Stories from Wednesday, December 30, 2015

The following stories are ranked by the Times staff as the Top 10 news stories of 2015.

The effect former State Senator, lawyer and publisher Emory Melton left on the Cassville, Roaring River and Barry County communities can not be described in few words. Melton, 92, died on Saturday after spending his life in Barry County. A short list of his accomplishments includes: serving as Republican State Senator in District 29 for six consecutive terms, from 1972 to 1996; serving as the Barry County prosecutor for four years from 1947-1951; owning his own law firm in Barry County since 1947; owning newspapers in Barry and Stone counties; graduating from Monett Junior College, Southwest Missouri State University and the University of Missouri Law School; and serving in the U.S. ...

Former Monett Commissioner Ron Overeem returned to the Monett City Council in a special meeting on Tuesday. Overeem, a former Missouri Gas Energy employee and real estate agent who has been very active with Habitat for Humanity in recent years, served one term on the council, from 2000 to 2004...

A fatality from weekend flooding has been confirmed by Lawrence County Emergency Management Director Bonnie Witt-Schulte. The victim, whose name had not been released by press time, was identified as a 37-year-old Verona-area man. The body of the victim was found shortly before noon on Tuesday in the Browning Branch Hollow, a tributary to Spring River. He is believed to have drowned...

In 1950, Cassville's Emory Melton said he swore he would never seek public office again. But, that plan changed in 1972, when he ran for State Senate for the first time in what would wind up being a 24-year career at the capitol. In 1996, only weeks away from his last active session in the Senate and only months away from his departure, Melton sat down with Will Sarvis to do an interview for the State Historical Society off Missouri's Oral History Program...

Robert Dale Seibert, 81, of Aurora, died Sunday, Dec. 27, at Mercy Hospital in Springfield. Funeral services will be held at 10 a.m. Thursday, Dec. 31, 2015, at the Crafton-Cantrell Funeral Home in Aurora. Burial will follow at the Maple Park Cemetery in Aurora...

Billie Jo Williams, 84, of Rogers, Ark., died Monday, Dec. 28. No services are scheduled at this time. Cremation arrangements are under direction of Fohn Funeral Home in Cassville.

The following stories are ranked by the Democrat staff as the Top 10 news stories of 2015.

There will be at least one Big 8 football job to fill this offseason. Seneca Coach Dan Scheible resigned, effective immediately, to become the offensive coordinator at Central Methodist University in Fayette. "It's always hard to leave one place for another," Scheible said. "The Seneca community has been so good to me. I have enjoyed my time here."...

A Jenkins woman was injured early Tuesday in a wreck at 2 a.m. at Highway 248 and Route C, six miles east of Cassville. According to a Missouri State Highway Patrol report, Tabetha Cochran, 29, of Jenkins, was driving a 1998 Ford F150 when her vehicle ran off the roadway, struck a fence and struck a tree...

Crews from the Monett Street Department dug in on Tuesday to extract large debris from around Kelly Creek.

Over 100 Barry County deputies and reserve deputies were sworn in Monday morning at the Barry County Judicial Center during an official ceremony state-commissioning deputies during the last week of each year.

The Monett Senior Citizens Center will host a dance from 7 to 10 p.m. on Monday, Jan. 4 at the center, 405 Dairy St. The Monett Chamber of Commerce will host a Lunch and Learn for Chamber members from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Jan. 7 in the community meeting room at 200 E. Broadway. Representatives from Missouri Southern State University will help lead a session on getting a business online. Participants are encouraged to bring a laptop to the meeting...

It was evident early on the game was going to get out of hand. Monett opened the Berryville (Ark.) Holiday Tournament against Green Forest and jumped out to a 21-0 advantage that encompassed the entire first quarter. The Tigers' first point came with 7:13 left in the second quarter, and their second point was recorded with 3:19 left in the same period. ...

When Chris Kennedy tells fans that he is a Bulldogs fan through and through, and that he can see himself retiring from the school, they can believe him. Kennedy is in his first season as both boys basketball coach and athletic director, but he is no stranger to coaching or Wheaton. An alumnus of the Class of 1986, Kennedy has returned home to help resurrect a program with a proud tradition on the hardwood...