Progress Magazine 2023

December7,1941andhavebeenhonorablydischarged-orarestillserving-youare eligibleformembershipinTheAmericanLegion!TheMaltaBendMemorialPost558is lookingtojoinyouandcontinueyourcourseofservicetocommunity,state,andnation.

Coffee, eatery opens off I-70 Includes dog park, ‘farm-to-table’

By Danielle Linton Hatfield STAFF WRITER

“I feel like the Midwest is kind of lacking the healthy food options — healthy, but good — like people kind of associate healthy with not tasty. We’re kind of here to prove them wrong, hopefully,” Alyona Shcherbina, owner of Cooper’s Coffee and Eatery in Nelson, Mo., said.

Located off Interstate 70 on U.S. Highway J in Saline County, the eatery opened its doors on Jan. 6, 2023. Originally from the state of Colorado, Shcherbina talked about the transition and how she obtained the building for her business.

“About four years ago I moved here to Missouri because my husband’s from here,” she explained. “So we met in Colorado and we moved to Missouri together. We had a really good opportunity. We moved here to Nelson together when we got mar‐ried, and then after COVID hit — the former busi‐

ness closed its doors — and put the building up for sale.”

As members of the community who pass through Highway J every day, Shcherbina noted they won‐dered about the opportunity — seeing the vacant building and the possibility of serving travelers.

“We were thinking a coffee shop at first, but then we decided to go and provide people with food, as well,” she said. “Our focus is specialty coffee, so we have a roaster out of Chicago — and they serve spe‐cialty coffee — which is very specifically sourced, very specifically roasted — it’s very particular, but it makes for a very good taste when it comes to your cup of coffee.”

Shcherbina added their other focus includes “quick service, but quality.”

“We do sandwiches and soups,” she continued. “We have three soups that rotate daily — we have six total — but then it depends on the day which ones you’ll get. Then sandwiches — we have

six different options — and everything’s prepared so that you could either stay here — eat if you have time — but also we have a lot of people who just do grab and go — off the in ‐terstate or even — just locals who are busy — and they kind of need a quick bite. … We kind of tai ‐lored everything to make sure that it’s for people who are busy, they’re on the go — but we feel like even when you’re busy — and when you’re on the go — you should not settle for low quality food because you won’t go much further.”

Formerly a nurse, Shcherbina reflected on her experience when she worked 14‐hour shifts and the meals she would eat.

“How I ate really determined my day. … I no ‐ticed the impact of quality food from many years ago, especially when I was working (in) such a high‐paced environment,” she said. “Then my husband does the same thing — he’s a really busy guy, he farms, he does business and everything. … There’s a lot of people out there who do want quality food — and not everybody wants fast food all the time. That’s kind of what we’re about.”

As travelers themselves, Shcherbina indicated the challenges of finding food that makes a person feel energized. She commented that it’s hard to find that when going on road trips.

“You have to seek it out, and sometimes you’ll be lucky enough to find something,” Shcherbina continued. “We’re right off the highway.”

In addition to focusing on what travelers would want, providing specialty coffee and food — she said there is another item — “farm‐to‐table.”

“I wasn’t able to start off as farm ‐to‐table be‐cause that’s — it’s actually quite a process to get that going,” Shcherbina said. “You have to broker deals with local producers — with farmers and gardeners and things. I feel like that takes time — but I don’t think it’s impossible and that is my ul ‐timate goal.”

She added there are a few items on the eatery’s menu that are farm‐to‐table — including a beef sandwich, blackberry smoothie and raspberry re‐fresher. Shcherbina stated they plan to introduce more items in the spring and summer.

“It’s a little bit more challenging from the man ‐agement side of it and — training staff. It’s a lot more work involved with that,” she continued. “I feel like it’s a lot better quality, a lot better — even flavors — that you would get. Then at

the same time, you’re supporting somebody local and small. … Then it’s grown with love and hopefully that love carries all the way over — then it comes to the customer who will be drinking that smoothie or whatever. … We’re still working on our hours to try to get a good feel for what works best for us, for the community … it might still

change a little bit. I hope to have it really nailed in probably by spring, maybe summer.”

Lastly, Shcherbina said they have set up a dog park next to the eatery.

“It’s already finished, putting some signage up and everything,” she concluded. “If people want to get their dog out, let them go, run around a little bit — hopefully in

the future this would become a good rest area for people.”

Cooper’s Coffee and Eatery and is located in Nelson on 11633 Saline J Hwy. It offers drive‐thru, take‐out, dine‐in, and truck‐park‐ing services.

Learn more about the eatery and read the menu, as well as cur ‐rent business hours at https://www.cooperseatery.com.

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Slater Schools superintendent talks 2023 progress, community support

By Danielle Linton Hatfield STAFF WRITER

“Debbie Gonzalez left things in great order and so, it’s been really good. I’ve been well received — warm hometown feeling — I’m very appreciative of that — makes it nice to come to work,” Slater School District Superin ‐tendent Terry Lorenz said. “There’s always general struggles like all schools face, and we face those like everyone else. We just meet them as we find them, but just in general — the mood of the building has been super sup ‐portive of me and just education in general — and the community’s always supportive of the school. That doesn’t seem to have wa ‐vered since I was here — six, seven years ago — when I left. It’s been a good welcome home.”

For this year’s progress, he explained the district is working on leadership, by provid‐ing an instructional coach. Lorenz indicated with a lot of the young teachers Slater has, this will be a good benefit.

“One of the things from a leadership stand‐point — we’re adding an instructional coach next year,” he explained. “We’ve approved that, and we’ve hired the person. We’re look ‐ing forward to that coming. … They’ll be working on stuff — on things that are related to student growth and achievement … a lot of

the focus of the work will be helping teachers with their instruction. So it’ll be a lot of adult ‐to‐adult work with the purpose of improving student achievement.”

Other things the district has been busy working on include academics and technol ‐ogy.

“We updated our CSIP Plan, which is the Comprehensive School Improvement Plan. … We just recently submitted that right before Christmas break,” Lorenz said. “We added a new reading series to K‐5. We’re also doing NWEA assessment, which is basically a form ‐ative assessment tool that helps inform in ‐struction. We’re doing that K ‐12 now. … We’ve revamped our website. We split the buildings apart — so elementary and second ‐ary have their own pages off of our main dis‐trict page — just to allow further contact with our other folks. We added a new paging system to the building, which is already in.”

