From the front page of the Ridgeway Journal dated August 24, 1911:
The Ridgeway public schools were scheduled to begin classes on Monday, September 4. The school superintendent, J. R. Hale, reminded parents of the new Missouri law for compulsory attendance for children between the ages of 8 and 14: “It is now made the duty of the school authorities to report violation of this law to the prosecuting attorney”. The school then, as now, would lose state funding for children not in attendance: “Hereafter the state public money will be apportioned according to school attendance. Every day that is missed is the loss of so much public money. Your children cannot afford to be irregular in attendance and we cannot afford to lose the money.”
The editors appreciated the efforts of D. H. Hatfield, the deputy state game and fish commissioner, “to stop the illegal seining of the lakes in the vicinity. Bean Lake was the one in question.” A raid on this lake resulted in the arrest of three men who were awaiting trial. Seining, a method of fishing by dragging a net through the water to catch everything in its path. It was legal with certain restrictions during the months of July through September, but these men were caught with “one of the largest seines used in Missouri at work.”
During a storm on the previous Friday evening, a small “cyclone formed south of town on Route 1 that did considerable damage.” It tore up the peach orchard at the Freeman Baker farm. It then went from there to the Prairie Chapel church and “lifted it up and set the west end about four feet off of the foundation and tore up several of the shade trees. After that, it moved to Albert Wooderson’s meadow and destroyed several hay ricks. It blew down a silo at Henry Leazenby’s and moved his barn off its foundation before disappearing.
