Stories from Friday, May 27, 2016

Presenting a united front and complaining of seriously low morale, 26 of the 41 certified teachers in the Verona school district faced its Board of Education to ask for a 4 percent raise, and to protest both the practice of raises for administrators and the chain of command that discouraged teacher attendance at board meetings...

A trailer for R.E. Smith Construction is now in place on the northwest corner of Central Park Elementary School, a reflection of summer improvement projects in the Monett school district now underway. Superintendent Brad Hanson reported a construction crew had begun tearing out the old offices in the center of Central Park Elementary, between the cafeteria and the commons area, as a start to what will become ongoing work for most of the coming year. ...

The Monett City Park Casino will now be available for rental on every holiday, except Thanksgiving and Christmas Day. The Monett City Council amended the ordinance for rental regulations of the popular facility for the first time since it reopened in August 2014...

Novelist Polly McCrillis has donated a three-and-a-half octave marimba to the Ozark Festival Orchestra.

Hobbs-Anderson American Legion Post No. 91 will place approximately 1,000 flags on the graves of veterans in cemeteries in and around Monett today for Memorial Day.

Tom Wolfe Memorial Post No. 4207, VFW, will host a Memorial Day service at noon on May 30 at the Monett IOOF Cemetery. 3D Corporate Solutions will hold an auction to benefit the company's foundation at 12:30 p.m. on May 31, preceded by a hot dog cookout at noon. Items include tickets to a KC Chiefs game, an autographed Steve Young jersey, weekend lodge stays, Silver Dollar City tickets and more. The event will be held at 601 N. 13th St. and include live music...

Twelve members of the Purdy High School Future Business Leaders of America Chapter traveled to Springfield for the Missouri Future Business Leaders of America State Leadership Conference. This three-day conference, beginning Sunday, April 24, featured workshops, innovative keynote addresses and professional networking opportunities with Fortune 500 companies for middle school through college students...

PLATO -- Purdy's magic playoff bus ran out of gas and came to a screeching halt with a 15-2 loss in the Class 2 quarterfinal baseball round to Plato on Thursday. While the final score reflects a blowout, the game through five innings was highly competitive...

The Monett baseball team finished the season with a record of 23-4. The first of what is sure to be many awards started rolling in on Thursday with the release of the Cubs' team awards. Most Valuable Player: Ian Meyer Rookie of the Year: Brady Wright...

Myrtle Marie Wood, 92, of Eagle Rock, died Wednesday, May 25. Graveside services were held Friday, May 27, at Oak Hill Cemetery in Cassville. Funeral arrangements were under the direction of the White Funeral Home and Crematory in Cassville.

Ronnie D. Slaughter, 30, of Seligman, died Thursday, May 26. Services are currently pending. Arrangements are under the direction of White Funeral Home in Cassville.

Joseph Ivan Cline, 57, of Seligman, died Thursday, May 26. Services are currently pending. Arrangements are under the direction of White Funeral Home in Cassville.

D. Mark Sippy, 61, of Gainesville, Ga., formerly of Monett, passed away Sunday, March 13. Mark was born Nov. 29, 1954, in Heidelberg, Germany, to David and Beverly Sippy. Following his father's discharge from the Army, the family moved to Cabool, then to Sapulpa, Okla., before moving to Monett in 1967. ...