Stories from Tuesday, September 22, 2015

Friday nights in the fall are sacred events for football fans, and stadiums around southwest Missouri are routinely filled to capacity with loyal, loud and enthusiastic patrons. This was the case on Sept. 4, when the Class 3 and No. 7-ranked Monett football team hosted Class 2 power and top-ranked Lamar at Burl Fowler Stadium. The stands, on both sides of the field were full, and the atmosphere was electric...

Billie Imogene (Zinn) Hill died Sept. 18, 2015, The Woodlands, Texas, formerly of Aurora, on her ninetieth birthday. Graveside services will be held at 10 a.m. Thursday, Sept. 24, at Maple Park Cemetery in Aurora. Visitation will be held from 6 to 7 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 23, at Crafton-Cantrell Funeral Home in Aurora...

Robin DeAnn Kroll, 51, of Branson, died at 6:00 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 19. Graveside services will be held at 11 a.m. Thursday, Sept. 24, at Concord Cemetery, Exeter, under direction of Fohn Funeral Home, Cassville, Missouri. Visitation will be held from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. Thursday, at Fohn Funeral Home, Cassville...

Alex J. Scofield, $190 for defective equipment. *Aden Mecino Munoz, $150 for no valid driver's license. Dustin J. Arbuckle, $135 for speeding; $100 for no valid driver's license. Dora B. Arroyo Vela, $24.50 and six months probation for no proof of insurance...

Personnel at the Pierce City Police Department received raises based on meeting or exceeding outlined goals and expectations set forth by aldermen following a 60-day review of their recent employee evaluations. According to Alderman John Archer, Police Chief Mike Abramovitz is performing much stronger now and has made several improvements in meeting the expectations of aldermen in regards to the performance of his job...

Monett residents will see water and sewer rate changes in the coming months. Unlike most times rate changes arise, Monett customers will not have to spend more to continue service. City Administrator Dennis Pyle said the city code requires city council members to review rates annually. The audit for the 2014-2015 fiscal year showed the sewer system ran a deficit of $221,915 for the year...

Standing below the F-4 Phantom Jet veterans memorial in Monett's South Park, local veterans gathered to salute military service and the soldiers captured or missing in action. The annual gathering brought respectful silence from the crowd and an occasional honk from passing motorists as the ceremony unfolded Friday evening...

Officials in the city of Verona are dealing with communication issues that have caused the city to table discussions about getting a gravel spreader. Mayor Willis Hutson has discussed acquiring a spreader for street maintenance for several months. When the matter came up recently, Hutson said he had no additional bids, as all vendors wanted approximately $5,600...

Attending the Ozark Steam Engine Association annual show in Republic last weekend is an annual outing for the Bennett family of Purdy.

Two speakers will discuss bringing a new medical school to Joplin at the noon meeting of the Monett Kiwanis Club today at the Family Room Steakhouse, First and East Broadway. The Ozark Christian Writers Guild will meet at 1 p.m. on Sept. 23 at the First Baptist Church on Highway 37. For additional informaiton, people may call Marty Frost at 235-7209...

Monett earned the Barry County Brawl trophy for the second year in a row Friday, and the Cubs were led on the ground by a player who Head Coach Derrek Uhl hoped would have a breakout game -- junior Michael Branch. Branch put up two scores on the ground, from 29 yards and 66 yards, and racked up 215 rushing yards against the Wildcats. Cameron Witt also had a big game, scoring two touchdowns with 90 yards on the ground and 53 yards through the air...

Some coaches refuse to talk about streaks, regardless of whether they are the winning or losing variety. Not Pierce City football Coach Brad Hocker. On Friday, his team was well aware of the situation as kickoff approach with Miller. Players could be heard on the sidelines saying "seven years," which was a reference to how long it had been since the Eagles had defeated their rival Miller on the gridiron...

Linda Dean Sheppard, 67, Joplin, died at 6:25 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 16, following a long illness. Funeral services were held Saturday at Parker Mortuary Chapel. urial was at Macedonia Cemetery, Stella. Arrangements were under the direction of Parker Mortuary, Joplin...

Michael Fisher, 42, of Aurora, formally of Cassville, passed away Friday, Sept. 18. Mr. Fisher, son of Joe and Irene (Perkins) Fisher, was born March 23, 1973, in Monett. On April 27, 1991, he was united in marriage to Chasity Prisk in Crane. He was a 1992 graduate of Cassville High School, a graduate of the Missouri Sheriffs' Association Training Academy, and served as a Barry County Deputy Sheriff for five years. ...

Jerry Lee Evatt, of Mt. Vernon, died Sept. 20, at Good Shephard Nursing Home in Lockwood, following a long illness. Funeral services will be held at 10 a.m. Wednesday, Sept. 23, at Fossett-Mosher Funeral Home in Mt. Vernon. Burial with full military honors will follow at the Mt. Vernon IOOF Cemetery...