Stories from Saturday, March 5, 2016

The Purdy boys basketball team (20-8) has a tall task ahead today as it faces Hartville (22-4), the No. 1-ranked team in Class 2. "They play the same style we do," said Tommy Egan, Purdy coach. "All five players on their team can score, which is a rarity for our class. And, they like to play fast."...

On Thursday, the Monett Chamber of Commerce celebrated its 70th birthday. The anniversary isn't exactly the 70th birthday, but in other ways, it marks the real birth of the Chamber as we know it. Back to the turn of century, Monett had a Commercial Club, as did Pierce City. This benevolent community group offered business leaders an opportunity to jointly promote themselves and commerce in town; a way to create and trumpet your own brand...

Monett's boys basketball team overcame a 25-17 halftime deficit to rally for a stunning, 47-44 upset victory over McDonald County (21-6) in the semifinal of the Class 4 District 12 semifinal on Thursday. Monett's Logan Coones was a perfect 6-for-6 from the free throw line in the final 38 seconds of the game as the Cubs salted the game away...

Officials at Monett Intermediate School have announced fifth grade Cubs of the Month for January.

The math team from Trinity Lutheran School for grades four to six participated in a math contest hosted at Cassville Middle School on Feb 27.

Connie Vandergriff, a special education paraprofessional, has been named the Employee of the Month for January at Monett High School.

Officials at Monett Elementary School have chosen students demonstrating the characteristic of being hard-working as Students of the Week for Feb. 22.

Graphic design students at Scott Regional Technical Center in Monett recently met with Jeremy Huse, a Professional Photographers of America member and vice president of the board of directors for Professional Photographers of the Ozarks.

The Missouri Retired Teachers Association (MRTA) held its annual Legislative Day on Feb. 17.

Purdy High School speech and debate students brought home their third consecutive Ozark 7 Conference Championship trophy on Feb. 4. Individual performers also achieved accolades. Kaden Propps won first place in dramatic interpretation, storytelling and duet acting. ...

Purdy High School named its homecoming royalty between games on Feb. 12.

Four Aurora High School media writing students were named winners of the recent Aurora Rotary Four-Way Test Speech Contest.

A group of approximately 60 people have gathered on Tuesdays at St. Lawrence Catholic Church for the seven-week "Discovering Christ" series on evangelism, developed by ChristLife, the Catholic ministry for evangelism.

Provision Living, operator of Oak Pointe of Monett, has announced Bobbie Misner has been hired as the senior living community's executive director. Oak Pointe assisted living and memory care community is currently under construction and scheduled to open this summer. The community is also seeking to fill additional leadership positions in the coming months...

The Lawrence County Sheriff's Office will join with statewide law enforcement for an aggressive youth seat belt mobilization to crack down on Missouri's seat belt law violators and to reduce highway fatalities. The effort will take place starting Tuesday, March 15, and continue through Thursday, March 31...

Alisha JoAnn McIntyre, of Cassville, and Ryan Dean Veith, of Purdy, have announced their engagement and forthcoming marriage.

The Monett City Park Casino will be the location for the Monett Senior Citizens Center's St. Patrick's Day Dance from 7 to 10 p.m. on March 7. Evelyn Lock and the Outriders Band will play. Cost is $4. Participants are invited to bring snacks to share...

This week work crews for Storee Construction of Springfield completed placing the outer skin on the 23,000-square-foot addition at Monett Metals.

The permanent fixtures in Monett, like Kelly Creek, endure wear and tear like any other structures.

Students at St. Mary's Catholic School in Pierce City recently finished their science chapter on sound, which included making a musical instrument to play along with several songs on compact disc.

The annual fundraising campaign supporting services at the Monett Area YMCA, enabling children without adequate funds to participate, is underway with a goal of $64,000. "The money raised during the annual YMCA campaign enables us to offer financial assistance to kids and their families who otherwise couldn't afford to take part," said Gordon Brown, Monett YMCA executive director. ...

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) will reopen its Disaster Recovery Center in Monett on Monday. The center will return to the Monett Community Center storm shelter at County Road and Hickory, and it will be open through Wednesday, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m...

Plans by the City of Monett to build a new parking lot in the 400 block of East Broadway have expanded with the successful acquisition of the former Singleton's eatery building and the southwest corner lot at Fifth and Broadway. Monett Main Street closed on the purchase of the lot at 421 E. ...

The Monett Elementary School kindergarten hosted its annual musical review on Thursday, featuring songs by Raffi.

After an extended debate, Freistatt village trustees voted to impose a new ordinance on key use, overruling one of its members who vigorously objected. Discussed for three months, the key issue came up when Clerk Deborah Schoen packaged an ordinance at the board's request that defined a new routine for checking out keys. The previous system had been dictated by three resolutions and a rental agreement for the Freistatt Community Building...

Jim Orr, Monett's mayor who died in December 2015, received the city's highest honor, the Monett Chamber of Commerce's Community Service Award, during the Chamber's annual membership banquet on Thursday. The design team for the new Monett High School Performing Arts Center, and the Monett Board of Education, which finalized the decisions, received the Pride and Progress Award...