Stories from Wednesday, March 11, 2015

Frank Allen Herr, 94, of Aurora, died at 4:28 a.m. Sunday, March 8, at Ozark Methodist Manor in Marionville. Graveside services will be held at 2 p.m. Friday, March 13, at Maple Park Cemetery. Arrangements are under the direction of the Crafton-Cantrell Funeral Home in Aurora...

It was a good year to be a Pierce City basketball player in the Spring River Valley Conference. On Monday, the conference released its boys and girls all conference teams. On the girls side, Pierce City landed three on the coveted roster, including the highest award, the Player of the Year, given to Bailee Hayward...

The season might be over for the Pierce City boys basketball team, but the postseason awards are just starting to be announced. On Monday, the Spring River Valley Conference got the ball rolling with the release of its all-conference basketball teams...

A Mt. Vernon man died Monday morning in a single-vehicle wreck on Farm Road 2190, 2-1/2 miles north of Verona. According to a Missouri State Highway Patrol report, Dale Bradford, 61, of Mt. Vernon, was driving a 2000 Cadillac DHS eastbound on Farm Road 2190 at about 7:30 a.m. when his vehicle ran off the right side of a low-water bridge and overturned into a creek...

It was a sticky Tuesday morning for the Monett School District's bus crews. The driver for Route No. 1, which runs south from Pleasant Ridge, got stuck in the mud of a driveway turning around before reaching his first students. According to James Lawrence, transportation director, the bus was partly blocking Highway VV, requiring motorists to drive around it. Lawrence drove down with a second bus, which the driver took to continue his rounds...

A Shell Knob woman was hurt in a single-vehicle wreck shortly before 1 p.m. on Tuesday on Highway BB, south of Monett. According to a Missouri State Highway Patrol report, Diane Larson, 67, of Shell Knob, was driving a 2001 Toyota RAV 4 east from Highway 37 on Highway BB when her vehicle ran off the roadway, struck a culvert and overturned in a ditch, facing west...

Jenni Schmidt, middle, received a painting of flowers, blossoms and vines on her face from painter Kadence Carnes, right, at one of the most popular attractions at the Trinity Lutheran School Carnival.

On Thursday, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) was unable to replace the transmitter that provides updates to weather radios across Barry, Lawrence, McDonald and Newton counties. A crew from Kansas City did not have the correct reading equipment to fix transmitter WNG608 on a Cassville radio tower, said Quay Kendrick, electronic systems analyst with the National Weather Service in Springfield. ...

The City of Monett's proposed $40.8 million budget for 2015-2016 includes several major ongoing contracts for services. The city expects to spend up to $200,000 with Visu-Sewer for lining sewer mains and manholes. The contract with the engineering firm of Allgeier, Martin and Associates for $340,000 covers plans to upgrade the wastewater treatment plant...

A deal now appears likely between the cities of Purdy and Monett to resolve Purdy's longstanding sewer crisis, but a final resolution may still hinge on a public vote. Monett City Administrator Dennis Pyle reported to the Monett City Council that talks continue with Purdy officials, who prefer working out a solution with Monett. ...