Stories from Saturday, December 2, 2017

Now that it’s officially the holiday season, or the post-Thanksgiving rush-to-the-end-of-the-year holiday-without-end, it’s time to take stock of experiences that may get lost in the hustle of what Christmas has become. In the early 1990s, Monett set off to become a City of Lights for the holidays...

Clinging to a 48-47 lead with 50 seconds left in the game, Verona senior Dominic Fernandez found the ball in his hands on the right wing beyond the arc. The senior initially hesitated, then released a bomb that found the bottom of the net and gave the Wildcats a two-possession lead and an eventual 54-49 win...

The Monett wrestling team puts its 1-0 record on the line when it heads to a triangular with Webb City and Diamond on Thursday. The Cubs opened the season with a 60-15 victory over Branson on Thursday and racked up five pins in the process. “I am pleased with our start of the 2017-2018 season,” said Daryl Bradley, Monett coach. ...

The Purdy High School’s Academic Team took fifth place in the Nov. 18 Clever Tournament.

Purdy High School will crown its 2017 Mister and Miss Merry Christmas between the junior varsity and varsity boys basketball games on Friday, Dec. 8.

Officials at Monett Elementary School have chosen students demonstrating the characteristic of being responsible as Students of the Week for Nov. 27.

At Verona Elementary School, Principal Melody Whitehead recognized students as outstanding examples of character, focusing on responsibility in November.

The first quarter honor roll at Purdy Elementary School has been announced by Principal Julie Dalton. Students named to the A honor roll follow: Third grade — Lizett Aldava, Emile Maddocks, Alexa Robles, Cyris Williams, Andelynn Vineyard, Allison Lopez, Hector Rueda, Brennan Hawkins, Alex Stubblefield, Avery Campbell, Kimberly Canales and Ryan Farris...

Purdy High School communication arts teachers and National English Honor Society co-sponsors Michelle Hilburn and Kayla Branstetter recently attended the National Council of Teachers of English conference.

Students from Scott Regional Technology Center recently attended the Student Chapter of the American Welding Society monthly meeting. Among the activities, students had an opportunity to do community outreach. Out of several locations, students chose to donate canned goods to Body of Christ Ministries in Wheaton, selected in a drawing. Students brought in 2,018 cans, and $600 in cash. The seniors of the Scott Tech Chapter selected the number of 2018 in honor of their upcoming graduation date...

Bobby L. and Melba Wilkin of Aurora will celebrate 45 years of marriage with a come and go reception hosted by their children.

Jordan and Ashley Williams, of Monett, announce the birth of their daughter, Ruby Ruth, born Nov. 21 at Cox Monett Hospital.

A 90th birthday party for Dorothy Jones of Monett will be held on Sunday, Dec. 10 from 2 to 4 p.m. at the First Baptist Church on South Highway 37 in Monett. The daughter of Earl and Effie Clifton, Dorothy was born on Dec. 10, 1927 in Rocky Comfort. ...

Santa will be a busy person beginning this weekend, making appearances at Jolly Mill today and the Cassville Christmas parade.

Janice Beshears turned 88 on Nov. 11 with a surprise party hosted by her family.

On Dec. 17, the Guanjuato Mexican Store and Restaurant in Verona will close for major remodeling, anticipating a reopening in March. According to Clemente Gonzalez Jr., oldest son in the family-owned business, the expansion will mostly focus on the customer area, expanding seating capacity in the restaurant by approximately 50 percent...

In a major move, Monett-based Jack Henry and Associates (JHA) acquired the Ensenta Corportation, expected to vault the company into the nation's leading provider of remote deposit solutions in the financial industry. On Tuesday, JHA entered into a definitive agreement for the acquisition of California-based Ensenta, a leading provider of real-time, cloud-based solutions for mobile and online payments and deposits. ...

b The McDowell Golden Jubilee will offer old-time music at 6:30 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 2, at the McDowell School, west of Pleasant Ridge. Musicians and spectators are welcome. Concessions are available. For additional information, people may call Kenny at 417-461-4697...

A striking sunset this week, seen in the background of the First United Methodist Church in Monett, showed a wide range of colors from blues, yellows and reds.

Jay Apostol burned the Cub Run track to finish the 5K run in 23.37, the first place finisher for the event.

Holiday royalty has been named at Monett High School. By a vote of the student body, Rosa Fulton, daughter of Jock and Sue Fulton, has been named Miss Merrie Christmas.

Pierce City School District patrons interested in filing for one of two open school board seats on the April 3, 2018, ballot may file a declaration of candidacy at the office of the superintendent during normal operating hours of 8 a.m. and 4 p.m., beginning Tuesday...

Christmas holiday activities have been announced for the next two weeks at the various Monett school district campuses. On Thursday second-graders from Monett Elementary School will perform their Christmas program at 6 p.m. at the high school’s performing arts center (PAC)...

The Annual Performance Review, released by the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) on the Monett School District, raised no major concerns, according to officials, and underlined the ongoing effort to improve education efforts...

Structural steel is mostly in place for the new Schreiber Foods addition on Dairy Street in Monett. Traffic has been periodically disrupted and reduced during construction. “We’re expanding our process cheese capabilities in Monett,” said Andrew Tobisch, director of communications for Schreiber Foods in Green Bay, Wisc. ...

Crews for HHR (Hood Home Repair) Contractors this week put the final touches on the sidewalk replacement on the south side of Broadway from Tenth Street to the Centennial Overpass.

Barry-Lawrence Ambulance District board members have opted to move forward on calling for a public vote on a sales tax to support the district as replacement for the current property tax. For much of the district’s history, board members have discussed how to bring territory served by the district under the property tax umbrella paid by other patrons. ...

It will be an All-Ozark 7 Conference battle for the Pierce City Invitational crown on Saturday as Purdy, thanks to a 63-55 win over Billings, faces Verona. “Right now, we are focused on Verona and what we can control,” said Jeremy Dresslaer, Eagles coach. “If we play our game and play to our best ability, we will live with the results.”...