He explained they are also implementing more Clevertouch boards in the classrooms.

“We’re adding some vape detectors to the building — and we’ve added quite a few Chromebooks for student use across the building,” Lorenz noted.

For the Wildcat Athletic Complex, he said the district has been working on upgrades and improvements. Lorenz explained this in‐cludes new dugouts to fencing and field

improvements.

“Just some general improvements to the whole facility out there, and we’re continuing to work on that,” he continued. “We added a new roof to the high school building — had an insurance claim on that — they just got that done this fall. … We have added quite a few new doors to the ex‐terior of the building. I think we pretty much have all of our new doors modernized — and hooked up with phobs and button ‐push digi‐tal access — so we can see people … We added some equipment to the Wildcat Com‐munity Fitness Center — quite a few pieces of new equipment out there. Then they con‐nected the Early Childhood to the junior high building. We don’t have to go outside any ‐more with our Early Childhood. There’s a hallway that … connects the two buildings.”

Lorenz discussed the installation of HVAC systems for both the high school and junior

high buildings. He said they are continuing to add LED lighting around the Slater School District campus.

“We are in the process — we recently pre‐paid a 2018 general obligation bond — to save the district about $230,000,” Lorenz added. “We’re bringing onto the ballot this April a no tax levy increase to — they have reworked some of the pieces to our geother‐mal HVAC system in the elementary — but this is going to be a more comprehensive fix and solution to rework some of the inner workings.”

Lorenz stated along with that, if the funds are available, the district is also going to look into upgrading the lighting at the foot ‐ball field.

“The lighting is really in bad shape out there, so hopefully we can pull both of those projects off with this no tax levy,” he con ‐cluded.

What does progress

Steve Olson

Change is all based on your perception and colored by your vision and experiences. Marshall has a lot going on, and I would say all of it is good. My wife and I moved here in 2007, after I retired from 30 years in the Navy. It seems we have witnessed lots of change … the most ob‐vious being physical. Multiple old buildings around the square have come down, some initiated by the weather, but all finished by a demolition crew. The closed Habili‐tation Center campus has been demolished and could become a great new educational campus. The closed and decayed original Fitzgibbon Hospital is being carted away as of this writing. And there have been multiple plans for its reuse.

When we arrived, the town square included many empty or under‐utilized storefronts. It is now almost fully occupied, with new eating locations. And of course, the county courthouse, after a significant rehabilitation, is standing tall … now with the tower clocks operational and the rotunda having had the tile floor, staircase and wood work recently redone. Change is good, and leads to good things. So, our perception is that things are good, and we have a positive direction forward.

Shelby Vogel

Hi, I’m Shelby Vogel, executive director for the Marshall Chamber of Commerce.

I graduated from Marshall High School in May of 2015 and then the University of Missouri‐Colum‐bia in December of 2018. Since then, I have worked for Lee’s Summit Parks and Recreation, the Salt Fork YMCA, and most recently the City of Marshall. Each of these places and the experiences that I had at them, helped me progress into who I am today.

Progress is a journey, and it may not always be a smooth ride, but each step that you take along the way is a step in the right direction.

mean to you?

R yan Zirngibl

What is progress? The most impacting and important progress reflects an old adage that is used by (and reflects) many people I am lucky enough to work with in my commu‐nity: “A Rising Tide Lifts all Ships.” Progress elevates every‐one. It’s usually not quick, it’s not the latest technology or the most expensive new solution.

Progress is a town coming together to create Christmas decorations, or to pick up walnuts. Progress is when we stand together to protect our communities and educate our children. Progress is when two people who don’t agree on politics can work together to make sure a community's water is safe. Progress is when different community organi‐zations partner to save the most important historic restau‐rant in town so that it will be there to serve families for generations to come, just as it has served so many genera‐tions already.

While the tools that we use may become more sophisti‐cated over time, true progress is that which we find inside of each of us that motivates us to impact the world for bet‐ter and save the world from worse.

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Stor-All Public Storage of Marshall celebrates 30 years, opens gated facility

By Danielle Linton Hatfield STAFF WRITER

“My wife (Donna) and I — and my son Caleb — we work hard,” Tobey Weaver, owner of Stor‐All said. “When people are getting off work at 5 o’clock — we’re going home and changing clothes — and we’re starting our second job. That’s whether it’s mowing, cleaning out a storage unit, main‐tenance — or just keeping any of our prop‐erties cleaned — accessible and safe for anybody — any of our tenants.”

Self employed since 2001, Weaver shared his experience in the storage unit business — starting with his family’s first location. The first location they bought was in 2005. Today, the structure remains lo‐cated on U.S. Highway 65 south — and is considered their main office.

“Actually, the gentleman that owned it — saw that I was doing very well at an early stage being self‐employed — and he reached out to my wife and I and asked if we were interested in purchasing it — so we did,” Weaver continued.

He added they purchased their second location in 2014 on Page Street in the city of Marshall.

“We expanded that location to the point where the city wouldn’t let us do anything else because of easements,” Weaver ex‐plained. “Then in August of last year — of 2022 — we purchased the third location, which is over on Atchison street next to the Saline County Health Office.”

The new location on Atchison Avenue opened on Dec. 1, 2022. He stated they are completing one of four phases. Weaver said unlike the other two locations, this one is a gated facility. Additionally, the Atchison fa‐cility offers RV and boat storage.

“I think this location that we just built reflects on some of the things that we have observed — liked and disliked over the years — but the gated facility was some‐thing that we really were pretty sound on,” he commented. “Nobody offers a gated fa‐cility in Saline County — and my wife and I take security very strongly. All three of our facilities have the best technology that we can get to date on security and

cameras.”

After 30 years, Stor‐All continues to remain strong and active through the work of Weaver and his family. He noted they’ve always had a drive, even through the most challenging times.

“There’s always challenges. I’ve used a lot of the same people over the years when we’re constructing our buildings,” Weaver said. “I think this last — and the newest lo‐cation — was the greatest challenge be‐cause of the unknowns with the situation in the world right now — then supply and demand.”

He indicated while his family has other

obligations, they always answer the phone — and make sure their tenants have ac‐cess.

