Stories from Saturday, June 21, 2014

A Califonia man was seriously injured in a crash in Lawrence County this afternoon. The crash occurred at about 12:25 p.m. on Interstate 44, three miles west of Stotts City when a 1998 Toyota SR5 driven by Alphonsus M. Quitoriano, 47, of Fresno, Calif., lost control and ran off the median and overturned, sliding across the interstate, then striking the guard rail and vaulting over the embankment...

Missouri Attorney General Chris Koster was all business when he arrived at the Monett waste treatment plant on Tuesday. No one knew exactly what was going to happen. Koster's press office had not detailed his entire itinerary for the day. Koster and his entourage flew into the Monett Regional Airport, arriving very close to on time -- a significant feat coming from Jefferson City. ...

Two months after the formation of the Monett Rural Fire District, leaders from the former Monett Rural Fire Association have begun mandated training and reorganizing records from a non-profit membership into a tax supported government entity. Voters named five people to the new fire district's board of directors: Paul Wimsatt, Leland Doss, Greg Carlin, Michael Greenhaw and Jackie Harris. ...

Missourians are being asked to weigh in on a list of transportation projects and improvements that proponents say will improve safety, create jobs, and boost Missouri's economy. The Missouri Department of Transportation has coordinated three open house meetings in the Southwest District to ask residents to take a look at the local priorities and share their thoughts and insights. ...

Many people love to curl up with a good book and a cup of tea to while away the hours on a slow afternoon. Bev McCauley of Monett goes one better. She gets to preview copies of yet-to-be-released books to provide feedback to authors. "I started a book club about five years ago," McCauley said. "We call it Tea and Tales. I have several people who participate in the monthly meetings and it's evolved into a monthly potluck dinner."...

A Golden man was seriously injured in a motorcycle crash in Roaring River State Park. According to the Highway Patrol report, James A. Huffman, 64, was riding a 2000 Big Dog motorcycle westbound on Highway F toward Highway 112 Thursday at 4 p.m. The vehicle began to pass a line of cars, but then impacted the front of a 2014 Ford Expedition driven by Ann K. Allen of Fort Worth, Texas, as it was making a left turn...

Juanita Louise Neill, 103, of Purdy, Mo went to be with her Lord and Savior on Thursday June 19, 2014 at Aurora Nursing Center in Aurora, Mo. She was born on June 16, 1911 in Barry County, Missouri, the daughter of the late Fletcher and Amy (Bennett) Dodson. She was united in marriage on April 7, 1929 in Wheaton, Mo to Chester S. Neill; he preceded her in death on August 5, 1986...

Larry and Jaquetta Hyde celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary with family on Friday. Larry Hyde and Jaquetta Davidson were united in marriage on June 20, 1964, at First Christian Church of Monett. The couple have two children, Kimberly Golden and Kassie Hyde, and three grandchildren. They celebrated their milestone with a trip to Hawaii in May, where they toured several historic sites and toured the islands...

Harold and Janice Fenske, of Joplin, formerly of Wentworth, will celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary with an open house from 2 to 4 p.m., Saturday, June 21, at the Pierce City Senior Center, located at 104 N. Locust. Harold Fenske and Janice Renkoski were married June 20, 1964, at Sts. ...

A total of 128 area youth have signed up to compete for the Monett WaterThrashers summer recreational swimming team. This year's squad has swimmers from Monett, Aurora, Pierce City and Cassville. The WaterThrashers are the largest team in the Tri-State Conference...

When Monett wrestling coach Daryl Bradley told his team that if they want to win they were going to have to work hard this summer, he wasn't just talking to hear the sound of his voice. Bradley has already used seven of his 25 allotted contact days this summer and his team is improving...

Pierce City youth football camp for grades 3-8 is slated for July 14-15 from 6-8 p.m. Sign-up sheets are available at Pierce City High School. A parent or guardian permission is included in the signup sheet. The second annual Angie Swadley Memorial Scholarship 5K Race will be held Saturday, July 19, in Purdy...