Heard On The Street

GREEN PAGES. McLeodUSA paid $3.7 million in cash for Springfield's Bi-Rite Directories Inc. The Iowa company revealed the purchase price in regulatory filings made with the Securities and Exchange Commission May 13. McLeod announced its acquisition of Dial US, a regional long-distance and local-service provider based here, May 7. The McLeod filing did not include financial information on the Dial US purchase, which was not made during the quarter covered in the report. For the three months ended March 31, McLeod reported total revenues of $134.3 million, with a net loss of $30.3 million.

RED CROSS BUILDING SELLS. The American Red Cross building at 1211 S. Glenstone sold May 6 to the Assemblies of God Division of Foreign Missions. In April 1997 the Red Cross announced it would sell the building. It housed both American Red Cross Blood Services and American Red Cross Disaster & Safety Services, separate entities that owned the building jointly. The property was listed with Rankin & Co. since November with an asking price of $3.7 million. The purchase price was not disclosed. In a release, the Rev. Thomas E.Trask, general superintendent of the Assemblies of God, said the property would house its ICI University, the church's foreign distance-education school, which is now in Irving, Texas. The Red Cross bought the building in 1986. Tom Rankin, owner of Rankin & Co., said the building has 93,850 square feet, and the property comprises 5.2 acres. Larry Leek, CEO of Disaster & Safety Services, said a move will be good for his agency. He said ARC Disaster Services is set to sign a contract on a building that it will begin renovating in the next few weeks. The new location will include garages and storage space long needed by the group, Leek said. Until the agreement was final, Leek declined to name the new location, which he said should be ready to move into in eight to nine weeks. He noted that funds raised in a 1987-88 capital campaign have been returned to the local chapter from the national Red Cross for purchase of the new building. The Red Cross Blood Services operation will move to 313 E. Battlefield, a spokeswoman said.

BUG IN. The Fourth Annual June Bug Jamboree, a gathering of Volkswagen lovers, will be in Springfield June 13. The event is set for Park Central Square and includes 20 show classes in different Volkswagen categories, from Custom Beetles, 1967 and before, to stock Karmann Ghias. Information on the June Bug Jamboree said each show entrant will get a dash plaque, VW goodie bag and a chance at prizes.The event is sponsored by the General Registry of Ozarks Volkswagen Enthusiasts, or GROOVE. The jamboree is free to the public. More information is available from Lance Moeller, 889-8813, or Greg Crane, 890-0275.

BIGGS WIN. Debora Biggs was elected president-elect of the Missouri Business & Professional Women at its April state convention in Joplin. Biggs was nominated for the post by the Greater Ozarks chapter, to which she belongs. Biggs is director of the Traffic Safety Alliance.

HARD CIDER. City Council May 11 had first reading of a bill to authorize Cider Days, an autumnal version of

the just-concluded ArtsFest. The bill asked for the OK to close Walnut

Street between John Q. Hammons Parkway (n?e Sherman) and National, as well as JQH Parkway between Walnut and Cherry Street. The event, sponsored by the Walnut Street Merchants Association and the Urban Districts Alliance, is set for the first weekend of October.

SLICE OF NICE. The Greater Springfield Charity Horse Show will be held May 28-30 at the Ozark Empire Fairgrounds. For more than 29 years, the horse show has benefitted charities throughout the area. For the past nine years, all proceeds have gone to benefit the Developmental Center of the Ozarks, and this year's show will also benefit DCO, a center for physically and mentally disabled children and adults of the Ozarks. More than $95,000 has been contributed to DCO from proceeds of past shows. The event will be held at the Ozark Empire Fairgrounds Arena and will begin each evening at 7 p.m. Morning shows will start at 10 a.m. Tickets are $4 in advance for adults for evening shows, and will be $5 the day of the show. Box seats are $65 for the entire show and $6 per seat for one night. Box seats hold six. Children 6 and under are admitted free if they are accompanied by an adult, and the morning shows are free. Tickets are available at all area Dillon's stores. For more information, contact Marci Bowling or Amy Murray at 831-1546, ext. 238.

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