Stories from Wednesday, January 3, 2018

A Pierce City man is charged with drug trafficking after Lawrence County deputies found 120 grams of methamphetamine in a bag in his possession. Just after midnight on Monday, a deputy was responding to a call when a vehicle blew through a four-way intersection at a high rate of speed, nearly striking the deputies vehicle...

Monett police are warning residents to use caution when warming up their vehicles, as two have been stolen recently. Police Chief George Daoud said a 2007 Ford Focus, outside warming up, was stolen from a home on the 1000 block...

Pierce City residents this week are mourning the loss of Mike Flummerfelt, 69, head of the family that owns the Town and Country Supermarket, following his death on Dec. 30 after a year-long fight with leukemia. Mike and Carolyn Flummerfelt have been fixtures in the community for 30 years, having purchased the grocery store in 1987. ...

Changes have occurred around Monett due to the work of city employees in recent weeks. Street Superintendent Russ Balmas reported public works crews collected more than 90 dump truck loads of leaves in the annual leaf collection. Hauled to the city compost yard, the vegetation will become valuable to gardeners...

Before returning to classes in the Monett school district today, teachers returned on Tuesday for professional development work sessions and collaboration time.

Monett school board members approved the calendar for the 2018-2019 school year following a scheduled public hearing required when classes are slated to begin more than two weeks before Labor Day. With Monett High School Principal David Williams announcing graduation for the current school year on May 11, one week prior to the end of classes for other grades, Superintendent Brad Hanson proposed classes would start for the following year on Aug. ...

It may have been cold outdoors on Tuesday, but customers came in bursts into Mocha Jo’s coffee café on Tuesday morning, some for lunch at 11 a.m., and others for a warm drink to defrost.

It may be cold outside, but for Mallory Wilson, 3, Tuesday was a day to spend with Grandma.

The 94th annual Lawrence County Soils and Crops Conference will be held on Jan. 4 at the University of Missouri’s Southwest Research Center, southwest of Mt. Vernon. A dinner will be held at 6 p.m., followed by presentations at approximately 6:45 p.m. Speakers will talk about pasture rental agreements, augmenting pastures with other forage plants, and a panel of producers on their forage successes. A $5 fee is requested. Registration may be made by calling 417-466-3102...

A ninth-place finish was earned by Monett in the Diamond Duals in Springdale, Ark., on Friday. The Cubs were a bit shorthanded but, according to Coach Daryl Bradley, performed well. “I’m very pleased the way we competed,” Bradley said. “We had some misfortune with some starters out for various reasons. I’m happy the way that we had some inexperienced wrestlers step up and compete. This experience will only help them develop into varsity wrestler contributors.”...

Exeter High School is hosting a six-week baseball camp starting Jan. 7. Exeter High School Head Coach Matt Tripp will direct the program in conjunction with U.S. Baseball Academy. Classes are available for players in grades 1-12 and are limited to seven players per coach...

Robert Lilburn Luney, 84, of LeRoy, Kan., passed Jan. 2. He was born in Pierce City, to Lilburn Wright and Juanita (Booton) Luney. On November 27, 1955, he and Frances Viola Williams were married. He was preceded in death by his parents and a brother, Charles E. “Sonny” Luney...

Ike McRoberts, age 76, of Aurora, Missouri, passed away at 3:19 p.m. on Sunday, December 31, 2017, at the Mercy Hospital in Springfield, Missouri. He was born September 27, 1941, in St. Louis, Missouri, the son of Mac and Virginia (Robertson) McRoberts...

Feb. 15, 1926 ~ Dec. 29, 2017 Sterling R. Stephens, 91, of Wentworth, departed this life on Friday, Dec. 29, 2017 at Freeman Hospital, surrounded by his loving family. Sterling entered this life on Feb. 15, 1926, in rural Newton County,to the union of the late Verney Ray and Luna Pearl (Griffin) Stephens. He was a 1944 graduate of Sarcoxie High School. Sterling proudly served in the United States Army...

Anne Mae Lasswell, 74, of Republic, died Monday, Jan. 1 at the Cox South Hospital in Springfield. Memorial services will be held at a later date at the Crafton-Cantrell Funeral Home, in Aurora, Missouri, with burial to be at the Spring River Cemetery in Verona...