Tragedy struck Texas County in 2015. Twice.
The first came in February when Joseph Jesse Aldridge, who was later found to be extremely intoxicated, inexplicably went on a murder rampage in Tyrone in late February. He killed seven people before turning the gun on himself to rock the community and put the county in the national spotlight.
Four months later, four members of a Utah family were killed in a plane crash on a private grass runway in western Texas County. One person survived.
Here’s a look at the top moments and headlines from 2015. They are listed in the order they appeared in the Houston Herald.
JANUARY
Jan. 8
•Judd E. Russell, 44, of 534 Ozark St., and Quinton T. Alston, 18, of 16005 Forrest Drive, face class B felony charges of second-degree abuse of a vulnerable person after being arrested for allegedly burning the pubic area and buttocks of a special needs teen.
•The expanded cafeteria opened at Houston High School. The facility nearly doubled in size as part of a $4 million bond issue passed in 2013.
•Texas County officials elected or re-elected in 2014 were sworn in at the county Justice Center in Houston, including returning recorder of deeds Susan Warkentin, returning Presiding Comissioner Fred Stenger, new prosecuting attorney Parke Stevens Jr., returning circuit clerk Marci Mosley, returning Associate Circuit Judge Doug Gaston and returning county clerk Don Troutman. Warkentin and Troutman died later in the year.
Jan. 15
•City council member Don Romines was presented a “lifetime achievement award” during the Houston Area Chamber of Commerce’s annual banquet.
•Texas County Sheriff James Sigman reported that his department responded to 2,737 calls requiring written reports in 2014, up from 2013’s total of 2,477. The increased caseload was handled by nine deputies –– the same number the department had in previous year.
Jan. 22
•Texas County Health Department reported that 41 laboratory-confirmed cases of flu were reported for the week of Jan. 4 and 43 for the week of Jan. 11. Health department officials said 203 confirmed cases had been reported in the county so far for the season, while only 51 cases were documented during the entire previous flu season.
•A horseshoe pitching facility owned by Virgle and Donra McCown west of Houston – known as “Good Luck Courts” – was highlighted in a feature story.
•Houston resident Kathy Wilson is named employee of the month for the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services.
•The Raymondville Volunteer Fire Department got a new fire chief, as Mike Jackson took over from 15-year chief Guy Ceplina.
Jan. 29
•The Houston City Council approved the purchase of body cameras for use by city police officers.
•A chapel for patients, visitors and employees opened at Texas County Memorial Hospital.
•The Texas County Sheriff’s Department reported that 244 concealed-carry permits were renewed in 2014, compared with 127 in 2013. From 2004 through 2014, the county processed 1,679 new CCW applications.
FEBRUARY
Feb. 5
•New Texas County prosecuting attorney Parke Stevens Jr. is highlighted in a feature story.
“I really want to streamline this office more so I can tackle each task with 100-percent effort,” Stevens said.
•Houston High School girls’ basketball head coach Brent Kell reaches the 400-win mark. During his 29-year career, he has amassed more wins than any other coach in school history.
•Former Texas County resident Helen (Gourley) Wasson (of Seward, Alaska) publishes a children’s book called “Joe’s Doodle Dog.”
Feb. 12
•The opening of a dairy products manufacturing plant – called Dairymen’s Best Creamery – is announced, that will occupy a 30,000 square-foot building on Industrial Drive in Houston. The fledgling company would close later in the year.
•Texas County turns 170 years old.
•Patti (Wright) Roberts – the highest scorer in the history of Houston High School basketball – is recognized. She scored 1,953 points from 1987 to 1991.
Feb. 19
•Houston resident Leta F. Douglas, 52, is charged by federal authorities in an alleged murder-for-hire scheme in which the FBI said she plotted to have a family member killed.
•The Houston school board unanimously extended the contracts of high school principal Charlie Malam, middle school principal Terry Mayfield and elementary principal Amy Dill through the 2016-2017 school year. Later developments mean that none of the three will be returning for the 2016-2017 school year.
•The Houston School District considers a proposal by high school agricultural instructor Josh Roehrs that would result in the district purchasing 10 to 20 acres of land for the purpose of creating a student-run “school farm.”
