MISSOURI’S BEST SMALL-TOWN WEEKLY NEWSPAPER 75¢ Four-time Gold Cup winner, Missouri Press Association, 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018 IS THE FLU HITTING YOUR HOME? — PAGE 3A <<< BEST OF THE BUNCH Wildcats duo claim conference hoops awards. — PAGE 1B CASSVILLE emocrat DMARCH 6, 2019 | CASSVILLE-DEMOCRAT.COM BI-COUNTY SALES TAX When: February ADVENTURE, FAMILY TRADITION General trend: Down 10 percent Monett: Second highest February PULLS CROWDS TO ROARING RIVER on record February trend: Many receive more than two years ago Sales tax revenues lower in February Receipts nonetheless better than 2 years ago BY MURRAY BISHOFF Cassville Democrat Sales tax revenues to Barry County city and county gov- ernments dropped 9 percent in February after seeing a spike a year ago. In general, revenues landed Bentley Trammell, 8, of Nixa, posed with the fish he caught, held by his uncle, Alan Fischer of Carthage, formerly of Cassville, for a slightly higher than two years photo taken by his dad, Dakota Trammell, before releasing the fish again, illustrating the family nature of opening day at Roaring ago, reflecting a positive trend. River. Murray Bishoff/Cassville Democrat Barry County’s seven cit- ies receiving sales tax took in $593,400.96, down 9 percent from last February. Purdy alone Cold weather holds down beat the sum from a year ago. Cassville’s 1 percent sales tax for paying general bills generated $76,881.97, a drop of 11,440.21, but still $500 better than two turnout for opening day years ago. Seligman’s 1 percent tax yielded $10,791.36, down $2,720.66 from last year but up BY MURRAY BISHOFF more than $2,600 from 2017. AND KYLE TROUTMAN Wheaton’s 1 percent tax, again Cassville Democrat oddly producing more than he hearty and the adventurous three times what its .5 percent threw caution aside and journeyed tax yielded, received $4,205.03, T into Roaring River State Park’s down $6,517.51, 60 percent less fabled canyon for another glorious day of than a year ago, while the total fishing on Friday for the opening of trout was still three times the amount season. taken in two years ago. Temperatures in the 20s leading up The two smallest towns to the gunshot to start trout fishing, plus the weekend threat of snow, thinned the saw drops two years in a row. crowd for Barry County’s most striking Exeter’s 1 percent tax yielded tradition. Yet parking extended back to $1,610.86 for the general fund, the park entrance by 6 a.m., hardly sug- down $501.57 from last February gesting anything but a banner day. Only and also nearly $300 under the a mild wind wound down along the riv- 2017 sum. Washburn’s 1 percent erside, a blessing in 29 degree tempera- tax produced $1,076.06, down tures, making conditions more inviting $398.65 from a year ago, and than warmer days. down less than $100 from two Trout tag sales, however, saw a typical years ago. Friday opening. By the gunshot at 6:30 Monett’s two sales taxes total- a.m., 1,197 adult tags had sold and 205 ing 1 percent for general revenue for children. That compared to 1,173 Looking downstream from the bridge by the CCC Lodge prior to 7 a.m. on Friday at CONTINUED ON PAGE 7A CONTINUED ON PAGE 9A Roaring River. Murray Bishoff/Cassville Democrat 157 graduate from Cassville Crowder nursing program and equipment from Mercy. pus did have equipment donated for National accreditation, NURSING PROGRAM “Basically, you have to build the the nursing program, and Cassville local campus help get Who: Cassville Crowder College school first,” she said. “We worked and Aurora Mercy Hospitals also What: Full degree in nursing through all of that process while we donated $10,000 each for three 100 percent pass rate More: 100 pass rate and job rate were building our current facility.” years. Seymour said the campus was “That is $20,000 per year and BY JORDAN PRIVETT started offering full degrees through moved to it current location in the $60,000 total to get things under- [email protected] the nursing program 10 years ago. summer of 2009, and classes start- way,” she said. “Also, we wrote a Crowder College in Cassville “We had to prove that the stu- ed that fall. Department of Labor grant that started a nursing program in dents could get all of their pre- “Our first set of nursing classes allowed for the salaries of the nurs- 2010, and since then, the program requisites first,” she said. “To be started in January 2010,” she said. ing staff.” has produced 157 graduates to approved to be a nursing school you “When we built this facility, we had According to Seymour, the cam- date, with a 100 percent pass rate have to prove that you have every- nursing in mind, and we wanted to pus has to have a full time depart- in 2018. thing first.” make sure we had a skills lab and ment coordinator, secretary and Angela Seymour, director of Seymour said the campus things like that.” full time faculty. Crowder Cassville campus, said it received donations of hospital beds Seymour said the Cassville cam- CONTINUED ON PAGE 7A PRIMARY VIRTUAL URGENT EMERGENCY Hello, CARE VISITS CARE ROOM convenience. This is health care on your schedule, and on your terms. 