Stories from Saturday, June 20, 2015

There was good news and bad news for the Barry-Lawrence Regional Library as the fiscal year neared its end. The good news was Governor Jay Nixon released the funds he had withheld for budget balancing purchases. State aid totaled $37,115.50, the same as the previous year...

According to the National Weather Service office in Springfield, Barry County avoided major flooding Thursday night into Friday morning after Tropical Storm Bill made its way into the state from the southwest. Mike Griffin, meteorologist, said the heaviest band of rain started in Barry County, but quickly moved to Stone Christian and Greene counties. Radar estimates show between 2-4 inches of rainfall in Barry County, while Stone and Christian counties saw between 5-8 inches of rain...

Dodge City is coming back to Monett's South Park. The purple martin birdhouses, originally built by railroad master mechanic Sam Hubbard and mounted in 1968, underwent another renovation recently. The seven "houses" placed next to the Frisco caboose at the park have this time been rebuilt by Hubbard's grandson, Tom, replacing versions constructed by Monett Career Center students in 2004 and 2005...

The Monett City Council has scheduled its monthly meeting at 9:30 a.m. on Monday, and a subsequent work session to address a wide range of business. The council will consider separate contracts with Lawrence County and the City of Mt. Vernon to take over the dispatching services. The county commission reached an agreement to overcome objections by Sheriff Brad DeLay and plans to sign a three-year deal to run county dispatching and 911 service through the city's police dispatching center...

The discharge of fireworks will be allowed inside the city limits of Purdy for a three-day period over the nation's birthday. Police Chief Jackie Lowe said fireworks will be allowed between 10 a.m. and 11 p.m. Thursday, July 2 through Sunday, July 5...

Summer School at Monett Elementary offered learning opportunities in the classroom and fresh ways to have fun.

On June 13, a total of 16 EFCO Corporation team members and their families volunteered to help Habitat for Humanity with the construction of their current home building project.

Kings Prairie Special Road District commissioners will meet at 7 p.m. on June 23 at Angus Branch Steakhouse in Monett. The Monett Rural Fire District will meet at 6 p.m. on June 30 at the main fire station on County Road, below the Industrial Park water standpipes...

Officials at Monett High School have released the names of students listed to the second semester honor roll for the 2014-15 academic year. Students are listed by achievement and grade level. Seniors: Kendall Bounous, Brooke Burnside, Michael Cooper, Garrett Craig, George Fulton, James Gustaveson, Tara Hancock, Kiersten Harper, Haley Henry, Wesley Kilgore, Isaac Long, Abraham Maciel, Brooke Madison, Ryan Mareth, Tarek Masri, Sydney Michael, Haylee Morris, Raegan Nolan, Saloni Patel, Jessica Perez, Hannah Pitts, Collin Randles, Andrew Rausch, Adriel Ridenour, Polet Rodriguez, Janie Salas, Janeth Serrano, Blake Spain, Kailee Ticknor, Bonnie Upchurch, Nathan Webb, Willow Welters, David Williams, Tallie Williams, Hunter Witt.. ...

Monett High School Class of 1949 recently hosted its 66th reunion at Angus Branch Steakhouse in Monett.

The Arkansas Bar Association and Arkansas Bar Foundation honored former Monett resident, Judge John R. Scott, with the Outstanding Jurist Award. Judge Scott is the son of Dr. and Mrs. Ralph L. Scott of Monett.

The annual Bailey-Funk Family Reunion was held June 14, at the Monett Senior Citizen's building in Monett with 37 family members and friends attending. Members started gathering at 11 a.m. for visiting. At 1:00pm, a basket dinner was served. All gathered in a circle holding hands and introduced themselves and their families and told their relationship to the family. The dinner prayer was led by Earl Burk before enjoying the bounteous meal...

New DVDs at the Pierce City Branch Library include: Banner 4th of July, The Good Witch, My Dad's a Soccer Mom, Project Almanac, Puppy Love, Seventh Son, Soldier Love Story, The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge out of Water, and Unstoppable. New adult fiction titles include: "Beach Town" by Mary Kay Andrews; "Secret Brother: a Novel" by V.C. ...

Samantha Dohmen and Bradley Chaffin announce their engagement and forthcoming marriage.

Mr. and Mrs. Mark Dotson, of Star City, announce the engagement and forthcoming marriage of their daughter, Kristen Brooke, to Logan Reed Scott, son of Mr. and Mrs. Mark Scott, of Golden.

The Class 4, District 12 baseball teams have been released, containing the names of five Monett players. Cameron Witt, Jordan Hall, Kyle McCallister and Blake Spain all earned first-team honors. Isaac Long earned an Honorable Mention award. The complete list is as follows, and those with unanimous designations were selected by all of the district's coaches:...

For four years, Monett senior Misael Cordero was part of the winningest soccer team in the Cubs' history. Cordero's hard work was rewarded when he became the second Monett soccer player to earn a scholarship for his efforts on the pitch. "I've always liked soccer," Cordero said. "It is a sport that I could play when I was stressed out and it calmed me down. I always seemed to excel when I played."...

It rises toward the summer's cotton-candy blue sky as a tribute to the Ozarks' native golf son, and a gasp is said to have gone up as bystanders take a closer look. See the Tam o'shanter hat and the baggy knickerbockers? And, check out the classic finish of his tee shot -- a picture-perfect pause, with the right elbow down with a baseball grip, golf club angled over the left shoulder, right shoe on its tip...

Those of us who work in downtown Monett frequently witness what I call "the rain dance." This is not a dance to create rainfall, but the opposite. The dance is the deliberate and methodical installation of flood gates and sand bags in garage doors and doorways. ...