News

Throw in a little bit of mystery, a handful of gags and a pinch of Scooby Doo and you have “The Legend of Sammy’s Swamp” to be presented on Friday and Saturday, April 27 and 28 on the stage in the Arcadia Valley High School gymnasium.

The production includes a cast and crew of 9th through 12th grade students under the direction of Jimmy Morey, who is also an English teacher at the high school.  It is his second year as director of the spring play.

“This cast is larger than we would normally do,” Morey said, “but we had a lot of interest and the kids have put forth a lot of effort to have an excellent show.

The cast has been in rehearsal for two months.

“It is a comedy,” Morey said. “It plays a lot like a Scooby Doo episode.”

The locations of 161 “Opportunity Zones” in Missouri - low-income areas that will see added incentives for investment – have been announced. The locations of the Opportunity Zones were determined by the state, and made possible by the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017. Proponents say that theses areas with high poverty rates and slow job growth will get a boost as they compete for jobs, with additional state and federal tax incentives for businesses that invest in these communities.

A Pilot Knob man was killed last week in a head-on collision on MO Highway 72 in Iron County. Three other locals received injuries ranging from minor to moderate. 

Daniel D. Thomlinson, 26, of Pilot Knob died at Mercy Hospital in Creve Coeur, where he had been transported following the accident.

According to a report by the Misssouri Highway Patrol, the accident occurred at 1:47 p.m. on Tuesday, April 10 on MO Highway 72, three miles east of Arcadia.

Thomlinson was driving a 1992 Buick LeSabre eastbound on the roadway.

A 2013 Chrysler, was being driven westbound on the highway by Micah T. Wood, 20, of Ironton.

The report said the vehicles struck head-on near the center of the roadway.

Wood received moderate injuries and was taken by ambulance to Iron County Medical Center.

Two passengers in the Chrysler were also injured.

You probably drive by a “road cut” along Missouri Highway 21 near Main Street in Ironton every day. To most people it is an insignificant, dull rock formation. However others who visit the spot every year find it a vitual learning experience.

“The is a world class location,” said Michael Stewart, a professor at the University of Illinois Geology Department. Stewart was discussing the rocks with a group of geology students who were standing by the highway, notebooks and rock hammers in hand, on a recent cold and windy Saturday.

“Right now they are going to find a fault,” the professor said, breaking away from the group for a minute.  

He explained that the rock formation is volcanic in origin and was formed and estimated 1.6 billion years ago. 

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service staff will lead a guided hike to the top of Pilot Knob National Wildlife Refuge at 9:30 a.m. on Saturday, May 5 

During the hike, staff  and volunteers from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will discuss the importance of Pilot Knob to the endangered Indiana bats and the historical uses of Pilot Knob Mountain, and unique geologic features. 

Space is limited; participants must pre-register to reserve their spot for the hike by calling the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service office at Mingo National Wildlife Refuge at 573-222-3589.  

The hike is strenuous, as the trail to the top will go up steep terrain with loose rock and uneven footing.  Participants must be physically able to make this hike.  Details on time and meeting location will be provided to registered participants.

A majority of the voters turning up at the polls on Tuesday, April 3, gave approval for an additional .5 cent tax on retails sales and domestic utilities to assist the Board of Directors of the Iron County Hospital District with its financial difficulties.

County-wide the vote was 955 yes votes (62.30 percent) to 578 no votes (37.7 percent).

Out of 6767 registered voters, only 1,587 (23.45 percent) turned out at the poll.

The vote was affirmative in all precincts except Des Arc (26 yes/68 no), Viburnum (50 yes/105 no), and Vulcan (16 yes/39 no).

Iron County Medical Center (ICMC) Chief Executive Officer Josh Gilmore said his staff was ecstatic over the community’s response.

“We are just so overwhelming excited and appreciative of our supporters in the community,” Gilmore said. “We can’t say enough good things and thank yous to the community and to our staff.”

Ozark Regional Library is recognizing GFWC and the local GFWC club, Mina Sauk, for its contributions to libraries. The event will be held at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, April 24.

Arcadia Valley’s local GFWC club, Mina Sauk, is celebrating its 40^th anniversary this year and we welcome everyone to join the celebration with us.

Did you know that women’s clubs have been credited by the American Library Association (ALA) for starting 75 perfect of public libraries in the U.S.A.? And internationally, GFWC serves libraries in crisis, including recent hurricane damage in Louisiana, Texas and Florida, as well as flooding damage in Marble Hill. The Arcadia Valley club has gathered books for Ozark Regional Library book sales, donated books for babies and has provided lots of volunteer service toward positive change in our community.

A new Belleview company “Real Flaming Skulls, LLC,” will be shooting advertising videos for local businesses, but it also has bigger plans.

Samuel Johnson and his partner, Andrew Hotchkiss, have started production on an independent movie titled “Sanctum,” with local residents serving as actors and extras, and local businesses and scenic spots in The Valley as the setting for the story.

Johnson, 22, recently moved back to the Valley (his mom is Cody Long who used to run the Arcadia Cafe) after a two -year stint in Tucumcari, New Mexico working on paleontological digs while he was a student at Mesalands Community College. He also interned for a summer at the Mesalands Dinorsaur Museum and Natural Sciences Laboratory. 

A Bismarck man was killed in a head-on collision that occurred last Thursday afternoon, March 29, in Iron County.  Two others received moderate to serious injuries.

James C. Cash, 77, was pronounced dead at the scene of the accident at 3:51 p.m. by Iron County Coroner Tim Harbison, according to a report by the MO Highway Patrol.

The accident occurred at 2:37 p.m. on Missouri Route U, four miles north of Graniteville. 

Cash was driving a 2005 Dodge Grand Caravan northbound on the roadway, crossed the center line and hit another vehicle head-on, the report stated.

The other vehicle, a 2005 Dodge Durango, was driven by Melissa Presley, 38, of Bismarck.  Presley received serious injuries and was taken by ambulance to St. Anthony’s Hospital.  

A passenger in the vehicle, Nicholas Presley, 10, also of Bismarck, received moderate injuries and was taken by ambulance to Iron County Hospital.

The report stated that Cash was wearing a safety belt, 

Outside it is 40 degrees and windy, but inside the greenhouse, healthy tomato plants hold beautiful red and orange-yellow fruits, green onions stand ready to chop and lettuce overflows from a tower pot. A particularly striking tomato plant is six or seven feet high and pushes at the top of the greenhouse.

“That’s a Kellogg’s Breakfast, a really good-tasting variety,” said Steve Blanton, owner of Dad’s Garden on Highway 72 in rural Ironton. “I’ve cut him back several times and hauled wheelbarrows full of clippings out of here and he keeps going.”

The plant produces a yellow, low-acidic fruit. This particular plant was planted in November 2017.

Steve and his friend, Gene Austin are busy planting in the greenhouse and in their large outdoor garden plots. Both are anticipating the opening of the Ironton Farmers Market on Friday, May 4.