Stories from Friday, September 16, 2016

David Laurie Heikkila, 65, of Mt. Vernon, died Monday, Sept. 12 at the Lawrence County Manor, in Mt. Vernon. A funeral service was held Thursday, Sept. 15 at the Fossett-Mosher Funeral Home in Mt. Vernon. Burial was at the Mt. Vernon IOOF Cemetery.

Mary "Lenora" Mills, 72, of Verona, died Tuesday, Sept. 13 at Cox South Hospital in Springfield. Visitation will be held on Friday, Sept. 16 from 6-8 p.m. at the Bennett-Wormington Funeral Home in Monett. Services will be held Saturday, Sept. 17 at 10:30 a.m. at the Bennett-Wormington Funeral Chapel in Monett. Burial will be at the Spring River Cemetery in Verona...

John Paul Ruark, 49, of Cassville, died Monday, Sept. 12, at Mercy Hospital in Cassville. Visitation will be held on Saturday, Sept. 17, from 5-7 p.m. at the White Funeral Home & Crematory in Cassville.

The Berean Christian Academy volleyball team (7-1) suffered its first defeat of the season, 25-20, 12-25, 7-25, to Veracity Home School of Mt. Vernon. Kelsey Pederson racked up 7 kills for the Lady Lions. Taylor Powers added 9 digs, while Abi Hoenshell and Ashtyn McCleery each contributed 8 assists...

Monett seventh grader Ethan Umfleet scored five touchdowns in a 36-16 win over McDonald County on Monday. Umfleet had over 246 yards rushing in the game and scored on carries of 50, 32, 62, 45 and 57 yards.

The Monett eighth grade football team earned an 18-8 win over McDonald County on Monday. The Cubs trailed 8-0 early, but used touchdown runs of 16 and 19 yards from Tanner Wright, and a 12-yard scoring run from Isaac Hilton, to earn the victory.

The Lawrence County Sheriff's Office plans to come down hard on child safety restraint violators. The sheriff's office announced Sept. 6 that they plan to join forces with other law enforcement agencies Sept. 18-24 for an aggressive Child Passenger Safety Week Law Enforcement campaign to enforce Missouri's child safety seat laws in order to reduce highway fatalities and injuries to children...

The 11th annual Shakin' in the Shell Festival and the 27th annual Classic and Custom Car Show will be held Sept 16 and 17 in Shell Knob, at the Chamber Park on Needles Eye Road. The band Earl and Them plays at 7 p.m. on Friday. The VFW will hold a breakfast Saturday 7 to 10 a.m. at the hall on Highway 39. Switch-It Up plays from 3 to 5 p.m. and Crazy Mule plays from 6 to 8 p.m. For more information, people may call 417-858-3300...

Local audiences packed the Big Top at Monett's South Park for two shows of the Culpepper and Merriweather Circus.

Patrons of the Pierce City school district will pay a total of $3.54 per $100 of assessed valuation on real and personal property. Members of the school board approved leaving the incidental and debt service levies the same as last year, at $2.75 and 79-cents, respectively...

The 82nd annual reunion of the 12 pioneer families who first moved to Lawrence County in the 1830s and 1840s will be held on Sunday at the Mt. Vernon Arts and Recreation center, located at 822 W. Mt. Vernon Blvd. The families include the Bouchers, the Spillmans, the Pruitts and the Brites, who came to southwest Missouri from Allen County, Kent. ...

To kick off the Monett High School Cubs football season, Roger Umfleet, director of the Ramey Supermarket in Monett, set up a display for the home team.

Construction will begin this fall on the Pierce City wastewater treatment plant upgrades after aldermen accepted the bid from McClanahan Construction, of Rogersville, in the amount of $763,106. Andy Novinger, a professional engineer with Anderson Engineering in Springfield, presented his recommendation for the winning bid in a special meeting last week...

Monett police arrested two people on Tuesday for drug trafficking in cases that interconnected and where active warrants applied. According to Monett Police Chief George Daoud, officers conducted a traffic stop that ended at 908 Third St., where a Monett Officer arrested James Calvin Harkins Jr., 59, of Monett, at around 12:35 p.m. The officer stopped Harkins for speeding, improper lane use and failure to stop at a stop sign...

For the first time in 12 years, the 800 United Methodist Churches in Missouri will have a new bishop at the helm. For the first time in its history, it will be one of their own. Robert Farr was elected to serve as a Bishop in the United Methodist Church at the South Central Jurisdictional Conference in Wichita, Kansas in July and started serving as the Bishop of Missouri on September 1. ...

The Monett soccer team (4-4-1) fell 5-1 to Springfield Central on Tuesday. The Cubs' lone goal was scored by Ricardo Grimaldo in the final five minutes. Monett hosts Springfield Catholic on Monday. Kickoff is set for 5 p.m.

More than 800 racers are expected for the Southern Stampede in Joplin on Saturday, and among the vast throng of thinclads will be the Monett boys and girls teams. The teams just completed the Monett Invitational on Tuesday and is looking forward to the challenges presented on Saturday...

A two-week stretch of games beginning Monday will test the metal and resolve of the Lady Cubs softball team. As of Wednesday, the Lady Cubs were 9-2, and beginning on Monday, the squad will play 14 games in a 14-day period as the season winds down. "Most coaches shy away from stacking a schedule with that many games at the end of the season," said Ty Goetz, Monett coach. ...

A Miller man died Thursday following a wreck at 9:50 p.m. on Highway DD, four miles east of Miller. According to a Missouri State Highway patrol report, Kirk Rose, 26, of Miller, was driving a 2000 Chevrolet 1500 eastbound when his vehicle skidded off the roadway and struck a utility pole...

The Pierce City High School football Homecoming coronation has been moved to inside the high school cafeteria, due to possible rain. The crowning will take place at 6:30 p.m.