Stories from Wednesday, March 1, 2017

Grit, determination and improvement were the key things that Alyssa Kennedy, Monett girls hoops coach, pointed to as signs of her team’s growth this season. The Lady Cubs (5-18) saw their season end with a 46-28 loss to Cassville on Monday. The game served as a microcosm of the team’s season...

Cases of juvenile conduct requiring action by the Juvenile Office of the 39th Judicial Circuit decreased in 2016, the first drop in five years, though still higher than years preceding 2015. Chief Juvenile Officer Jill Braden said the volume of cases fairly closely matched the previous year’s counts, though numbers in most categories reflected a drop. Referrals totaled 1,280, down 24 percent from 1,680 in 2015, but still higher than the 852 in 2014 and the previous high of 903 in 2010...

The Monett Police Department is seeking donations to support the Drug Abuse Resistance Education car program. “Monett Police Chief George Daoud has designated one of the department’s Dodge Chargers as the DARE car, and the goal of this project is to give students of the school district ownership in the project,” said Jay Jastal, school resource officer and DARE instructor...

The call of the fishing pole coaxes anglers out of their winter slumber in March, drawing people back to the water, even scenic spots like the Monett City Park Lake. Calendar Girl Chelsea Henderson enjoyed the rustic atmosphere as winter fades away for new activities...

EFCO Corporation has provided a boost for the Monett chapter of Care to Learn through a donation of $13,744, as the new program gears up thanks to outreach from local businesses and industry. According to Jennifer Hohensee, human resources manager for EFCO, company employees raised funds by donating $25 or more to Care to Learn. EFCO Corporation provided an additional donation, which parent company Pella Corporation matched dollar-for-dollar up to $4,000, reaching the total...

The Barry County Southern Baptist Association held its 2017 Evangelism Conference Feb. 18-20, a three-day event featuring 19 evangelists from a five-state area sharing inspirational music and messages in songfest events at area churches, including at Emmanuel Baptist Church and First Baptist Church in of Cassville...

With warm weather arriving, preparations have begun to start the Monett Community Garden for a third growing season.

St. Lawrence Catholic Church, 405 Seventh St. in Monett, will host a fish fry beginning at 5 p.m. on Friday, March 3. Cost will be $8 for adults, $7 for senior citizens and children 6-12, and free to those age 5 and under. Fish fries will be offered each Friday for six weeks through Lent in the church fellowship hall...

It was not the interviews that Eli Ernst, Purdy girls basketball coach, had hoped to have on Friday after a 57-48 district title loss to Pierce City in Sarcoxie. But, Ernst fielded each question and he hugged each player as they left the make-shift Lady Eagles locker room...

No team likes to see its season conclude with a loss, yet coaches often remind their teams that only one squad can end the season with a win, the ultimate championship victory. On Thursday, Purdy boys coach Tommy Egan sat down one final time with his Eagles, after a 68-58 loss to Pierce City in the Class 2, District 12 semifinal, and thanked the squad for a great season...

It is now official — teams of alumni from Cassville and Monett will battle on the gridiron in full contact on Friday, June 23 at Burl Fowler Stadium at 7:30 p.m. On Saturday, Bob Cazet, owner and founder of Alumni Football USA, met with 31 interested alumni from both schools to lay out basic rules and answer questions...

Members of the Purdy and Pierce City basketball team joined hands for a solemn moment of student-led prayer prior to the Class 2, District 12 championship game in Sarcoxie on Friday

Nancy A. Phillips, 91 of Kearney, formerly of Odessa and Monett, passed away Thursday, Feb. 16, at the Liberty Health and Wellness Center in Liberty. Nancy Ann Means was born on March 30, 1925, to Merle and Mary Spahr Means in Monett. She was married to Paul E. Phillips from 1949 until 1986. Nancy had been a homemaker and was an outstanding seamstress, avid reader and loved classical music. She was a member of the First Baptist Church in Kearney...

James Lee Appleton, 59, of Gateway, Ark., died Thursday, Feb. 23. Funeral services will be held at 2 p.m. Friday, March 3, at Gateway City Park in Gateway, Ark., under direction of Fohn Funeral Home in Cassville. Burial will be at New Salem Cemetery, at Seligman...

James Dwight Pennington, 66, of Miller, died Saturday, Feb. 25, at the Lawrence County Manor in Mt. Vernon. A funeral service, under the direction of the Morris-Leiman-Mosher Funeral Home in Miller, was held Tuesday, Feb. 28 at the First Baptist Church in Miller. Burial was at the Miller Memorial Gardens Cemetery...