“We tell our tenants that they have ac‐cess to their storage from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. We’re a little more flexible during the sum‐mer hours when it’s really hot,” Weaver added. “At the new location, it’s a gated fa‐cility. The gate only grants access 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. regardless of the situation.”

He concluded they plan to continue on expanding the new location. Stor‐All offers nine different sizes for storage. Residents interested in renting a unit can call 660‐886‐8163.

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New hospice services available for Saline County residents

Compiled by Danielle Linton Hatfield STAFF WRITER

Originating in Oklahoma City, the 27‐year‐old Good Shepherd Hospice organization has placed an office in Marshall.

“Currently our Marshall team is staffed for growth, and based off the responses we have re‐ceived through the community we will continue to increase staff to meet the needs of patients in Mar‐shall and the surrounding areas,” Laura Bate, hos‐pice consultant for Marshall, said.

She noted other services the organization pro‐vides is palliative care and bereavement.

“In the future we plan to host Vet to Vet cafes out of our Marshall Office,” Bate explained. “This is a time for veterans and their spouses to enjoy a meal and learn more about veteran benefits. The Marshall team also looks forward to setting up bereavement support groups, and celebration of life services in the near future to help any community member.”

She then reflected on the five years she has been with Good Shepherd Hospice.

“We have a total of 32 offices across four states, and in the past five years we have opened up 17

other offices in Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma and Texas,” Bate continued. “I have had the privilege of working with and helping open three of those offices in Missouri, including Butler, Cameron and Mar‐shall.”

Bate expressed her favorite thing to do is educate families. Then she shared what she thought was best about having an operation in Saline County.

“I like the small rural area and surrounding com‐munities,” Bate noted.

She added Good Shepherd Hospice also has it written, “Our bereavement sets us apart from any‐one. Supporting the patient, as well as the caregiver and family.”

“Choosing hospice is not giving up hope, it’s re‐defining hope,” Bate said. “It’s focusing not on a cure, but finding peace and comfort. Marshall opened in March of 2022. We look forward to continue provid‐ing the compassionate care to Marshall and the sur‐rounding areas.”

Good Shepherd in Marshall is located on the square at 25 N. Lafayette Ave. For more information contact the Marshall office at 816‐240‐3659.

For more history on Good Shepherd Hospice visit https://www.goodshepherdhospice.com/.

Ambulance District sees brighter future

By Sarah Gray MANAGING EDITOR

It’s referred to as “the paramedic paradox” – the farther you live from definitive care, the more likely you’ll probably need definitive care, and the less likely you’ll be able to get it.

This is one reason Wade Kelling is thrilled voters passed an increase in property taxes this past No ‐vember. Kelling has been the director of Saline County Ambulance District No. 3 for 15 years, and in EMS for the better part of 30 years. He has seen a multitude of cost increases in that time.

“I’m so thankful and glad it passed, because we were at an impasse,” he said. “We haven’t had a tax raise since 1980. … It was so needed.”

Many districts’ rates are higher than what SCAD asked voters to approve, Kelling said, but this in ‐

crease is giving the ambulance district some breath ‐ing room.

“There’s a huge testament to our billing staff and our administrative staff for being able to manage our costs over these years, and our board,” Kelling noted. “This is a big team effort. This district sur ‐vived on that low tax rate for many years due to the really hard work of people keeping our costs down, while giving us opportunities to do the best we can.”

Funds aren’t scheduled to begin trickling in until this time next year, although the district will most likely see some additional money in December as residents pay taxes early. Because they know it will be available in the near future and the district had some reserve funds, they have already been able to do some things that were needed immediately.

“As an industry, even our suppliers are helpful by giving us a heads up,” Kelling explained. “I’ll

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get a call from a supplier and he’ll say ‘Look, we just did a 20 percent increase across the board.’ People who make the cots say ’15 percent is coming.’ They let us know because if you’re thinking of buying something, they want you to get that order in before the cost increases. There are all kinds of issues with the supply chain, and even get ‐ting some of these things is difficult. Diesel exhaust fluid is in a shortage. We have two diesel ambu ‐lances that we have to use it in. We had a hard time

our calls may not need an ambulance. To still have these high call volumes is pretty interesting.”

Kelling surmised that EMS is seeing a culture change, so to speak, in that ambulances are catch ‐ing emergencies that do not fall under other serv ‐ices. If a police department or fire department does not handle the service needed, then EMS will man ‐age it.

Transfers of patients to hospitals further out have also increased.

getting flushes. Pain medication was really tough. We were lucky enough to get a stock back in.”

The ambulance district has attempted to stay as cutting edge as possible, in part because rural dis ‐tricts are treating patients for much longer periods of time than urban districts. Calls for medical treat ‐ment have also increased. In 2021, Saline County Ambulance had 2,635 calls for service.

“It’s interesting, the initial Covid surge where people stayed home, our call volume went down, nationwide, for EMS,” Kelling said. “Why did that happen? Maybe people were afraid to go to an ER and catch Covid … but I think it shows how many of

“Commonly we would transfer to Columbia or Kansas City, but we’ve been going to Kansas and Overland Park a lot. Certain hospitals seem to have more beds available than others, and then all of a sudden now you’re doing four hours out of town and you’re covering with one truck,” he continued.

Saline County Ambulance received a lot of posi ‐tive feedback from the community when personnel were speaking to the public about the proposed tax increase. Medics sat in front of a major retailer for several days to provide information as customers came in and out. Kelling spoke to several civic groups, and they posted information on social

“For three decades, our full‐time staff has been doing this … 148 years of experience.”

media.

“Not everybody voted for it, and we understand that too. In this time, things are tough, and getting a tax passed is not an easy thing,” Kelling explained.

“Whether they voted for it or not, we still appreciate seeing people exercise their rights. … If we couldn’t keep up with costs, we’d have to cut services. But we’re at a place where we may need to expand, much less cut back. We’re seeing a different need for EMS. … Anxiety and mental health is ‐sues have increased, and mental health

systems are broke in this country. We’re an ever ‐ evolving system.”

With the newly gained financial breath ‐ing room, medics have some confidence that they can continue with the field they love, continue providing great care to their community and neighbors, and feel they can contribute to the future of EMS.

“For three decades, our full ‐ time staff has been doing this … 148 years of experi ‐ence,” Kelling stated. “Plus our part ‐timers. There is a wealth of experience here that you just need to keep.”

