Stories from Friday, January 27, 2017

Information from fire departments near Monett requested by Jan. 1 have clarified whether or not Monett city firefighters should accompany Barry-Lawrence Ambulance crews making runs into other firefighting territories. Valerie Wilson, the new ambulance district operations manager, told the ambulance district board in November 2016 that she heard concerns from other fire departments about the Monett city firefighters accompanying ambulances on calls. ...

Pierce City employees working full time are seeing an increase in their healthcare premiums for the next year. In order to keep the current Anthem Gold Blue Preferred benefits and coverage from last year, premium costs jumped from $2,275.24 to $3,102.25 per month for the six covered employees...

Installation of the decorative pillars at the entrance of the new home for the Monett Museum took place this week.

Each Monday, Monett Community Kitchen work crews unloaded groceries for the weekly distribution at the First United Methodist Church, and more and more work is needed with the program's steady growth. "Our numbers are growing every week," said Melissa Priest, program coordinator...

Missouri Holstein Dezi is a moo-ver and a milker. The Lawrence County cow out-performs most of her regional counterparts, producing just short of three times as much milk per day, says University of Missouri Extension Dairy Specialist Reagan Bluel. Dezi, owned by fifth-generation dairy farmer Karl Wilke, churns out 201 pounds of milk per day. That’s the equivalent of about 24 gallons — 15 gallons more than the average Holstein...

The Monett Chamber of Commerce’s agriculture conferences will be held on Jan. 31 at the Monett National Guard Armory. Activities for Dairy Day begin at 10:30 a.m. Speakers will focus on economics and strategies for success. Lunch will be served. The Beef Cattlemen’s Conference will start at 3:30 p.m. Supper will be included. Ag economist Scott Brown will speak at both sessions. Cost is $5 per conference. For additional information, people may call the Chamber at 235-7919...

For Monett Coach Jeremy Land and his Cubs (2-15), this basketball season has been challenging. Monett is in the midst of an eight-game losing skid, a trend the Cubs hope to break tonight when they invade Carl Junction. “We are a team that is not built to score 50 or 60 points a night,” Land said. “We are built on defense, and in order to be successful, we have to get multiple stops in a row. Right now, we are not doing that.”...

In 2014, Verona schools launched baseball and softball programs, and with construction of the new ballfields in full force, the district is tackling its last remaining obstacle to complete construction – the purchase of scoreboards. With the help of the city of Aurora, the Wildcats and Lady Wildcats played their home games in the Aurora city park while the district pieced together funds to build the new softball and baseball fields on campus...

John Edward James, 93, of Cassville, died Thursday, Jan. 19. Memorial services will be held at 1 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 28 at Fohn Funeral Home in Cassville.

Robert Michael Jackson, 51, of Monett, Mo., passed from this life to his Heavenly home on Wednesday evening, January 25, 2017, while at Cox South Medical Center in Springfield, Mo., following a courageous battle with cancer. Rob was born on December 18, 1965, in Purdy, Mo., son of the late Vedas C. ...

Laura Jane Churchill, 71, of Purdy, Mo., went to be with her Lord in Heaven on Wednesday, January 25, 2017, while at Cox South Hospital in Springfield, Mo. She was born in Garnett, Kan., on June 14, 1945, the daughter of the late Roy and Bertha (Denzler) Hulett. She was united in marriage on May 8, 2010, in Purdy to Gary Churchill, and he survives...