Stories from Wednesday, November 23, 2016

Football players videoed the reception they received as they drove through the Monett Elementary School campus and kindergarten through second-graders cheered their heroes before the state title football game on Saturday. Murray Bishoff times-news@monett-times.com...

Students at Central Park Elementary school shared what they are thankful for this week.

A woman was injured and the driver arrested following a wreck Tuesday at 9 p.m. on Farm Road 1065, one mile north of Washburn. According to a Missouri State Highway patrol report, Michael McCarley, 49, of Seligman, was driving a 2003 Ford Ranger southbound when his vehicle failed to negotiate a curve, ran off the right side of the roadway and overturned...

Three people, including an infant and a toddler, were injured Tuesday in a wreck at 3:10 p.m. on Highway 76, three miles east of Cassville. According to a Missouri State Highway patrol report, Isaac Love, 23, of Cassville, was driving a 2000 Nissan GXE eastbound and stopped to make a left turn when his vehicle was struck from behind by a 2012 Honda Odyssey, being driven by Marissa Bettes, 17, of Wichita, Kan...

Concern over bond coverage of city officials in Freistatt for handling financial transactions resulted in a switch of brokerage firms. Dean Gautney and Stephanie Bowling, from the Trogdon Insurance Agency in Mt. Vernon, presented Freistatt trustees with property insurance renewal information. ...

The Purdy City Council has signed a 15-year contract with Utility Services, the Atlanta-based national company known for maintaining water towers, to run the city's water system, including replacing meters and detecting leaks. The action followed several months of reports where more than half of the city's water supply, or 3.5 million gallons, failed to reach meters in a month, apparently disappearing in a series of leaks, both detected and undetected. ...

Eight downtown Monett merchants will host an Old Fashioned Christmas open house on Saturday on Broadway. Participating merchants are Find It Again antiques and flea market, Peppers and Company, Mitzi's, Fashion Crossroads, Modern Variety, Luly's Beauty Salon and the Monett Historical Society, many keeping extended hours. The stores are located in the 400 block of East Broadway...

On Saturday, Hobbs-Anderson American Legion Post No. 91 in Monett inaugurated a new series of bluegrass and gospel concerts to introduce the public to Legion services and programs. Ozark Mountain Revival played Saturday before an audience of around 50 people...

The staff of Cox Monett shared what they are thankful for this year.

Jose Hernandez Rodriguez, 61, of Purdy, died Monday, Nov. 21, at Cox South Medical Center in Springfield. Funeral services will be held at 9 a.m. on Saturday, Nov. 26 at Buchanan Funeral Home in Monett. Interment will follow at the Purdy Cemetery, Purdy. The family will receive friends from 2-10 p.m. on Friday at the funeral home. Arrangements are under the direction of Buchanan Funeral Home, Monett...

Athletes rarely let something as insignificant as size influence their apparel, or in this case, jersey number. As a junior, Monett quarterback Ian Meyer decided he wanted to wear his lucky No. 13. "I didn't realize how small the jersey was until the first game of the season last year," Meyer said about his then-6-1, 190-pound frame. ...

On Nov. 27, 1971, Burl Fowler led a hardened group of young men from the small community of Monett to Springfield. Fowler and his Cubs entered Briggs Stadium on the campus of Southwest Missouri State College and earned the first state football title for Monett High School...

Over the last six years I have been at The Monett Times, I have been blessed to cover good teams in every sports season. However, this fall sports season at Monett has been nothing short of spectacular in the group of athletes and their achievements...

The staff of First State Bank of Purdy's Monett branch shared what they are thankful for this year.

Jacob Brower, left, publisher of The Monett Times, presents a donation to the CoxHealth Foundation Breast Care fund to Cox Monett Hospital President Darren Bass.

Representatives sought in 5 districts During the next month, the Lawrence County University of Missouri Extension Council will be seeking candidates to serve two-year terms on the 23-member council. The county is divided into five districts based on township boundaries. District 1 includes Red Oak, Green, Lincoln and Ozark townships. There are two vacancies in that district, one man and one woman...

LeAnn "Lotus" Rae, 45, of Shell Knob, died Friday, Nov. 18. A Celebration of life will be held at 11 a.m. Monday, Nov. 28 at Lakeside Christian Church in Shell Knob, under direction of Fohn Funeral Home in Shell Knob.

Lucille "Ritzy" M. Martin, 84, of Reeds, formerly of Carthage and Cassville, passed away on Friday, Nov. 18, at Mercy Hospital in Springfield. Cremation arrangements were under the direction of the White Funeral Home and Crematory, Cassville.

Glenn Loftin, 83, of Exeter, died Monday, Nov. 21. Funeral services will be held at 1 p.m. Friday, Nov. 25 at Fohn Funeral Home in Cassville. Burial will be at Maplewood Cemetery in Exeter. Visitation will be held from 11 a.m. until service time Friday at Fohn Funeral Home in Cassville...

Loretta Michelle Goodman, 42, of Mt. Vernon, died Saturday, Nov. 19 at the Mercy Hospital in Springfield. A funeral mass, under the direction of the Fossett-Mosher Funeral Home in Mt. Vernon, will be held at 11:30 a.m. on Friday, Nov. 25 at the St. Susanne Catholic Church in Mt. Vernon. Visitation will be held from 10--11 a.m. on Friday, Nov. 25 at the church...

Ruby Faye Gamroth, 75, of Monett, died Monday Nov. 21 at her residence. Memorial services will be held at 2 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 28 at Buchanan Funeral Home, Monett.

Matthew Dylan Blevins, 21, of Golden, died Thursday, Nov. 17. Funeral services will be held at 1 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 23 at First Southern Baptist Church in Golden, under direction of Fohn Funeral Home in Cassville. Burial will be at Eisenhour Cemetery in Spokane, Mo...

A child was injured Sunday in a wreck at 2:45 p.m on Farm Road 1045, four miles northwest of Exeter. According to a Missouri State Highway Patrol report, Coy Harper, 12, of Exeter, was riding a 1994 Honda Iourtrax ATV northbound when his vehicle crossed the center of the roadway and struck head-on a 1996 Toyota Tacoma, being driven by Cheng Khang, 29, of Cassville...

The annual Christmas Angel Tree will be available to adopt a child or family in the Pierce City school district for the holidays at city hall in Pierce City. The Wheaton Christmas parade will be held at 6 p.m. on Dec. 10 in downtown Wheaton. The Cassville Christmas parade will be held at 6 p.m. on Dec. 3 downtown...