Pacer.
Since all proceeds of the Route 63 Car Show go to charity, the input of the following sponsors was greatly appreciated:
Big Country 99.3 KUNQ, HEI Heating and Cooling, The Fender Mender, Hood’s Frosty Treat, Hagler Insurance Co., J.L. Friend Lumber Co., Linking Readi Mix, O’Reilly Auto Parts Houston, Rees Trucking, Corner Express, Air Gas, Agri-Enterprises, Aarons, ARAMARK, Bailey’s Flea Market & Tanning, BJ’s Trophy, Black Forest Grill, The Coffee Pot, Coca-Cola, Dean Gunderman, Denny Ford, Ed Green Realty, EZ Camp Campgrounds, Flower Auto Parts, Gary’s Auto Body, Golden Hills Trail Rides, Hagler Insurance Co., Hogs Breath Cycles, H&R Block, Intercounty Electric, Jay’s Auto & Marine, Jared Pyatt State Farm Insurance, Key Sport, Larry’s Restoration Shop, Landmark Bar, Lewis Service, Mike’s Car Care, NAPA Auto Parts Licking, O.K. Tires, Orscheln Farm & Home, Red Caboose Real Estate, Right Away Rent to Own, Rootco Metal Works, Scenic Rivers Inn, Sonic, Spark’s Auto Electric, Sturgeon Chevrolet, T.J.’s Flowers & Gifts, Town & Country Supermarket, Woody’s Flowers & Gifts, W.W. Feed, Zane’s Tire.
If you’re interested in showing your car at next year’s show in Licking, or in joining the Route 63 car club, contact Larry Meier at 573-674-4140. The club meets at 6:30 p.m. on the first Friday of every month.
Bagley sentenced to 90 days in county jail
by Dwayne McClellan
Staff Writer
newsstaff@earthlink.net
A Licking woman will have to spend only 90 days in the Texas County jail plus probation and meet other stipulations after pleading guilty to two counts of second-degree involuntary manslaughter in the August 2009 drowning deaths of her two children, according to court records.
Jennifer L. Bagley entered a guilty plea July 6 before Judge Mary Sheffield. Bagley was represented by Kenneth Heineman.
Sheffield first sentenced Bagley to two, four-year terms in the Department of Corrections on each count to run consecutively. Sheffield then suspended the execution of the sentences and placed Bagley on five years probation.
Other terms of the sentencing are:
• Perform 200 hours of community service.
• Pay $300 to the Texas County Law Enforcement Restitution Fund.
• Pay court costs within 90 days.
• Not to consume nor possess alcohol or be on the premises of any business whose primary business is the sale of alcohol.
• Submit to drug and alcohol testing at request of probation and parole or law enforcement.
Texas County Prosecutor Michael Anderson filed charges against Bagley in March. The charges came after a Texas County Coroner’s Jury ruled March 12 that Bagley should be held criminally neglect for the deaths of Jesse James Bagley, 7, and Wyatt Earp Bagley, 4, on Aug. 10, 2009, in the Big Piney River a short distance from their home on near 1500 Hazelton Drive north of Licking.
The three-man, three-woman jury deliberated for just over an hour before returning their verdict during a coroner’s inquest held at the Texas County Justice Center in Houston.
Texas County Coroner Tom Whitaker said at the conclusion the jury’s verdict would not be binding. But Anderson said at the start of the inquest that he “would more than likely follow the jury’s recommendation.”
A 911 call for help was received around 5:20 p.m., Aug. 9, 2009, when the brothers were missing, according to authorities. Whitaker said he believes the boys, unattended, were playing with their little sister and entered the water between 3-5 p.m.
Texas County sheriff Carl Watson said one to two hours may have passed before Bagley called authorities to report that the boys were missing. Watson also said the clothes of 3-year-old Belle Starr Louise Bagley were wet and that she had also likely been in the water.
Authorities said Belle had alerted her mother that her brothers were missing.
Nearly 300 searchers combed the rugged, wooded terrain surrounding the house by foot, horseback, four wheelers, boats and helicopter throughout the night until the boys’ bodies were discovered shortly after 7 a.m.
