Stories from Friday, May 20, 2016

Residents in Pierce City will have a tough decision to make at the polls in August, as the Missouri Department of Natural Resources has delivered a mandate in regard to the water proposed bond issue. Mayor Allen Stockton has held a series of town hall meetings in which he has promoted replacing the city's water system infrastructure with the assistance of a $3.5 million loan from the DNR. ...

Details for replacing the 80-year-old bridge over Business Highway 60, east of Monett, became public on Tuesday as representatives of the Missouri Department of Transportation MoDOT, held a forum on plans at the Monett Chamber of Commerce office. Built in 1936 as a Works Progress Administration (WPA) project, the bridge has seen definite deterioration and continues to deteriorate, said Kristi Bachman, project manager for MoDOT...

Nearly 500 Monett High School students jumped into a variety of cleanup and beautification efforts on Thursday for the sixth annual Service Day.

Narrowing the number of positions that need filling, the Monett school district has hire two teachers and filled two classified positions. Deborah Breon was hired as the new high school vocal music teacher. A 2010 Monett High School graduate, Breon taught for the past year in the El Dorado school district, her only previous year of teaching. Breon also plays violin and has performed with the Ozark Festival Orchestra...

A 17-year-old girl was injured Wednesday in a wreck at 3:40 p.m. on Farm Road 1135, four miles south of Cassville. According to a Missouri State Highway Patrol report, Sky Dill, 16, of Cassville, was driving a 2007 Mercury Mountaineer eastbound, and Tyler Gennarelli, 18, of Cassville, was driving a 1990 Ford Mustang northbound. Both vehicles failed to stop at stop signs at a four-way intersection and collided in the intersection...

A Cassville engineer's train was struck by a vehicle Wednesday at about 1:25 p.m. on Highway 60 in Diggins. According to a Missouri State Highway Patrol report, William Gdanitz, 76, of Fordland, was driving a 2003 Chevrolet Tahoe eastbound when he suffered an apparent medical issue, causing his vehicle to run off the roadway and strike a Burlington Northern/Santa Fe locomotive, being engineered by Andrew Hobson, 41, of Cassville...

Students at Monett Middle School engaged in a variety of physical challenges on Wednesday as part of Health Activity Day, under the direction of physical education instructor Amber Holman.

Monett firefighters responded to a residential fire at 6:53 a.m. Thursday at 204 E. County St. in Monett.

Cadets from the JROTC program at the Scott Regional Technology Center joined Monett Kiwanis Club members in collecting donations on Friday's Peanut Day to help stamp out neonatal tetanus in Third World countries.

A presentation on the Monett Chamber of Commerce's Young Professionals Network will be given by Meghan Shaner at the 6:30 p.m. meeting of the Monett Lions Club on May 24 at the Family Room Steakhouse, First Street and East Broadway. Shaner will talk about the program's goals, start-up plans and the requirements to participate. Anyone interested in the program or the Lions Club is welcome...

Unable to stop the bleeding early in the game, the Monett baseball season came to a close with a district championship loss on Wednesday. The Cubs saw their winningest season ever (23-4) come to a sudden halt with an 11-0 thumping by Carl Junction. "They got the ball to bounce their way and caught the breaks," said Michael Calhoun, Monett coach. "The Bulldogs are a good team and they took control of the game."...

State championship preliminary events kick off today at Lincoln University in Jefferson City for Class 1 and 2 track and field. The Pierce City track team has six athletes in the mix for medals at the annual event. In order to qualify for state, athletes must obtain top-four finishes in their respective district and sectional meets...

Wynona Margaret Newton, 90, of Pierce City, died Thursday, May 19, at Lacoba Nursing Home in Monett. Funeral Mass will be held at 9 a.m. Wednesday, May 25, at St. Mary's Catholic Church in Pierce City. Interment will be in the National Cemetery in Springfield...