Stories from Saturday, December 24, 2016

The Purdy FFA chapter selected sophomore Mason Schallert as the December Member of the Month.

With no objections raised, the Monett City Council acted promptly on Tuesday to place a quarter-cent sales tax on the April 4, 2017, ballot to pay for a new aquatic center that will be located outside of the Monett Area YMCA complex. During the public hearing on the sales tax proposal, the only comment offered came from Jeff Meredith, executive director of the Monett Chamber of Commerce...

After a year of planning, St. Louis-based Aire Fiber LLC, now known at Aire Internet, has opened a campaign to determine interest in its data-only internet service in Monett. According to Michael Orlowski, managing principal with Aire Internet, the firm is now offering service in Joplin and Carl Junction. Having made arrangements in October 2015 to lease space for broadcast antennae on Monett water towers, the company has begun a public campaign to determine local interest in its service...

Santa wasn't the only one delivering gifts at the Monett Area Sheltered Workshop Thursday afternoon.

The 93rd annual Lawrence County Soils and Crops Conference has been scheduled for Jan. 5, 2017, at the University of Missouri's Southwest Research Center near Mt. Vernon, focusing on economics in the agriculture industry and improvement strategies. The conference will run from 6-9 p.m. Presentations will begin around 6:45 p.m. Pre-registration runs until Jan. 3 and includes a $5 fee. The fee is $10 after that deadline...

Around 50 people attended a retirement reception for Joe Ruscha, Eastern Lawrence County commissioner, on Wednesday at the historic county courthouse in Mt. Vernon. Ruscha is leaving office after 24 years, serving as both presiding and eastern commissioner. He lost his re-election bid in the August primary...

Many Monett churches will hold special services tonight on Christmas Eve, in addition to plans for regular Sunday services on Dec. 25. St. Lawrence Catholic Church at 405 Seventh St. in Monett will have Mass at 4:30 p.m. but no midnight service this year. St. Mary's Catholic Church in Pierce City will have Mass at both 4 p.m. and midnight...

Children from second grade to preschool from Trinity Lutheran School in Freistatt were full of energy as they practiced on Tuesday for their part in the Christmas eve service at 7 p.m. today.

Todd Borgmann is pictured directing the seventh grade band in the Winter Concert on Tuesday

Local congregation members from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints engaged in an international program for the Christmas season, the Light the World campaign, engaging in a variety of activities to inspire and encourage others in promoting Christian love...

Closing out 2016, First State Bank of Purdy made a donation of $5,000 to Trinity Lutheran School in Freistatt.

Kinleigh Johnson, age 3, of Monett, the daughter of the daughter of Brian and Lisa Johnson, was named Tiny Miss Beauty at the Greater Springfield International Girl Competition.

First State Bank of Purdy, as part of its community outreach, has donated $5,000 to the Berean Christian Academy.

Purdy Middle School Students of the Month have been named by Principals Janet Boys (K-6) and Matt Gower (7-12).

The Linn Thornton Memorial Christmas Dinner will be held from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. today at the First United Methodist Church, 1600 N. Central in Monett. The meal is free but donations are accepted. Shut-ins interested in having a meal delivered may call 417-489-2614 this morning...

Tis the season to make melody and rack up tournament basketball wins, and the Pierce City girls basketball team is in the spirit. For Rob Guerin, Pierce City coach, the effort, intensity and quick start to games is something that he has been preaching over and over to his team...

For the 34th consecutive year, Southwest High School in Washburn is set to host its boys Holiday Tournament, and for the third straight season, its girls tournament, starting on Monday. This year's boys tourney field includes four Barry County teams -- Wheaton, Cassville, Southwest and Exeter. Joining those four are Galena, Forsyth, Gentry (Ark.) and Pea Ridge (Ark.)...

Today we bear witness to the lasting legacy of one man's generosity. The Linn Thornton Memorial Christmas Dinner takes place today at the First United Methodist Church in Monett. Thornton and his first wife Geraldine labored mightily to offer the holiday feast to the community. ...

Stephen Anthony Swillum, III, 26, of Mt. Vernon, died Tuesday, Dec. 20 at the Cox Hospital in Monett. A funeral service, under the direction of the Fossett-Mosher Funeral Home in Mt. Vernon, will be held at 10 a.m. on Monday, Dec. 26 at the Freedom Christian Center, south of Mt. Vernon with burial to follow at the Davis Cemetery east of Miller...

Patricia Anne Belknap, 81, of Monett, died Wednesday, Dec. 21 at the Select Specialty Hospital in Springfield. Memorial services will be held on Thursday, Dec. 29, at 2 p.m. at the Bennett-Wormington Funeral Home in Monett.

Albert James Cox, 75, of Monett, went to be with his Lord in Heaven on Wednesday, December 21, 2016, at Cox South Hospital in Springfield, Missouri. He was born in Hartford, Arkansas, on October 29, 1941, the son of the late Sherman F. and Catherine (Shoop) Cox. He was united in marriage on December 14, 1960, in Monett, Missouri, to Helen Campbell; she survives...