Stories from Thursday, September 27, 2012

By Lisa Schlichtman Murder and rape charges have been dismissed against the stepfather of 9-year-old murder victim Rowan Ford. On Sept. 26, David Spears, 29, of Stella, accepted the terms of a plea agreement and pleaded guilty to endangering the welfare of a child, a Class C felony, and hindering prosecution, a Class D felony, at the Pulaski County Courthouse in Waynesville...

"The next game on the schedule is always the biggest game of the year." Many football coaches love to say. Nowhere will those words of wisdom ring truer than on the gridiron of Burl Fowler Stadium, tonight as the Monett Cubs (4-1, 3-1) and number 3 state-ranked Cassville Wildcats (5-0, 3-0) prepare to rumble...

Reports on a variety of activities by city employees during the past month were given at the Thursday meeting of the Monett City Council. Building Inspector Wade Ennes reported the drought in building permits for new residential construction had finally broken. Gordon Renfro acquired a permit to build a house in the Twin Oaks subdivision. Contractor Clif Matthews had plans to build his first four-plex of the year, the kind of project he had routinely done in recent years...

With temperatures finally dropping to a bearable level, these friends took the opportunity to visit at Monett's South Park. Crisselia Martinez and Homero San-chez catch up while Yadaira Frias, 11 months, enjoyed playing in the grass.

The Monett Police Department, Barry County Health Department and Bruner Pharmacy in Monett will host the bi-annual Drug Take Back Day from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 29 at the store, located at 321 Broadway. The effort is part of a national campaign to prevent increased pill abuse and theft. ...

Five Boy Scouts from Crew 976 in Monett received their Eagle Scout badges in a ceremony held at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Days Saints. John Leavitt has participated in Scouting for five years and the others have been Scouts for seven years. ...

Larry Gene Watson, age 61, of Aurora, died at 8:50 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 24, at his home A funeral service was held at 10 a.m. on Thursday, Sept. 27 at the Crafton-Cantrell Funeral Home, in Aurora, with burial at the Maple Park Cemetery.

A suspect is being sought in connection with a bank robbery in Mt. Vernon. At approximately 4:15 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 25, a robbery occurred at Liberty Bank on the business loop in Mt. Vernon. The suspect is described as a Hispanic male approximately 5'7" and 180 to 200 pounds. The suspect was wearing sunglasses and a light blue polo shirt...

Due to the size of the crowd expected for the Monett-Cassville football game on Friday, Sept. 28, at Burl Fowler Stadium, Monett High School athletic director Daryl Bradley announced gates will open at 5:30 p.m. He urged Monett fans to arrive early, particularly in light of how well the Cassville fans tend to travel...

Monett Chamber of Commerce ambassadors recently attended ribbon-cutting ceremonies for Security Finance in Monett. Security Finance offers unsecured loans up to $1,200 to help residents re-build their credit. Also offered are tax services, complete with e-filing options...

Dr. Deborah Hume, associate teaching professor in the Masters of Public Health Program at University of Missouri-Columbia, offered an informational presentation on human trafficking in Missouri at St. Edwards Catholic Parish Hall in Cassville on Sept. 7...

Officers with the Monett Police Department responded to 2,299 incidents, not including 911 calls, during the month of August, along with 11 collisions involving 20 vehicles. One injury wreck was documented, but 16 vehicles were damaged during August...

The Barry County Health Department Board of Trustees approved a special use permit for a wastewater system that will be placed in Eagle Rock on property owned by Tom Wright. Brad Carroll, the wastewater system installer, submitted a proposal for two 1,000-gallon holding tanks...

The Monett Lady Cubs (16-3, 4-1) softball team fell 6-4 to the McDonald County Lady Mustangs (16-2) in nine innings on Sept. 25. The Lady Mustangs scored two two-out runs in the top of the ninth to secure the victory. "You want to win every time you take the field," said Monett coach Ty Goetz. "McDonald County is a quality softball team. We couldn't capitalize on their mistakes and we had a couple of mistakes that hurt."...

To say that the Monett Lady Cubs softball team (16-2, 4-1) is on a roll would be an understatement. On the softball field, the Lady Cubs are explosive, like liquid lava erupting from an angry volcano. Monett has won 12 of its last 13 games, including six contests since Thursday, Sept. 20, outscoring its opponents 61-8 in those six matchups...

The East Newton Patriots Invitational cross-country meet was contested Saturday, Sept. 22 in Granby. A huge throng of runners, coaches and fans descended on the campus of East Newton High School to watch some of the best runners in the state compete in the various divisions...

The Monett Cubs football team (4-1, 2-1) entered into Friday night's football tilt with Aurora on the heels of a three game winning streak. Many had discounted the fact that those victories came over Neosho, McDonald County and East Newton and a few thought that the Cubs would come back to earth with a loud thud against the Houn' Dawgs (3-2, 1-2)...