Meet our

Is what you’re doing now what you always wanted to do?

Well I didn’t always plan on being retired, but it’s a nice capstone to a career that has been spent entirely in music education. I guess that really is two careers: music and ed‐ucation. Yes, I always knew that I wanted to be a music ed‐ucator. I knew it when I was in high school, and that’s when I had my first opportunity to teach and I have been doing it ever since. Teaching and performing. Still doing it today.

If there is advice you could give the younger generation, what would it be?

Anything that is worth doing is worth doing the best way possible. Don’t take shortcuts. Don’t be in a hurry. Don’t be discouraged when things don’t go your way every time. Don’t settle for anything less than your best effort. There is too much mediocrity in the world, and it only takes a little more effort to give your best. Be your best.

What is something people don’t know or tend to misunderstand about you?

Since I have spent my life teaching and performing, everyone assumes I like to be around crowds of people and be socially active. I am very much an introvert in real‐ity.

What is something you love about living in mid Missouri?

The people are so friendly; they look out for one an‐other. You need something? Just ask and someone will volunteer to help you out.

If you could go anywhere or learn something new, what would it be?

Marshall Community Chorus Director Retired music educator

I would travel the world if I could. There is so much we do not know or understand about other people, so much that they can teach us. St. Augustine of Hippo said the world is like a book. If you never travel other places, you only read the first page.

Ron Sayer

reader s ...

Is what you’re doing now what you always wanted to do?

I’ve worn different hats throughout life, but my faith was always the foundation. Be it in social work or the en‐tertainment industry along with preaching and teaching; it is always about loving people to the truth. When designing two shows for one casino the Entertainment Director ac‐cepted Christ, knowing that I turned down work if a show contained nudity or vulgar humor. I’ve always wanted to impart the love of God to others.

If there is advice you could give the younger generation, what would it be?

There is a world of possibilities before you. This is a time of life exploration but not to waste. To find yourself, first develop a personal relationship with the Lord. The liberty and freedom in knowing Christ will guide you in making the right life decisions. Happiness can be found in your backyard because it will be when your heart is at peace.

What is something that people don’t know or tend to misunderstand about you?

At age 30, I was told I had six months to live unless the upper hard palate of my mouth and jaw bone was re‐moved and that would give me a 50 percent chance of liv‐ing. The Lord spoke to me telling me to leave the hospital.

What is something you love about living in mid Missouri?

The vibrant colors of the sunsets and seasons. It is more than scenery; the friendliness of local folks colors the com‐munity with warmth. I have witnessed patience and kind‐ness to some of our more colorful local characters, and I find that refreshing in today’s world. Then there is the charm of town squares that appeals to me. I love the beauty, peace, and safety of living in mid‐Missouri.

If you could go anywhere and learn something new, what would it be?

I would go to Israel and study with Messianic Jews and Gentiles to learn how to aid healing between the non‐mes‐sianic Jews and Muslims through Yeshua/Jesus. To be part of three faiths becoming one would be a privilege and honor.

Melanie Dees Campbell

Minister — Writer

We're here for you!

The dedicated employees and elected officials of the City of Marshall have always held progress as a guiding principle in the work that we do. We look forward to serving the citizens of Marshall in new and innovative ways in 2023 ... and beyond!

City Hall

214 N. Lafayette Ave. Marshall, MO 65340

(660) 866-2226

Municipal Services

1277 S. Odell Ave. Marshall, MO 65340

(660) 866-3945

Municipal Court

5 E. Eastwood St. Marshall, MO 65340

(660) 866-3665

Fire Department

471 W. Arrow St. Marshall, MO 65340

Municipal Airport

1945 S. Odell Ave. Marshall, MO 65340

(660) 866-3312 www.

(660) 866-3320

Police Department 461 W. Arrow St. Marshall, MO 65340

(660) 886-7411

Mar shall Sc hool Dis trict sets sights on new developments for learning

Compiled By Sarah Gray MANAGING EDITOR

The Marshall Public School District is making some changes that adminis‐trators believe will benefit students and teachers in the near future. Many of those changes come in the process of relocating.

Currently, the school district is in the process of acquiring the former Great Circle campus, which is a 64,000‐square foot facility. It is located on Route WW on the southwest edge of city limits and was already set up with cafeteria and kitchen space, offices, a gymnasium, playground and class‐rooms.

“We are excited about this project, which we are slated to close on March 1,” Superintendent Caleb Petet stated. “We are excited because, first, we are buying it outright, no loan and no bur‐den on the taxpayer. Also because we believe through its acquisition we can close several outlying trailers, houses and one elementary school.”

Petet noted this would reduce the annual operating costs by nearly a mil‐lion dollars.

The Board of Education approved closing the Southeast Elementary building, located on Mitchell Street, which has served the district for roughly a century. Petet noted staff and

administration personnel are grateful to shift their focus to healthier learning spaces.

“After engineers came in and evalu‐ated the building, determining that it would take over $2 million to address some very serious health concerns about the building, before we ever even considered modern security fea‐tures, the Board of Education agreed … we can make future plans for buildings that will serve us another hundred years, hopefully,” Petet explained.

The “Great Circle” property will be the new preschool building. The dis‐trict’s Central Office will also relocate to this property. It will become the Tom Butterfield Early Childhood Cen‐ter.

“Mr. Butterfield was renowned for his love of children, and his work to help orphans right here in Marshall,” Petet surmised. “We think he would be proud to know that we intend to utilize this facility to create an emphasized focus on the children ages 3‐4 that are currently underserved in our commu‐nity. We hope to make this campus a child centered learning facility that is focused on the growth and learning that is most appropriate for these aged kids, based on play‐based learning, sensory and early interventions.”

Plans for the school property on the northeast side of town – the former

“We are excited about all the progress that has been made already with the new directions set by the BOE”

Marshall Habilitation Center campus – are also in de‐velopment. Currently Spainhower Primary School is located there. Next year that will house all district grades kindergarten through second grade – approximately 400 students. Petet stated the district proposed an idea that would address safety and security by closing the remaining smaller elementaries, replacing them with an additional el‐ementary building right next to Spainhower. It would hold grades three through five.

