Stories from Wednesday, March 5, 2014

reporter@monett-times.com After four days of being sidelined on the tracks east of Monett, area residents who have had to drive miles out of the way to get to work, shop, to tend livestock are no closer to having answers as to why that train blocked access to Farm Road 1100 for nearly the entire time...

The Monett Times A local lawmaker has filed a bill that aims to extend the waiting period for a woman to have an abortion from 24 hours to 72 hours, and the state's lone abortion provider is pushing back. State Sen. David Sater, R-Cassville, said the reason he filed the bill is because Planned Parenthood St. Louis Region performed more than 9,000 abortions last year, and he hopes to see a drop in that number...

times-news@monett-times.com Whether to call off classes in the Monett School District due to weather is hardly a simple decision. Superintendent Brad Hanson spent a couple hours driving around rural roads at midday and again in the late afternoon on Monday assessing the situation...

The Monett Times A task force report on a Barry County man who was charged in federal court this week with receiving and distributing child pornography over the Internet has been released. Matthew Casas, 25, of Cassville, was charged in a federal criminal complaint filed in the U.S. District Court in Springfield Monday. Casas remains in the custody of U.S. Marshals after officers executed a search warrant at his home on Friday morning, according to Mick Epperly, Barry County sheriff...

times-news@monett-times.com Monett-based Jack Henry and Associates (JHA) has acquired Banno, a technology firm focused on banking through mobile and Internet-based transactions. This is the first business acquisition for JHA in 2014. Based in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, with additional offices in Des Moines, Banno provides services to financial institutions, including remote deposit capture, photo uploads of receipts and checks, and segmenting customers to deliver ads to online customers relevant to their specified interests. ...

March 12 is the last day to register to vote for the April 8 election. The Monett/Purdy affiliate of Habitat for Humanity will meet at 5 p.m. on Tuesday, March 11 at the First Christian Church, Fourth and Wishart in Monett. Mt. Vernon Community Theatre will continue its spring theatre education series with a workshop "Introduction to Acting." Led by Paul Gilbert, the workshop will cover voice, body, and characterization techniques, and is appropriate for both new and experienced performers. ...

The Monett Times Barry County will now be charging more in daily fees for inmates held at the jail. The county commission recently voted to raise the daily inmate fee from $35 to $45, a move that will align Barry County fees with fees of surrounding counties...

sports@monett-times.com It's a helpless feeling for any fan. Watching a ballgame and then seeing a terrible hit, collision or an extremity bent in an unnatural way. On the field, an athlete lays on the ground in excruciating agony. As a hush falls over the crowd, from the sidelines an individual springs to life and rushes out to access the situation...

sports@monett-times.com While the regular season my have ended, the awards and accolades for area basketball athletes have just started. The Ozark 7 Conference released its all-conference teams and several area athletes made the cut. GIRLS Coach of the Year: Eli Ernst, Purdy...

times-news@monett-times.com Races have developed for both the Missouri and U.S. House seats in the Monett area. For the 157th District in the Missouri House, which includes both the Forest Park portion of Monett and the eastern third of Pierce City, incumbent Rep. ...

reporter@monett-times.com PIERCE CITY -- A local school superintendent aims to demolish or remove of two old buildings on the school property. The first Pierce City structure, the old Vo-Ag building, is starting to deteriorate and suffered a significant water leak during the winter. The water and electricity have been shut off to the structure and Superintendent Russ Moreland advised board members there is no reason to keep it in place...

The Monett Times Barry County is building a new bridge on Farm Road 2060, part of the Kings Prairie Road District. The county spent $26,961.92 on a prefabricated bridge on Farm Road 2060, in addition to $70,665 for the installation. The total cost for the bridge is $97,626.92...

The Monett Times The Missouri Health Advocacy Alliance, a member of the Missouri Medicaid Coalition, is taking aim at state legislators to support Medicaid expansion, and State Sen. David Sater, R-Cassville, is in the group's crosshairs. The Alliance has placed advertisements in a number of newspapers, including the Cassville Democrat, listing 43 organizations, along with a website including at least 300 more, that are in favor of Medicaid expansion in Missouri. ...

Marena (Bee) McCollough, 56, of Monett entered into eternal rest on Saturday, March 1, 2014 at her home in Monett. She was born in Aurora, IL on October 2, 1957, the daughter of the late Dale and Evelyn (Culver) Bee. She was united in marriage to James Allen McCollough who preceded her in death...

Clifford Robert Stoops, age 71, longtime resident of the Mano - Cassville, MO area, passed away on Sunday evening, March 2, 2014, while at Ozarks Methodist Manor in Marionville, MO. Clifford was born in Aurora, MO on August 27, 1942, son of Raymond and Margaret (Grass) Stoops. ...

Edward Meredith Dawson, 67, of Miller, died at 6:30 a.m. Friday, Feb. 28, at his home. Funeral services will be at 11 a.m. Thursday, March 6, at Round Grove Baptist Church of Miller. Burial with military honors will follow at the Round Grove Cemetery under the direction of the Fossett-Mosher Funeral Home of Mt. Vernon...

James Edward "Jim" O'Neill, 71, of Exeter, died Sunday, March 2. Funeral services will be at 2 p.m. Thursday, March 6, at Fohn Funeral Home in Cassville. Burial will follow at Oak Ridge Cemetery in Cassville. Visitation will be from 6-8 p.m. Wednesday, March 7, at the funeral home...

composition@monett-times.com Two drivers, one from Monett and the other from Pierce City, had an unfortunate meeting in Newton County on this week when the pair crashed on Highway 60. The wreck happened at 6:50 p.m. Monday when, according to the Missouri State Highway Patrol, Taylor Bittick, 17, of Pierce City, was driving his 1993 GMC eastbound and attempted to make a left turn. His vehicle was then struck from behind by a 1997 Pontiac driven by Dustin Graves-Saucedo, 24, of Monett...

composition@monett-times.com A Sedalia man and his young passenger were injured over the weekend when wintry weather became too much for his vehicle. According to the Missouri State Highway Patrol, Nathan Walls, 33, was driving a 2003 Ford F150 east on Interstate 44 at Mt. Vernon at 12:45 p.m. Sunday when the vehicle lost control on an ice-covered bridge. The vehicle then ran off the left side of the roadway, struck the median cable and overturned...

The deadline to register to vote in the April 8 election is Wednesday, March 12. Prospective Barry County voters may register at the clerk's office in the county courthouse, located at 700 Main St. in Cassville. Prospective Lawrence County voters may register at the clerk's office at 1 East Courthouse Square Ste. 101 in Mt. Vernon...

MT. VERNON -- Julie Ruzicka has announced her candidacy as a Republican for the Missouri House of Representatives in the 157th District, which includes most of Lawrence County. Ruzicka, the wife of former State Representative Don Ruzicka, spent 31 years in public education before retiring from the Aurora R-8 School District in 2012. She spent 25 years as a speech and language pathologist in southwest Missouri schools. She presently works as a pastor's assistant...

times-news@monett-times.com Flags for all 50 states have been donated to the JROTC program at the Scott Regional Technology Center in Monett. The flags were personally delivered by a delegation from the Irwin-Easley American Legion Post #118 in Cassville...