7 39292 00068 8 Vol. 149, No. 7 417-269-INFO or coxhealth.com ©2019 Cassville Democrat COVERING BARRY COUNTY, MO., LIKE THE MORNING DEW SINCE 1871. Page 2A • Wednesday, March 6, 2019 Cassville Democrat NEWS BRIEFS Fire Department keeping it hot Quilt Guild hosting fundraiser The Table Rock Quilt Guild, based in Kimberling City, is hosting a Hawaiian-themed fundraiser for the Kimberling Area Library on National Quilt Day. It will be March 16, at the Library from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Angela Walters, the ‘Midnight Quilter,’ will be the guest speaker. The tickets at the door are $10. In addition to the speaker, the Guild will have a unique boutique, grab bags, a drawing for an opportunity quilt, two vendors and a lunch will be served. Camp Barnabas hosting virtual run The Camp Barnabas Big Party Virtual Run will be held on April 6. People may register at https://go.rally- up.com/bigpartycenter for the virtual 5K, 10K, half mar- athon or open categories, after which they will receive a race packet with a custom race bib, T-shirt. and finisher’s medal. At any point on April 6, people may go on the run and track it with MapMyRun, then upload the time to the website. All times are by honor code and should be submitted by 8 p.m. HEATER FAILURE Who: Exeter School District What: Supply fan failure caused heater to freeze up More: The units were installed in 2007 During the annual chili/soup supper on Saturday, the Jenkins Fire Department kept it hot by warming people up with a nice steaming bowl of chili. Olieva Thompson dished up the yummy goodness to Donnie Wolf. Jordan Privett/jprivett@cassville/democrat.com Exeter school district While people enjoyed warm food and con- fixes heater issue versation at the Jenkins Equipment “However, 12 years is a annual Fire long time, and those heat- Department working fine ers get used a lot.” chili dinner Raney said the heaters on Saturday, now are looked at every year. High Hopes “With this being the Bluegrass band BY JORDAN PRIVETT middle of the school year played music. [email protected] and coming up on spring, Maintaining equipment we need our units work- Proceeds will can be exhausting, but ing well for upcoming be used to pro- the Exeter school district heat,” he said. “On a really vide equipment is staying on top of need- cold day about a month for the volun- ed upgrades and repairs, ago, that heater in the teer firefighters. including the heater sys- multi-purpose room just Jordan Privett/ tem. didn’t fire up, so it was jprivett@cassville/ democrat.com Ernest Raney, Exeter very cold that morning.” superintendent, said Raney said since then it on the west side of the has worked just fine. multi-purpose room, there “It was just a fluke,” was a supply fan failure. he said. “When things Purdy school board sets graduation date “Those units were put like that start to happen, in in 2007, as part of the it becomes vulnerable to First use of ness classroom in the high by the Spanish Club, lost its newest construction to the extreme conditions. We PURDY SCHOOL school and jumps from adult supervision outside district,” he said. “As far as want to make sure that storm shelter there to other locations, of community volunteers, BOARD including the storm shel- resulting in turning back to the supply fan that is on everything is working provides ideas for Graduation: Slated for May the unit, I know that those properly.” 12 ter. Chancellor planned Wass and Vice for help. to contact Mediacom Wass noted recy- have been serviced, but I Raney said the goal improvements Personnel action: Three don’t know that they have is to take care of things teacher vacancies open and possibly have that cling remains a margin- ever been replaced.” before they become a big- BY MURRAY BISHOFF Storm shelter: Additional switched to the shelter as al business nationwide. Raney said that is just ger issue. Cassville Democrat supplies recommended the primary contact. In hopes of combining it something the district will “Also, if one unit doesn’t The Purdy school board Chancellor expressed with another business to have to replace at some work or kick on, it causes settled on a date for grad- for the February meeting.