Happiness often sneaks in through a door you didn’t know you left open. - John Barrymore
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October 14 - 15, 2020 • Vol. 2, Issue 19
INSIDE:
October Is Domestic Violence Awareness Month
Mssouri Health Coverage:
and say things like ‘This is what the world needs.’ I knew there was going to be more after that, and the more was to line Highway 76 in Branson and spread the love.” In Branson, people cheered and honked their horns as they passed Lewis, her friends and other Branson residents who were lined up, waving, on both sides of the street. According to Lewis, several years ago a man she knew told her she
By Cindy Thomas As COVID-19 concerns continue across the nation, another epidemic affects even more people but receives far less attention. To address this knowledge gap, October is designated as Domestic Violence Awareness Month. According to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence (NCADV), one in three women and one in four men in the United States experience some type of physical violence by an intimate partner during their lifetime. In Missouri, over 36 percent of women experience such abuse, based on known cases and hotline calls. The Missouri Coalition Against Domestic Violence reports that in southwest Missouri counties over 10,000 hotline calls were made in 2019. Several sources estimate an increase in abuse due to the restrictions of COVID-19, as people are under financial or emotional stress coupled with being isolated at home and less likely to confide in a work colleague or faith community. The online schooling situation also increases the chances of children witnessing abuse, which has
SEE SPREADING LOVE, PAGE 2
SEE DOMESTIC, PAGE 3
Kids have reversal of health coverage. Page 8
Hispanic Heritage Month: Hollister celebrates with the kids. Page 14
This banner reminds passers-by to Be Love and Give Love. (Photo by K.D. Michaels)
Spreading the love on Branson’s Hwy 76
Hiking Is Great:
Missouri Department of Conservation. Page 17
WEATHER...page 21 Windy and warmer for the upcoming week.
By K.D. Michaels, Staff Writer Dozens of people lined up on 76 Country Boulevard Sunday afternoon to show unity and spread love in Branson’s first: Be Love Give Love - Spread the Love event. Organized by former Branson resident Abby Lewis, the event offered area residents an opportunity to put aside differences of race, religion, background, social status, political party or sexual orientation, and unite in love and compassion for each other and the community. The only
agenda for Sunday’s event was to spread the love. “Recently God led me to stand on a street of my current town in North Carolina in my Be Love Give Love shirt and hat, with Be Love Give Love signs,” said Lewis, founder of the Be Love Give Love movement. “I didn’t know what to expect. But I deeply desired to do my part in spreading love and lighting up the world in a time of such division and uncertainty. People slowed down, read our signs, then they would smile