Feb. 26
•A winter storm hits the region, causing Houston schools to close for six consecutive days.
•Eric Sloan is named HHS head football coach. He is a 2000 Cabool High School graduate who was an assistant coach at HHS in 2014.
•The century-old Texas County Memorial Building on Grand Avenue in downtown Houston is highlight in a feature story. The building is home to the county Historical and Military Museum and the Genealogical and Historical Society Library, a pair of nonprofit operations run by volunteers.
MARCH
March 5
•Texas County becomes the focus of national and international attention after a mass-murder in Tyrone.
Authorities said 36-year-old Joseph Aldridge gained access to four homes without forced entry and killed Garold Aldridge, 52, Julie Aldridge, 47, Harold Aldridge, 50, Janell Aldridge, 48, Darrell Shriver, 68, Carey Shriver, 47, and Valirea Shriver, 44.
Dozens of media members crammed into the lobby of the Texas County Justice Center for press conferences presented by Sheriff James Sigman and Missouri State Highway Patrol Sgt. Jeff Kinder that were broadcast live on newscasts far and wide.
March 12
•The aftermath of the Tyrone murders dominates the pages of the Herald, including accounts of reactions from authorities and citizens, and a community gathering that drew a large crowd.
“Start locking your doors,” said Texas County Sheriff James Sigman. “The world’s changing.”
•Work at the new Texas County 911 center continues, as workers pick up where Shriver Companies LLC left off.
March 19
•Houston Police Chief Jim McNiell reported that the department recorded its highest-ever annual caseload total in 2014, as officers turned in 600 written reports, eclipsing the previous high of 503 set in 2013. The HPD operates with six full-time officers, and has had the same number for the past 10 years, when written reports typically totaled about 400.
•A grant provides laptop computers to all Houston Middles School seventh and eighth-graders.
March 26
•Missouri Department of Corrections director George Lombardi visits The Animal Shelter of Texas County, one of the marquee facilities involved in providing animals for the department’s Puppies for Parole dog-training program.
•A project spearheaded by a local man to restore Alice School near Bendavis is highlighted in a feature story.
APRIL
April 2
•A project spearheaded by a three women to restore the more than a century old Tyrone community building is highlighted in a feature story.
•In an exercise hosted by the City of Houston Fire Department, volunteer personnel from several county departments gather in the GAMO USA parking lot on U.S. 63 for comprehensive training conducted by Local Emergency Training Specialists LLC, of Cadet.
•The HHS choir earned 78 individual medals and advanced 30 students to the state competition during the annual district music festival in West Plains.
April 9
•Voters elect Leon Slape and Stacie Ely to fill two positions on the Houston School Board.
•The Houston Rural Fire Department earns a “7” rating from New Jersey-based Insurance Services Offices Inc. The rating is considered exemplary for departments in the U.S. with similar characteristics to Houston Rural, and means residents in the department’s zone might qualify for better insurance rates.
•More than 700 Christians holding specially-designed crosses line U.S. 63 in Texas County for the fourth-annual “Carry the Cross.”
•Houston parks and recreation department director Jim Root announces his retirement.
April 16
•Houston Police Chief Jim McNiell announces his retirement after a career in law enforcement spanning nearly 40 years.
April 23
•The choir careers of Houston High School students Taylor Bryson and Elisa Williamson are highlighted in a feature story. The two earned a total of 85 individual awards and medals singing for HHS.
•The “Old Evans Barn” in Elk Creek and the barn-dance series operated by owners Bill and Marti Evans is highlighted in a feature story.
•Former Graham County, Ariz., sheriff Richard Mack is the keynote speaker at the Texas County Republican Party’s annual Lincoln Day program inside the Licking High School gymnasium.
•In her second year as HHS assistant principal, Licking native Amber Stephens is picked from a field of 26 applicants to be Houston Middle School principal.
April 30
•The Texas County Sheriff’s Department investigates a report by a Houston woman who said two pythons were stolen from her home, along with 20 video games and some cash.
•Houston mayor Don Tottingham’s “walking challenge” is highlighted, which encourages local residents to stay fit. The challenge is part of the ongoing Healthy Schools Healthy Communities grant initiative.
