Stories from Saturday, August 9, 2014

This week at the polls, one voter said, "When did we have to start voting on farming? I've been farming all of my life." There's a lot of danger in making public policy by referendum. As screwed up as our political system has become, public debate has become mostly smoke and mirrors. The tendency to couch arguments in half-truths can make every partisan pitch into a quagmire of unknowns...

Ribbon cutting ceremonies were recently held at Serenity Massage, located at 409 E. Broadway. Serenity Massage offers Swedish massage, hot stone therapy and headache/sinus treatment by appointment, including evening hours.

SRC Automotive Inc. hosted its first Employee Family Day on Saturday, June 14. The day was full of fun events including a dunk tank, monster truck bounce house for kids, watermelon eating contest, and many more activities.

An 80th birthday celebration for Sue Lawrence will be held from 2 to 4 p.m., Sunday, Aug. 17, at the Aurora Community Center, located at 40 W. Church St., in Aurora.

The Hospice Compassus program serving Monett and the surrounding areas recognized Robert Mortell during National Nursing Assistant Week June 13 -20 for providing the highest level of quality hospice care for patients and their families. "We are proud to recognize Robert for his tireless efforts to provide our patients and their families with superior hospice care that goes beyond fulfilling their medical and emotional needs, by delivering a more meaningful end of life experience for those patients who qualify for care," said Janet Gard, executive director for Hospice Compassus -- Tri-Lakes. ...

William H. Gray and Delilah A. Widmeyer, (Doc and Dee Gray), were united in marriage on Aug. 12, 1949, in Berryville, Ark. The couple has one son, Jerry Gray, and one daughter, Judy Nunn, five grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.

Piano students of Ruth Burnside recently hosted a Spring Fling Thing recital at Countryside Christian Church in Monett.

From mid-August through Labor Day, local police will be out in force as part of the annual nationwide Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over crackdown on drunk driving. The crackdown, which will include high-visibility enforcement throughout Lawrence County, will run from August 15 through September 1...

A mixed group of volunteers from the Knights of Columbus, Architectural Systems, the Hispanic Methodist Church and regular volunteers worked on Aug. 2 on the Monett/Purdy Habitat for Humanity home at 111 E. Nellie in Monett.

Open house at Verona High School will be held from 6 to 7 p.m. on Monday, Aug. 11. Students may pick up schedules and beginning school packets at that time. An orientation meeting for seventh graders will be held at 5:30 p.m. The 64th annual Miller Fall Festival will be held Aug. 27-30 in downtown Miller...

New officers have been installed to serve for the coming year at Hobbs-Anderson American Legion Post No. 91 in Monett.

This year's annual Howdy Neighbor Days festival gets underway at 6 p.m., Wednesday at Pierce City's South Park, featuring rides and games of chance from J&J Magic Midway Carnival. Armbands for rides will be available for purchase all four nights if the festival...

The 41st Annual Freistatt Lions' Ernte Fest, the traditional German festival and a major highlight of summer activities in the Monett area, will be held Aug. 15 and 16 on the Lions' Ernte Fest grounds on the north side of village. A number of innovations will bring new features to this year's festival, according to Ernte Fest chairman Chris Griesbaum...

"Under Construction" is the theme for the year at the Monett School District. Doug Childress, president of the Board of Education, announced the theme and gave a formal greeting for the year to the faculty assembled at the Scott Regional Technology Center on Thursday morning...

Four new benches grace the grounds of the Barry-Lawrence County Development Center in Monett, thanks to the efforts of Andrew Rausch as his Eagle Scout project for Troop 38. Rausch, the son of George and Ann Marie Rausch, built the benches out of two-by-fours and two-by-eights of treated lumber that have a life span of 30 to 40 years. Rausch got the idea for the benches from Linda Painter, the director of the Development Center, who coached the robotics team on which Rausch participated...

Monett South Park has been quieter this week as a result of the Monett Municipal Swimming Pool closing on July 31. The pool closing was part of the contract approved in March between the Monett City Council and the Monett Area YMCA, which manages the pool. In past years, the pool would have remained open another week...

Finding solutions for Lawrence County's 911 system occupied much of the discussion among members of Monett's 911 Advisory Board. Bonnie Witt-Schulte, Monett's emergency management director and the new Lawrence County emergency management director, explained how the new Lawrence County 911 Exploratory Committee plans to meet at the Monett Justice Center on on Aug. 27. The committee will make a recommendation on how to solve problems with the county's system...

Those who look for the score of football, basketball and softball games this year may notice a few changes. Three new scoreboards have completed their installations, with one at North Park for softball, one at Burl Fowler Stadium and one in the MHS gym...

The Monett Cubs Athletic Booster Club has begun its annual "Catch the Spirit" membership drive. For the 2014-15 season, the Booster Club is looking for members to become part of something special. "The athletic programs often serve as the window to the school and community," said Richard Dutton, Booster Club president. "By building pride in our athletic programs, people will become more familiar with the academic progress being made in Monett."...