Stories from Saturday, January 10, 2015

Dear Editor, Since the tragic events in Paris, I have heard several commentators extol the victims as martyrs of free speech. And they are. No matter how obnoxious a person's views are, they have the right to express them. What I don't understand is the same progressive people who laud the staff of Charlie Hebdo are quick to call for the resignation, boycott, or ostracizing of those in the U.S. whose speech or actions do not agree with their own...

With a 17-point halftime cushion over Spokane Thursday, it looked as if the Cubs basketball team was going to get their junior varsity and freshmen personnel some mop up playing time in the second half. The Cubs had run over, around and through the Owls throughout the first half, and expected to the same in the second half -- only they did not...

Monett Elementary selected responsible students to be named Student of the Week for January 5.

Eight students of Ruth Burnside performed their Christmas selections for the JPTA Recital at Missouri Southern State University in Joplin.

Two Monett Middle School students in the English language learners program were recently recognized for achievement at a recent Parent Night gathering

New non-fiction titles at the Pierce City Branch Library include: "The World Almanac and Book of Facts 2015," "Preserving the Past --Protecting the Future: a History of Missouri's Sheriffs." New westerns titles include: "Arizona Ambushers" by Jon Sharpe; and "Showdown at Two-Bit Creek" by Joseph A. West...

Kornerstone's Teen Mom Program recently received funding from the Robert and Francis Chaney Family Foundation in the amount of $3,500 for program year 2015. Kornerstone is a local non-profit organization serving pregnant and parenting teens in Barry County through advocacy and education. ...

A trivia night fundraiser for the Monett/Barry County Relay for Life has been cancelled for Saturday, Jan. 10. The Ozark Christian Writers Guild will meet at 1 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 15 at First Baptist Church, South Highway 37 in Monett. For additional information, people may call 235-7209...

Frigid weather may have limited outdoor activity this week as construction forges on inside the new performing arts center at Monett High School.

The Camp Barnabas organization has plenty of plans for the $40,000 donated by "Celebrity Apprentice" contestant Kate Gosselin on Monday. Gosselin served as project manager of the winning team on Monday's show, winning a $20,000 prize, plus a $20,000 bonus. Gosselin named her charity as Camp Barnabas to receive the prize...

Renovations will take approximately three more weeks to complete in the courtroom on the second floor of the historic Lawrence County Courthouse. Using a $100,000 heritage grant from the Missouri Department of Natural Resources, the county commission added another $65,000 to complete renovations...

The Monett Branch Library has a collection of bells on display in the lobby of the building.

With 2014 having passed, Northern Barry County Commissioner Gary Schad said it was largely an uneventful period for his constituency in terms of needs from his office. An improving economy painted a positive outlook for the county as a whole. Schad pointed to positive developments that he felt boded well for the future...

A man accused of murdering his ex-girlfriend and her grandfather in Washburn may be in Arkansas for some time, as he is facing multiple felony charges in Washington County that are slowing his extradition to Barry County. After Christopher Paschall, 37, of Springdale, Ark., was arrested on Monday Mick Epperly, Barry County Sheriff, said he hoped to have Paschall extradited to the Barry County jail in a week's time, but sticking to that timeline is now looking less and less likely...

The Cubs basketball team had a plan last season. With no seniors, everything they were doing was building to this year. Coach Jeremy Land could afford to spend longer amounts of practice time to fine tune weak areas, after all, he was going to have his group for another year...

Back in the summer, a committee assembled to look at livable streets in Monett. Participants came up with some startling observations, such as slowing traffic on Broadway below 25 miles per hour, or essentially walking speed. This has obvious benefits for merchants and creating an overall friendly atmosphere, except for agitated motorists trying to get from here to there...