•Texas County Memorial Hospital opened its new 4,000-square foot “safe room,” designed to withstand 250 mile-per-hour winds for three sec- onds and provide shelter for up to 462 patients, staff members and community residents. It can also be used for meetings when the weather is good.
MAY
May 7
•The life-saving efforts of a pair of employees at Romines Motor Co. in Houston – title clerk Lori Floyd and service technician Jon Stenger – were highlighted in an article after they teamed up to use their knowledge of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) to aid a fallen cohort – Jerry Squires.
•The life of long-time Texas County famer, lawyer, priest and judge, Brad Ellsworth, is chronicled in a feature story, along with a book he wrote about his experiences.
•Houston florist Shari McCallister is recognized for 25 years in business.
•Dollar Tree announces the opening of a store on U.S. 63 in Houston.
May 14
•Gov. Jay Nixon appoints Lindsay Koch to the office of Texas County recorder of deeds, following the death of her predecessor, Susan Warkentin.
•Long-time U.S. Postal Service worker Ann Tottingham, of Houston, is highlighted in a feature story. She took the position of postmaster in Summersville at the end of March.
•The Missouri Department of Conservation announces that the harvest during spring turkey hunting season is up for the fourth year in a row.
May 21
•Eric Sloan is named assistant principal at Houston High School. He also is head coach of the school’s football team.
•After pursuing him for close to a year, the Texas County Sheriff’s Department arrests 36-year-old Joshua Dean at residence off of Highway M. Dean was wanted on charges of abusing a juvenile and was jailed on $1 million bond.
•The City of Houston Fire Department’s ladder truck was damaged in an accident at Texas County Memorial Hospital. Carrying three firefighters, the truck responded to a report of a fire alarm just after 7 p.m. at the hospital.
A responding police officer stated the truck’s driver was attempting to maneuver it though the hospital’s drop-off lane when it struck a pillar holding up a large awning. The vehicle was sent to the manufacturer’s headquarters in Wisconsin for repairs.
May 28
•Thanks in large part to Make-A-Wish Missouri, 5-year-old Houston resident Braden Laster was the focus of a party featuring his favorite fictional character – the Cookie Monster.
•Robert James is named Houston high School boys basketball head coach. He is the all-time points leader for Willow Springs High boys hoops and replaces Rob Coffey, who resigned in April.
JUNE
June 4
•Jody Jarrett is named Houston Elementary School principal. She was previously principal at Cabool Elementary and worked in the Houston Schools system for nine years.
•Texas County Sheriff James Sigman announces that the department would begin use of digital communications radios instead of analog in the dispatch center and inside patrol vehicles.
•Close to 20 varieties of crops are growing inside the high tunnel greenhouse containing the Texas County Jail garden – that is tended to by inmates.
•Texas County Jail cook Joanna Combs (a veteran of 30 years as a cook for large groups) is the subject of a feature story. She cooks many dishes using items grown in the jail garden.
June 11
•The Houston and Cabool school districts came away with perfect results in the annual school bus inspection program conducted by the Missouri State Highway Patrol Motor Vehicle Inspection Division.
All 19 of Houston’s buses were cleared, while Cabool went 18-for-18. Texas County’s other five districts had mixed results.
•Grant funding makes a new high-tech microfilm machine available to patrons of the Texas County Library’s Houston branch.
•The second annual Brushy Creek Days festival takes place in downtown Houston, featuring carnival rides, live music, food, vendors and displays.
June 18
•In the deadliest aircraft accident in Texas County history, four members of a family from Provo, Utah, were killed in an early morning plane crash on a grass runway about a mile south of Highway AE near Huggins.
Authorities said victims included Charles “Mark” Openshaw and Amy Openshaw, both 43, and their children, Tanner, 15, and Ellie, 12. Their 5-year-old son survived and was taken by helicopter to a Springfield hospital in serious condition.
A witness said the Beechcraft 36 went into a steep climb and got about 100 feet off the ground when it stalled and fell to the ground.
•Houston Walmart assistant manager Darrell Pounds is recognized for surpassing 35 years as an employee with the company.
