Foundation grant to help OATS buy new vehicle in Mountain Grove area
Mayoral proclamation for Salvation Army
Springfield Mayor Ken McClure is scheduled to deliver an official proclamation recognizing National Salvation Army Week on Monday, May 13.
The proclamation will take place at 3:30 p.m. at 1707 W. Chestnut Expressway. McClure, along with community leaders and stakeholders, will present a proclamation recognizing the invaluable contributions of The Salvation Army in Springfield, which has served the community for more than 134 years.
A reception will follow the ceremony, which is open to the public.
Music clubs convention May 17-18
Missouri Federated Music Clubs Annual convention will be held at Covenant Presbyterian Church May 17-18, and two performances are open to the public at no charge.
The Women's Voice Winner of the National Federation of Music Clubs' Young Artist Competition, Krista Pape of Houston, Texas, will perform a variety of arias, art songs, show tunes, and selections from the Great American Songbook. She will be accompanied by local collaborative artist and composer Brian Christian. She received a $20,000 prize and two years of concert engagements. Pape has also received awards from the Metropolitan Opera Council, the Music Teachers National Association, and various other national competitions. She recently completed a residency with the Lyric Opera of Kansas City and the Music Academy of the West. Her performance will be at 7:30 p.m. May 17.
At 10 a.m. May 18, Gary Ellison, named Missouri's Official Ragtime Piano Player by the state senate, will give a 20-30 minute program on the history and sounds of ragtime. Missouri was instrumental in the emergence and popularity of ragtime music in the early 1900s. Ellison will draw on his vast background to play, sing, and tell stories about this unique style of music that had much of its origin here in Missouri.
Both of these programs will be in the sanctuary of Covenant Presbyterian Church at 2441 S. Lone Pine Ave.
Highway Patrol honors 29 employees
Four troopers from Missouri State Highway Patrol's Troop D in Springfield were among the 29 employees recognized at the patrol's annual award ceremony April 27.
Sgt. Timothy A. Barrett was named the 2023 Benjamin Oliver Booth Officer Of The Year. In 2023, Barrett's dedication to criminal patrol work resulted in seven noteworthy criminal interdiction stops, including one in January in which he discovered nearly 45 pounds of cocaine hidden in a car hauled by a tractor-trailer which led to the arrest of a high-ranking drug cartel associate. Another stop revealed a nationwide mail theft ring.
Three Troop D troopers received the Meritorious Service Award for exemplary
OATS Transit, a Missouri based notfor-profit transportation provider, announced that they have received a grant from the Community Foundation of the Ozarks–Mountain Grove Area Community Foundation.
The $2,000 was awarded for services in Mountain Grove/Wright County to support rural general public transportation. The funds will be used toward the purchase of a new vehicle for the area.
OATS Transit driver Julie Vandivort was on hand at the check presentation ceremony held May 6 at the Mountain Grove High School.
OATS Transit provides transportation for work, medical appointments, essential shopping, nutrition and other needs to individuals with disabilities, seniors, and rural residents of any age. service beyond the call of duty in unusual circumstances.
Trooper W. Sean Lashmet, answered a Feb. 23, 2023 call for service at the Busiek State Forest and Wildlife Area, driving a woman with a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the chest 26 miles to the hospital in Springfield. The woman survived emergency surgery but later succumbed to her injuries. (Trooper Lashmet has since been promoted to corporal.)
Trooper Austin L. Royster, Troop D rendered emergency first aid to multiple crash victims after a June 3, 2023 traffic crash in Lawrence County in which a vehicle had collided with several motorcycles. While providing care for the driver, Royster determined she was under the influence of a controlled substance and placed her under arrest.
Trooper Jacob S. Schwartz, rescued an unresponsive driver from a burning vehicle after an Aug. 22, 2023 crash that occurred after the driver fled from an attempted traffic stop. The driver received medical assistance and was taken into custody.
The transportation programs are vital to the Missouri economy, and help local residents live independently in their own communities.
“Thanks to the Community Foundation of the Ozarks, this grant allows us to match our federal grants with local dollars,” said Rene Frazier, Southwest Regional Director at OATS Transit. “We are grateful to the Community Foundation for their continued support so we can continue being there for those who need us.”
For more information about OATS Transit, visit www.oatstransit.org and follow them at facebook.com/oatstransit.
Southwest Missouri residents wanting to schedule a ride should call the OATS Transit office at 800-770-6287 or 417-887-9272.
OATS is also hiring drivers in the local area.
Thousands of books, DVDS and other items are for sale at the Friends of the Library Spring 2023 Book Sale at the Ozark Empire Fairgrounds E-Plex on April 24, 2023.
Book sale sets new record
The Friends of the Library Annual Fall Book Sale wrapped up April 28, setting a record with $209,016.30 in six days. The sale was up 16% over the previous record set last spring.
The cumulative total for FOL book sales since the first sale in 1985 is in excess of $5.3 million, according to Friends of the Library Sale Chair Bill Kastler.
Proceeds from the bi-annual sale fund special adult programs, the Summer Reading program, Wee-Read, which gives out books through the Parents as Teachers Program, and many other library necessities. The Friends of the Library recently made a $200,000 gift to the Library Center auditorium construction project.
The next sale will be Sept. 11-15 at the E*Plex at the Ozarks Empire Fairgrounds.
The public can donate used items at any of the 10 library branches during business hours. To learn more, call 417-6160564 or email friends@thelibrary.org.