The fair comes to Texas County next week
by Angela Barnes
Staff Writer
thenews@centurytel.net
Next Wednesday opens the Texas County Fair and Old Settlers Reunion. This year is a special year for the Old Settlers Reunion, which is celebrating its 100th year. The Texas County Fair and the 100th annual Old Settlers Reunion will take place at the fairgrounds on U.S. 63, north of Houston.
It does not cost to enter the fairgrounds, though some events and carnival activities do require a fee. Gates open at 5 p.m.
Livestock competitions sponsored by The Texas County Fair Board will take place at the pavilion on the chamber grounds. Some of the categories include sheep, goats, dairy, beef, swine, poultry, and rabbits. In addition, there will be competitions for junior fair categories, field crops, horticulture, agriculture mechanics, and home economics.
Southern Fun Carnival is providing the midway. The community building will include several displays.
Special events at the fair and reunion include:
Wednesday: Family Gospel Night at 8 p.m. The New Horizons will perform
Thursday, 6:30 p.m.: Landmark Bank Family Fun Night will have games, Henderson York Band, and performances by Ozark Spirit Cloggers, Houston Gymnastics and Super Starz X-treme Cheer Team
Friday, 7 p.m.: Qualifying heats for the demolition derby
Saturday, 4 p.m.: Junior livestock sale
Saturday, 7 p.m.: Demolition derby finals
The oldest visitor who registers at the fair will receive a rocking chair from Crowley's HomeWorks.
Texas County Fair exhibits due July 21
All exhibitors, including adults, are welcome at the Texas County Fair in Houston from July 21-24.
Entries are due July 21, 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., at the Fair in the Community Building.
All entries from adults, 4-H, FFA and youth in our county are welcome. Bring all your Horticulture items, Eggs, Seed, Vegetables, Fruits, Best Collections of fruits, vegetables, herbs or ornamental gourds, or Best Quarter Basket mixture of produce.
The Home Economics Division is Cakes (one-quarter of a cake except for decorated cakes), Candy, Breads, Cookies, Preserves, Butters, Jams and Jellies, Canned Fruits and Vegetables, Pickles and Relishes, Textiles, Clothing, Home Furnishings, Outdoor Sports, Photography and Woodworking.
Any 4-H or FFA member who would like to have their cakes, pies or other baked goods sold after the animal auction must check these items in on Friday, July 23, from 10 a.m. to noon.
For more information on entries and guidelines, call Betty Baney at 417-926-8035 (cell) or at the Extension Office at 417-967-4545.Plenty of activities fill Fourth of July
by Debbie Dakin
Staff Writer
newsstaff@earthlink.net
This year Licking had a wide variety of festivities to help celebrate the Fourth of July. The first fun event of the day was the annual American Legion barbeque. This is one of American Legion’s largest fund raising events each year.
The day dawned cloudy with a nice breeze that helped to keep the temperature down somewhat. The guys were out early firing up the grill and getting it ready to cook chicken, pork steaks and burgers for patrons to choose from. The ladies from the Auxiliary had been busy too, preparing homemade desserts, baked beans, coleslaw and potato salad.
They started selling their mouthwatering dinners about 11 a.m. and continued until they ran out of food.
• At 6 p.m. Abounding Hope Baptist hosted the group Young Harmony out of Tennessee. This multi-award winning group travels nationwide and performs around 230 concerts a year. Their Southern Gospel songs and testimonials warmed the hearts and lifted the spirits of those attending.
“We are so blessed to have this group with us today,” stated Pastor Jimmy Miller. “They have the ability to make a difference in your life.”
• Licking Pentecostal Holiness hosted a Fourth of July Celebration from 5 to 10 p.m. They had Southern Gospel music presented by Inheritance Quartet and others, the Christian Motorcycle Association was on hand and a Bounce House and 50-foot inflatable obstacle course from Stryker. Food and drinks were available for purchase.
But the highlight of the evening was the fireworks display. After thoroughly watering down the field across the street from the south side of the church, Licking Fire Department had the ground ready. They were the ones who shot off the fireworks while rousing patriotic music played.
The number attending the fireworks display was amazing. It is the largest crowd I have ever seen attend any event in Licking.
“Three years ago when we were going to Springfield God told me to do this. I told my wife to write it down so I wouldn’t forget and everything just fell into place,” said Pastor Jerry Dodson. “We will keep doing it until God tells us to stop.”
