Stories from Tuesday, March 29, 2016

Donald Eugene Hollister, 54, of Miller, died at 12:19 p.m. Friday, March 25, at his home. Graveside services will be held at 3 p.m. Monday, April 4, at Miller Memorial Garden Cemetery. Arrangements are under the direction of the Morris-Leiman-Mosher Funeral Home in Miller...

Mable "Charlene" White, 65, of Monett, died Sunday, March 27. Funeral services will be held at 1 p.m. Thursday, March 31, at Bridgeway Assembly of God Church in Shell Knob. Burial will be at Fields Cemetery in Shell Knob. Visitation will be held from noon until service time Thursday, at Bridgeway...

Reva Lucille Bradley Hill died at 2:55 p.m. Monday, March 28, at Mercy Hospital in Springfield, following a brief illness. Visitation will be held from 11 a.m. to noon Saturday, April 2, at Fossett-Mosher Funeral Home in Mt. Vernon. Burial will follow at 12:30 p.m. at Mt. Vernon City Cemetery...

Dean LaVerne Proctor, 91, of Neosho, died at 2:17 a.m. Sunday, March 27. Burial will be held at a late date. Cremation arrangements are under the direction of Fohn Funeral Home in Cassville.

Children participating in the preschool program at Monett Elementary School have shown significant gains from their experience. In the annual report on the preschool program, Sarah Garner, assistant principal at Monett Elementary School, noted students in the full-time class are showing very strong gains in motor skills over those in the half-day classes. Both continue to support the value of having a preschool program, which is largely funded by Title 1 federal money...

Monett Main Street is again accepting applications for grants to improve the appearance of downtown businesses by upgrading their façades, or for other exterior work. In 2015, Main Street awarded six grants, offering a maximum grant payout of $7,199, including the first grant to improve the rear of a building visible from activities on Front Street. Main Street in the past has offered a maximum grant of $1,500, which can represent no more than half of the proposed project...

Patience was a virtue when teaching a toddler the ins and outs of her first Easter Egg Hunt.

The Monett Area YMCA will soon have a major new feature -- a rope course -- thanks to a donation in memory of the late industrialist Jack Henry. Gordon Brown, executive director of the Monett Area YMCA, unveiled the plans as a new feature that offers a challenge for participants. Brown said children who take risks are more likely to succeed than those unwilling to try new experiences. Risk-takers as children are more likely to become leaders, he noted...

Two people were injured Friday in a four-car pile-up on Interstate 44, 0.1 mile west of Halltown. According to a Missouri State Highway Patrol report, a 2013 Freightliner, being driven by Anthony Taylor, 52, of Corbin, Kent., was slowed for traffic in a construction zone and was struck from behind by a 2005 Chevrolet Silverado, being driven by Lois Richie, 65, of Manford, Okla. ...

Two men were injured Friday in a wreck at 7:55 p.m. Friday on Interstate 44, west of Halltown. According to a Missouri State Highway Patrol report, Arturo Padilla, 51, of Joplin, was driving a 1996 GMC Sierra westbound when his vehicle left the roadway, struck a tree and overturned, ejecting the driver and one passenger...

A Cassville teenager was injured Saturday afternoon in a wreck on Highway 37, two miles south of Butterfield. According to a Missouri State Highway Patrol report, Vanessa Carney, 16, of Cassville, was driving a 2006 Kawasaki Ninja motorcycle northbound when her vehicle lost control, left the roadway and overturned...

A six-week Feel Better Now course will get underway April 6, teaching participants how to feel better while managing chronic conditions, such as back pain, weight management, diabetes, asthma, heart disease, arthritis, emotions and stress. The class is free of charge and held weekly from 1:30 to3:30 p.m. Wednesdays in Conference Room A-1 at Cox Monett Hospital. To register for the class, please call 417/354-1280 or 417/269-INFO...

It is not a make-or-break week for the Monett baseball team, but it is huge in terms of being a measuring stick. The undefeated Cubs baseball team's schedule features three squads that are either state-ranked or receiving votes. "It's a tough week," said Michael Calhoun, Monett coach. "Obviously, we want to come out an play well and execute. These are the types of game we want to be in, we want to see how we stack up against tough competition."...

The Monett boys track and field team will head to Carthage on Friday with some positive momentum. The Cubs placed No. 7 out of 12 teams on Thursday at the Mustang Invitational with 29 points. Carthage won the meet with 199 points. "Our point total and placement may not show it, but I thought we had a good night last night," said Tyler Rickard, Monett coach. ...

The Monett girls track and field team took seventh place at the McDonald County Meet on Thursday. Monett settled for just one first place finish by Kallen Brown in the pole vault. "We just had one day between our warm-up meet and our first varsity meet on Thursday at McDonald County," said Kelly George, Monett coach. "We have had to fight winds around 20 miles per hour this week, and that is tough for all athletes...