Stories from Wednesday, September 30, 2015

Julianna Indovina, second grade student at Monett Elementary School, tried her hand at the bean bag toss to win a prize at the fifth annual Family Fun Fest, held Friday evening at the school.

Zelma L. Taylor, 81, of Monett, died at 3:40 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 29. Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 3, at Fohn Funeral Home in Cassville. Burial will be in Mineral Springs Cemetery, Cassville. Visitation will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. Friday, at Fohn Funeral Home, Cassville...

A Shell Knob man was injured Tuesday in a wreck at 5:20 p.m. on Highway 39 at Highway YY in Shell Knob. According to a Missouri State Highway Patrol report, Mark Garcia, 54, of Shell Knob, was driving a 1999 GMC Sonoma southbound on Highway 39 and was stopped in traffic attempting to make a left turn onto Highway YY when his vehicle was struck from behind by a 2004 Chevrolet Tracker, being driven by James Stone, 57, of Shell Knob...

Verona Mayor Willis Hutson has proposed a new half-percent sales tax in the city for street maintenance. Council members raised no objection to expanded street improvements, but remained undecided on the timing in placing the matter before voters. "Something needs to be done," Hutson said. "I'd like to have one for nothing but street work. With that, we could budget the streets we have."...

The Purdy City Council has scheduled two public meetings to discuss the Nov. 3 bond issue to build a pipeline to send the city's sewage to Monett for treatment. The first public meeting will be held at 7 p.m. on Tuesday at the Purdy Community Center. At that meeting, the city will have its attorney and a representative from the enforcement division of the Missouri Department of Natural Resources to explain the significance of the vote...

Fall is the season to get back in the game, and Calendar Girl Ashton Ratliff is doing just that, returning for her fourth year on the Monett High School softball team.

Visitors at the University of Missouri's Southwest Research Center near Mt. Vernon on Field Day had the opportunity to explore the way cows digest food. Two cows had been surgically altered, or cannulated, to allow people to insert their hand into the rumen,one of the cow's stomach-like compartments...

Due to persistent rains early this year, followed by severe flooding in July, Barry County farmers encountered a crisis with hay production, as much of it was baled late, washed away by flooding or contaminated due to excessive moisture. As a result, ranchers are now in the position of finding quality hay to feed their livestock over the winter and have an added expense they were not planning on...

The Monett City Council has proclaimed Oct. 2 as National Manufacturing Day, marking the first time the city has declared such a recognition for its industrial sector. The proclamation states: "Whereas, manufacturing is a major creator of jobs and wealth, and is important to the City of Monett's economy;...

Jay Jastal, of the Monett Police Department, assisted Patricia Hood with disposal of her out-dated prescription medications during the department's bi-annual Drug Take Back program, held Saturday at Bruner Pharmacy in Monett.

Sarah Wilken churns a pot of apple butter during Frontier Days on Saturday east of Cassville on Farm Road 1157, which aim to give area residents a glimpse into frontier life. Kyle Troutman editor@monett-times.com

The annual meeting of parents and guardians with students in the Monett R-1 School District receiving services funded by the federal Title 1 program will be held at 6 p.m. on Oct. 1 at the central office meeting room at 900 E. Scott, behind the E.E. Camp gymnasium. Assistant Superintendent Mike Evans will review how the program is working...

A battle for Big 8 supremacy will be on tap Friday, as Monett welcomes Carl Junction to Burl Fowler Stadium one last time. The Bulldogs depart the conference at the end of this season to join the Central Ozark Conference Large Division. They enter Friday's gridiron contest with an unblemished 6-0 record and hold the No. 2 state ranking in Class 4...

Brad Hocker, Pierce City football coach, sounds like a broken record these days. Hocker's three main talking points have centered on injuries, youth and kids playing together. To the coach's credit, he has not blamed the losses on the uncontrollable circumstances, but viewed them as opportunities to get better...

The Monett girls tennis team saw its season end with a 5-1 loss to Lamar on Monday. The Lady Cubs earned a lone victory in the No. 1 doubles event, with Lauren Bass and Katie Tinklepaugh earning an 8-6 decision. On Friday, the Lady Cubs finished fifth in the Big 8 Conference tournament. Bass and Tinklepaugh finished third in the doubles event, and Tinklepaugh took third in the No. 2 singles division...

6 The state ranking of the Monett football team. 3 The number of Big 8 Conference teams that are state ranked. (Lamar, No. 1; Carl Junction, No. 2; and Monett). 315 The number of points Carl Junction has scored this season (52.5 points per game average)...

Monett alumnus and Evangel University linebacker Devon Overall, No. 20, was named the Heart of America Conference Defensive Player of the Week for his efforts in the Crusaders 19-14 win over William Penn on Saturday.