This turned out to be an enjoyable day filled with fun and fellowship for people of all ages. What wonderful ways to see friends and neighbors, make new acquaintances and share in the joy of the freedom of our nation.
Wall That Heals is an emotional experience
by Debbie Dakin
Staff Writer
newsstaff@earthlink.net
The Wall That Heals, a half-scale replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., was on display this past weekend in Cabool’s Carmack Stadium. The Wall That Heals is nearly 250 feet in length and is an awe-inspiring sight, even though its design is simplistic.
The black panels are etched with the 58,267 names (as of May, 2010) of the U.S. soldiers who were killed or unaccounted for (MIAs) in the Vietnam War.
The sight of this wall evoked many different feelings for me. We hear the numbers of those lost during this conflict and think “that’s a lot.” But when I saw all those names stretching over such a vast distance, it was almost staggering. In one sense, I felt a great sadness for so many lives that were cut too short. I felt a great sympathy for their families, it didn’t matter that I did not know them.
In another sense, I felt a huge debt of gratitude – they fought and died for you and me so that we might enjoy the freedoms we cherish. In some ways, I felt unworthy of their sacrifice. I wished that I had some way to let each and every one of those fallen heroes know that I was grateful for what they had given.
My husband, a Vietnam veteran, went with me to see The Wall That Heals. He was specifically looking for the name of a fellow classmate that had been killed in Vietnam. After visiting the traveling museum and information center we were able to find it. There, on panel W1, row 30 he was listed – John Robert Henn Jr., CWO Army, Sutton, Massachusetts.
A lot of people were visiting the Wall that Friday evening we were there. The atmosphere was quiet, reverent and respectful. There were flowers and other items left by earlier visitors at the base of some the wall panels – most likely tokens of love and remembrance for one of those named on that panel. Or maybe just a thank you to all of those named.
Visiting the Wall That Heals was the most symbolic Independence Day activity I have ever done; and how fitting I got to see it then. It made a lasting impression on my husband and myself, and I sincerely hope that some day I get to Washington, D.C., to see the real monument.
After we climbed the steps of the stadium to go back to our car, I turned and looked back down on the Wall and I felt a sense of pride and gratitude. I am proud to be an American and I am grateful to each and every one of those veterans whose name is engraved on that wall, and to each and every veteran who was fortunate enough to return home from that war, many whose lives were changed forever. And grateful, too, to each and every veteran from every other war where lives were lost to save our nation’s freedom.Wounded Warriors have champion on wheels in Hatch
by Durga Walker
Staff Writer
newsstaff@earthlink.net
Shawn Hatch is rollerblading from New York to California. And he’s doing it because so many returning veterans can’t.
On the eight wheels of his marathon rollerblades, 22-year-old Shawn Hatch is skating over hill and dale from his hometown of Massena in upstate New York, hard on the Canadian border, to a small town near Hollywood, some 3,700 miles away.
Why? To draw attention to the Wounded Warrior Project, a nonprofit organization whose mission it is to honor and empower returning disabled vets. So far, Shawn’s journey has been covered by news agencies along his route and is being tracked by the news station in his hometown. To date, he’s raised not only consciousness but also $3,300 for the cause.
“I wanted to do something unusual and important before I went back to school this year,” Shawn says.
Then, seven months ago, he met a homeless veteran who told Shawn that, despite it all, he was happy he had served his country. Shawn was inspired.
His father Floyd, chief cook and bottle washer for the trip, says, “He came in one day and announced he was going to rollerblade to California. His mother and I just looked at each other. And then packages of wheels starting arriving in the mail.”
After five months of rigorous fitness training, Shawn left New York on May 29. Skating along behind Floyd’s camper, he’s covered 1,210 miles to Licking and estimates another 2,500 miles to go.
“We’ve got about 40 more days on the road,” he says. “The hardest part so far has been in Pennsylvania. The Allegheny National Forest is nothing but hills!”
But for the Wounded Warrior project, it’s all worth it. The WWP was set up to support returning disabled veterans with such issues as coping with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, benefits counseling, and advocating positive changes in policies concerning veterans. Their Soldier Ride project helps vets rebuild confidence and strength through three- and four-day group cycling trips. WWP’s activities address the whole family with events and seminars, peer monitoring and alumni services.
Shawn Hatch is one individual who was moved by the WWP’s mission and wanted to contribute.
