Stories from Wednesday, May 11, 2016

PURDY -- The Purdy softball season came to a screeching halt on Tuesday with a 7-6 loss to Mt. Vernon in the Class 1 sectional round. For 5-1/2 innings, Lady Luck shined graciously down upon the 25-3 Lady Eagles, as they dealt with a bevy of base runners from the 22-7 Lady Mountaineers in every inning but the second...

The Class 2, District 12 baseball playoff season officially begins on Monday. Pierce City will serve as the tournament's host school. Teams with Eagles as mascots secured the top two seeds and automatic byes into the semifinal, with Purdy voted the No. 1 seed and host Pierce City the No. 2...

In my house, I own a plastic pig. To look at the item, there is nothing that identifies it as special, rare or unique. The molded plastic swine is roughly 10 inches long, 5 inches tall and 3 inches wide. There is a place underneath for batteries. In the animal's mouth is a sensor. When triggered, a cheap voice chip lets out a noise that is supposed to resemble a hog grunt...

Monett fire crews were dispatched to Monett High School Tuesday at about 1 p.m., but the call was downgraded shortly after it was dispatched. David Williams, Monett High School principal, said he believes while crews were working to install air conditioning units on top of the building, a hose came loose and freon got into the school's air ducts...

Bi-county sales tax receipts in April to cities and counties held very close, but slightly lower to a year ago, though the numbers reflected shifts perhaps more unique to the Missouri Department of Revenue than the local economy. Overall, the bi-county sales tax total in April ran about a $1,000 difference between this year and in 2015, depending on how the cut in Lawrence County's Justice Center tax is factored. ...

Patty Essary has retired from Schreiber Foods in Monett.

Monett Elementary School celebrated its second Popcorn Day of the year on Tuesday.

Monett High School seniors received honors Monday in the annual recognition assembly as they began wrapping up the final steps in their undergraduate careers. According to Kara Tinklepaugh and Beth Nation, counselors, the Class of 2016 at Monett could be described as academically competitive, diverse, driven with a wide range of interests and full of personality...

The eighth annual Pierce City Arts Festival will be held from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday at South Park in Pierce City, next to Clear Creek and north of St. Mary's Catholic Church. More than 30 artists will offer a wide variety of award winning and nationally-recognized fine art at the festival. ...

Ripplin' Creek, a southwest Missouri bluegrass band, will entertain at the inaugural Pierce City Music in the Park performance, from 6-7:30 p.m. on Saturday at the Jct. 37/97 Park in Pierce City. "We hope this is just the first of what will be a monthly event," said Julie Johnson, city clerk. "In an effort to promote the use of the park, we'd like to see family-friendly entertainers schedule their dates throughout the summer."...

Roaring River State Park and Fish Hatchery will be the place for kids to be on Saturday, as the area is hosting the 36th annual Kids' Fishing Day. The popular event, which began in 1981, gives children the opportunity to learn how to fish, and learn about the natural world around them in a variety of seminars geared for children, in the serene setting of the historic park...

Trinity Lutheran School in Freistatt will host graduation ceremonies for its eighth graders at 7 p.m. today in the school gym. Monett High School will hold Baccalaureate services at 8 p.m. on May 11 in the MHS Performing Arts Center. Graduation will be held at 8 p.m. Friday in the school gym...

Darian R. McCracken, $150 for defective equipment. Rojerio Oritz, $75 for defective equipment. Robert A. Painter, $100 for failure to register a vehicle. Gabriel A. Pryor, $100 for defective equipment. Marti D. Robbins, $125 for stealing. Steven D. Stowe, $100 for failure to register a vehicle; $75 for failure to register a vehicle...

Monett freshman Clayton Kaiser earned entry into the Class 3 state golf championship tournament. Kaiser finished with a 5-over-par performance at the sectional golf tournament held at par-70 Whispering Oaks Golf Course in Marshfield on Monday, leaving him tied for eighth place...

The Purdy golf team qualified two golfers for the Class 1 tournament at Fremont Hills Country Club in Nixa on May 16-17. Matthew Wilson and Tyler Keeler both made the cut for the Eagles. Wilson finished 13th overall with a 14-over-par, and Keeler carded a 17-over-par at the par-72 Hoots Hollow Golf Course in Sedalia on Monday...