Top 10 of 2019

1. Greene County Commission announces new county jail
The Greene County Commission announced plans for the construction of a new Greene County Jail building during a press conference on Dec. 4. The new jail will be located just east of White Chapel Cemetery, and able to house 1,407 inmates. Construction costs are expected to be $150 million, but the new jail is expected to save taxpayers $95 million over the next 20 years.
2. Flat Creek Restaurant opens in Republic, serves 2,000 customers on first day
Flat Creek Restaurant opened their Republic location in February, and on their first day, served 2,000 people. Chicken and catfish were among the two most popular items at the restaurant; Flat Creek reported serving over 3,000 pounds of catfish in their first week. Two weeks after opening, the restaurant’s momentum hadn’t slowed; General Manager Mike Martin reported they were serving about 2,000 people a day.
3.Willard School District opens Willard Intermediate South
The Willard R-2 District unveiled their latest building, Willard Intermediate South, on Aug. 6. A rising student population made the new building necessary, as the district’s first intermediate school building was holding more children than it was designed to accommodate. The new building was constructed with an “open concept” and features many open spaces designed to be multifunctional.
4.Superintendent Wistrom announces retirement
Dr. Chance Wistrom, superintendent of Republic Schools, announced via a video that he had decided to retire after eight years with the district; his last day will be on June 30, 2020. Wistrom stated he made his decision after careful consideration, and he chose to step down so he could spend more time with his family. Wistrom also announced that Asst. Superintendent of Schools Dr. Matt Pearce, had been tapped by the school board to take the helm of the district as superintendent for the 2020-21 school year.
 
5. Ash Grove Ag Mechanics team places second in state competition
The Ash Grove FFA Agricultural Mechanics and Systems Technology team placed second out of 45 teams at the Agricultural Mechanics and Systems Technology Career Development event in April. The team was honored in December with a special proclamation, presented by Missouri State Senator Eric Burlison.
6. Ash Grove High School students save district thousands by repairing Chromebooks -A team of four AGHS students, trained in the repair of Chromebooks, saved the school district $30,000 over three years by repairing Chromebooks used by the district’s students. The work done by the students would normally cost $50 per hour when completed by an outside professional.

7. Trantham succumbs to cancer after courageous 16-month battle – Kiersten Trantham, 11, of Walnut Grove, died June 27 after battling cancer for 16 months. Residents of Walnut Grove, Bois D’Arc and Ash Grove rallied around Kiersten as she fought the illness; they supported her family with food, helped with farm work, and held fundraisers and donated money for expenses.
8. Roundabout at Republic High School complete – MoDOT completed construction on the roundabout at the intersection of Republic Road and RepMo Drive/Farm Road 103. The roundabout is expected to relieve traffic congestion at the intersection and make driving there safer.
9. Ash Grove Community Foundation raising funds for community betterment – The Ash Grove Community Foundation, a new organization dedicated to raising funds for projects to better Ash Grove, is raising funds to create endowments which will raise funds for community projects. The money for the endowments will go untouched; the interest the money raises will be used to fund the community projects.

10. Ash Grove kicks off MO Beef for MO Kids program – The Ash Grove R-IV School District kicked off their MO Beef for MO Kids program in March. The program, which is dedicated to increasing the amount of fresh beef served to kids in school lunches, encourages local beef cattle raisers to donate beef to the district. Students are also educated on the nutritional value of beef, as well as how beef cattle are raised.

 

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Lawrence County Record

312 S. Hickory St.
Mt. Vernon, MO, 65712
www.lawrencecountyrecord.com

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