Stories from Wednesday, November 2, 2016

Presidential races in Barry and Lawrence counties historically bring out more voters than usual to the polls, and those elections often set the tone for the down-ballot races. In the past 100 years, Democrats have carried Barry County only three times. In many cases, the strength of the presidential candidate's popularity will pivot wins in local races, though at times local candidates in turn help the top of the ticket...

More than 15,000 voters in both Barry and Lawrence counties are expected to head to the polls Tuesday in the 2016 General Election. Barry County Clerk Gary Youngblood and Lawrence County Clerk Gary Emerson each predicted a 70 percent voter turnout, which is fairly comparable to the 2008 presidential vote. Clerks anticipated the same during the 2012 presidential election and only saw around 63 percent...

With the General Election on the horizon, Missouri realtors have stepped up their promotion of Amendment 4 to the Missouri Constitution. Miles Noennig, president of the Missouri Realtors Association, spoke on what proponents are calling the "Taxpayer Protection Amendment" to realtors at the Monett Chamber of Commerce community room recently. ...

The Wheaton Journal newspaper, which covered the life and times of Barry, McDonald and Newton county citizens for a century from 1906 to 2005, and all of its history, may soon be instantly accessible on the internet if the Barry-Lawrence County Regional Library System applies for and receives newspaper digital imaging grant available through the U.S. Library Services and Technology Act (LTSA) of 1996...

There were grins all around at the Monett Halloween costume contest as master of ceremonies Murray Bishoff, dressed as a voting booth in a time of national distress.

A reception for Pierce City artist Judy Meirick will be held from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. on Nov. 4 at Artopia, 106 W. Commercial St. in Pierce City. Meirick's works will be on display through Dec. 31. Artopia is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays. For additional information, people may call 476-6500...

Ryan McDowell, MD, and Debbie Blinzler, family nurse practitioner, have joined Cox Family Medicine of Monett. Dr. McDowell currently works as an inpatient physician at Cox Monett Hospital and will see patients at Cox Family Medicine of Monett on a part-time basis. ...

The second year of GO CAPS Monett is off and running. According to program coordinator Rebecca Merriman, students began the year engaged with businesses and exploring careers, from the professional skills boot camp and MECA challenge. "This is exactly how a GO CAPS experience should be," Merriman said...

Katherine Wise, a Missouri State chorale student from Purdy, will travel to Washington, D.C. to sing with the Missouri State University Chorale at the 58th presidential inauguration on Jan. 20, 2017. The chorale, directed by Dr. Cameron LaBarr, will perform during the nationally televised inaugural ceremony, when the 45th president of the United States will be sworn in...

Work in the the Greater Ozarks Center for Advanced Professional Studies (GO CAPS) at Monett High School has had residual benefits, as shown in the work of senior Ashley Bryand. Ashley's GO CAPS passion project centered around her passion for helping others, her interest in the field of dentistry, and her desire to provide dental hygiene supplies to children in Africa...

Trinity Lutheran School in Freistatt has recognized the achievements of the Students of the Quarter at a chapel service on Oct. 26.

For the first time since the Missouri State High School Activities Association restructured the district football playoff format, Monett will host the district title game on Friday. Monett (10-1) welcomes a familiar foe in Mt. Vernon (7-4) with the right to advance to the Class 3 quarterfinal on the line...

With the Monett soccer team battling for the right to go to the state championship on Friday at 10 a.m., one player has an important decision to make. Monett senior goalie Cameron Cody also doubles as the Cubs' kickoff specialist on the football team, which vies for a district championship at 7 p.m., nine hours after the soccer Cubs kick off in the state semifinals...

In four short years, the Monett swimming and diving team has gone from a program that was hoping to get to state to a team that is sending two relay teams and an individual to the state meet. To come so far in such a short amount of time has even impressed Coach Dan Janssen...

All season long, Monett soccer players and coaches have talked about getting to the Final Four. The Cubs worked harder in the summer and scheduled tougher games for the season, knowing they might suffer more regular season defeats but would be a better playoff team...

Joy Evelyn (Patton) Disler, 82, passed away Saturday, Oct. 29, surrounded by her family. Joy was born Feb. 26, 1934, in Monett, graduated from Monett High School and was the oldest of seven. Her husband, Loyd W. Disler, preceded Joy in death. A devoted wife, mother, grandmother and volunteer, Joy touched a lot of lives in Tulsa, Okla. ...