“The district would address traffic flow and egress issues that currently exist at that site,” Petet said. “The district is hopeful that this plan might be supported financially, as it would allow for greater curricular alignment having all the grades together, it would also reduce transportation, food service, and a lot of other costs that are assumed by having your elementary’s spread out around the town.”

Petet noted they are excited to see the pride of Marshall being rekindled, particularly after challenges with COVID‐19. Like other districts of the same size, there has been a de‐crease in student attendance and it has been difficult to recruit teachers.

“The district, along with the Board of Education, has been working to analyze why this is, and what can be done about it,” he stated. “The BOE started this by first seeking to re‐

vamp the district’s goals and direction as an organization. They hired a respected consulting firm, EdGovLead, to come in and work with staff, administration and even the com‐munity to get at what the needs and concerns were, through a series of meetings and surveys. After that work was com‐pleted, the district created an entirely new, comprehensive governance plan for the next three years.”

Petet noted that since that plan has begun, things are going a different direction, that the plan is transparent, spe‐cific and sets clear and aggressive goals.

“It is also clearly aimed at teaching and learning, a con‐cern that was identified by staff and community alike to be too low,” he said. “Student performance on state standard‐ized tests have been low across the state since Covid, and MPS is no exception. Our graduation rates are too low, and that was even before COVID‐19. Under the new governance plan and with new goals being shared openly and publicly, the district is setting concrete milestones for improvement.”

Petet is very positive about the direction in which the dis‐trict and student learning is headed and said there is no backing away from the commitments they are making for students and the community.

“We are excited about all the progress that has been made already with the new directions set by the BOE,” he said.

New Building Sneak Peek

SalineCountyHealthDepartment…

We’reGoodForYourHealth:

DNA Testing (Court Ordered and Private)

Pregnancy Testing

Reduced-cost Drug Testing/Lab

Testing TB Skin Test and Follow-up

Temp Medicaid for Pregnant Women

Adult Immunizations

Childhood Immunizations

STD Testing/Treatment

Family Planning/Birth Control

ContractsWithDHSS:

ChildCareSanitationInspections

ChildrenandYouthwith

SpecialHealthCareNeeds

CorePublicHealthFunctions

EmergencyPlanning&

Preparedness

Maternal&ChildHealth(MCH)

SummerFoodServiceInspections

WIC

SanitationInspections

DeathandBirthCertificates

Seasonal Flu Shots

Flu Shots

Pneumonia Shots

Zostavax Vaccine

Free Blood Pressure Checks

Adult Injections

■Covid Vaccine

■Covid Testing

SalineCounty HealthDepartment

1825S.AtchisonAve.,Marshall

660-886-3434|660-886-9494(WIC)

Open9am-4pm,MondaythruFriday

Bus will travel for both WIC and Health Department needs.

Sweet Springs Restoration Foundation merges past with present

By Sarah Gray MANAGING EDITOR

The structures have settled, collected dust and soot, and sheltered their fair share of birds. But like many other downtown areas, there was a time when the buildings on Main Street in Sweet Springs were the central shopping location – where it was common to

see people bustling in and out of the Mattingly’s front door. And children, no doubt following their mothers for the excursion, looking for treats, new short pants, and then possibly a stop at the barber shop.

After having sat empty for more than a decade, a dedicated group of volunteers has been working to re‐store the Mattingly’s building, as well as the entire colonnade.

“Years ago, it was for retail and tourism,” Tara Brewer, with the Sweet Springs Restora‐tion Foundation, said of the colonnade. “We’re just taking it a section at a time, and kind of going from there. It’s a process.”

The Sweet Springs Restoration Foundation was in‐cepted roughly five years ago after resident Bill Koch decided he wanted to see the downtown buildings re‐stored. The original members were able to complete several projects, most of which were not visible to passersby, such as having the roof redone and refin‐ishing the stage in Rainbow Hall. Later, a bathroom was put in, and water and electricity were revamped and turned on. When Tara joined the group, she worked at rallying the community.

“It is hard to raise funds if you don’t bring in the community,” she said. “We had a clean‐up day and had 100‐150 people throughout the day … cleaned up the entire colonnade. It was cool to clean everything out.”

Foundation board members working alongside Tara and Bill are Gayle Werth, Phil Clevenger, Jay Vo‐gelsmeier, Lindsay Fogarty, Jared Brewer and Peggy Monroe. They have already hosted a number of events at the site, including a large Halloween bash, as well as a Jingle and Mingle after the town Christmas parade.

“Having it all come together … generations, older generations,” Tara surmised. “They come into the buildings and say ‘I remember when.’ I think I want to create that for generations to come. We have kids who have never been in those buildings.”

Those generations of folks who recall the colon‐nade’s glory days think of it fondly. Marshall resident David Roscher grew up in Sweet Springs with his three brothers.

“I remember going to Rainbow Hall to watch the Midwest Opry,” Roscher stated, noting it was also re‐ferred to as Barney's Opry. The shows originally started in the theater across the street. “That was a Country Western music show on Saturday nights. Saline County Sheriff Walter Wade ran that. … Rain‐bow Hall was upstairs at the colonnade.”

Roscher’s mother also shopped at Mattingly’s. And even the awkward, not‐so‐good days he remembers with a smile.

“I remember the time in Mattingly’s one of the women who worked there – also one of our Sunday school teachers – thought I was stealing something,” he chuckled. “I told mom, and she laid into that woman, and we left.”

He was about 11 years old at the time. While she was shopping, he went to the toy section to get a rub‐ber baseball. Looking at the price, he checked the change in his pocket and accidentally dropped some coins.

“When I picked them up, that’s when I noticed her watching me,” he said. “And back then if we did steal anything – and we didn’t – it would have been much easier to deal with juvenile court than deal with Mom.”

Most memories of the colonnade are positive ones, the recollection of times gone by that area residents hope to recapture.

For Tara, the thought of a completely restored colonnade energizes her. She loves the Mattingly’s building for what it was, what it is now, and what she can envision for the next generation.

“We had an area for the kids to come in and sit down, movies going, crafts for kids while parents could have drinks and socialize,” she said of the Jingle and Mingle. “The small little things we can do to bring the community back together is the foresight of what we want to do with the buildings. I love that building.”

