Top 10 of 2020

A look back at the highest highs and the lowest lows of an unforgettable, unpredictable, tumultuous 12 months
 
2020 was certainly an historic time unlike any other. The following were the Lawrence County Record’s top 10 stories for the year:
 
1. COVID-19 Pandemic strikes Lawrence County
Lawrence County saw its first case of COVID-19 near the first of May. By year’s end, the county had 2,545 confirmed cases of the virus, including 47 deaths. The county took several steps to slow the spread of the virus, including passing operating guidelines for essential and non-essential businesses, as well as restrictions on certain personal activities. Schools were forced to take “wellness breaks,” though some were able to continue instruction virtually, and long-term care facilities, whose residents were among the most vulnerable to disease, placed restrictions on visits from families in an effort to prevent the residents from becoming infected. Several popular events, including Apple Butter Makin’ Days, Ernte Fest in Freistatt and the Apple Fest in Marionville were also canceled to slow the spread of the virus.
 
2. The murder of Sarah Pasco
Sarah Pasco, of Aurora, and a female acquaintance were allegedly taken by gunpoint and held against their will in Stotts City by Gary Wayne Hunter, Jr., of Mt. Vernon, and, at one point, forced to dig their own graves. The women were eventually taken to an abandoned well. Pasco was shot and killed; the other woman was also shot and wounded, but managed to escape after playing dead. Nine people were indicted in the murder: Sierra Dunham, 18, of Mt. Vernon; Diona Parks, 26, of Stotts City; Lyle DeLong, 23, of Stotts City; Andrew Cypret, 27, of Billings; Steven Calverley, 29, of Republic; Christina Knapp, 38, of Stotts City; Kimberly Henderson, 47, of Stotts City; Frank Sheridan, 27, of Aurora and Hunter, 23. Five of the suspects are now facing the death penalty for their alleged roles in the murder: Hunter, Cypret, DeLong, Caverley and Parks.
 
3. Mt. Vernon voters pass Proposition MVS Lawrence County
Lawrence County saw its first case of COVID-19 near the first of May. By year’s end, the county had 2,545 confirmed cases of the virus, including 47 deaths. The county took several steps to slow the spread of the virus, including passing operating guidelines for essential and non-essential businesses, as well as restrictions on certain personal activities. Schools were forced to take “wellness breaks,” though some were able to continue instruction virtually, and long-term care facilities, whose residents were among the most vulnerable to disease, placed restrictions on visits from families in an effort to prevent the residents from becoming infected. Several popular events, including Apple Butter Makin’ Days, Ernte Fest in Freistatt and the Apple Fest in Marionville were also canceled to slow the spread of the virus.
 
4. 417 Athletics opens
417 Athletics, a 55,000 square foot athletic facility, opened its doors on Monday, Dec. 7, nearly two years after it was first proposed and 14 months after ground was broken on its location. The facility, which will be the site of several volleyball and basketball tournaments, training camps and fitness classes, can be divided into either four full-sized basketball courts or eight volleyball courts at a time and also has a 1,600-square foot multipurpose room, a large hospitality area for coaches and a mezzanine that offers extra seating and a 360-degree view of all the basketball/volleyball courts.
 
5. Miller School District builds new FEMA shelter
The Miller R-II School District was granted $924,750 in federal funds to build a FEMA shelter, shown below, that would double as the band/choir room. Construction on the storm shelter began in the spring and on Wednesday, Dec. 16, the district held a dedication ceremony for the new FEMA building, along with their Auxiliary Gym.
 
6. Miller receives $750,000 community development grant
The city of Miller was awarded a $750,000 community block development grant to make upgrades to the city’s wastewater system. Stacy Daniels, mayor of Miller, said the grant would significantly reduce the amount of funds Miller would need to borrow for completing upgrades to the wastewater system. Bringing the city’s wastewater system into compliance with DNR regulations was a goal of Daniels’ since she took the office of mayor in 2018.
 
7. Missouri Rehabilitation Center sells, goes back on market
The city of Mt. Vernon sold the former Missouri Rehabilitation Center (MRC) to Maryland developer Timothy Hogan for about $600,000, finalizing the sale on July 2. The MRC was put back on the market about a month-and-a-half later; to date, it has not yet been sold.
 
8. Parson visits Missouri Veterans Home in Mt. Vernon; COVID-19 outbreak follows
Gov. Mike Parson visited the Missouri Veterans Home/Mt. Vernon on Tuesday, Sept. 15, to meet with the facility’s staff and thank them for their hard work in keeping the residents safe. The following day, the first positive case of COVID-19 detected; 31 people, including 27 residents and four staff members tested positive for the virus by Oct. 1. Parson himself also later tested positive for the virus; he was later medically cleared. Kelli Jones, Parson’s communications director, said the infections at the Veterans Home and Parson’s infection were not related, stating “We would definitely not expect a positive diagnostic test for COVID one day after exposure.” Although, it should be noted, that most of the cases arose more than one day after Parson’s visit.
 
9. I-44 bridge project completed ahead of schedule
Work to rehabilitate several old bridges on I-44, including 19 between Sarcoxie and Halltown, was completed ahead of schedule. The work, which was expected to be finished by December of 2021, was completed in November of 2020. Some of the bridges were rehabilitated, while others were replaced with low-maintenance arches. The total cost of the project was $36 million.
 
10. Aurora goes to a four-day school week
The Aurora R-8 School Board in February voted to go to a four-day school week, beginning with the 2020-21 school year. Interestingly enough, students spent more hours overall in class on the four-day weekly schedule than they did when they went to school five days per week.