Stories from Friday, November 4, 2011

As Nov. 1 rolled around, I noticed something happening on Facebook. Various people began posting about things in their lives that they are thankful for -- their parents, their children, their jobs, their pets. I found it very refreshing, and I now look forward to checking Facebook posts in the morning before I head off to work to see the latest outpouring of thankfulness...

A traffic study of Ninth Street at Cleveland provides several options for how to reduce the concentration of vehicles and children in one of the busiest locations in Monett. Members of the Monett R-1 Board of Education accepted the report, prepared by Olsson and Associates, during the board's October meeting. Superintendent Dr. John Jungmann said board member will study the details...

Next Tuesday Barry County residents will head to the polls to decide a pair of county taxes that are designed to support law enforcement and emergency services. County tax In August, the Barry County Commission voted to place a 3/16th of a cent sales tax on the Nov. 8 special election ballot. The county currently operates on a one-half of a cent sales tax and fees generated by county offices...

A positive report from the annual audit provided upbeat news for the directors of the Barry-Lawrence Regional Library. Accountant Patty Weber, with The CPA Group in Monett, reported the district was in stable and positive financial condition. No record-keeping problems were found...

Monett-based Jack Henry & Associates (JHA) reported revenues rose by 6 percent in the first quarter of its new fiscal year. A leading provider of technology solutions and payment processing services primarily for the financial services industry, JHA saw gross profits increase 8 percent and net income rise 15 percent compared to the prior fiscal year...

Members at St. John's Lutheran Church at Stone's Prairie in Purdy made their first double kettle batch of World Series Apple Butter. The delicious creation is being called World Series Apple Butter, because many loyal Cardinal fans sacrificed watching the first seven innings of game seven of the World Series so that over 20 bushels of apples could be prepared for a 3:30 a.m. start on Saturday morning...

Area high schools will host luncheons and programs in honor of local veterans next week. Monett High School will host its appreciation event beginning at 9 a.m. on Friday, Nov. 11 in the gymnasium. Both the Junior ROTC Color Guard and the Monett Student Council will participate in the honors assembly. Guest speaker will be Purple Heart recipient SSG Paul Schmitz, Jr...

The Monett FFA collected can goods for Crosslines, the Monett Community Kitchen and Loaves and Fishes at last Thursday's Monett football game.

City department heads discussed a wide range of activities undertaken by employees during the past month at the October Monett City Council meeting. Police Chief Tim Schweder said fall landscaping was underway at the Justice Center by the cemetery department crew. More plants are being added...

Newly formed local bluegrass group, Spur of the Moment, will be performing on Saturday, Nov. 5 at 7 p.m., opening for the Baldknobber's at their theatre in Branson. While the group has only been playing since July, their traditional bluegrass sound has made them a crowd favorite...

The First Christian Church in Monett provided a Trunk or Treat stop for center city children on Halloween night.

The Monett Branch of the Barry-Lawrence Regional Library hosted a Halloween party for area children on Monday, Oct. 31. The library had prize drawings and a costume contest.

If it seems strange that Washington, D.C., never changes, look no farther than Barry and Lawrence counties. If there ever was a chance to coordinate resources, it's here. Both counties still have two dozen rural road districts. This is a phenomenal solution to a widely shared problem...

Students in first through fourth grades at St. Mary's School in Pierce City recently had the opportunity to learn about watersheds and rivers. Nathan Witt, a resource conservationist, from Neosho, pictured above, brought a model of a watershed. He showed the students many things that can be done to protect the watersheds. ...

CENTRAL PARK AND MONETT ELEMENTARY Key: SC - Smart Choice entree item (16 grams of fat or less.) HM - Homemade fresh in the Opaa! Kitchen. WG - Whole Grain item. Monday - Breakfast: French toast sticks, cereal or oatmeal. Lunch: Sloppy Joe. 2. Pig N' blanket. 3. Popcorn chicken chef salad w/...

Billy G. Williams, Sr., age 66, of Humboldt, Texas, died on Oct. 30 at Bailey Park Nursing Home in Humboldt, Texas. Local survivors include his wife, Pam Williams, of Monett, one daughter, of Pierce City and one son, of Monett. Visitation will be held from 7 to 8 p.m. on Saturday Nov. 5 at Lakin Funeral Home in Pierce City. No funeral services will be held...

Richard Blain Selby, age 77, of Nixa, died at 4:45 a.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 2, at Cox South Hospital in Springfield. A graveside service with full military honors, under the direction of the Crafton-Cantrell Funeral Home, will be held at 2:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 8, at the Missouri Veteran's Cemetery in Springfield...