Stories from Friday, December 30, 2011

By Murray Bishoff Each year the Monett R-1 School District distributes survey questions to gauge how the public feels about the community's education product. Copies go home at parent-teacher nights, in school newsletters and in backpacks. This year 519 surveys came back. At the December meeting of the R-1 Board of Education, Superintendent Dr. John Jungmann reviewed the compiled responses with some satisfaction...

The Purdy Recycling Project is moving ahead in January with plans to make a bigger difference to the Purdy community. After six years of working on Saturdays, the student-run recycling center will now be open each Tuesday from 3:30 till 6:30 p.m. "We know that we have to have more convenient hours if people are going to bring us more materials," said Esmeralda Pérez, recycling coordinator for the Purdy High Spanish Club, which runs the program. ...

PURDY SCHOOLS Wednesday - Breakfast: Biscuit and gravy. Lunch: Chili w/crackers, grilled cheese sandwich, peaches, baby carrots, broccoli florets. Thursday - Breakfast: Blueberry pancakes and sausage links. Lunch: Buffalo tenders, mashed potatoes w/gravy, diced carrots, apple crisp...

Donnie Davis, 64 Janice Thaman

The Monett communications division of the Police Department will hold two meetings about emergency dispatching services during the first week in January. The quarterly meeting of the Monett 911 Advisory Board will be held at noon on Wednesday, Jan. 4, 2012, at the Monett Justice Center...

Considering all that has happened in 2011, last December and its predictions for the year seem like a long time ago. We expected only a slight rebound in the economy and got much more. We expected to see housing construction continue at a slow pace and it almost dried up entirely...

Dear Editor: Few people in our lives can "light up a room." Joe Lamberson could. Even his hospital room glowed when we talked for the last time. Joe and I had not had an extended conversation for almost 20 years. But his enduring friendship made catching up seem like yesterday. We originally met when KY3 was selling vacations in the '70s. He and Mary Margaret decided the new newscaster needed 'traveling parents.'...

The top-seeded Billings Wildcats had one whole day to lick their wounds from their 21-point loss to the host Southwest Trojans in the semi-finals of the Southwest Holiday Tournament. On Thursday night, the Wildcats rebounded to a 64-41 victory over the Purdy Eagles to claim the third-place tournament trophy. Austin Essick torched the Eagles defense for 29 points and Chad Yeokum added 15 in the blowout win...

The Monett Lady Cubs fell 44-22 to Cassville in the third round of the Neosho Holiday Tournament Thursday. The Lady Cubs entered the contest a day after playing arguably their best half of basketball all season against Neosho, hoping to establish some team continuity. Monett also welcomed back Hunter Glouse who suffered an ACL injury earlier in the year...

By Jared Lankford This season, Verona has amassed a 6-2 record and advanced to the finals of the Walnut Grove Tournament with a 59-47 victory over Fordland Thursday night. "The boys have really bought into what we are trying to accomplish with our program," said Stewart. "We have some explosive scorers and guys who are starting to step up and play with confidence."...

Mild weather has helped construction crews in their ongoing efforts at the new Pierce City Middle School building site. Other than a few delays because of undocumented underground utilities, Mike Smith, construction superintendent with Rich Kramer Construction of Springfield, said the project was "pretty much on schedule."...

At their December meeting, board members at the Pierce City R-6 District undertook changes in staff policy when communicating with students through social media sites or via text messaging. The policy outlines professional codes of conduct regarding communication with students whether on district or personal electronic communication devices, accounts, web pages or phones...

The Monett Fire Department hosted its first Fire and Emergency Services Instructor 1 course, which offered 32 hours of instruction. Of the 17 people attended the course, 15 represented area fire departments plus two sergeants from the Monett Police Department...

Barry County Health Department Administrator Roger Brock warns parents to boil all water before mixing baby formula. "Make sure and boil water for two minutes, and then, let it cool before mixing it with the powder," said Brock. "Mixing powdered formula with cold water leaves the potential for something to happen."...

The January Calendar Girl is Laramie Ellis, daughter of Maya and James Ellis. Laramie has been a busy senior at Monett High School. She is vice president of the National Forensic League speech and debate chapter, taking first place is district competition in poetry and second place in Congress...

Services for Joyce Lea (Clonts) Pate will be at 1 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 5, 2012 at Fraker Funeral Home Chapel in Marshfield. Burial will follow at Marshfield Cemetery. Visitation will be held at the funeral home on Thursday from 12-1 p.m. She passed on Wednesday, Dec. 21, 2011, with her family by her side at her home in Monett, at the age of 76...

Ethel Huffhines, age 83, of Jenkins, died at 9:15 p.m., on Wednesday, Dec. 28, at Ozark Mountain Regional Healthcare in Crane. Funeral services will be held at 10 a.m., on Saturday, Dec. 31, in Fohn Funeral Home, Cassville. Burial will be in Carney Cemetery, Jenkins...

Bonnie Williams Bud Hayward Sandra Ash Amanda Bisso Patrick Donnell David Sutton Stan Morris, 50

Linda Shepherd Austin Shoer

Cory Dodson

Don and Sue Hood

Jim & Charree Kelly

Monett High School has selected Students of the Month for December.

The Monett R-1 Board of Education honored teachers and students during its November meeting. Pictured above is Marilyn Mann, Monett High School speech and theater teacher who received congratulations from J.D. Roberts, board president, for being the recipient of the Wayne Brown Award for 2011 Outstanding Teacher. This prestigious award was presented at the annual meeting of the Speech Theater Association of Missouri...

Tyler Lowery, Missouri SkillsUSA vice president, was recongized by the Monett R-1 Board of Education at its November meeting for holding the state office that allowed him a trip to Washington, D.C. Lowery represents 12,000 student members in the state of Missouri...