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INSIDE:
• Around Town.... 12A • Churches............ 6C • Classifieds........... 7C • Entertainment ��� 2B • Opinion.............. 4A • Fun & Games...... 8C • Weather........... 11A
August 25, 2023 • Volume 4, Issue #34
Barber named Song of Hope Award winner
BY K.D. MICHAELS, Staff Writer A Branson icon has been presented a tremendous honor. Marshall Howden, founder of Branson’s Song of Hope movement and an advocate for Branson’s live music shows and theaters, presented the latest in a series of Song of Hope Awards last week. This year’s recipient was Jim Barber. A talented performer, Jim graced Branson stages with his unprecedented comedic and ventriloquism skills for years. Barber now serves as the Executive Director of the Branson Regional Arts Council, where he strives to promote live entertainment, music and fine arts to residents of the Ozarks and visitors alike, and introduce young people to the world of performing arts. Barber is largely responsible for the
PLUS:
Onyx would like to go home with you! SEE PAGE 6A.
Marshall Howden, left, founder of Song of Hope is pictured with Song of Hope Award winner, Jim Barber. (Special to Branson Globe) Meet the Dynamic Duo at Silver Dollar City. SEE PAGE 1B.
F&S Restorations offers fresh approach. SEE PAGE 1C.
WEEKEND WEATHER:
Hot on Friday with a high near 100, and overnight low of 78. Saturday and Sunday look stormy, with a bit of a cool down. High temps on Sunday expected in the mid-80s.
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SEE BARBER, PAGE 9A
Justice: Investigation concludes officer-involved shooting justified BY GARY J. GROMAN, Independent Journalist On Friday, August 18, 2023, the Branson Police Department conducted a Community Debrief of the February 28, 2023, officer-involved shooting of Randall Wesolek Jr., resulting in his death. The briefing included Eric Schmitt, Branson’s Chief of Police; Corporal Sam Carpenter from Missouri State Highway Patrol; and Lieutenant E.J. Jones from the Branson Police Department. The Chief expressed his hope that debriefing would provide the community with the information necessary to understand the officers’ actions and the reasons for those actions. He also stressed that “this result is the last thing that our officers want to happen. We spend a great deal of time, money and effort in developing our policies and training so that deadly force can be avoided in all but the worse situations. We take all use of force seriously and understand the value of human life.”
Schmitt said that per standard procedure, the Missouri State Highway Patrol investigated the incident. Upon completion, it forwarded the investigation to the Taney County Prosecutor’s office for review. After the review, Brad Hughes, the Taney County Prosecutor, notified the Chief that there would be no criminal charges. In the interim, the Branson Police Department convened a Deadly Force Review Board. The makeup included a peer officer, firstline supervisor, member of Command Staff, department trainer, and sworn officer from an outside agency. The net result was that all officers’ actions resulted from the immediate deadly threat that Mr. Wesolek presented. Their actions were reasonable, justified and compliant with applicable laws, policies, and training. The Chief said the initial interactions with Mr. Wesolek were cordial and calm. The officers gave Mr. Wesolek explicit orSEE SHOOTING, PAGE 10A
WOW! This spectacular paint job is on a 1940 Ford. (Photo by K.D. Michaels)
16th annual car show brings many car enthusiasts to town BY K.D. MICHAELS, Staff Writer A fun summer tradition took place last weekend when a unique car show returned to Branson. The 16th Annual Sleds Midwest Car Show and Cruise returned to Branson. The car show, held on Shepherd of the Hills Expressway, is a custom car show, featuring only vehicles manufactured prior to
1980. The show is dedicated to pre-1980s custom vehicles and rods. By definition, a “sled” is a standard production automobile with a body heavily modified in particular ways. The event, held August 18 - 20, featured dozens of custom cars and trucks on display as well as fun for the entire family. Activities
included a delicious Friday feast, a flame-throwing contest, music, movie night and more. The highlight of the weekend was the annual Dam Cruise. The weekend’s fun culminated in an awards show, which was held on Sunday afternoon. See more of K.D.’s pictures on page 10B!
Miltons announce sale of Paddlewheel, Main Street Marina Submitted to Branson Globe Larry and Lianne Milton today announced the sale of The Paddlewheel and Main Street Marina property. The Miltons have
owned the property since 2012 and expressed their gratitude for the many years they have been able to serve the community. “Lianne and I have
been blessed to serve our community and visitors through our ownership of The Paddlewheel and Main Street Marina during these past 11 years, and we are
forever grateful to everyone who helped us make so many fantastic memories,” Larry Milton said. “Most of all we are thankful for the excellent em-
ployees that we have had throughout the years, some of whom have been with us from the very start. We could not have sustained SEE MILTONS, PAGE 2A