And everywhere he goes, people are curious. Shawn’s documenting his skate on Facebook and hears from supporters around the world. He’s gotten an encouraging e-mail from as far away as Sweden, and a platoon in Iraq is following his journey with great enjoyment.
VFWs from Massena to Licking have offered their facilities. Floyd and Shawn park the camper and plug it in, Shawn rests and eats, and they’re off again. Floyd calls himself “The Ice Man,” and in this heat, the ice is as much in the drinks as on the skater’s knees.
From Licking, Shawn is westward bound. He expects to reach Hollywood sometime in mid-August. In the fall, back in New York, he’ll start school again as a senior with a criminal justice major at Potsdam University.
But this trip has clearly changed his life.
“I can’t imagine what it must be like to lose your legs,” he says. “I want to do what I can. On the way, I’ve learned so much and met so many people I wouldn’t have met, it’s just amazing.”
To learn more about the WWP and its many services for returning disabled veterans, go to wwpproudsupporter.kintera.org. If you’d like to donate to the Wounded Warrior project through Shawn’s journey, add /shawnhatch to the above address, or send him an e-mail at hatchsr191@potsdam.edu. You can also visit Shawn on Facebook to see where he and his rollerblades are now.
Cross County Refrigeration holds ribbon cutting
Cross County Refrigeration, owned by Brad and April Vanderhye, had a ribbon cutting ceremony to mark the opening of their new location. Brad has been offering high quality refrigeration service to the community since June 1, 2004. They moved their office from their private residence to here in town in May of this year. It is located at 108 E. Hwy 32, Licking. (Two doors down from the License Office.)
Brad has been in the refrigeration business since 1983. He carries a certificate in refrigeration and has a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering.
“Our number one goal is to provide economical and the best quality service to the Texas County area.” said Brad. “I am licensed and insured.”
Cross County Refrigeration’s office is open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. However, they are available after hours for emergencies, just call 573-674-BRAD (2723).
“We are pretty much a family affair,” said Brad. “My wife April is the secretary, Judy Stone is office manager, my step-father Charles Stone is delivery man. Andrew Hoemann is my apprentice. He is currently pursuing an online degree in refrigeration/air conditioning and does his practice study with me. He has worked for me summers the past five years.
Brad and April have three children. Their daughter graduated from Licking High in 2009. Their two sons, Austin and Dillan are still in school.
Cross County Refrigeration does residential and commercial work. They also work on walk-in coolers/freezers, ice machines. They offer new and used appliances and equipment.Mill Fires Back Up
by Durga Walker
Staff Writer
newsstaff@earthlink.net
Licking’s historic mill was fired up for the first time since World War II last Saturday, June 26, at the First Annual Licking Mill Festival, held in town on the site of the old mill. Festivities began at 10 a.m. and ran until almost sundown.
Winners of the Licking Mill Photo Contest, which ran over Rodeo Weekend, were announced, as was the winner of the museum bicycle raffle. The winners’ names can be found in the Museum Muses column in this week’s paper.
Girl Scout Troop 10450 organized a range of activities for the day, including face painting, toilet-paper roll toss, a dunking booth and a duck pond for the little ones.
Artists and craftspeople set up booths, where pottery and glass-blowing could be seen in demonstration. The festival also had its fair share of wool spinners, including Terry Phelps, who wore her grandmother’s lace dress and spun roving downstairs in the machine room. Visitors enjoyed horse-drawn wagon rides, and bratwurst and sauerkraut were served up to the bluegrass-gospel tunes of the Ozark Express Band.
Many people have been working hard to restore the mill to its pre-war state. Its true glory has yet to be seen, however, as a belt malfunction during start-up prevented the machinery from working as smoothly as it did in its heyday. But it was understood by all that the mill is a work in progress, and the minor detour didn’t seem to dampen spirits.
Saturday’s festival was put together by Licking Downtown Incorporated, a group of concerned citizens and businesspeople that now manages upkeep of the mill.
Licking Downtown members first banded together in an effort to spruce up the central area of Licking, which would certainly include the mill; as one of the oldest buildings in Licking, the mill has long been a prominent downtown feature, although managed by a less active board than at present. With the recent sale of the old bank on Main Street, the city of Licking granted Licking Downtown Incorporated a respectable sum to be used for management of the mill, a duty it gladly carries out to this day.