The group uncovered a second stage – this one up‐stairs in the Mattingly’s building – and some of the items they have found during cleanup are cared for at the downtown museum, such as an original shopping bag. The foundation is now at a point where it will take substantial donations and grants to move for‐ward in bigger ways, meaning 10s of thousands of dol‐lars for the possibility of hiring engineers and potential construction projects.

The Sweet Springs Restoration Foundation has ap‐plied for ARPA funding – also known as the American Rescue Plan Act – but will need to provide a cost detail report from an engineer.

“We’re to that turning point where it takes a lot more to move it forward,” Tara continued. “We’ve ap‐plied for grants and received a Buckner Foundation grant and put in new windows. We are willing to (look at options) at this point. If we had an investor that wanted to come in with good ideas, we’d be willing to look at that. As long as it preserves the structure.”

She envisions weddings, events, perhaps a nice restaurant, and the group is open to ideas to see the downtown area grow. The Restoration Foundation is currently working with Spire Gas to get utility services to the building. And behind the façade, work is forging ahead, a cyclical revitalization from life, to soot, to life again.

Saline County’s role in history

Part 1 | Settlement, state name origin and wildlife

By Danielle Linton‑Hatfield STAFF WRITER

“One of the things that affected settlement — why people settled in an area and developed it — was due to natural resources. In the case of Saline County, we’re bordered on the north and the east by the Missouri River,” Missouri historian and author Michael Dickey said. “We have over 80 miles of riverfront on the county. That’s more than any other county in the state of Mis‐souri. All of that meant that the bottom land — we had this very rich fertile bottom land that could be farmed more than any other county in the state — and the Mis‐souri River was the water highway to the American West. So basically we were living on the interstate at that time.”

In his presentation of “Why Saline County Missouri is Historically Significant,” Dickey discussed not just the utilization of natural resources, but early settlers, popu‐lation and wildlife.

“I always issue a warning, now,” he continued. “His‐tory is composed of the good, the bad, and the ugly. … I’m just telling you the way it was, at least, as far as we’ve been able to ascertain.”

Beginning with the Missouria Indian tribe, Dickey talked about how they had a large village at Van Meter State Park — presently known as Annie and Abel Van Meter State Park — which is located in Miami.

“Very early explorers said they are the most numer‐ous people in this part of the country,” he said. “Esti‐mates of how many there were range from 3,000 to 6,000. I and a couple of other archaeologists have even gone as high as 10,000 people living here. That’s almost the population of Marshall now. … They resided in Saline

County until about 1790, when they suffered a lot of smallpox epidemics. They were in a protracted war with the Sac and Fox tribe that also came down from Illinois. In 1790, there were maybe about 800 left and they were ambushed by the Sac and Fox — and the survivors dis‐persed.”

Dickey added that contrary to popular beliefs there are still Missouria descendants in modern day society. He noted they are not extinct as experts have told them — some descendants live in Oklahoma.

“The name Missouri means ‘people of wood canoe’ — it’s a Peoria Indian word — and when early French ex‐plorers asked … they said what people live on this river and they replied ‘Mihsoori’ — which in their language meant ‘people of wood canoe’ — and they used these big, long wooden dugout canoes on the river,” Dickey said. “When people say Missouri means ‘big muddy’ they’re wrong. That’s a nickname, but in the original … language it means ‘big canoe’ — ‘wood canoe’ … So Saline County’s the birthplace of the name of Missouri.”

Historically, he noted Saline County had bison, elk, black bears and white‐tailed deer. White‐tailed deer are still around today.

“There were prairie chickens, jackrabbits, an abun‐dance of quail and turkey … We don’t have nearly as many quail as we once did because of the way farming has changed,” Dickey continued. “Basically, everything was here that you almost found out in the far west ex‐cept for big horned sheep and grizzly bears. Last bear in Saline County that I could find recorded actually being shot and killed was 1840.”

Dickey reported the last elk recorded in this county was 1836. The last mountain lion was 1825.

“Around about 1852 there were two men in

Saline County … that’s recorded one year they shot over 257 deer,” he added.

In Saline County, Dickey stated the settlers found the game appealing since it was the food source.

“Once they got established plants and farms and crops — they want to get rid of the game, because all those critters are coming in and eating up their crops,” he ex‐plained.

During the early European settlement, Dickey said in‐dividuals such as the famous explorer William Clark — had unique descriptions for what Saline County was like.

“Over 75 percent of Saline County was open tall grass prairie … Today, the only native prairie we have left is about 68 acres at Van Meter State Park and about 40 acres at Arrow Rock — and those prairies have been recreated,” he concluded.

Part 2 | Boone’s Lick Country and what came after

“Starting about 1808, a trail was placed from St. Charles to the Boone’s Lick salt works up here in Howard County — the Boone’s Lick Trail — and this became a major path of westward immigration,” Michael Dickey continued with his presentation on “Why Saline County Missouri is Histor‐ically Significant.”

He explained Boone’s Lick Trail crossed the river at Arrow Rock, then across Saline County leading to Fort Osage. The fort marked the Indian boundary, end of United States territory and beginning of Indian territory from 1808 on.

“One of the things — geography shapes a lot of your his‐tory — and you notice the Missouri River basically across the state flows from west to east,” Dickey said.

However, in Saline County he noted the river runs north to south — up just above Glasgow and down almost to Boonville.

“This meant you had to cross the Missouri River,” Dickey continued. “If you stayed down here … Ozark bor‐derlands — it’s all hilly, it’s all rocky — it’s not easy to tra‐verse. This followed a high dry ridge from St. Charles up to the Boone’s Lick. … When you get up here in the northern part of the county and Chariton County — that was all low swampy ground. That was hard to cross. Furthermore, at Arrow Rock the river was narrow — about 200 yards wide it had a rocky landing — it was a nice place to cross.”

All paths intersected with the Missouri River, which gave Saline County the benefit of Missouri River and

overland traffic — for early migration. Dickey added Saline County was located in what was re‐ferred to as Boone’s Lick Country.

“I mentioned the Boone salt works over in Howard County, just across the river from Arrow Rock,” he said. “The sons of Daniel Boone — Nathan and Daniel Morgan — started manufacturing salt there in 1805.”

In addition to the Boone name, Dickey explained a “lick” was a place where saltwater came to the surface — and the wildlife would go there to lick the salt from the ground. Similar to salt blocks that are put out for cattle today.

