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Newsletter, August 2026

July 29, 2026

 CLARKSDALE HAPPENINGS  

August 2026

"There is no power for change greater than a community discovering what it cares about." – Margaret J. Wheatley

Election Day                          Aug 4th

Tax Free Holiday                   Aug 7-9th 

Stewartville Fall Festival      Aug 7-9th

CAF Board Mtg             Aug 11th   (6:30pm City Hall)

Missouri State Fair       Aug 13-23rd

Public Tax Hearing       Aug 18th  (6pm City Hall)

City Council Mtg           Aug 18th (6:30pm City Hall)

School Starts                Aug 25th

https://clarksdale-mo.com/ Find this newsletter, pay your bill, official minutes, reports, agendas, news about current projects, and more! 

Clarksdale Advancement Foundation (CAF) - Come on by to see how we are working to make Advances in Clarksdale! Meetings are on the 2nd Tuesday of the month! Next meeting Aug 11th, at 6:30pm @ City Hall.   Help with the 5K, Halloween, and Breakfast with Santa.   All are Welcome!!! 

Coming!!!  5K Fun Run on Sat. 9-12-26 -The City of Clarksdale and CAF are hosting a 5K Fun Run in Remembrance of 25 years since 9/11 and America’s 250th  anniversary! We wish to honor all those who sacrifice and give as much of their lives in the military and first responders. Looking for volunteers and participants.  Look for flyers, posts, or call City Hall or CAF for more details. 

Public Hearing Aug 18th at 6pm at City Hall

The Clarksdale Christian Church - Is having Vacation Bible School August 9 - 13th. 6pm - 8:30pm. Join us for supper at 6pm each evening. Enjoy a time of fun for stories, crafts, and games.

The Clarksdale  Lions Club meets every 2nd and 4th Thursday of each month and we welcome anyone to come and hear what our club does for the community and we are always looking for new members.

The Clarksdale Lions Club is having a Smoked Porkchop Dinner Sunday, Sept 13th, 2026, 11-1pm at the Lions Hall. $15 per meal. All are Welcome!

Walking Trail - Is under some construction. We are pursuing some grants for picnic tables and benches to put along the trail, taking out dead trees and seeking grants to plant some trees, and seeking to extend the trail. All different things that take time. Please be patient through the whole process.

Live! Paperless water bills! Sign up for paperless bills at https://clarksdale-mo.com/bill-payment.After you hit the green BILL PAYMENT > Pay Your Bill Now >  then under the login button, click the Sign Up button

Clarksdale Ordinance Chapter 43 - REQUIRE ADDRESS NUMBERS BE DISPLAYED

 43.010: ALL HOUSES NUMBERED. All houses and buildings fronting on public streets in the City of Clarksdale shall be numbered and shall be numbered in accordance with the master plan of numbering as written below.

 43.030: DISPLAY OF NUMBERS.  Address numbers shall be a minimum of four (4) inches in height and shall be located either near a building’s main entrance, above the garage door, or on a surface that is easily visible from the street of address.  Additional displays of assigned numbers may be displayed at the property owner’s discretion.  Assigned numbers shall be displayed with Arabic numerals in a color that contrasts with the color of the subject house or building.  Address displays in script are prohibited.  Houses or buildings that are setback more than one hundred (100) feet from a street  shall be required to display address numbers within fifty (50) feet of the street, on a surface that is easily visible from the street of address.

Missouri’s Back-to-School Sales Tax Holiday begins on the first Friday in August 7th - 9th.

Certain back-to-school purchases, such as clothing, school supplies, computers, and other items as defined by statute, are exempt from all state and local sales or use taxes for this time period only.

The 2026 Back-to-School Sales Tax Holiday begins Friday, August 7 at 12:01 a.m. and ends Sunday, August 9 at midnight.

The sales tax exemption is limited to:

  • Clothing – any article having a taxable value of $100 or less
  • School supplies – not to exceed $50 per purchase
  • Computer software – taxable value of $350 or less
  • Personal computers – not to exceed $1,500
  • Computer peripheral devices – not to exceed $1,500
  • Graphing calculators - not to exceed $150

Qualifying Items - Under Section 144.049, RSMo, defines items exempt during the sales tax holiday as:

“Clothing” - any article of wearing apparel intended to be worn on or about the human body including, but not limited to, disposable diapers for infants or adults and footwear. The term shall include but not be limited to, cloth and other material used to make school uniforms or other school clothing. Items normally sold in pairs shall not be separated to qualify for the exemption. The term shall not include watches, watchbands, jewelry, handbags, handkerchiefs, umbrellas, scarves, ties, headbands, or belt buckles; and