In addition to the city’s contribution, restoration of the mill has been helped along by private donations. An example is the windows in the building, which have all been “bought” by donors whose names can be seen on a plaque by the front door.
The festival on Saturday was a celebration of this fine old building, once so important to the economy of Licking and to the numerous people whose lives and memories it’s touched over the years.
One visitor to the mill this weekend told of a relative who recalled her family bringing corn to the mill to be ground and taking home in exchange a certain amount of cornmeal plus markers to claim the rest, for if a family brought home too much corn already ground, it would go bad before it could be used.
Inside the mill, visitors can see photographs of other Missouri mills, framed in old windowpanes. Also mounted on the walls are various other items for sale, all proceeds going toward the upkeep of the mill.
A very special donation is the brown-and-white picture quilt by Joan Brannam. Unlike quilts whose designs are made by stitching together small pieces of fabric, Brannam’s quilt is comprised of fabric blocks that have been printed with historical black-and-white photographs of Licking. Brannam selected photos from past Licking Downtown calendars and utilized special equipment to print the images directly onto white fabric. This highly unusual quilt is being raffled off to help fund the mill. It will soon be on view at TJ’s Flowers & Gifts on Main Street, where quilt and mill lovers can buy raffle tickets.
One of the more eye-catching exhibits of the day had been hauled to the site by Darris Wolf and could be seen out on the grass on Dave Ek’s truck and trailer, next to a display of Old Iron tractors: a 1904 New Century threshing machine manufactured by the Aultman & Taylor Machinery Company of Mansfield, Ohio.
This machine had been bought at auction in Kansas by Wilson and Carmen Elliott, who sought to keep it from being sold for scrap iron. Like the mill, the thresher hasn’t been used since the 1940s, but it wouldn’t take much to get it back in working order. This particular machine was manufactured in the “new” design of thresher that had been developed by 1893. Its ability to sort grain from straw was so effective that the company claimed there wasn’t enough grain left in the straw to feed a rooster, and promptly adopted a starving rooster as its logo.
The history of the mill is filled with colorful stories. Suzie Blackburn, fifth- and sixth-grade teacher at Licking R-VIII School, has been working with her students to produce a filmed documentary of mill history by interviewing 25 Licking residents who knew the mill and its essential role in everyday life.
The documentary had been intended for viewing at Saturday’s festivities, but a technical problem with the audio forced a change in plans. The invaluable memories are recorded on film, however, and Blackburn is optimistic about fixing the glitch and screening the students’ good work at a later date. She would also like to see next year’s high school students transcribe the soundtrack for possible public release.
In fact, the students of Licking School have been engaged with the mill since it first reopened in 2004. Members of the Future Farmers of America (FFA) have cleaned and decorated the building for Christmas and special events, such as the rodeo, and the school choir has graced the mill with carols at night.
As the sun began to sink on festival day, Blackburn took the stage between music sets and transformed into a storyteller of old, entertaining visitors with two uniquely local tales. In honor of the Cherokees who walked the Trail of Tears that passed through Licking, Blackburn’s first story was a Cherokee legend of how the opossum got its naked tail. The second story was of an Ozark family who received some mysterious help in the fields, in a form they least expected.
Saturday’s event was Licking’s first ever annual mill day. Next year’s celebration is already in the planning stages, as another vital part of the history of Licking is brought slowly but surely back to life.
Just an old tree, or a wonderful memory?
We have a tree that gives us a wonderful memory. If you have lived in Licking a lot of years, you will remember the very unusual twisted but beautiful tree that graced the front yard of the doctor’s clinic on South Main Street.
Although storms and winds and humans had taken their toll, this tree seemed to have a soul. After being twisted by wind, beaten by hail, struck by lightening and growing very old, this tree just lived on.
Then several years ago, a storm finally toppled this tree. Crews were quick to clean up the mess; we all had lost the tree we loved best.
Some pieces were used for firewood and other pieces decorated a flowerbed on West Hwy 32. These pieces were dormant for several years, then suddenly decided to sprout.
Knowing the history of this old tree, we knew it should live on for posterity. We planted this sprout at the old mill, not knowing if it would live or die.
Now you can see it is growing strong and blooming to tell us that, “YES, I AM THAT TREE!”
We wanted to share this story so you, too, can have wonderful memories!