•The Houston Education Foundation presented the Houston School District with a check for $27,000 toward the purchase 90 laptop computers for use in the new media center, which is set to open at the beginning of the 2015-’16 school year.
•The 65th annual Raymondville Carnival and Picnic begins its three-day run.
June 25
•A trio of Walmart managers (optometrist Dr. Rodney Knuckles, support manager Roman Gaston and store manager Travis Rector) had their heads shaved as part of the “hair loss challenge,” a fundraiser for the Children’s Miracle Network.
JULY
July 2
•An Arkansas man died in a two-vehicle accident on U.S. 63 at Simmons.
•Hundreds of horse enthusiasts gathered at Golden Hills Trail Rides and Resort near Raymondville for the second annual Mustang Family Reunion Ride, a week-long event highlighted by horsemanship instruction by 10 renowned trainers, or “clinicians.”
During the final few days of the event, the Bureau of Land Management conducts the first-ever wild mustang adoption program in Texas County.
•Korean War veteran and two-time Purple Heart recipient Eugene Evans, of Houston, took part in an Ozarks Honor Flight to Washington, D.C.
July 9
•Houston resident Joshua Lunz, 22, stops at every house, business and building in Houston to share the gospel of Jesus Christ.
•The Houston Herald launches its redesigned and upgraded website.
•Renowned horsemanship clinician Steve Smith (of Cornerstone Horse Training in Scurry, Texas) is the subject of a feature story after participating for the second consecutive year in an event in Texas County.
•In a question-and-answer style article, Intercounty Electric Cooperative general manager Aaron Bradshaw and Missouri Sun Solar founder and owner Caleb Arthur share their viewpoints on coal-fired and solar electricity.
July 16
•The first major flooding incident of the year covers many areas of Texas County with water that are normally not submerged.
Many long-time local residents said they had never seen water so high before in area streams, rivers and washes.
•Professional golfer Bruce Fleisher visits Houston’s Oakwood Golf Club for a free clinic. Fleisher has been friends with Oakwood owner Bud Evans for about 25 years.
•Bucyrus-based Piney River Brewing Co. earned a gold and three silver awards at the 2015 U.S. Open Beer Championship in Oxford, Ohio.
July 23
•Jennifer Scheets, 34, was chosen by a 4-1 vote by the Houston School Board to fill a vacancy left by the resignation in May of longtime board member Sharon Horbyk.
•Bennie Cook is named to the Texas County 911 board of directors, replacing Wes Ellison, who resigned.
Cook is also director of the Texas County Food Pantry, director of emergency management for Texas County and the City of Houston, chairman of the Texas County Salvation Army, secretary for Masonic Lodge No. 177, a committee member of the State Housing and Trust Fund, regional representative for the Governor’s Committee to End Homelessness, a member of the boards for Houston Housing Inc., the Local Emergency Planning Commission and Texas County Emergency Food and Shelter, and is a member of the Houston Lions Club.
July 30
A freak downpour in and around areas east of Houston (including Raymondville) sent a massive torrent rushing down Brushy Creek, all but destroying the bridge and roadway on Walnut Street in Houston.
•Houston residents Elizabeth A. Thompson, 58, and Wesley E. Thompson, 59, were killed in a crash on U.S. 63 north of Licking.
•Mountain Grove resident South A. Noble, 45, man was arrested held in the Texas County Jail on $1 million bond as a result of sheriff’s department investigation of an incident May 15.
Noble is charged with several felonies (including first-degree robbery, second-degree assault, unlawful use of a weapon and armed criminal action) after allegedly firing five shots in the direction of the two women and a man, who were all ducked down behind a car.
•The 105th Texas County Fair and Old Settlers Reunion takes place.
Included in the fair attractions is a performance by World League Wrestling (out of Troy), featuring Harley Race (who gained world-wide fame in a long career in professional wrestling) and his son Leland Race.
AUGUST
Aug. 6
•Local pastors and residents gather for the annual Prayer Zone Challenge in support of Texas County schools.
•The Animal Shelter of Texas County rescues a puppy with its snout tied shut.
