Obituary - Carol Wright

Carol Wright, 73 formerly of Drexel, Missouri passed away Sunday, September 27, 2020 at the University Hospital in Columbia, Missouri. Funeral services will be held 2:00 pm Sunday, October 4, 2020 at Mullinax Funeral Home, Drexel Chapel (660-679-0009). 

A visitation will also be held Sunday at the chapel prior to the funeral from 1:00 pm to 2:00 pm. Friends are welcome to attend. Masks are recommended and social distancing should be observed. Burial will follow services in West Point Cemetery, Amsterdam, Missouri. Memorial contributions may be made to the family. Messages of condolence may be left for the family at www.mullinaxfuneralhome.com

Carol Mae Wright was born November 19, 1946 in Los Angeles, California to Samuel and Blanche Nelson Berry. She was a loving mother and grandmother.

Carol was preceded in death by her parents and husband Gary Wright in 2007. She is survived by her children, Edward Scott Walker, Sr., James Dale Walker, Sr., and Angela Hudnall. She is also survived by her grandchildren, Scottie Walker, J.D. Walker, Jr., April Dawn Heavener, Kimberly Christine Walker, Heather Nicole Stambaugh, and Chistopher Walker, along with two great-grandchrildren, Austin Nathaniel Heavener and Mason Alexander Heavener

COVID-19 update from the Carpenters Cup

We need to let everyone know what's going on at the Carpenters Cup. We had a Covid positive test among one of us. We should be open again next week, but the rest of us will quarantined until the 11th. 

It's ironic that during the time we were closed in March, none of us contracted anything. Please pray with us that this store survives this hit. Faith over fear!!

Some Liberty Utilitities gas customers to see rate increase

The natural gas rates of Liberty Utilities (Midstates Natural Gas) Corp. d/b/a Liberty Utilities customers will change under a filing that will take effect today, October 1, 2020.

The rate change reflects the Weather Normalization Adjustment Rider (WNAR) which authorizes rate adjustments based on weather variations. The WNAR projects anticipated gas usage changes due to weather that is either warmer or colder than normal. This filing generally reflected warmer than normal weather in Liberty’s Northeast, West and Southeast rate districts.

Under the Liberty Utilities filing, natural gas rates will increase for a residential customer using 100 Ccf of natural gas a month by approximately $2.01 a month in Liberty Utilities’ Northeast and West Districts. Natural gas rates will increase by approximately $0.86 a month for a residential customer using approximately 100 Ccf of natural gas a month in Liberty Utilities’ Southeast District.

Liberty Utilities serves approximately 55,000 natural gas customers in Missouri. The Northeast and West District service area includes the Missouri counties of Adair, Clark, Knox, Lewis, Macon, Marion, Pike, Ralls, Schuyler, Scotland, Bates, Cass, Henry and St. Clair. The Southeast District service area includes the counties of Butler, Cape Girardeau, Dunklin, Iron, Mississippi, New Madrid, Pemiscot, Ripley, Scott, Stoddard and Wayne.

Adding some 'creepy' to Halloween this year...

Trick-or-treating may be off-limits in some places this year, but the coronavirus will not stop this special treat in the sky: Two full moons coming in October 2020 — including a rare “blue moon” on Halloween.

The first full moon, nicknamed the “harvest moon,” will be shining tonight, and the other — known as a “blue moon” because it’s the second full moon during the same calendar month — will be glowing in the sky on Saturday, Oct. 31.

While the 'full moon' on the 31st will not be 100%, it will be close enough for the naked eye to see a full moon.

Black cats and ladders, anyone?

The Museum Minute: Butler Square and a Tintype Mystery

Huckster’s Day is this Saturday, October 3rd and it will once again be held in our county seat, Butler. The Square will come alive, just as in days of old. It is with a bit of melancholy that those bygone days are remembered. The Square was the center of business and merchandising; the center of visiting and connecting; the center of finding out what was happening in town and throughout the county. Saturdays on the Square were an essential part of life just a few decades ago.

Community festivals are important. They are important not only for us old people to recall life’s yesterdays, but they are especially important for today’s young people to experience that slower pace of life. There’s a special kinship when small-town crowds walk around and visit vendor booths, lingering and talking, watching children run free, everyone looking out for everyone else. Ahhh…those days are to be treasured!

This week I have shared postcards of the Butler Square. Two are differing views of the North Side, one is the East Side, and the final one is the West Side. In this particular collection there wasn’t a view of the South Side so we’ll save that for another time.

Also shown is a Tintype Mystery. Perhaps someone out there can enlighten us about just who the photographer was. Mr. LEM. BIGGS’ Photo, Gem & Art Gallery was located somewhere in Butler. Now, I’ve not spent a great deal of time trying to track him down so there may well be information about Mr. Biggs that I have yet to discover; however, if anyone knows of him, please do me the courtesy of sharing your knowledge. The two gentlemen in the tintype are also mysteries and I find it hard not to create stories about their lives and let my imagination conjure up all kinds of exciting adventures.

This particular mystery has some background information. Apparently, this tintype was mailed in April 1997 from a woman in Frontenac, Kansas to “City Library, Butler, Mo. 64730.” The Library donated the tintype and the envelope to the Museum in 2016. What little I know about this tintype is already remarkable and maybe one day additional information will be revealed about its’ history to make the story even more remarkable! - our thanks to Peggy Buhr, Curator

 

Nash Smalley earns title of Doctor

Dr. Nash Smalley

Dr. Nash E. Smalley, a recent graduate of Cleveland University-Kansas City, has joined the practice of Dr. Travis Sellers at Forsyth Chiropractic in Forsyth, MO. Dr. Smalley was a 2013 Bates County homeschool graduate and is the son of Jack and Susan Smalley of rural Amoret. He received an Associate in Arts degree from Crowder College, Neosho, Missouri, and his Bachelors in Human Biology and Doctor of Chiropractic degrees from Cleveland University-KC in August 2020.

Stolen truck could be in the area

Be on the lookout

On 10/01/2020 in the early morning hours, the Vernon County Sheriff’s Office took a report of a stolen vehicle from the Schell City area.

The vehicle is a silver in color 2006 Lincoln crew cab pickup truck with decals on the driver side and passenger side door that says, “Eagle Pro Land Co”. The truck had a silver in color Owens dog box in the bed of the truck. The truck also had attached to it a 10-foot trailer and a camouflage Yamaha Kodiak 450 ATV at the time it was stolen.

Attached are photos of the truck, ATV, and dog box. If you have any information, please contact the Vernon County Sheriff’s Office at 417-667-6042.

Hume student snags Osage Valley Scholarship

Congratulations to Harrison Wepener for winning The Osage Valley Essay Contest which earned him a $2,000 scholarship. Congrats!