Intercounty members receive assurance on energy capacity
by Leisa Stilley
Intercounty Electric Cooperative
The 74th annual meeting of the member-owners of Intercounty Electric Cooperative held Friday, June 25, was successful with good attendance.
The day started with cooler temperatures than preceding days, providing a little comfort as hundreds of people patiently waited in line for the registration to open at 8 a.m. Registering 970 members was a quick process with the computer system and bar scanning of registration books the members brought with them. The full count of members and their guests was down from the previous year to about 2,500.
With the Texas County Memorial Hospital’s health fair, the Licking Lions Club Hearing Van, the 46 craft fair vendors and Intercounty’s member services tent, there was a variety of things for members to do while they waited for the official business meeting to be called to order.
The Kellys, a young local family of talented musicians, opened up the festivity part of the day at 9 a.m. with a blend of traditional/original acoustic Bluegrass Gospel music. They closed the day with another performance that provided an enjoyable afternoon.
The business meeting began at 10 a.m. with Larry Tubbs, Licking Church of Christ, giving the invocation. Mountain Grove ROTC posted Colors as Sergeant Marty Elmore of Troop G Highway Patrol led the Pledge of Allegiance and sang the National Anthem. Licking Mayor, Linda Miller, welcomed members and their guests to the Licking City Park.
Board President, Jim White, after recognizing IECA’s Auxiliary, employees and directors to thank them for their fine job and for the conducting of official business, he announced that there would be no rate increases for 2010.
White encouraged members to participate in Operation Round Up as a way to help neighbors and friends. He also reminded the members that the directors want to hear from them and desire to answer any questions they have. He announced the milestone of 75 years in 2011 stating, “The co-op philosophy hasn't changed, making us different from other utilities. It’s still all about the members-owners.”
Board Secretary/Treasurer, Tom Fleener, reported Intercounty’s financial status to the membership.
General Manager, Dwayne Cartwright, detailed to the members the current work plan and new projects that will carry Intercounty into the future white improving system reliability.
Guest speaker Joe Wilkinson, Director of Member Services and Corporate Communications for Associated Electric Cooperative, which is the generation cooperative for the Missouri’s cooperatives, talked to the members about who Associated is and how the decisions they make are based on their mission to provide Missouri cooperative members an economical and reliable power supply.
They understand, Wilkinson said, that over half of co-op households earn less than $50,000 and increases in energy bills impact these members. As member loads continue to grow the reserve capacity is diminishing, so it is important they build more resources to ensure they have the generation they need to serve members for years to come. With the addition of a natural gas combined cycle plant, Chouteau 2 in Pryor, Okla., they will have enough capacity to serve through 2019.
Wilkinson also explained that another important energy resource for them is the members’ involvement in energy efficiency. Associated helped with that effort by providing their distribution cooperative’s with 2.3 million CFLs in 2008 and 2009 to hand out to members. He closed with a plea to members to continue to help with the issues in Washington, D.C., that will affect power supply and ultimately rates in Missouri through Cap & Trade legislation and EPA involvement in regulating greenhouse gas emissions.
Wilkinson reiterated that as cooperatives they believe in being responsible with the environment. In the last 14 years, Associated has spent over $1 billion on air controls; however, the regulations that are looming in Washington would dwarf those expenses. He pointed out that there are very rich companies lobbying for legislation.
“As cooperatives, we don’t have their type of money to spend on lobbying, but what we do have is our voices,” he said.
Electric cooperatives are 42 million members strong, and these voices carry a lot of weight in congress. He encouraged members to visit the nationwide cooperative network at www.ourenergy.coop website to send the message to Washington.
With the conclusion of the business meeting, a barbeque lunch was served and the voting booth was opened for members to choose their board directors for another three-year term. Re-elected were Jim White, North District, Hal Dandridge, Central District and Rick Ichord for the South District.
Some of the big winners for the day were: $600 energy credit, Summer Adey of Licking; the $100 electric credit winners were Robert Sherrill, Fred and Janice Wood, Robert Miller, Kevin and Aveny Mathis and Juanita Hill. Many more members took home small electric appliances and tools.