Dickey shared naturalist John Bradbury, in 1811, de‐scribed his journey up the river as the following: “We en‐camped this night a little above the mouth of the Bonne Femme Creek, a small river on the north side, where the tract of land called Boone’s Lick settlement commences, supposed to be the best tract of land in Western America for so great an area: it extends about 150 miles up the Mis‐souri and is near 50 miles in breadth.”

“Then later the Missouri Intelligencer newspaper in 1819 says, ‘The [Boonslick Country] extending on both sides of the Missouri from the mouth of the Osage to the western Indian boundary (and Fort Osage marks the west‐ern Indian boundary), a distance of about 200 miles,’” he said. “So it’s not a well‐defined region. It’s kind of vague, but you can see Saline County mostly falls within what was defined as ‘the Boonslick Country.’ Well, due to the Boone name — and some of the other features I talked about — this attracted a lot of settlers in early 1800s, 1810.”

In 1810, Dickey explained there was one small group of settlers in Saline County. This was at Cox’s Fort, which was set up by Jesse Cox.

“It was really a cabin, and it would have had gun slits cut in the logs — so they could stick a musket through in case of Indian attacks,” he continued. “It wasn’t a military fort

Part 3 | Slavery, economic

Michael Dickey, continuing with “Why Saline County Missouri is Historically Significant,” delves into discussion on the Arrow Rock ferry. He noted there were quotes that described the river traffic associated with the ferry.

“There’s different dates about when it was established. The first hardcore evidence that I can find about it — places it around 1817 or so,” Dickey said.

However, he noted it probably still got started before

and really none of these were. Fort Osage, when the War of 1812 broke out — in June of 1812 — by 1813 Fort Osage … was closed because it was considered to be too far out on the frontier for defense — and it did have a supply line cut.”

Soon after, the government trader at the fort — George Champlin Sibley — set up a trading post in Arrow Rock.

“It was actually about a mile north of Arrow Rock — to carry on trade with the Osage Indians because the British were trying to woo the Osage onto their side in the con‐flict,” Dickey said. “So the United States had to keep up trade so that the Osage wouldn’t be tempted to join the British … That post at Arrow Rock was in operation — about six or seven months, but it did the job of keeping the Osage loyal to the United States.”

In talking about the War of 1812, a military campaign, and the trading post — he added the city of Miami was named after a tribe that lived there. Dickey noted by the summer and fall of 1815, peace treaties were made with a bunch of Indian tribes.

“Once those treaties were made, settlers started moving back into the area … A good number of those folks were coming to what would become Saline County,” he contin‐ued.

Dickey stated the first permanent settler in Saline County was Henry Nave.

“He lived from 1787 to 1884 — and he’s considered the first permanent settler because — even though Jesse Cox and his family were here in 1810 after the War of 1812, they went further west — but Nave stayed here until he died in 1884,” he said.

Dickey explained the rest of Nave’s family soon followed after.

“Today the family is known as the Neff family,” he con‐cluded. “The name was changed along the way.”

depression, Santa Fe trade

that.

“Certainly by the time 1815‐16 when all these settlers are coming out here,” Dickey continued. “We got a couple of quotes from Judge William B. Napton — who’s describ‐ing all this traffic coming through Saline County.”

One of the things Napton wrote said: “In this year of 1827, there was heavy immigration into the county, and the ferry at Arrow Rock was kept busy crossing

them to the Saline County side.”

“A lot of these people when they came they went to two areas — they went down along the Blackwater and the Salt Fork River. Why? Because there was timber there — they could build cabins there, they could get fire‐wood there,” Dickey continued. “They also believed that the best farmland was where timber grew.”

He explained for the folks that trav‐eled from Virginia, Tennessee, Ken‐tucky — upper south predominantly — they brought slavery.

“The slaves that they brought with them were few in number at first be‐cause you’re living simply — and you don’t really need all that much labor,” Dickey noted. “Most of the time the enslaved and the masters worked alongside each other, improving the land and so forth — but the numbers were not great. There were very, very few free blacks. In fact, one of the first gristmills to operate in the county down along the Blackwater River was operated by a free black man. I cannot find his name, but I know he existed.”

Soon after, Saline County became organized in 1822 — carved out of Cooper County. Going through his presentation, Dickey eventually came back to discuss salt — as he had men‐tioned when he talked about Boone’s Lick Country.

“Salt was very important in pioneer times, because it was your major food preservative — and it also was impor‐tant for tanning hides and making leather — so where there was an abundance of salt, settlers gravitated there,” he added. “In the early days, a lot of wild animals gathered around there, so it made hunting easier to hunt over a salt lick.”

Dickey shared that as Saline County grew, institutions started to take place. In the 1820s, the ministers were all circuit riders — Methodists and Baptists — who traveled from community to community to preach.

“They would meet in somebody’s log cabin on a Sunday — and a pastor might preach a sermon and read from the Bible,” he said. “Chances are, he was probably the only literate person

in the community. After the service was over, sometimes they would share a jug, pass it around — or they’d go out and have a shooting match. There was a little bit of a social aspect to church service besides just worship and hearing the Bible.”

Dickey explained in 1819, the state of Missouri was in a deep economic depression. Not just Missouri, but most of the United States.

“I have found indications that — even up to the beginning of the Civil War — there were Saline Countains involved in the Sante Fe trade,” he said. “They didn’t necessarily outfit from here by that time. They were starting out from Independence, but they were making investments and shipping out goods — out to Sante Fe. By 1833, the population had grown such that the state legislature reduced the boundaries of Saline County to what they currently are.”

While some of the old town names ceased to exist, names like Brownsville — presently known as Sweet Springs — were changed.

Part 4 | The quack, artist, hemp and tobacco

For the last article on “Why Saline County Missouri is Historically Significant,” a presentation done by historian and author Michael Dickey, there will be talk of other his‐toric individuals, as well as steamboats and political power. The first part of the discussion revolved around the American physician Dr. John Sappington, who lived from 1776 to 1856. Dickey noted Sappington moved to Missouri in 1818.

“ … moved out here to Saline County in 1819, and he is considered the first physician to live in Saline County,” Dickey explained. “In 1832, Dr. Sappington refined qui‐nine. Now, quinine had been around since the 1500s … but

they called it ‘doctoring of the bark.’ They didn’t under‐stand what it was about the bark that — broke your fevers and such.”

