Stories from Wednesday, July 13, 2016

Knowing the numbers is one thing. Knowing what they mean is another. Here are the five major things we should take away from the polling results in today's edition: 1. These races are close. Real close. Former highway patrolman Travis Hilburn has a slight lead outside the margin of error in the Barry County sheriff's race. ...

A recent poll of Barry County registered voters shows that former highway patrolman Travis Hilburn of Cassville is clinging to a slight lead outside the margin of error for the Republican nomination for Barry County sheriff, with many voters undecided...

A recent poll of registered voters showed the Republican primary for Barry County public administrator to be a statistical three-way tie. Exactly half (252) of the The Monett Times poll's 504 responders on Thursday said they were undecided. Of those with stated preferences, 18.06 percent (91 responses) said they favor Andy Reavis of Cassville, 16.4 percent (83 responses) said they favor Rodney Hughes of Cassville, and 15.48 percent (78 responses) prefer Keith Daniels of Exeter...

A recent poll of Barry County registered voters showed that the public is generally pleased or indifferent about the performance of the county's elected officials. The Monett Times poll on Thursday asked whether voters approved or disapproved of the job performance of outgoing Sheriff Mick Epperly, Prosecuting Attorney Amy Boxx and Presiding Commissioner Cherry Warren...

The role of the Barry County Public Administrator is one that can be demanding and challenging, and it requires the public's trust. The individual elected to fill the role of county public administrator will be responsible for a number of day-to-day duties, including administrative, clerical and reception. ...

The majority of Barry County sheriff candidates are in favor of implementing body cameras for deputies, and if proposed, cost of the equipment is a sticking point. Cherry Warren, Barry County presiding commissioner, said no proposal for purchasing body cameras has ever been presented to the commission, but that does not mean one would not be considered...

The new random drug testing policy for students in Monett Middle and High School has been adopted and preparations have begun for it to begin by Sept. 1. The problem of drug use among students became more significant during the past school year when the number of incidents requiring disciplinary action doubled over the previous year by spring, from seven to 15...

Preparations are complete for the fifth annual Purdy Festival, which will be held from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, in and around the Purdy City Park and school district. "The Purdy Festival is in its 5th year, and there is no way we could put together this great day without all of our community sponsors and volunteers," said Renae Neill, festival chairperson. ...

Several handmade quilts created by the ladies at St. John's Lutheran Church will be given away at the annual Stones Prairie Picnic, held at the church at 6 p.m. on Friday. The big prize will be the "Eliza's Medallion" queen-sized quilt pieces by Nancy Kielblock. A "Peek-A-Bo Monkeys" baby quilt was pieced by Carolyn Schad. Both were hand quilted by the St. John's Quilters...

The Cassville school district and five other nearby districts may soon be getting a valuable service come September, when CoxHealth, which currently provides telemedicine services for Cassville school employees, may extend the same services to elementary students...

Jamea Lou Gibson, 62, of Aurora, died at 1:45 a.m. Monday, July 11, at the Mercy Hospital in Springfield. Memorial services will be held at 6 p.m. Thursday, July 14, at Crafton-Cantrell Funeral Home in Aurora. A private family burial will be held at Maple Park Cemetery in Aurora...

Elizabeth Younker, of Pierce City, graduated Magna Cum Laude with a degree in nursing in May from Pittsburg State University in Pittsburg, Kan. To achieve Magna Cum Laude status, Younker had to sustain a grade point average between 3.9 and 3.9499 in a 4.0 scale...

Bekki Turner, Monett High School Class of 1984, recently completed her doctoral degree in education from Walden University. Her dissertation, "Preparation and Support for Female Head Athletic Trainers," has been downloaded more than 600 times at 244 educational and commercial institutions in 23 countries. Turner is presently working on having her dissertation published in a professional journal...

Sammy Johnson, the Monett dancer who has not allowed a bicycling accident to stop his passion, is raising funds cover costs to dance at a national dance convention in Orlando, Fla. Sammy is one of 10 dancers across the U.S. who won a chance to dance at the event. The prize is a lifetime scholarship to Tremaine dance conventions. The camp ran through July 11...

Verla Bullard of Monett won runner-up honors in the District 4 nursing home pageant held recently at the Ramada Inn Convention Center in Springfield. Bullard, who has been a resident at Lacoba Homes in Monett for the past year, agreed to represent the nursing home in the event as Ms. Lacoba. A pageant for the local honor was not held this year. The staff approached Bullard, 93, as a positive example of their residents, and she happily agreed...

A Verona woman sustained moderate injuries in a single-vehicle crash that occurred at 6:45 a.m., Monday on Hwy. WW, about three miles south of Aurora. According to a Missouri State Highway Patrol report, Ulyssa L. Martinez, 18, of Verona, was driving a 2008 Chevrolet HHR eastbound when the vehicle ran off the right side of the roadway, overcorrected, went off the lest side of the roadway and overturned. The vehicle struck a fence and came to a rest on its top...

Tickets are now on sale for the Rebel's Bluff Troupe's performance of Rodgers and Hammerstein's musical "Oklahoma" at 7 p.m. July 21-23 and 3 p.m. on July 24 at the Mt. Vernon Arts and Recreation Center (the MARC), 822 W. Mt. Vernon Blvd. Tickets may be ordered by calling the box office at 417-466-7130. Tickets will be available at the door...

The final awards have been released for the Class 2 baseball players, and the Eagles of Purdy were left with plenty of reasons to smile. Joshua Hughes skippered the Eagles to the Class 2 quarterfinal and his team secured four spots on the All-State baseball team...

Burl Fowler Stadium will host a Monett Middle School football camp from July 18-22. The camp runs from 6-8 p.m. each evening.

Monett's volleyball team travels to Rolla today for its annual summer volleyball camp, which runs through Sunday. For more information, people may contact Coach Julie Dalton at jdalton@monettschools.org.

The Monett High School volleyball team will hold open tryouts from Aug. 1-3 at the high school gym. Athletes must have a complete physical form in order to participate in drills. For more information, people may contact Coach Julie Dalton at jdalton@monettschools.org...