After receiving extensive medical attention, the dog, named Diamond, has since been adopted and now lives with a woman in mid-Missouri.
•A sizable crowd attends a demolition derby sponsored by the Houston Area Chamber of Commerce in the arena at the fairgrounds.
•Plato resident Russ Biros won a blue ribbon in the annual National Exhibition of Folk Art in the Norwegian Tradition at Vesterheim, the national Norwegian-American museum and heritage center in Decorah, Iowa.
Aug. 13
•The new Texas County 911 center begins operation inside the county administrative building in downtown Houston.
•Significant rainfall results in another round of damage to many rural roadways in Texas County.
•The Houston City Council approves use of ATVs and UTVs on city streets.
•Hundreds of people attend the 50th annual McCoy hog roast and reunion. Host Garold McCoy said it’s the last one in the series, “at least for now.”
Aug. 20
•The new building on the Houston Schools campus opens. It’s the crown jewel of a $4 million bond issue passed by voters in 2013.
•Two people died in motorcycle accidents, bringing the total to three in a seven-day span in Texas County.
Authorities reported the victims included Anthony M. Mordis, 22, of Beulah, James M. Phillippi, 25, of Bay City, Mich., and Thomas J. Black, 21, of Edgar Springs.
•Texas County Sheriff’s Department vehicles are outfitted with “In God We Trust” stickers.
Aug. 27
•Tim Ceplina is named Houston Police Chief. Ceplina is a 22-year-veteran with the department (spending the past 15 as a sergeant and supervisor) and will replace Jim McNiell, who will retire Oct. 1.
•Summersville resident Ryan Hunt is the subject of a feature story. He won the 2015 International Benchrest Shooters 600-yard national championship in 2014, setting a world record in the process.
•The HHS football team wins its season-opener at Hollister, 16-7, to snap a 16-game losing steak dating back to September 2013. It was the squad’s first win in an opener since 2008.
SEPTEMBER
Sept. 3
•Area dignitaries and community members gathered for an open house and cornerstone ceremony to dedicate the new building on the campus of the Houston R-1 School District.
•A section of the Mark Twain National Forest (MTNF) in Texas County is part of a large package designated for a forestry management undertaking called the “Elder Piney Project,”
covering 10,492 acres in Pulaski and Texas counties. About 3,800 acres of the project area are in northwest Texas County around Fort Leonard Wood.
•The family of Texas County resident Darren Ice is recognized as a 2015 Farm Family at the Missouri State Fair in Sedalia. Ice is a fourth-generation farmer and is chairman of the Texas County Fair Board.
•Houston resident Mozelle McKinney, 90, is recognized as an elder of the Choctaw Nation.
•Relay for Life hosts “The Drive-In of Hope” at the Phoenix Theater in Houston, featuring a car show, luminaria ceremony and family-friendly movie.
Sept. 10
•Romines Motor Co., of Houston, receives the “President’s Award” from Ford Motor Co., recognizing outstanding performance in sales and customer satisfaction. Long-time employee of the dealership, Tyler Romines, is introduced as a member of ownership.
•The City of Houston Fire Department participates for the first time in the annual “Fill the Boot” campaign, a fundraiser to benefit the Muscular Dystrophy Association. Motorists on U.S. 63 and customers in front of Walmart dropped about $4,000 cash into boots being held by firefighters.
•The Summersville High School FFA trapshooting team is recognized for taking first place at a national championship event in Illinois.
Sept. 17
•The Houston Herald earns 25 awards in the annual Better Newspaper Contest conducted by the Missouri Press Association.
•Tyrone murders survivor Martha Shriver shares insight about what happened on that tragic night in late February.
•The Roby Volunteer Fire Department adds a much-needed pumper truck to its fleet of vehicles.
•Local resident Tony Bieller opens a food trailer called “Twirlee Q Barbecue” on U.S. 63 in Houston.
•Houston Police Department officers participate in a firearms training exercise at the Big Piney Sportsman’s Club east of Houston.
Sept. 24
•Mark Twain National Forest firefighters Greg Painter, Mike Kelly and Dave Haberl share information about their experiences being deployed to fight huge blazes in other states.