“Personal computers” - a laptop, desktop, or tower computer system which consists of a central processing unit, random access memory, a storage drive, a display monitor, a keyboard, and devices designed for use in conjunction with a personal computer, such as a disk drive, memory module, compact disk drive, daughterboard, digitalizer, microphone, modem, motherboard, mouse, multimedia speaker, printer, scanner, single-user hardware, single-user operating system, soundcard, or video card; and

“School supplies” - any item normally used by students in a standard classroom for educational purposes, including but not limited to, textbooks, notebooks, paper, writing instruments, crayons, art supplies, rulers, book bags, backpacks, handheld calculators, graphing calculators, chalk, maps, and globes. The term shall not include watches, radios, CD players, headphones, sporting equipment, portable or desktop telephones, copiers or other office equipment, furniture, or fixtures. School supplies shall also include graphing calculators valued at $150 or less and computer software having a taxable value of $350 or less.

Heat-Related Illnesses

Know the signs of heat-related illnesses and ways to respond. If you are sick and need medical attention, contact your healthcare provider for advice and shelter in place if you can. If you are experiencing a medical emergency call 9-1-1.

Get more detailed information about heat-related illnesses from the CDC and National Weather Service.

     HEAT STROKE Signs:

  • Extremely high body temperature (above 103 degrees F) taken orally 
  • Red, hot and dry skin with no sweat
  • Rapid, strong pulse
  • Dizziness, confusion or unconsciousness
  • If you suspect heat stroke, call 9-1-1 or get the person to a hospital immediately.  if possible: move the person suffering from heat stroke into a cool, shaded area; remove any outer clothing; place a cold wet cloth or ice pack on the head, neck, armpits and groin, or soak the person’s clothing with cool water; elevating their feet

HEAT CRAMPS Signs: Muscle pains or spasms in the stomach, arms or legs

HEAT EXHAUSTION Signs: Heavy sweating, paleness, muscle cramps, tiredness, weakness, fast or weak pulse, dizziness, headache, fainting, nausea, vomiting

If you have signs of heat cramps or heat exhaustion, go to a cooler location and cool down by removing excess clothing and taking sips of sports drinks or water. Call your healthcare provider if symptoms get worse or last more than an hour.

Bus Stop Safety

BEST PRACTICES GUIDE - REDUCING THE ILLEGAL PASSING OF SCHOOL BUSES

The greatest risk to your child is not riding a bus, but approaching or leaving one. Before your child goes back to school or starts school for the first time, it’s important for you and your child to know traffic safety rules. Teach your child to follow these practices to make school bus transportation safer.

FOR PARENTS - PEDESTRIAN SAFETY

Safety Starts at the Bus Stop

Your child should arrive at the bus stop at least five minutes before the bus is scheduled to arrive. Visit the bus stop and show your child where to wait for the bus: at least three giant steps (six feet) away from the curb. Remind your child that the bus stop is not a place to run or play.

Get On and Off Safely

When the school bus arrives, your child should wait until the bus comes to a complete stop, the door opens, and the driver says it’s okay before approaching the bus door. Your child should use the handrails to avoid falling.

Use Caution Around the Bus

Your child should never walk behind a school bus. If your child must cross the street in front of the bus, tell him/her to walk on a sidewalk or along the side of the street to a place at least five giant steps (10 feet) in front of the bus before crossing. Your child should also make eye contact with the bus driver before crossing to make sure the driver can see him/her. If your child drops something near the school bus, like a ball or book, the safest thing is for your child to tell the bus driver right away. Your child should not try to pick up the item, because the driver might not be able to see him/her.

FOR DRIVERS

Make school bus transportation safer for everyone by following these practices:

  •       When backing out of a driveway or leaving a garage, watch out for children walking or bicycling to school.
  •       When driving in neighborhoods with school zones, watch out for young people who may be thinking about getting to school, but may not be thinking of getting there safely.
  •       Slow down. Watch for children walking in the street, especially if there are no sidewalks in the neighborhood.
  •       Watch for children playing and congregating near bus stops.
  •       Be alert. Children arriving late for the bus may dart into the street without looking for traffic.
  •       Learn and obey the school bus laws in your state, as well as the "flashing signal light system" that school bus drivers use to alert motorists of pending actions:

o   Yellow flashing lights indicate the bus is preparing to stop to load or unload children. Motorists should slow down and prepare to stop their vehicles.

o   Red flashing lights and extended stop arms indicate the bus has stopped and children are getting on or off. Motorists must stop their cars and wait until the red lights stop flashing, the extended stop-arm is withdrawn, and the bus begins moving before they can start driving again.