Bethany Republican-Clipper Vol. 88, No. 52 The official newspaper of Harrison County, Missouri January 24, 2018 www.bethanyclipper.com Bethany, Missouri 64424 75 Cents Harrison County license office reopens Charles Crabtree Harrison County area residents be- gan renewing their driver’s license on Wednesday morning after the Beth- any License Office reopened after a files to return closure lasting two and a half months. The Department of Revenue awarded a management contract for to Bethany Council the local license office to Gray’s Jew- elry & Gifts on Nov. 28, 2017. Kim Gray, the fee agent, began processing customers at 8:30 a.m. Candidate waits to last on Wednesday morning. There was a large backlog of drivers coming into minute to fill vacancy the office when it opened. “At one point it was standing room Charles Crabtree filled the second for the audit report from the state only,” Kim said. “I couldn’t get out of position on the City Council ballot auditor’s office. City officials had ex- my chair.” last Tuesday when he filed for the of- pected the audit to be released before Debbie Kinnison had operated the fice only minutes before the deadline. the end of last year but have not been Bethany office for the past eight years Crabtree will be unopposed in rep- told a date when the audit will be pre- but notified the DOR in July that she resenting Bethany’s Eastward in the sented. planned to retire in October. She April 3rd municipal election. Crab- “Now they are still asking ques- closed the office on Oct. 31. tree filed after learning that current tions,” said Crabtree. License offices are operated by in- council member Gene Ishmael had The county’s five school districts dependent contractors but overseen decided not to run for re-election. announced that the following candi- by the Missouri Department of Rev- Crabtree waited at City Hall to see dates filed for school board positions enue. whether anyone would file for the va- by Jan. 19: The Grays submitted a bid to take cant position; just before the deadline South Harrison—Incumbents Republican-Clipper photo he filed to run for office. Chad Smith and Mark Plymell filed New license agent: Kim Gray has kept busy processing license since the Department of Revenue office opened “I was hoping that someone would for the two expiring board positions. last week. come forward,” Crabtree said. Until This means that no election will be Customers jam over the operation of the Bethany of- ed in the Masonic Building at 3105 employee joins the office. the moment that he placed his name required. office after it fice earlier in the fall. The contract Miller Street. Gray, a 2006 graduate, has worked on the sign-up sheet, it appeared that North Harrison—Jeremy Rine- was awarded at the end of November. The new office manager said she at Gray’s Jewelry with her parents, there would be no candidates listed hart, Kara Craig and Kris Hamilton reopens Jan. 17. Gray completed 40 hours of train- would not be able to process com- Bryan and Vickie Gray, for the past on the ballot from the Eastward, forc- will compete for two positions on ing at the Stanberry License Office mercial driver’s licenses (CDL) at nine years. She has a daughter, Auro- ing a write-in election. the school board. The incumbents are before opening the local office, locat- the present time until a part-time ra, 7 years old, a first grader at South Randy Brejnik, incumbent West- Craig and Rob Washburn. Harrison Elementary. ward councilman, had filed for re- Cainsville—Incumbents Ed Mer- election a few weeks ago. cer and Maryke Willis will be unop- Both Brejnik and Crabtree will be posed for re-election to the board. Harrison County hard unopposed in the April 3 election. There will be no election. Crabtree has served with three Gilman City—Keith Preston and mayors since the 1970s—Dale Tony Gregg have filed for re-election hit by flu epidemic Barnes, Laverne Madison and most to the school board. No election will Missouri has become ground zero HCCH facilities and not other lo- recently Joe Johnson. He has held be required. for this winter’s outbreak of influen- cal facilitates that are not a part of council chairs in both wards. Ridgeway—Janie O’Neal filed for za, and Harrison County has been no HCCH,” said Tim Hill, a spokesman Last year, Crabtree initiated a peti- one of three expiring positions on the exception, according to local health for the hospital. tion drive for a state audit of the city’s school board. The other positions will officials. Fred Lindsey, public health nurse operations. The city still