Snapped utility pole cause of 11th St. residential fire

JOPLIN, Mo. — Joplin fire officials said a snapped utility pole started a house fire Tuesday evening.

Crews responded to 2604 E 11th St. just after 5:00 PM. Joplin Fire Chief Gerald Ezell said a neighbor saw the home on fire and alerted the homeowner.

The resident then tried to put the fire out with a garden hose. Crews arrived and were able to get the fire under control in about 45 minutes. It was completely out in 90 minutes.

Investigators said it appears a utility pole snapped in the backyard, causing a wire to fall and catch the home on fire. Crews from Spire and Liberty came in to help with the utilities.

No one was injured. No word on the extent of the damage.

Be the king or queen of this Missouri castle thanks to Airbnb

(Image Courtesy: Joan Hurst)

IRONTON, Mo. — Located in the town of Ironton in Southeastern Missouri, the T.R. Goulding Castle sits on 3.89 acres at the base of Shepherd Mountain. At 2,270 sq. ft., this historic property is one of the truly unique and marvelous residential landmarks in the state.

The castle, which is now available for overnight stays on Airbnb for approximately $350/night, borders a city-owned, 640-acre tract of wilderness on top of Shepherd Mountain. It was put up for auction in 2012 after being home to the the Misselhorn family since 1999. They did significant work on the property including aesthetic improvements, a new hot water heater and furnace, and a new rubber roof (just to name a few).

SLIDESHOW: View Photos of the Goulding Castle

Inside this 3 bedroom, 1-1/2 bathroom stone structure, you’ll find everything to be newly renovated with a style that uniquely matches the castle facade. The first floor features the kitchen and a formal dining room. The second story contains three bedrooms, a full bathroom with granite-tiled shower and bathtub, and a sun room that’s enclosed in both stone and cedar walls with a pitched cedar ceiling. The third story consists solely of the tower room, and provides four arched windows for a view of the entire property.

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The castle was originally built in 1846 by Dr. T.R. Goulding from England. Dr. Goulding apparently missed the English style of architecture, so he created his own castle in the Ozarks, constructed of locally quarried limestone and granite, complete with a three-story tower and winding staircase.

You’ll find the Airbnb listing of the historic Goulding Castle, HERE.

What climate scientists were predicting in the 1970's

(Image Courtesy: Getty Images)

KSNF/KODE — Global temperatures in 2021 were among the highest ever observed, with 25 countries setting new annual records, according to scientists from NOAA. Climate scientists say as glaciers and polar ice melt, plant and animal species go extinct at a rapid rate, and sea levels rise. With information like that, it’s likely the public isn’t asking, “Are we at the dawn of a new ice age?” However, if that question was asked just 40 years ago, a large number of people — including some climatologists — would have answered yes.

On April 28th, 1975, Newsweek published an article called, “The Cooling World,” in which writer and science editor, Peter Gwynne, described a significant chilling of the world’s climate, with evidence “accumulating so massively that meteorologists are hard-pressed to keep up with it.” He raised the possibility of shorter growing seasons and poor crop yields, famine, and shipping lanes blocked by ice, perhaps to begin as soon as the mid-1980’s. Meteorologists, he wrote, were “almost unanimous” in the opinion that our planet was getting colder. During the years that followed, Gwynne’s article became one of the most-cited stories in Newsweek’s history.

(Image Courtesy: DailyClimate.org)

The scientific study of the climate is not very old. Collection of global temperature data started in the 1870’s. It wasn’t until 1963 did J. Murray Mitchell bring together information from hundreds of weather stations around the world to build a modern representation of Earth’s temperature. His work suggested a steady increase in global temperatures from around 1880, followed by a cooling of the planet from about 1940. In addition, satellites of the early 1970’s spotted more snow and ice across the Northern Hemisphere, and people were well aware of unusually harsh winters in North America during 1972-73.

Some years before, scientist Charles David Keeling took atmospheric measurements from posts atop Mauna Loa and in Antarctica. Keeling launched an investigation of the changes in the levels of carbon dioxide. By 1965 he had found that CO2 was rapidly increasing. A presidential scientific advisory committee that same year advised that a rise in temperatures worldwide, from CO2-related emissions, could result.

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How wide-spread were worries about global warming, then? An examination of peer-reviewed scientific literature conducted by a group of researchers in 2008, covering the mid-1960’s through the 1970’s, revealed that papers warning of global warming outnumbered those projecting cooling by a factor of six. We can then infer that climate change in the form of global warming was a widespread topic of concern during this era, and there was no consensus that the Earth would cool in the immediate future.

In this light, the Newsweek article of 1975 is a fascinating artifact of a scientific era of the past. For journalists, it can often be humbling to revisit old work, especially stories more than 40 years old. But in recent years, Peter Gwynne mustered the courage to look again at “The Cooling World.” Writing in Inside Science Minds, an independent editorial publication of the American Institute of Physics in 2014, he explained how he produced the 1975 article.

“While the hypotheses described in that original story seemed right at the time, climate scientists now know that they were seriously incomplete. Our climate is warming, not cooling, as the original story suggested,” Gwynne explained. “Put simply, climate science evolved and advanced, resulting in new knowledge,” Gwynne said.

Jasper County officials are sworn in

CARTHAGE, Mo. — The November vote was more than a month ago. Today, several elected officials were sworn-in to their respective offices.

Nine Jasper County officials took the oath of office.

The County Clerk, Presiding Commissioner, Circuit Clerk, County Auditor, and Recorder of Deeds, along with two judges and a court commissioner.

The ceremony marks the start of a term of office, not to mention the responsibility that goes along with it.

“Realize the magnitude of what we do. Our decisions every day affect the people of this county and we need to remember that. That we serve the people of this county. We’re here for their benefit and today is a big reminder of that,” said Dean Dankelson, Jasper Co. Judge.

The new terms officially begin this weekend, January first.

Road deaths in Missouri exceed 2021 numbers

(Photo Courtesy: Getty Images)

MISSOURI (KSNF/KODE) — As we count down the final days of 2022, the number of roadway fatalities in Missouri continues to tick up.

With just three days left to go until the new year, the Missouri Department of Transportation’s (MoDOT) website shows there have been 1,017 deaths on Missouri roadways for 2022.

In 2021, the death toll reached 1,011 which broke the 1,000 threshold for the first time since 2006.

This makes the second year in a row that deaths on Missouri roads exceed 1,000.

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As new year’s celebrations approach this weekend, MoDOT is reminding people to make good decisions and urges people to never drive while impaired.

The Neosho Holiday Classic begins

NEOSHO, Mo. — Things are hoppin’ in Neosho because there’s a whole lot of hoopin’ going on.

The “Neosho Holiday Classic” tipped off this morning at both the high school and middle school gymnasiums.

It runs through Friday.

Five area schools, as well as several from outside of the Four State area, are taking part.

It brings hundreds of visitors to the town every year, and that means more money for the local economy.

“Oh it’s great for our Neosho community, for our hotel industry for all of our eating, fast food Boulevard on Neosho Boulevard, it’s just great for everybody in the community,” said Millie Gilion, Tournament Volunteer.

The tournament is made possible thanks to “Branco Enterprises” and a slew of other businesses and volunteers.