Of the people, By the people, For the people
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Jason Housley
TUESDAY, September 24, 2019 / Vol. 5 Issue 39 / 75 cents
Quorum Court hears road complaint A couple of residents of Porter Road on Lute Mountain submitted a petition to the Van Buren County Quorum Court last week asking for chip and seal for their road. Porter Road, the speakers said, is dangerous and children riding the school bus on that route must breathe in dust everyday. About 25 households are on the road; the petition contained 38 signatures. County Judge Dale James told the speakers that no
roads will get chip and seal this year because of a shortfall created by Southwestern Energy’s refusal to pay taxes to the county. He said next year’s plans include some chip and seal, but only for the areas promised by the previous administration. It will likely be 2021 before the 3.5-mile Porter Road is paved. Hadrian Smith, who moved to Porter Road from Texas this spring, said it cannot be put off for two years because of safety reasons. He said he will continue
pushing for the project. In other news from the Road Department, work on a project on Old Highway 9 is underway. After this project is concluded, the Butter Creek Bridge that collapsed will be replaced. All material is on hand for that project now, James said. It can be done fairly quickly, he said. Repairing the Shirley Train bridge will follow. Drainage projects include Rumley Road, Watson Road, Foster cemetery Road, Butter Creek, Wilder-
(Photo by Jeff Burgess)
ness Trail - Highway 389, two crossings on Gravesville cutoff and some on Klondike. James said the department is trying to get all of these done before the rainy season. Also Thursday, the justices of the peace unanimously approved an ordinance to separate one full time position in the Solid Waste Department to two part-time jobs, paying $11/hour each. James said it would save money because the workers would not get insurance benefits while
(Photo by Robert R. Gaut)
Waning days of summer
adding eight hours to the department’s worker availability. An ordinance to establish procedures for requesting a liquor license in unincorporated Van Buren County received a first reading. Sponsor of the proposal, John Bradford, said no one has requested a license, but he wants to “get ahead of the game.” JP Nickie Brown said she had obtained a list that shows there already are 12 private clubs in the county. Under state regulations there may be
one club per 5,000 residents. Van Buren County has about 17,000 residents. The ordinance will be read a second time at next month’s meeting. County Assessor Emma Smiley’s request to “rearrange” salaries in her office brought some opposition from JPs Dell Holt and Ester Bass. Smiley said the request does not add any money to the budget, only allows for rearranging salaries. The ordinance was approved on a 7-2 vote.
(Photo by Robert Snyder)
The county fair, the fall displays and some final bursts of color, signs that cooler weather is coming and the long, hot days of summer are coming to an end.
‘Nervous’ driver faces drug, fleeing charges Two Higden men were arrested after their vehicle was pursued by a deputy who said there was a headlight out. Deputy Matthew Beeson was patrolling Sept. 9 on Highway 337 when he observed the BMW passenger car. He turned on his emergency lights to conduct a traffic stop at Sugar Loaf Baptist Church. According to an affidavit for arrest, the BMW continued west and turned on Bass Road, then on Robin Trail and again on Wren Road before coming to a stop at a residence. Driver James Goodpaster was “acting very nervous,” according to the report, and refused consent to search the car. He said he didn’t stop at first because he wanted to get the car to his dad’s home, the affidavit states. Beeson called in Deputy Curtis Holliman with his K-9, and the dog alerted to the presence of narcotics, according to the report. Two glass pipes with burnt residue and a clear plastic bag with a substance believed to be methamphetamine were discovered, according to the document. Goodpaster, 33, has been charged with possession of a controlled substance, a Class D felony, violating stop and yield signs, and misdemeanor flee-
ing. The passenger in the car, Louis Roy Martina, 30, has been charged with possession of a controlled substance, a Class D felony.
Goodpaster
Martina Stolen car spurs arrest of pair
Two people were arrested after the car in which they were traveling was discovered to have been stolen out of Taney County, Missouri. On Sept. 13, Clinton Police Sgt. Scott Solomon was called out the the First Assembly of God church on Highway 65 North by a man who said a woman was in the parking lot “acting out of this world,” according to an arrest affidavit. Solomon found that the license plate
on the Kia did not match the VIN identification and that the information returned to a vehicle stolen out of Branson. Branson Police said they would extradite the suspects and asked that all cell phones, tasers and knives be confiscated. A search turned up two cell phones, an iPod, two knives and a pill bottle that contained what appeared to be marijuana, according to the report. Joshua Wayne Hickson, 40, of Kirbyville, Missouri, and Brianna Rose Woelich, 26, of Williams, Arizona, have each been charged with theft by receiving, a Class D felony. Plea and arraignment for both are set for Oct. 15.
Hot Springs woman arrested
Van Buren County Deputy Derek Sanford stopped a car on Highway 65 that he said had a brake light out on Sept. 12. A search of the vehicle turned up 6.5 grams of suspected methamphetamine and a package of needles, according to an arrest affidavit. Renee Wyatt, 46, of Hot Springs has been charged with possession of a controlled substance, a Class C felony; possession of drug paraphernalia, a Class D felony; and defective equipment.
Clinton 55, CAC 21 A Mustang is upended by the Jacket defense as Clinton continues to roll. Story, photos, Pages 6-7. (Photo by Robert R. Gaut)
Swinging controversy
Mom cries foul when teens told to get off swings Who can use the swings at Clinton’s Kiddie Park? An upset mother posted on Facebook that her 14-year-old daughter and three of her girlfriends were told to get off the swings by a Clinton police officer. The officer took their names and those of several boys at the park and wrote up a report stating that he had been called to the park by a man who had taken his children there and found the equipment being used “in a manner other than what it is meant or intended to be used for.” The information was not turned over to any court, that would be a decision of the prosecutor’s office, not the police.
Officer Scott Solomon said he told the teenagers that the playground equipment was designed and intended for use by children ages 2 to 10 and that there are signs on the fence stating this. He said he pointed the signs out to them. That brought about many angry responses from people who say they like to hold their little ones and swing. Some are demanding an apology from the city and police department. Clinton Mayor Richard McCormac said moms and babies swinging is fine. “Nobody is against that,” he said. But, he said, the rules of the park are there for a reason
— the playground equipment is expensive and the limits are an attempt to prevent things from getting torn up. Most of the equipment has been purchased over the years using grant money and the limits are taken from the warranties. Police Chief John Willoughby said Friday evening that he has complete confidence that his officer was doing his job and was not rude to anyone. McCormac said Clinton Police will not be patrolling the park looking for illegal use of the swings. Like all things, McCormac said, “just use common sense, and play nice.”