Stories from Saturday, November 21, 2015

Dear Editor: Attending a Veterans Day celebration, I thought about my five brothers in World War II. Three of them were in combat, and I, too, am a veteran, but not a combat veteran, and there is a world of difference. My heroes are combat veterans, and my superheroes are people like Johnny Graves of Cassville and Monty Harper of Palmdale, Calif., who gave the supreme sacrifice for our freedom...

Sometimes bad things happen despite the best intentions. For the last few weeks, good things have resulted west of town from what had been a combination of bad circumstances and judgment calls. The end result has made Farm Road 1050 a far better road for all who use it...

As a child, I loved this time of year, not just because it was the holiday season, but because it was basketball season. I would ride the school bus home, wait for my dad to get off work, and then we were off to go watch a game somewhere. I did not care where we went, just as long as the games were good and my dad was with me...

Rob Guerin, Pierce City girls basketball coach, was stunned when he tried to put into words what it meant to win a third consecutive district title last season after his Lady Eagles upset top-seeded Purdy, 47-43, in the district championship. "I didn't expect to have this much success this early at Pierce City," Guerin said about his third consecutive district title. "It still hasn't sunk in. I am very proud of this squad for sticking to the game plan and finishing strong."...

Last season ended much sooner than the Purdy girls basketball team hoped it would. The team won 21 games, the Clever and Galena Tournaments, and an Ozark 7 Conference title. However, the Lady Eagles were upended for the third consecutive season in district play by Pierce City...

It has been awhile -- 635 days and 22 games -- since the Monett girls basketball team has tasted the sweet nectar of victory. However, as the old saying goes, it is always darkest before the dawn. With the season set to begin on Tuesday, the Lady Cubs are under new management this season with Alyssa Kennedy tapped to lead the program...

Officials at Monett Elementary School have chosen students demonstrating the characteristic of being responsible as Students of the Week for Nov. 16.

Trinity Lutheran School in Freistatt has recognized students who scored an average of 95 percent or higher on their Accellerated Reader tests in October.

Charley (Kaden Propps) and Amy (Mikala Fletcher) dream of the future in Purdy High School's fall play, "Where's Charley?" held Nov. 13 and 14 in the elementary school gym.

The annual Jolly Mill Park Old Fashioned Christmas and Open House will be held from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. on Dec. 4 and 5 at the park, 10 miles southwest of Monett. Visitors are invited to bring camera. The Purdy High School Student Council will host its first American Red Cross Blood Drive of the year on Monday, Nov. ...

The Ozarks by Knights of Columbus Council No. 1075 in Monett recently presented a check for $1,328.52 to the Arc of the Ozarks.

There's nothing worse than when a couple of precocious pigs escape their pen to tie up traffic. The porcine posse of Seth and Nelson Atwater struggled to get Cookie and Cotton Candy safely back into their enclosure off Farm Road 1040 south of Pierce City Thursday afternoon, but the not-so-sweet pigs weren't in the mood to cooperate...

Pierce City residents wanting to celebrate the Christmas season are encouraged to sign up for the Pierce City Lighting Contest, slated to kick off Dec. 1. Alderman Cory Sooter said a local family has donated the money for this year's prizes. "First prize will be $100, and second prize will be $50," Sooter said...

Preparations are underway for the 31st annual Linn Thornton Christmas dinner and toy drive. Named for longtime community organizer Linn Thornton, who led the Christmas Day dining effort for 28 years, the annual gathering will take place on Dec. 25 at the First United Methodist Church...

Meeting in special session on Nov. 10, the Monett City Council hosted a public hearing on a new Community Improvement District (CID) and approved the development plan as presented. Monett Marketplace LLC, the new business operation, will proceed to establish a new 26,400 square foot shopping center between Community National Bank and Lowe's...

Angel Rabadan served dinner to Janie and Bob Painter, who were among the hundreds of guests at the Monett High School Student Council's 42nd annual Golden Age Dinner, held Thursday at the Monett High School Commons.

Freistatt village trustees addressed unfinished business and maintenance issues recently. Trustees reviewed a letter drafted by City Clerk Deborah Schoen to the Missouri Department of Natural Resources over alleged shortcomings in the water system found during a routine inspection earlier in the year. The village had a specific response to every question...

Leadership in the Barry-Lawrence Ambulance District has proposed adding a third car for service in an effort to catch more missed calls being turned over as mutual aid. New Operations Manager Andy McCaslin asked board members to reconsider an experiment run in 2014 that proved unprofitable at the time...