Stories from Saturday, April 30, 2016

The Monett tennis team took third place in the Monett Tennis Tournament on Thursday. Alex Ragsdale took second in the No. 1 singles division, and Josh Ridings won the No. 2 singles event.

All my life, I've been opposed to excessive regulation. I understand rules -- or, more specifically, laws -- are needed in order to help society function in a decent and orderly fashion, and not all regulations are bad. This week, Monett Principal David Williams proposed to the Monett School Board to begin randomly drug screening students. Some may scoff and say drug screenings are unnecessary invasions of privacy, but it is justified and needed...

Class 1, District 10 softball action kicks off on Monday at Pierce City High School with opening-round games. Purdy (22-2) earned the No. 1 seed, and Southwest (20-3) collected the No. 2 seed. Pierce City (16-5) was slotted No. 3. Sarcoxie (16-7-1) was voted the No. 4 seed, followed by No. 5 seed Wheaton (10-13), No. 6 seed Exeter (6-9), and No. 7 seed Verona (8-12)...

Coming into the second day of the Big 8 conference championship, the Monett golf team held an 18-stroke lead. By the end of the day, the majority of the lead had evaporated, but the Cubs held off the hard-charging Big 8 pack to claim their second straight conference golf title...

The words were hard to enunciate for Monett Baseball Coach Michael Calhoun as he talked to his team after a 8-6 win over Cassville on Thursday. Fighting back tears, Calhoun conveyed his message of love and pride to his team. "I love all of the teams that I have coached," Calhoun said. "But, you guys are special. You're selfless. You play for each other and you never quit. You make me proud to be your coach."...

American Cancer Society Festival of Barry County will be held from 6 to 10 p.m., Friday, June 3, at South Park in Monett. For more information or registration forms, contact Emma Faye Ruscha,. 605 2nd St. Monett, MO 65708. D & D Fundraising will be at Cox Monett Hospital with a wide variety of gourmet snacks and chocolates on Wednesday, May 4, 8 a.m. ...

At the reorganizational meeting of the Monett Board of Education, Keith McCracken and Brian Hunter took their oaths of office to begin their first terms on the school board.

Monett Elementary School Principal Suzie Gasser was recently named the Missouri Association of Elementary School Principals' Outstanding Principal of the Year for the Southwest District.

Students at Monett High School recently received a civics lesson and encouragement to take an active role in their community by past Missouri governor and former U.S. Secretary of State John Ashcroft. Invited to speak by retired teacher Vickie Head, Ashcroft spoke for around 30 minutes, then answered questions for an equal period. ...

A Miller man was injured and subsequently arrested following a wreck at 4:15 p.m. Thursday on Farm Road 1110, four miles north of Miller. According to a Missouri State Highway Patrol report, Charles Webb, 21, of Miller, was driving a 2005 Ford Ranger southbound when his vehicle ran off the roadway and struck a fence and a cattle guard...

The full glory of spring flowers runs its course in May. Calendar Girl Kristen Tilley fits right in with the Azalea bush at Lonnie and Linda Fulp's home at 545 W. Myrtle which having one of its best floral displays in 45 years.

The Monett school district and the Scott Regional Technology Center will celebrate 50 years of having a vocational education, career and technology program operating through Monett in a special ceremony at 7 p.m. on Monday at Scott Tech. Monett was the third school district in the state of Missouri authorized to begin a regional vocational education program in the 1965-1966 school year, starting with three programs: electronics, auto mechanics and drafting design technology. ...

The Monett school district is considering implementing a random drug testing policy in the coming school year at the high school and middle school, aiming to prevent drug use among its students. The proposal includes grades 7-12 and would consist of one testing session roughly every five weeks, where 10 random students would be drawn and tested, preferably using a 12-panel test provided by Employee Screening Services out of Springfield...

Dear Editor, I am and have always been in favor of protecting our children. That's why I was so glad to hear our city council agreed with our school system to close Ninth Street between Scott and Cleveland during school hours. That was a positive move...

The need to introduce random drug testing at Monett High School and middle school reflects more of the big picture in education than, perhaps, a need locally. Other schools have seen a need and taken steps accordingly. Unfortunately, the need is not isolated. Monett kids are abusing opioids and painkillers just like teens all over the nation. The question then becomes what are we going to do about it?...