Stories from Friday, March 29, 2013

Crews from the United States Postal Service emptied out the Freistatt Post Office on March 29 after closing the facility permanently at the end of the business day with only two days' warning. Freistatt customers received a letter on March 27 announcing service would cease on March 29, the last business day of the month...

No one like taxes, especially here in Barry County, but sometimes a tax increase is necessary to make sure citizens continue receiving the local government services they deserve. A tax can also be justified if the government entity seeking the increase has a track record of spending tax money wisely...

The long list of candidates running for city councils and school boards showed a bit more interest this year. More contests emerged around the bi-county area. Even if only two candidates can win in the Monett R-1 Board of Education race, it's refreshing to see more than two people running...

Dear Editor: In the contest for the vacant seat in the 157th Legislative District (157th LD) of Missouri some people claim that Charlie Dake (Democrat candidate) is so similar in views on political issues that there is no difference between choosing him or Mike Moon (Republican candidate)...

Dear Editor: Thirteen cents per $100 is a small amount to pay to help improve benefits the citizens of Barry County receive. We rely on law enforcement to protect us every day. More presence of deputies in the rural areas will help cattle thefts and burglaries. It would help with faster response to emergencies. If you are a victim in one of these circumstances it would be important for the prosecutor's office to be able to speed up the handling of your case...

Cecilia Eck, 82, of rural Pierce City, died on Thursday, March 28 at Mercy Hospital in Joplin. Funeral Mass will be held at 10 a.m. on Monday, April 1 at St. Mary's Catholic Church in Pierce City. Burial will be in St. Mary's Cemetery, under the direction of Lakin Funeral Home of Pierce City...

A number of money matters will go before voters on April 2. Fire districts Pierce City firefighters are seeking to establish a tax supported fire district. The district would include both the city and rural territory, like the Purdy district. The district would extend roughly along the lines of the Pierce City R-6 School District, from Highway PP west of Monett to west of Wentworth, and south of Pierce City to Pulaskifield. ...

Most of the school districts in Barry and Lawrence County developed races for the boards of education for voters to decide on April 2. Barry County: Monett R-1: The largest number of candidates in any school district filed in Monett. Two-term incumbent and current board president Marty Scabarozi and one-term incumbent Doug Childress are running against Richard Morris, who previously ran in 2009, and first-time candidates Sean Kelley, Steven Graves and Billy Willis...

Many changes will take place on bi-county city councils as voters go to the polls on Tuesday, April 2. Barry County: Purdy: Voters in Purdy face no contests but will see a shuffle in city council seats. Five-term aldermen Steve Roden will succeed two-term mayor and longtime alderman Ron Dutra as mayor. ...

Positions on a number of governmental boards will be filled by voters in the April 2 election. Road districts Two contested races developed in Barry County for road district commissioner. In the Pleasant Ridge Speical Road District, seeking the job of commissioner are David Sperandio and John Godsey...

Over 200 farmers from southwest Missouri, Kansas and Oklahoma attended a branding demonstration held at the Jackie Moore Ranch, located north of Mt. Vernon on Highway 39. The demonstration, held March 26, was hosted by the Lawrence County Sheriff's Office, the University of Missouri Extension, the Moore Ranch Crew and the Southwest Missouri Cattleman's Association...

Times Photo by Murray Bishoff Two people were injured in a two-vehicle crash that occurred at 5:12 p.m. on Wednesday, March 27 on Highway 60 and Hickory Street in Monett. According to Sgt. Dennis Camp, with the Monett Police Department, the crash occurred when the driver of a 2005 Chrysler 300, Joseph Patterson, of Monett, was slowing in the right lane for a vehicle in front of him to make a turn when the Chrysler was struck from behind by a 1991 Jeep Cherokee, driven by Britain Carney, of Monett. ...

Christ United Methodist Church in Monett will host an Easter sunrise service, beginning at 6:30 a.m. on Sunday, March 31. A breakfast will follow the service at 7:15 a.m. Heno Head and the congregation extend an invitation to the public to attend. The church is located at Maple and Pearl streets, behind AutoZone...

The Industry of the Year Award, a new honor presented this year by the Monett Chamber of Commerce, was given to Jack Henry and Associates at the annual membership meeting on March 7.

Twice a year Monett R-1 hosts an evening event for our Migrant and English Language Learner families. This is a unique opportunity for newsworthy hot topics and/or district initiatives to be explored. In previous events, our families have participated in activities such as college fairs, health and wellness exhibitions, technology demonstrations, as well as meeting with a representative from the Office of Civil Rights...

Keno John Cavin (Nunko Kno-Kno) age 45, of Purdy, died on Tuesday, March 26, at his home. Visitation will be held on Saturday, March 30, at the family's residence, 9818 Old Exeter Road, Cassville starting at 12 noon. A private memorial service will be held in Hawaii at a later date...

Two people were killed in a four-vehicle crash that occurred at 9:30 a.m. on March 27 on Highway 60 in Republic. The crash occurred when the drivers of a 2006 Volvo truck, Edward R. Holland, age 58, of Aurora; a 2011 Nissan Altima, Corey S. Gresham, age 41, of Macon; and a 2011 Chevrolet pickup truck, Lawrence M. Coan, age 65, of Kimberling City; were stopped at a light in traffic. They were struck from behind by a 2006 Freightliner tractor and trailer, driven by Lei Sun, 31, of Alhambra, Calif...

The Monett Cubs split a pair of baseball games with East Newton and Seneca on March 28. The Cubs rolled to a 15-1 victory against the Patriots before falling 5-2 to the Indians in the nightcap. Against East Newton, the Cubs scored early and often to build a 9-0 lead after four innings...

The Pierce City Eagles baseball team scored three times in the first inning and twice in the seventh but came up short against Clever 6-5 on March 28. The Bluejays tallied a single run in the third and five more in the third to build a 6-3 edge. The Eagles' catcher Garron Cantrell had a double and a home run and drove in a pair of runs. Michael Vincent and Cody Fitchpatrick collected a double and a RBI apiece...