Stories from Saturday, February 28, 2015

As a public school superintendent, I realize that with the job comes public scrutiny and criticism for decisions that are made regarding the school district. Although I don't particularly enjoy this part of the job, I accept it for what it is and try to keep moving forward...

Tomorrow morning, it starts again. Trout season at Roaring River State Park is like the convening of church. There is a cordiality combined with the excitement of a kid at Christmas, plus a religious awe standing in God's temple. The pre-dawn atmosphere is like nothing else: a combination of shock from the cold with the novelty of the place and the hour, the thrill of the hunt and participation in a decades-old tradition. ...

The proposed budget for the City of Monett's 2015-2016 fiscal year, beginning April 1, includes $2,228,400 million in capital improvement projects. One of the most visible changes will be a new corporate airplane hangar at the Monett Regional Airport. The 90-by-90-foot facility will hold four to six planes. The city presently has no available facilities to house large additional planes...

The number of homeless students in the Monett school district has risen sharply in the current school year. According to numbers provided by Assistant Superintendent Mike Dawson, the district now has 53 homeless students, a five-year high and up from 29 in the last school year...

A former Aurora teen, now a professional musician in Las Vegas, has caught the attention of country music star Brad Paisley and looks forward to a joint jam session on March 5 in Colorado Springs, Colo. Dale Baum, who performs under the stage name of Blaze, never saw himself as a country music fan growing up. The son of Dale and Cindy Baum, Blaze attended elementary and middle school in Aurora before his family moved to the West Coast in 2006...

The first Canvas and Coffee offered by artists April Davis Brunner and Becky Golubski was held on Tuesday at Mocha Jo's coffee café in Monett.

A Mt. Vernon man died on Thursday after a wreck on Route V, two miles west of Mt. Vernon. According to a Missouri State Highway Patrol report, William Loftis, 51, of Mt. Vernon, was driving a 1988 Ford Ranger eastbound on Route V at about 9:35 when his vehicle went off the roadway, struck a ditch and overturned several times. Loftis was pronounced dead at the scene by Scott Lakin, Lawrence County coroner...

Missouri Gas Energy (MGE), the supplier of natural gas to customers in the Monett area, has filed a request with the Missouri Public Service Commission to raise a surcharge on customer bills. MGE recently filed a request to increase the Infrastructure System Replacement Surcharge from 29 cents per month to 68 cents. The charge reflects replacement investments made since Sept. 1, 2014...

Gordon Brown, Monett Area YMCA executive director, said the Y has set goal of $65,560 for this year's annual campaign, which provides money to support the Y's financial assistance program. "The money raised during the annual YMCA campaign enables us to offer financial assistance to kids and their families who otherwise couldn't afford to take part," Brown said. "During 2014, thanks to last year's campaign, the Monett Area Y awarded more than $102,000 in financial aid...

March offers a mix of many things, from snow on the ground one day to balmy spring the next. With the return of Daylight Savings Time on March 8, Calendar Girl Elizabeth Hurst, ready for a warmer day, leaned on the pedestal for what had been the Etta Gardner Garden Club's sundial at the rose garden at South Park...

Due to impending inclement weather, the spaghetti dinner and silent auction fundraiser to benefit the Scott Regional Technology Center's JROTC program's Cadet Enrichment Project has been rescheduled. Instead of being held today, the event will be held from 5 to 7 p.m. on Saturday, March 7 at Scott Tech. A wide range of goods and services provided by area businesses...

Angel D. Aguilar, $24.50 and six months probation for failure to provide proof of insurance. Billy J. Coleman, $100 for failure to stop at a stop sign. Ronall B. Donham, $94.50 and two days in jail for failure to provide proof of insurance. Nathan A. Dowell, $24.50 and six months probation for failure to provide proof of insurance...

Officials at Monett Intermediate School have announced January's Cubs of the Month.

The Purdy High School Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) Chapter achieved great success in its annual March of Dimes campaign, raising $501.79 in donations.

Purdy Future Business Leaders of America Chapter members won medals from the FBLA District Leadership Conference, held at New Site Baptist Church near Monett on Feb. 12.

Bridget R. Barta, of Monett, was named to the Fall 2014 Dean's List at Park University, Kansas City. Eligible students must have carried 12 hours and earned a 3.6 or higher grade point average. Micha Miller, of Monett, graduated magna cum laude from Southwest Baptist University in Bolivar. ...

Pittsburg State University has released the honor rolls for the 2014 fall semester, including students from Barry and Lawrence counties. To qualify for Dean's Scholastic Honors, a student must complete at least 12 semester hours, receive a grade point average (GPA) of 3.6000 for all credit course work that semester and have no grade lower than a B and no grade of I in any course during the semester. ...

For almost 30 of the game's 32 minutes, the Pierce City girls basketball team fought an uphill struggle against Purdy in the championship game of the Class 2, District 12 Tournament. The No. 2 seed Pierce City team did not earn its first lead until Bailee Hayward's driving layup with 2:40 left in the final stanza lifted them to a 39-37 margin. Once the lead was earned, it was not relinquished, and Pierce City held on for a 47-43 victory...

The top two seeds in the Class 3, District 12 tournament advanced Thursday to today's championship in Pierce City. It will be the third time that the No. 1 seed Pierce City and No. 2 seed Miller have faced each other this season, with each squad owning a victory in this season series...

WILLARD -- As the last few minutes ticked off the clock during the Class 1, District 5 championship game, it was evident that the Verona's boys basketball season was going to end. The final score, 82-52, was not indicative of the way the game and season went for the Wildcats...

The Monett High School Pizzazz Poms Dance Team recently competed at the Missouri State University Sugar Bears Invitational in the 1A-2A division.