SULLIVAN – The number of attempted suicides in Franklin County is on the rise, but the number of patients that state-run psychiatric facilities can take is shrinking. Although Franklin County suicide statistics for the past three years have remained roughly the same, the number of attempted suicides has nearly doubled. From January 2008 to July 2008, there were 46 attempted suicides, according to Franklin County Sheriff’s Office reports. During the same period in 2009, the number of attempted suicides jumped to 74 and this year....
SULLIVAN – Three juveniles and one adult have been arrested for their involvement in nearly two dozen recent vehicle break-ins that occurred throughout Sullivan. The suspects, who all reside in Sullivan, were taken into custody last week after the Sullivan Police Department concluded its investigation of multiple car break-ins. Police were able to recover some of the stolen property during the investigation. The names of the underage suspects are being withheld due to their juvenile status and the name of the adult.....
SULLIVAN – Cool Hand Luke will stay in Sullivan. Following a 4-2 vote, the City Council decided the M115 Howitzer cannon situated between city hall and the library will remain in Sullivan instead of being moved to the VFW in Oak Grove. Aldermen Tom Leasor, Jarrett Dace, Paul McCulloch and Dennis Watz voted to keep Cool Hand Luke in Sullivan, while Aldermen Mike Ryan Jr. and Michael Lohden voted the cannon should go the VFW. Those on both sides of the issue agree on this: Now that the city has decided to keep Cool Hand Luke, it should restore it to a respectable condition. After years of neglect, the cannon has fallen into disrepair and desperately needs a new paint job and other upgrades.
Whether the cannon should stay in Sullivan has been debated since May when the VFW first requested the World War II-era cannon be moved to its grounds, saying it would restore Cool Hand Luke to “GI” condition. The organization felt it was an opportune time to ask for the cannon since it will need to be moved about 40 feet off its concrete pad for a future construction project near city hall.
There’s been sentiment on both sides of the issue from citizens and council members alike. That was clear Tuesday when councilmen voiced their opinions at the council meeting. Alderman Ryan made a motion the city give the cannon to the VFW, knowing his position might be unpopular. “I’m going to make a lot of people mad, but I think it should be moved to the VFW,” he said, adding it might be seen by more people at the VFW at the corner of Highway 185 and Springfield Road. “It’s in bad shape, and they have the access and equipment to maintain it. It’s time to put an end to this situation, and the best thing to do for all concerned is to move Cool Hand Luke down to the VFW.”
Lohden, who kept quiet during the meeting, seconded Ryan’s motion, but it failed when the four other aldermen voted against it. Lohden later said he supported moving the cannon to Oak Grove because he didn’t receive any citizen feedback against doing so, and because the VFW has the means to take care of the cannon in ways the city does not. “They have the military contacts to make it happen,” he said.
Watz spoke about the ownership of Cool Hand Luke. The late Joe Nolie acquired the cannon for the city in 1982 and military documents show the Howitzer was donated to the City of Sullivan. “It’s an asset of the city’s,” he said. “I don’t see any reason in the world to hand one of our assets over when our citizens don’t want to.”
Although some have turned the debate about Cool Hand Luke into a Sullivan versus Oak Grove issue, Alderman Leasor said that’s not what it’s about. “It’s a Sullivan issue and how much respect do we want to show those who have served our country,” he told the council. “I think we should keep it as a respectful means to remember those who have served for us. If we’re going to keep it, we need to be prepared to do whatever it takes to take care of it.”
To that end, Mayor J.T. Hardy threw in his two cents on the subject. “If it stays here we need to commit to cleaning it up,” he said. “If that doesn’t happen then we need to give it to someone who will take care of it.”
Watz pointed out that Cool Hand Luke simply won’t get shoved back toward the library when it’s moved to make way for the roundabout planned in front of city hall. “The cannon will be in the center of the roundabout,” he said, which makes it all the more important to restore it.
Even though VFW Post Commander John Phillips made it clear before the vote that the VFW would not help restore the cannon if it stayed in Sullivan, he said he respects the council’s decision. “It’s over with – there’s no hard feelings,” Phillips said. “You win some battles and you lose some, but I would like the city to restore it and present it properly because at some time, somebody used that in defense of the United States.”
Randy Nolie, whose father was responsible for securing Cool Hand Luke for Sullivan, is thrilled the cannon will stay here. “I’m so happy, and I think my dad would have a lot of the same feelings,” he said. “For us to just disregard it after all this time, I think it would be a slap in the face to every military veteran in the U.S. to say that we no longer want to display it,” he said.
Like so many others, Nolie wants to see people pitch in to help make it more presentable. “It needs a dozen Boy Scouts with paint scrapers,” he said. “It would be a great community project.”
(Jaime Mowers can be reached at 860-NEWS or by e-mail at
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The Washington, Missouri City Council met on 09/07/2010. You can view the agenda and watch the video in its entirety by clicking the "Watch VIDEO..." link.
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