News

Aurellia Mills-Rhodes of Annapolis First Baptist Church placed fourth in the National Invitational Bible Drill in Stone Mountain, Georgia, on June 15.

On June 14 the youth participated in a mission project, had the opportunity to meet youth from other states, and enjoyed the laser show at Stone Mountain.

On Friday the youth watched the High School Drill, the High School Speaker’s Tournament, and participated in their Youth National Drill.

Her family, friends, and church members are so proud of Aurellia because she has worked hard to memorize many Bible verses, to acquire numerous skills in handling the Bible, and is always willing to share her faith.

Ozie Golden, 47, of Iron County, was sentenced to 77 months on one felony count of Felon in Possession of a Firearm. He appeared before United States District Judge John A. Ross, according to the United States District Attorney’s office.

At his plea on March 19, 2018, Golden admitted that on May 5, 2016 in Iron County, he possessed a Llama 1911 .45 caliber ACP pistol. Other individuals had seen Golden in possession of the Llama .45 caliber pistol on or prior to May 5, 2016, One witness related that Golden tried to sell the Llama pistol to him at his residence in Iron County on or about May 5, 2016. The Llama pistol, which had an obliterated serial number, was manufactured in Spain, and had traveled in interstate commerce prior to its discovery in Missouri.

Ozie Golden, 47, of Iron County, was sentenced to 77 months on one felony count of Felon in Possession of a Firearm. He appeared before United States District Judge John A. Ross, according to the United States District Attorney’s office.

At his plea on March 19, 2018, Golden admitted that on May 5, 2016 in Iron County, he possessed a Llama 1911 .45 caliber ACP pistol. Other individuals had seen Golden in possession of the Llama .45 caliber pistol on or prior to May 5, 2016, One witness related that Golden tried to sell the Llama pistol to him at his residence in Iron County on or about May 5, 2016. The Llama pistol, which had an obliterated serial number, was manufactured in Spain, and had traveled in interstate commerce prior to its discovery in Missouri.

A former Viburnum City Clerk, accused of stealing more than $100,000 over seven years from the city’s water and sewer accounts, has pleaded guilty.

Dana Mayberry, the city’s clerk for more than 14 years, was charged with receiving stolen property, a felony.

State Auditor Nicole Galloway audited the city in June 2017 and discovered what she called “an elaborate scheme that involved adjusting customer utility accounts and then destroying records and other evidence.” The audit showed an estimated $104,000 in adjustments to 1,800 water and sewer accounts over a 7-year period.

The case was headed to trial until Mayberry pleaded guilty before Circuit Court Judge Sidney T. Pearson III on Thursday, June 7.

“Officials that violate the public’s trust and use their position to enrich themselves must be held accountable,” said Auditor Galloway in a  written statement. “

“We started working on this trail about two years ago,” said Mayor Robert Lourwood after cutting a ribbon designating the official Shepherd Mountain Trail opening Saturday morning (June 16). “What we wanted was a trail that came from the Shepherd Mountain Trailhead out here to the lake. People can hike over, have lunch, and hike back.  We are trying to build a trail system in Arcadia Valley. Since the city owns Shepherd Mountain Lake and the property, it is a great place to start the process.”

He added that plans include the expansion of the trail to Thee Abbey in Arcadia and to Fort Davidson in Pilot Knob. Perhaps even sometime in the future to Elephant Rocks State Park.

“We think we have a beautiful area here and our goal is to utilize the asset that we have without destroying it,”

Jim and Lu Aldridge  have been named the Conservation Farmer of the Year by the Iron County Soil and Water Conservation District.

Jim and Lu started farming in 2003 with 70 acres and seven young cows.  Over the years, they have expanded their farm to 127 acres and 36 momma cows.

Since attending grazing school, they have started their own grazing system and subdivided their fields.

They drilled a well in 2012 for watering their livestock and recently constructed a pond and corrected soil erosion with a critical area seeding practice.

They’ve implemented various other conservation practices, both on their own and through the district’s Cost-Share program.

The Aldridge’s also raise quarter horses, chickens and farm fresh eggs, in addition to their half-acre garden and annual hay crop.  J

The Aldridges were selected as Iron County’s Conservation Farmer of the Year and presented a plaque at the District’s Open House on May 31.

A Summer Reading Program has kicked off at the Ozark Regional Library.

Youth Librarian Kelsey Fitzgerald has announced the following upcoming programs. For more information, call the library at 573-546-2615 or visit the website at www.ozarkregionallibrary.lib.mo.us.

•DIY Guitar Pick - Ozark Regional Library- Iroton is having a DIY Guitar Pick and CD Art event on Friday, June 8 at 3 p.m.  Participants will be using Shrinky Dinks plastic to design and create a guitar pick. Participants will also have the opportunity to recycle old CDs into beautiful pieces of scratch art.  All ages are welcome to this event.  The program is free of charge. Registration required.

A petition seeking a ballot measure to make the Iron County Prosecuting Attorney a full-time position was accepted by the County Commission during a regular meeting last week.

County Clerk Virginia Queen said the petition contains at least 100 more valid signatures than required by state statutes.

The question: “Shall the office of prosecuting attorney be made a full-time position in Iron County?” will appear on the August 2018 Primary Ballot. A simple majority of the voters in favor of the question is required.

If voters approve the proposal, it “shall become effective upon the date that the prosecutor who is elected at the next election subsequent to the passage of such proposal is sworn into office,” the statutes state.

A full-time prosecutor will also qualify for additional benefits, such as retirement.

Bud Clarkson of Arcadia was presented this year’s “Missouri Elk of the Year Award” by the Elk’s State President Pete Nash. Pete cited Bud’s countless hours donated to the organization and the hard work which has led to the Missouri State Elk’s newspaper, “The Shozem,” receiving a five star rating for the past two years. Clarkson is the secretary for Elks Lodge #2330 in Pilot Knob.

Hidden in the southwest part of the Fredericktown Unit, in Iron County, is one of Mark Twain National Forest’s jewels, the 100-acre Crane Lake.

Three years have passed since engineering inspections first revealed that Crane Lake’s dam does not meet federal dam safety regulations.  Since then, the USDA Forest Service has been conducting engineering studies to identify options to address the deficiencies.

For readers who have not been following this issue, Crane Lake dam was built in 1959 and raised in height in 1972 before it was acquired by the Forest Service.

The dam was never designed to pass 100 percent of a probable maximum flood event – a requirement for all federally-managed dams.  Follow-up inspections showed the dam has structural, geotechnical, and hydraulic issues, and further, does not meet seismic design standards for potential earthquakes.  Here are some updates on items of interest.