is waiting be filled by write-in votes. Harrison County Community Hos- for the Harrison County Health De- pital has had 76 positive flu tests at partment, said a mix of children and its medical clinics, 12 cases among elderly patients have come down USDA offices hospital outpatients and one positive with flu this season. The cases have Weather case for a hospital in-patient. reopen when High Low Prec. “These numbers include only See flu on Page 2. Jan. 16 10 -4 None shutdown ends Jan. 17 25 14 None The USDA offices in Bethany Jan. 18 39 31 None reopened Tuesday morning after Jan. 19 50 32 None Bridge closing poses dilemma Congress approved a measure Jan. 20 52 43 .01 to fund government for three Jan. 21 56 49 .36 for county commissioners weeks. Jan. 22 50 30 1/2’’ sn The Farmers Service Agen- cy and the National Resource Five-Day Forecast Harrison County officials face a to a 5-ton load restriction in recent Conservation Service offices in Warmer weather will be on tap dilemma in finding a way to replace years. Bethany were closed on Monday for Thursday and Friday when the bridge over Big Creek at the west Presiding Commissioner Jack because of the government shut- the highs will be in the low to mid edge of Bethany. Hodge said the bridge had already down. 50s. Cooling back down to 45 The state recommended closing been placed on the list for replace- The agreement approved by on Saturday and 38 on Sunday the bridge on Jan. 16 after a state in- ment under the state bridge program. Congress and signed by Presi- under partly cloudy skies. The Republican-Clipper photo spection found structural deficiencies But the county does not have suffi- dent Trump will keep the gov- next chance of snow will be next including broken planks, rust under- cient money to pay the local share for Crowning moment: Hailey Henry and Ransom Cannon were crowned as Thursday. the king and queen of the South Harrison Winter Sports homecoming on ernment running until Feb. 8. neath the structure and damaged sup- Wednesday. The court is pictured on page 8. ports. The bridge had been subject See bridge on Page 2. Don Watkins’ basketball memorabilia donated to Genealogy Society The late Don Watkins, who retired Bob Watkins has a collection of his has been in storage for the past sev- to Bethany after a career as an execu- father’s memorabilia at his house in eral years at Bob’s home. tive with the Phillips Petroleum Com- Bethany. Terry Daniel of the Harrison pany, created a legacy as the coach of Among the collection are pictures County Genealogical Society gladly the Phillips’ Amateur Athletic Union of Don with several of his teams and accepted Don Watkins’ collection on (AAU) team in Bartlesville, Okla., a photo showing the team boarding Tuesday at the Republican-Clipper that included some of the top basket- an airliner to play in Madison Square office. Daniel said the Genealogy Li- ball players of the early 1960s. Garden. brary will have the items on display Don’s son, Bob, plans to keep his Don’s red jacket, with his name later in the week. father’s memory alive by donating and the Phillips 66 logo on the back, his coach’s jacket and team photos for display at the Harrison County Genealogy Library. The Phillips 66ers, known as the Oilers, was created in 1919 by the company’s owner, Frank Phillips. The team won 11 national champi- onships in the AAU tournament be- tween 1940 and 1963. Bob Watkins said his father coached the Phillips 66ers in the early 1960s. His 1963 team included a fu- ture head assistant coach of the Okla- homa Sooners basketball team and a future CEO of the Phillips Petroleum Company. The AAU was the country’s pre- mier basketball league before the Na- tional Basketball Association hit the big time. Republican-Clipper photo Some members of Watkins’ 1963 Submitted photo Remembering his father’s legacy: Bob Watkins holds up his father Don’s Phillips 66 coaching jacket and a picture team played on the U.S. Olympics AAU all-stars: The late Don Watkins coached the Phillips 66 All Stars, a of the 1963 Phillips 66er basketball team that he contributed this week to the Harrison County Genealogy Society. team. top AAU team that traveled the country in the 1960s. Page 2 January 24, 2018 Bethany Republican-Clipper We Flu epidemic (Continued From Page 2) been both A and B types of flu. remember The flu vaccine, he said, has only been 32% effective but still reduces the severity of the flu. He recom- when... mended that residents get their flu shots, even at this late stage, as long A look back at the history as flu is spreading.