•The Texas County Fair Board announces that a new category – dairy feeder steer – will be added in livestock showing competition beginning with the 2016 fair.
•The Carson and Barnes Circus performs under the big top at the Houston Area Chamber of Commerce Fairgrounds.
•Junior Tayler Ward is crowned Houston High School 2015 King of the Court.
OCTOBER
Oct. 1
•Licking resident Amber M. Brignole, 30, is killed in a three-vehicle accident on U.S. 63 about five miles south of Houston. Cabool resident David R. Mathis, 56, loses a leg because of the crash.
•Sophomore Carly Crawford is crowned Houston High School 2015 Homecoming Queen.
•A non-profit assistance organization known as Ozark Action celebrates its 50th anniversary.
•Texas County resident Donra McCown takes second in the Missouri Horseshoe Pitchers Association 2015 state championship tournament in Lebanon.
•Numerous artists, craft specialists and writers shared examples of their work during the annual “Art in the Park” exhibition at Emmett Kelly Park.
Oct. 8
•The Houston Police Department undergoes a regime change, as Tim Ceplina takes over as chief following the retirement of Jim McNiell, officer Brad Evans is promoted to sergeant and Greg Ryan is added as a new officer.
•The Houston Area Chamber of Commerce Fairgrounds hosts a truck pull event with 10 classes staged in the arena at the fairgrounds by the Southern Missouri Truck and Tractor Pull Association.
Oct. 15
•Long-time Texas County clerk Don Troutman is found dead in his Houston home. Chief deputy clerk Kris Neal is named interim county clerk and is later appointed to the job.
•The Missouri Department of Conservation offers information to hunters about deer wearing electronic collars as part of a five-year study conducted in a pair of four-county zones.
•Local Missouri Department of Conservation workers plant a total of 35 trees at five locations in Texas County.
Oct. 22
•Missouri Department of Conservation outdoors skills specialist and instructor Brian Flowers, a Houston native, is highlighted in a feature story.
•The Roby Volunteer Fire Department is one of two U.S. departments to receive free firefighter turnout gear from an ongoing grant program sponsored by a company that makes and sells the gear.
•An Eminence bank announces plans to purchase Community Bank N.A., including its Houston location.
•A Texas County 4-H shooting team takes third place in .22 caliber competition at the annual 4-H state shoot in Columbia.
Oct. 29
•The City of Houston tops its category in annual Community Betterment competition.
•HHS graduate Hailey Dodson is crowned Miss Texas County 2016.
•Texas County resident Carol Dale is the subject of a feature story. She raises, sells and competes with miniature donkeys.
•Plato resident Jasmine Richards is recognized for earning several awards at the Professional Photographers of America’s 2015 International Photographic Competition in Lawrenceville, Ga.
•Houston resident Neva Wade celebrates her 102nd birthday at the Houston Senior Center. She still lives at home, volunteers on the senior center’s board and uses the City of Houston’s free bus service as transportation.
NOVEMBER
Nov. 5
•Texas County resident and Vietnam War veteran Jerry Snyder takes an Honor Flight of the Ozarks to Washington, D.C. and visits the Vietnam War Memorial exactly 49 years after arriving in Vietnam.
•Two people were killed in separate accidents within a nine-hour span in Texas County.
Authorities said Kelsie M. Hayes, 17, of Licking, died in a crash at about 4:50 p.m. Saturday southwest of Licking that led to involuntary manslaughter charges against the driver. At 2 a.m. Sunday, Toby W. Mathes, 38, of Plato, was discovered dead on Highway M after one an injured passenger in his vehicle was able to get to a nearby home for help.
•Marcy Smith is recognized in a feature story after starting a “survival kitchen” at her home in southeast Texas County, designed to offer free assistance to military veterans (both disabled and otherwise), disabled seniors, special needs children and their families and anyone else who needs it.
•Drew Jordan is named the City of Houston’s new parks and recreation director.
•HHS softball players Autumn Walker, Tori McCloud, Stephani Crewse and Kaitlyn Root named to the Class 2 District 8 team.
Nov. 12
•A Constitution Project team from HHS tops Dixon, Rolla and West Plains in regional competition to advance to the 2015 state finals.
