Stories from Friday, January 12, 2018

Bradley Burton Briggs, 75, of Verona, died at home on Sunday, Jan. 7. A memorial service will be held at 6 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 12, at the Crafton-Cantrell Funeral Home in Aurora. Visitation will follow from 6:30-8 p.m. in the funeral home chapel.

Howard Robert Davis III, 70, of Miller, died Thursday, Dec. 28, 2017, at his home. A private burial, under the direction of the Morris-Leiman-Mosher Funeral Home in Miller, was held at the Miller Memorial Gardens Cemetery.

Paula Jane Davis, age 65, of Springfield, formerly of Mt. Vernon, died on Saturday, Jan. 6, at her home. A funeral service was held Saturday, Jan. 13, at the Fossett-Mosher Funeral Home in Mt. Vernon. Burial was at the Mt. Vernon IOOF Cemetery.

Vesta Veryl Garton, 84, of Sarcoxie, died Sunday, Jan. 7, at the Sarcoxie Nursing Home. A funeral service was held Wednesday, Jan. 10, at the Fossett-Mosher Funeral Home in Mt. Vernon. Burial was at the Grays Point Cemetery.

Bonnie Lou Friar Richesin, of Miller, died Monday, Jan. 8, at the Mercy Hospital in Springfield. A funeral service will be held at 11 a.m. on Friday, Jan. 12, at the Fossett-Mosher Funeral Home in Mt. Vernon, with internment following at the Shiloh Cemetery...

Robert Nathan “Chicken Man” Wright, 74, of Miller, died Monday, Jan. 8, 2018, at his home. A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. on Saturday, January 13, at the Grays Point Church. Arrangements are under the direction of the Morris-Leiman-Mosher Funeral Home in Miller...

Surrounded by family and friends, Pierce City senior Ali Raley officially declared her intentions to play college softball when she signed papers binding her to Evangel University in Springfield next season. “It is a dream come true,” Raley said. “Ever since I was a little girl, I wanted to got to college and play softball.”...

Coming into the hoops tilt on Tuesday, Purdy basketball coach Jeremy Dresslaer had a few questions about his team’s resolve and ability to bounce back. Just three days earlier, his Eagles were outworked, outhustled and outplayed in the Miller Tournament championship game by Verona...

Tickets are available to the Dining for Diabetes fundraising dinner, supporting the diabetes education program at Cox Monett Hospital. The dinner will be held at 5:30 p.m. on Jan. 20 at St. Mary’s Catholic Church fellowship hall, using a “Rhinestone Cowboy Roundup” theme. Tickets are $25 each and may be ordered by calling 417-354-1280...

On a January evening, one might not expect to see a softball team drilling at Monett’s North Park. The 18-and-under summer travel team that plays for Regal Sports in Monett was doing just that on Wednesday.

A Golden woman was injured Wednesday in a wreck at 8:40 p.m. on Highway 86 in Eagle Rock. According to a Missouri State Highway Patrol report, Lynette Beck, 47, of Golden, was driving a 2004 Mitsubishi Eclipse westbound when her vehicle turned in front of and struck head-on a 2011 Kia Sedona, being driven by Steven Micheletto, 64, of Berryville, Ark...

A two-year-old received a head injury and two vehicles received substantial damage in a collision at 1:27 p.m. on Thursday on Sycamore at Fourth Street in Monett.

Local cattlemen and dairy producers were urged to reconsider their forage strategies based on recent research, according to details offered at the Lawrence County Soils and Crops Conference. Tim Schnakenburg, regional agronomy specialist with the University of Missouri, said studies show that Kentucky 31 fescue, the most common variety of forage grass, has some of the “hottest” damaging endophyte mold found anywhere in the nation. ...

After a lackluster 2016 for home construction, builders in Monett made a strong comeback in 2017, buying permits for 24 homes, up from 10 the previous year. Total construction in Monett covered by permits issued by Monett Building Inspector Wade Ennes totaled $26,461,504.29. Of that, $10,075,313.29 was residential property. Half of that, or $5 million worth, was the new Plymouth Landing rent-controlled 39 units located on East Cleveland Avenue, east of 13th Street...

An unusual hearing took place at the Lawrence County Justice Center on Tuesday where Judge Robert George was asked to decide the merits of a restraining order issued at the request of a Verona City Council member against a resident over conduct in city council sessions...