Stories from Saturday, March 14, 2015

With the defeat of a proposed statewide sales tax to fund highway construction in August 2014, the Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) has begun implementing reductions in service. Dan Salisbury, assistant district engineer for MoDOT, recently presented an overview of the new strategies to the Lawrence County Commission...

In a four to three vote, aldermen on the Pierce City Council nixed a liquor license proposal for Mazoo Liquors, whose owners planned to open the store in the Dollar General Store strip mall, located at 201 Commercial Street. Greg Williams, owner of In Triplicate, the parent company of Mazoo, approached aldermen with projections of $25,000 in sales tax revenue, based on a similarly-sized location in Sarcoxie. He had requested licenses for package sales, Sunday sales and wine tasting...

The Monett Chamber of Commerce gave its highest honor, the Community Service Award, to Phyllis Garrett at its annual membership banquet on Thursday. The Pride and Progress Award went to Ken Gaspar and the Bayou restaurant won Business of the Year. Garrett found herself at a loss for words and was nearly in tears as she faced a standing ovation at the Scott Regional Technology Center...

A two-week experiment will begin on Monday at Monett Middle School to study traffic patterns while Ninth Street is closed for construction. Superintendent Brad Hanson reached an agreement with Mayor Jim Orr and City Administrator Dennis Pyle to extend the hours of the street closing for action research. Instead of closing the street at 7:45 a.m. each day, the street will be closed at 7:15 a.m. Instead of reopening the street at 2:45 p.m., barricades will be left up until 4 p.m...

Sales from homes in Barry and Lawrence counties spiked significantly in 2014 over the previous year. Realtors expect the positive sale trend to continue as long as interest rates set by the Federal Reserve Bank remain low. Numbers previously released by the Southwest Missouri Board of Realtors no longer provide a direct comparison. ...

Monett-based Jack Henry and Associates (JHA) has expanded its board of directors to eight members with the appointment of Shruti Miyashiro, from the state of California. Miyashiro was appointed as an independent director, leaving only Jack Prim, JHA chairman of the board and chief executive officer, as the only non-independent director...

A Cassville man suffered minor injuries Thursday night in a single-vehicle wreck on Highway 37, one mile north of Purdy. According to a Missouri State Highway Patrol report, Todd Recio, 34, of Cassville, was driving a 1997 Dodge Caravan southbound on Highway 37 at about 8:05 p.m. when his vehicle traveled off the left side of the roadway and struck a barbed-wire fence...

Betsy Anderson, right, in her second year as the culinary arts instructor at Scott Tech, introduced the crew of students from five school districts who prepared and served the meal to Kiwanians.

Construction crews under general contractor R.E. Smith moved forward with all available haste this week to dry in the building at the Monett High School FEMA shelter and performing arts center, sealing it from weather.

Employees, volunteers and physicians at Cox Monett Hospital recently donated $1,041 to the Monett Backpack Program.

The next mid-week Lenten service, sponsored by the Monett Ministerial Association, has been scheduled for noon Wednesday, March 18 at the First Baptist Church, on South Highway 37. Dennis Burge will be the speaker. A light lunch will follow the service...

Monett native Christopher S. Jolly was promoted by the Missouri State Highway Patrol on March 1 from the lieutenant to captain and designated as director of the Patrol's gaming division. Jolly was appointed to the Patrol on Feb. 1, 1998, as a member of the 75th Recruit Class. Upon graduating from the Patrol's Law Enforcement Academy, he was assigned to Troop A, Zone 11, Cass County. He was promoted to corporal on June 29, 2003, and designated assistant zone supervisor of Zone 6, Jackson County...

The Lawrence County Sheriff's Office has announced it is joining with statewide law enforcement for an aggressive youth seat belt mobilization effort to crack down on Missouri's seat belt law violators and to reduce highway fatalities. The effort will take begin March 15 and continue through March 31...

Tanner Marney, son of Neil and Amanda Marney, participated in a court of honor on January 20 to celebrate his advancement to the Boy Scouts highest rank of Eagle Scout. Within the troop, Tanner has served as senior patrol leader and chaplains aid. He attended numerous outings, summer camps and traveled with the troop to Florida to attend the high adventure camp, Sea Base...

The Pierce City Branch Library has several new DVDs. Titles include: A Little Game; A Mother's Gift; Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day; Clifford the Big Red Dog: King Clifford and Be My Big Red Valentine; Justice League: Throne of Atlantis; Last Weekend; Love and Honor; and The Song...

Fifth graders from St. Lawrence Catholic School will compete on March 21 at Cassville High School in the math contest, sponsored by the Math League.

The Monett High School one act play, "A Murder of Crows," placed first at the district MSHSAA qualifying tournament held March 3 and has qualified for the state tournament in April.

Officials at the University of Arkansas have released the list of students named to the Chancellor's List for the fall 2014 semester. Local students include: Sarah Edwards, Theresa Mangler and Anna Arnaud, of Monett; and Paige Whitlock, of Aurora. Students named to the Dean's List include: Sarah Edwards, Anna Arnaud, of Monett; and Brice Fields, of Washburn. Among those students named to the law list was Chris Smith, of Cassville...

Sarah Edwards, of Monett, was a fall 2014 graduate of the University of Arkansas. She majored in marketing at the Sam M. Walton College of Business. Other graduates include: Caleb Buck, of Monett, from the College of Electrical Engineering; Jason Hinson, Eagle Rock, Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences; and Ryan Rowley, of Cassville, Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences...

The Purdy Elementary kindergarten staff will host an open house for next year's kindergarten families from 3:45 to 5 p.m. on Wednesday, March 25.

Officials at Monett Elementary School have selected the Students of the Week for March 2 and March 9.

Quincy Jackson, one of the hardest hitting players on the Monett football team, punched his ticket to the next level, signing a letter of intent to play football at Benedictine College, in Atchison, Kan. "What's not to love about football and getting to play?" Jackson said. "I get a chance to get away from home, earn a great education and play football."...

Zack Hammond took a few moments to reflect on the realization of a dream come true dream Wednesday when he signed a national letter of intent to play football at Benedictine College in Atchison, Kan. "In your mind, you play this scenario out a hundred times," Hammond said. "Then, it happens, and it is even better than you imagined it could be. I mean, it is real now."...

There's an old social psychology experiment that shows up in all the old textbooks. A subject is supposed to oversee another participant hooked up to electric shock device. A supervisor tells the subject to shock the other person for giving a wrong answer, and apply more voltage as questions continued. The experiment showed that the subject consistently obeyed, submitting to the authority of the supervisor, even over the cries of the other person...