•Houston residents Evelyn S. Hickerson, 68, and Herbert M. Douglas, 89, were among three people killed in a head-on crash on U.S. 63 near Simmons.
•Twenty-two members of the HHS choir are named to the 80-seat South Central Association all-conference choir.
•Hardee’s manager Elaine Koch is the subject of a feature story after winning the 2015 Hardee’s Midwest Biscuit Baking Challenge earlier in the year.
Nov. 19
•The Texas County Memorial Hospital Healthcare Foundation’s ninth annual Chili Cook Off raises $48,300 for Hospice of Care.
•Elk Creek’s Russell Olewinski, who volunteers at the Texas County Food Pantry, receives the 2015 Lieutenant Governor’s Service Award honoring veterans for their community service.
•Sixteen HHS fall athletes are named to the SCA all-conference team: Keegan Spurlin (football), Matt Wheeler (football), Autumn Walker (softball), Tori McCloud (softball), Chance Hunter (football), Ethan Kelley (football), Kaitlyn Root (softball), Shelby Cremer (softball), Sarah Kelley (volleyball), Andy Edwards (football), Connor Clifton (football), Austin Schock (football), Matt Knarr (football), Stephani Crewse (softball), Camryn Scheets (volleyball) and Abby Casper (volleyball).
Nov. 26
•Gov. Jay Nixon appoints Krista “Kris” Neal as the new Texas County clerk.
•A Houston retail business, Consider the Lilies, changes hands as Joy Hinkle and her husband, Roger, purchase the store from relatives.
DECEMBER
Dec. 3
•Hunters checked 4,544 deer in Texas County to lead the state during the fall firearms season.
•Caleb Arthur, CEO of the Houston-based Missouri Sun Solar, is named president of the Missouri Solar Energy Industry Association.
Dec. 10
•Texas County Memorial Hospital dedicates a garden to Julie Aldridge, a former employee who was killed in the Tyrone shootings in late Feburary.
•Ross Lumber Co. changes hands as Jimmy and Alicia Swindell assume ownership of the iconic downtown Houston business.
•Nine HHS football players are named to the Southwest Missouri Football Coaches Association all-area team: Keegan Spurlin, Chance Hunter, Matt Wheeler, Ethan Kelley, Kyle Wilson, Matt Knarr, Austin Schock, Connor Clifton and Andy Edwards.
Dec. 17
•Charlie Malam announces he is retiring as principal of Houston High School at the conclusion of the school year.
•The Exceptional Child Cooperative is moving from its current facilities on Spruce Street to the Houston Schools campus.
•Hatter’s Hideaway, a bookstore with crafts and jewelry, opens on Grand Avenue inside the building the previously housed Neal’s Sporting Goods.
•Sarah Kelley scores her 1,000th career point while leading the HHS girls’ basketball team to the championship of the Lady Bulldog Invitational. The team is ranked 10th in Class 3.
Dec. 24
•Houston R-1 School District superintendent Scott Dill accepts a similar position with Poplar Bluff Schools. He will leave at the conclusion of the 2015-’16 school year.
•Lebanon resident Stacey Driskell files a lawsuit against the City of Houston after she tripped on a West Highway 17 sidewalk during the summer.
Dec. 31
•Just under 10 inches of rain in three days led to heavy flooding in Texas County and across the region. Traffic increased on U.S. 63 as it was used as a detour for closed sections of I-44.
•TCMH introduced video technology that allows patients to communicate with physicians through network.
Here are the most read stories in 2015 at houstonherald.com.
1. Sheriff: Nine dead in Tyrone murder investigation
2. Authorities: Nine bodies found in shooting investigation
3. Eight killed, including suspect, in apparent murder-suicide
4. Coroner: Three couples killed in bedrooms, another answered door
5. Tyrone tragedies: ‘We are Texas County Strong’
6. Four fatalities, one survivor in Texas County plane crash
7. Houston native, husband drown in Hawaii
8. Houston woman arrested in murder for hire scheme
9. MDC urges hunters to disregard collars on deer
10. Fireworks show tonight in Houston