Intercounty Electric Cooperative Association serves 2,916 square miles, covering Phelps, Dent and Texas counties and parts of seven other counties. IECA operates 5,786 miles of line, serving over 30,000 active meters and employs 118 local citizens.Weather spotters focus is on safety
by Debbie Dakin
Staff Writer
newsstaff@earthlink.net
Tuesday night, April 13, Kelsey Angle from the National Weather Service out of Springfield gave a Weather Spotter training class at the Justice Center in Houston. There was a very good turn out of men, women and even a couple of youngsters on hand to learn how to recognize just what those storm clouds are you see up there in the sky.
The number one thing Mr. Angle and the National Weather Service stress to storm spotters is SAFETY.
“Remember, you are not the sole-source to identify storms,” stated Mr. Angle, “and never take unnecessary risks.”
Safety precautions were stressed many times throughout the training.
Angle continued, “Never spot alone. It is always better to have someone with you. And always tell someone where you are; and if you move, tell someone. This is important because if something should happen we need to have a place to start looking.”
Another safety measure stressed by the National Weather Service is do not get too close to the storm. The perfect spotter position is usually considered to be 2 to 3 miles away.
“Use the windshield rule” said Angle. “You should be able to see all of the storm through your windshield. If it is larger than that, then you are too close and you probably need to back up.”
When storm spotting, it is best if you have an unobstructed view. But in the Ozarks with all our hills and valleys, Angle admitted that is sometimes difficult.
Spotters should follow the “right hand rule.” That is, keep the rain shield to your right and the updraft of the storm to your left. But always be prepared to relocate.
Having an escape route is an important factor. However, storms sometimes move faster than we anticipate and a storm can get on you where you cannot outrun it. Tornados often travel 60 miles per hour, and that is really fast when trying to outrun one. If this is the case the National Weather Service advises you to seek shelter immediately. Do NOT stay in your vehicle. If no other safe shelter is available, get in a ditch.
“Always keep an eye on the sky,” said Angle. “Storms can develop rapidly. Tornados can be masked. They can be ‘rain-wrapped’ and you won’t realize it until it is right on top of you.”
Angle showed the difference between the types of thunderstorms: single cell, multi-cell cluster or line and a supercell. He gave the National Weather Service’s definition of several types of storm systems
• Tornado – a violently rotating column touching the ground
• Severe Thunderstorm – 58 mph winds or 1-inch size hail (quarter size)
• Downburst – Intense downdraft of winds 58 mph or greater
• Derecho – Large scale long-lived family of downbursts; can be hundreds of miles long.
The National Weather Service needs weather spotters to know what to report. They urge you to go by Who, Where, When and What guidelines.
For the Who, identify yourself as a storm spotter and give your name, community provided ID or HAM call sign.
As for Where, give the most specific details you can as to your location. State what direction and distance you are to the nearest town or major intersection.
When, tell exactly what time the event occurred. Look at your cell phone or watch as reference.
“Even if you are reporting an event a couple of hours after it happened,” said Angle, “that’s okay. We can still use that information. Ijust important to be accurate about the time you witnessed it.”
What you see is a description of the event. “Accuracy is very important,” stated Angle. “And it is okay to say, ‘I don’t know.’ Be honest. And ambiguous reports don’t help. Low hanging clouds. High wind (How high is the wind? Some think 20 mph is high wind). Flooding – how deep is the water? Is it all the way across the road?I it a flood prone area? Marble size hail – marbles come in lots of sizes, use coins or ball as reference, penny-size, golfball-size, etc.”
Before calling to make a report, Angle advised to look for damage and be able to describe it. If trees are falling, are they being uprooted or snapped? (It takes stronger wind to snap than uproot usually). If branches are breaking, what size are they? And are these sizes measured or estimated? Which way are the trees falling? Are they falling in the same direction? When telling wind speed, is it measured with an anemometer or estimated?
When reporting flooding, how deep is the water? Is it impassable? Does it flood frequently, and is the stream or river out of its banks?
When reporting a tornado, are you certain? Is there rotation in the cloud? Is it attached to the wall cloud? Is it touching the ground or do you see debris? Remember, very few thunderstorms, less than 20 percent, actually produce tornados.
If you are interested in becoming a storm spotter and would like to know when the next storm spotter class will be, check out the National Weather Service’s Web site at www.crh.noaa.gov/sgf/. They have an informative Web site that offers tons of information. Weather spotter classes are well-worth taking and you will learn much more than space will allow me to share or that I have the knowledge to impart