DISCHARGE TO BE INCREASED AT WAPPAPELLO LAKE
Officials say that discharges may be increased soon at Wappapello Lake.
According to the US Army Corps of Engineers, the lake is forecast to rise to a level of 364.5 by Saturday due to recent rainfall and snowmelt throughout the watershed.
To help combat the rise, officials say the discharge has been increased to roughly 5,000 CFS, which is around 37,000 gallons a second.
The discharge could be increased today to 6,000 CFS.
Motorists are being asked to avoid flooded creek bottoms and areas prone to flash flooding.
AREA MAN WALKING OVER 900 MILES IN 92 DAYS
A Southeast Missouri resident has embarked on a journey to walk almost 1000 miles in around three months through Southern Missouri and Northern Arkansas.
64 year old Rick Mansfield, of Ellington, is attempting to follow the path taken by explorer Henry Rowe Schoolcraft over 200 years ago.
KWOC News caught up with Mansfield yesterday over the phone who said he’s attempting to walk over 900 miles in 92 days.
“It started for me November 6th, 2018, the original started November 6th, 1818. Henry Rowe Schoolcraft, he was seeking if not fortune at least a better monetary life. There were rumors gossip of lead deposits to the west, he was doing quite well mining in Potosi, smelting lead.
So he and his companion Levi Pettibone set out that day to find those lead deposits and to make a history, a chart, of lead deposits and mineral prospects. I do historical characters to help teach culture and history and I've been doing Henry Schoolcraft for three years. The bicentennial was coming up and I thought you know this is a great way to highlight, a great way to immerse myself in the character.
So I left Potosi 200 years later to the day, almost to the hour, and so far have been able to step-by-step, day-by-day, recreate that journey. Part of my goal is to not only bring attention to Mr. Schoolcraft’s iconic journey and it his heroic contribution to our history and also to reconnect with nature.
And when you wake up out here at 15 or 16 degrees, you feel connected to nature.”
When we spoke with Mansfield yesterday he had just come through Imboden in Northeast Arkansas. Mansfield is hoping to complete his journey back to Potosi by February 4th.
WAPPAPELLO MAN ARRESTED ON CONTROLLED SUBSTANCE WARRANT
Authorities in Stoddard County have arrested an area man on a controlled substance and paraphernalia warrant.
According to the Stoddard County Sheriff’s Department, 49 year old Johnny Sauls, of Wappapello, was recently taken into custody on a warrant for unlawful possession of drug paraphernalia and possession of a controlled substance.
Sauls bond was set at $20,000, cash only, and officials say he remained in jail as of this morning.
14TH ANNUAL MASON DIXON CHILI SOCIETY COOKOFF SCHEDULED FOR LATE FEBRUARY
A date has been set for the upcoming Mason Dixon Chili Society Chili Cookoff.
The 14th annual cookoff has been scheduled for Saturday, February 23rd at the Black River Coliseum in Poplar Bluff.
The entry fee is $100 per 8x10 booth, with the deadline for entry being February 8th. Teams can have a maximum of eight members including the head cook.
For more information, call 573-714-2040.
PIEDMONT TO HOST PUBLIC HEARING EARLY NEXT MONTH
The city of Piedmont will be hosting a public hearing early next month to discuss the city’s submission of a grant application.
According to the Ozark Foothills Regional Planning Commission, the city is proposing to construct an extension of the city trail system at Handy Park and is proposing to apply for approximately $90,000 in Recreational Trails Program funding.
The hearing will be held at 2 pm on Monday, February 4th at Piedmont City Hall.
For more information on the proposed project, contact Mayor Bill Kirkpatrick at 573-223-7660.
EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION GRANT AWARDED TO MISSOURI
The state of Missouri has been awarded 6.5 million dollars for early childhood education.
Missouri Governor Michael Parson’s office tells KWOC News that families with children up to the age of five who participate in early learning programs in the state will benefit from the grant, which was awarded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Officials say the grant will be used to fund the Stronger Together Missouri project, which aims to implement a comprehensive, statewide, birth-to-kindergarten-entry needs assessment and to update the state’s Early Childhood Strategic Plan to enhance long-term sustainability in early childhood services.
The state will begin to implement the grant early this year.
