Stories from Wednesday, March 19, 2014

Dear editor: There are many causes that explain how the federal government's footprint grew so big in the states. One of them is the 17th Amendment; it substantively changed how U.S. senators are selected and decreased their accountability to the states...

Dear editor: Holy Cow. Six cats and dogs! In my opinion that is six too many! Fifty in a three-block radius. Outrageous! As a daily walker, I detest barking, snarling dogs that raise a ruckus when I walk by. If I was invading their territory, I would understand. ...

Dear editor: I attended the community dinner last night for the first time and wish to commend and thank all the people and organizations involved. What a marvelous service to our small town! It was a chance to meet and greet old friends whom I hadn't seen for a while and to enjoy the opportunity of watching families dine together along with the single folks who perhaps have no family in their lives. ...

Howard and Dolores Chitwood of Mountain Home will celebrate their 65th wedding anniversary April 9. They met while Howard was stationed at Lake Worth Inlet Station, a U.S. Coast Guard lifeboat installation in Florida. He admits that they were destined to meet that day...

Mountain Home has several "community gardens" scattered throughout the area. In 2009, Parks and Recreation donated and now maintains the land for the city's community garden. Jack Murphy has directed the project. He built the raised beds with funds provided by the city, donations from the Mountain Home Garden Club and Beta Zeta Civic clubs, as well as money raised by the county extension office master gardeners...

Pete Nielsen's state representative seat from District 23 and both county commissioner positions will see challenges on the GOP ballot in the May 20 primary election. At least one county office will definitely change hands, as long-time Treasurer Rose Plympton has decided to retire from public life...

A building at 2525 Airbase Road bears the scars after high winds peeled off its roof during a storm that blew through the area on Monday. Packing maximum wind gusts of 50 miles per hour, the storm was responsible for snapping tree limbs and downing power lines along with reports of additional damage reported throughout the day across Mountain Home...

Ronald E. Judy, 69, of Mountain Home passed away Tuesday, March 18, 2014, at a local hospital. At his request, no services will be held. Arrangements are under the direction of Rost Funeral Home, McMurtrey Chapel in Mountain Home. Ron was born July 20, 1944, in Covington, Va., to Hubert and Dorothy Judy (Dominick). He served in the U.S. Air Force from 1962 to 1982...

Rosemary Taylor, 62, of Mountain Home passed away on Saturday, March 15, 2014, at a local care center. No local services will be held. Services will be held in Gary, Ind., and burial will be held at Evergreen Cemetery in Hobart, Ind. Arrangements are under the direction of Rost Funeral Home, McMurtrey Chapel...

A contest aimed at helping city officials identify and repair potholes across town yielded responses in an ongoing contest sponsored by the Mountain Home News. The newspaper started the "post a pothole" competition earlier this month to help the city street crews prioritize and identify which ones needed urgent repairs as the winter season ends...