Stories from Wednesday, April 13, 2011

The Monett Area YMCA will be hosting its annual Healthy Kids Day at the Monett South Park from 3 to 5 p.m. on Saturday, April 16.

The Purdy High School Academic Team will head into sectional competition on Thursday against Fordland. The squad moves into the final rounds of its season after a big win over rival Thomas Jefferson to win the Ozark 7 Conference title and defeating Southwest last Saturday to win the district crown.

First Fruits, the new community garden project organized by the Monett Community Kitchen, now has space available for use.

An evening of food and entertainment brought Barry and Lawrence county residents together at the Freistatt Lion's Building on Saturday for a Night in Italy, a fundraising event to benefit the Children's Center in Monett.

It was a busy April for the Purdy Police Deportment with warmer weather and a rash of dog complaints keeping officers occupied. Police Chief Jackie Lowe said there was an increase in dog complaints from citizens throughout the city, and newly appointed City Judge Andrew Hagar was taking a tough stance on irresponsible pet owners.

A collision on Highway 60 in Monett between an eastbound 2010 Volvo tractor trailer, shown at right, and a Chevrolet SUV, at center, occurred around 6:40 p.m. yesterday at Chapell Drive. The crash resulted in serious injuries to a 26-year-old passenger in the SUV, who was airlifted to a Springfield hospital from the Walmart parking lot. Two other injured persons from the SUV were taken to Cox Monett Hospital for treatment. The truck driver was not injured. Additional details on the crash were not available at press time. [Times Photo by Murray Bishoff]

The Monett R-1 Board of Education retained its top leaders and made several personnel changes at its reorganizational meeting on Monday.

On April 27, Lawrence County will launch a Drug and DWI Court, similar to ones already operating in Stone and Barry counties.

Open auditions for the Monett Strawberry Festival play will be held at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, April 21 at Denali Dreams, located at 316 E. Broadway in Monett. There are parts available for all ages. The play is based on historical accounts of growing and harvesting strawberries in the Monett area. For more information, call 772-7092...

The Monett Cubs golf team moved within one win of securing a Big 8 Conference championship on Tuesday. The Cubs defeated Lamar, Seneca and Aurora in match play. Monett's Jacob Fair was the meet medalist, shooting an even par on the par-36 link. Devin Steward tallied a three- over-par 39 and finished second. Travis Thompson finished in fourth with a 43. Tyler Bass and Bryan Beckwith recorded a 49 and 56 respectively...

The Pierce City Eagles baseball team fell 12-11 to Jasper in eight innings Tuesday afternoon. "We hit the ball well as a team," said Pierce City Head Coach Darin Henderson. "We put the ball in play and competed really hard all game. We just made too many defensive mistakes to win the game."...

Over 400 area runners competed in the inaugural Doug Weatherly Fun Run last Saturday. Proceeds from the event raised over $6,000 for the Doug Weatherly Scholarship. "We were blessed with such a great turn out," said Pierce City Wellness Coordinator Jerri Jasumback. "Doug touched the lives of so many people. It was amazing to see how many people turned out."...