Breaking out the substance quinine out of the bark, Dickey added Sappington refined it and mass marketed it in pill form.

“Sappington’s pills sold all over the west and all over the southern United States — and I found _— there’s Sante Fe Trail journals — where people talk about we had an out‐break of malaria and we took some of Dr. Sappington’s pills — and we got over it,” Dickey continued.

Dickey commented the doctor had become a

wealthy man for it.

“He wasn’t just a little country doctor,” Dickey said. “He owned over 6,000 acres of land in Saline County — and several thousand in Cooper County — had multiple business interests, was a personal friend of President An‐drew Jackson and Missouri’s second federal Senator Thomas Hart Benton.”

Dickey added while Sappington never engaged in poli‐tics, people would write the physician letters — seeking his endorsement for certain political matters. This made Sappington a powerful man.

“Of course, he started a fund for schools — orphan school children,” Dickey noted. “Well, there wasn’t public education in those days, so his funds still exist today — Sappington Trust Fund — and now it’s basically for college scholarships today.”

In 1856, Dickey stated the interesting thing about the physician is that he was denounced by the medical profes‐sion as a “quack.”

“Every good doctor knew that if you had malaria — and

malaria was widespread — we think of it today as a tropi‐cal disease, but it wasn’t — it was all over the place,” Dickey said. “Of course, quinine for over 100 years is the standard treatment for malaria — but the medical profes‐sion of his day denounced him as a quack. Every good doc‐tor knew … you had to bleed the patient and you had to purge him and puke him. That meant you had to get him going out both ends at the same time. People were terri‐fied to go to doctors then, and you can understand why.”

Dickey explained a lot of patients died and other doctors didn’t understand that. However, Sappington did and thought there had to be a better way.

Moving on from the quack, Dickey talked about George Caleb Bingham. He commented that Bingham was one of America’s foremost 19th century artists.

“He was called ‘the Missouri Artist,’” Dickey continued. “Bingham was famous for his genre pictures, especially of life on the Missouri River that was passing at that time.”

Dickey added Bingham was not just an artist, but a politician.

“His first political job was an election judge in Saline County in 1840. In 1847, he ran for state representative — was beaten by Erasmus Sappington by just one vote and re‐count,” Dickey said. “He (Bingham) was elected to the Arrow Rock Town Board and was made its chairman in 1847. Later he ran again in 1849 for state representative — and this time he beat out Sappington.”

Going back to the Missouri River, Dickey reit‐erated it was like living on the interstate.

“Especially in the 1830s,” he continued. “Steamboats began picking up traffic — and the number of steamboats operating on the river grew — all the way up and reached its peak about 1859‐1860. The amount of cargo they could carry — they could carry more cargo than you could bring over land in wagons. It was the hub of transportation and of course, Saline County had two major river ports — Arrow Rock and Miami. They were shipping and re‐ceiving stuff.”

Dickey noted as Saline County became more developed, they started to specialize in crops — hemp and tobacco.

“Hemp was made into rope, cordage and bags,” he said. “Most of that got shipped to the

south for packing and tying cotton bales. The thing about hemp in Missouri — Missouri was (a) major hemp producer.”

Dickey added for tobacco Missouri was the third producer in the country during this time.

“Both of those crops are very labor intensive — labor intensive crops. What this meant was we saw a surge in the number of enslaved peo‐ple brought into the county — to work in the hemp and the tobacco fields,” he explained. “Ba‐sically, this type of agriculture meant we were deeply tied to the cotton culture of the deep south — and this plays out in history.”

Eventually, Saline County undergoes a change and the river traffic does not come back — rebuilding from the war and allowing rail‐roads to come into play.

“Railroads can run every day of the year — and of course new towns start growing up,” Dickey said, mentioning Gilliam and Slater. “The big plantations — with the end of slavery — the big plantations break up, but at the same time — the hemp market went bust. They found you could import jute, rope and bags from India cheaper than you could make hemp, rope and bags in the United States. That was in the 1860s.”

SCCC/ dult Education Center nearin completion

By Sarah Gray MANAGING EDITOR

While they are still awaiting flooring, doors and finishing touches, Brian Wilcoxson and Beth Walker, with the Saline County Career Center, are excited about the progress being made on the organization’s new building – one they hope to begin utilizing this fall.

The SCCC/Adult Education Center was acquired prima‐rily by available Covid funding, and it has allowed them to branch out. Located off of U.S. Highway 65 and Fairground Road, across from Fitzgibbon Hospital, the new center will provide a lot of expansion.

“One of the requirements (with the funding) is that you increase your space in regards to student square footage,” Wilcoxson, SCCC director, stated. “As a Covid precaution, we could spread people out more. So, this increases their space compared to what they are using currently.”

Entering a door on the north, one steps into the main classroom. It’s a large open space that joins to a lounge for adult nursing students and hallway. The lounge will include countertops with tech access and a small kitchenette. Then around the corner, behind the main classroom is a second‐ary classroom of equal size. It has electronic access for class‐room instruction and will double as a community education room.

“As we expand – if ConAgra, for example, would want some type of class – we could do that, because this would be

available,” Walker, director of SCCC’s Adult Education pro‐grams, said. “The barn quilt class, cake decorating, (those are) two‐part classes. They have to take their supplies home with them. Now, they can leave their stuff here.”

Her hope is that the opportunities with the new facility help grow the class sizes, and that new programs can be of‐fered.

Next on the student side of the building was a large lab area in the center that will incorporate four lab setups and a simulation lab for Practical Nursing.

Wilcoxson noted there will also be video recording capa‐bilities there so students can watch lab instructions at later times and discuss it.

“This next side that we’re going into will be the faculty side,” Wilcoxson said.

One space will act as the faculty lunch room, copy room and mailroom, and offices finish out the south side of the building.

Much of the work has been accomplished by students enrolled in SCCC’s Building Trades class. It is one of the ca‐reer center’s skill and trade courses offered to high school students throughout the county.

The Adult Education program’s spring offerings included Instant Piano, Cake Decorating for Beginners, Mystery Bas‐ket Chop Challenge, Nutrition in a Nutshell, Dog Obedience, and Digital Designs, among others.

The Saline County Career Center is located at 900 W. Vest St. in Marshall. For more information, call 660‐886‐6958.