Stories from Wednesday, January 31, 2018

If fans were looking for someone to sugar coat or deliver bad news, Verona Coach Brad Stewart probably would not be high on the list. Moments after Stewart’s boys hoops squad suffered the worst loss of the season, a 75-36 blowout to Billings, Stewart broke down what happened...

Easily, the quietest 15-win team in southwest Missouri has to be the Pierce City girls. At 15-4, the Lady Eagles are not flashy or boisterous, but simply go about their business on the court. One of the key factors for Pierce City’s surge is the fact the team is finally playing with a full roster...

The Purdy school district will welcome former Purdy High School volleyball coach Nancy Easter to its Athletic Hall of Fame ranks on Feb. 9. “When I first arrived on campus to set up my office I heard someone sprinting to music in the gym,” Easter said. “I discovered Becky (Fly) Woods, who was home from college, working out. It was a wonderful sign of the sports tradition of which I was about to become a part and that continues to this day...

Behind 17 points from Kaesha George and 13 more from Katie Schmidt, the Monett girls basketball team defeated Seneca on Monday, 47-44. The Lady Cubs hit seven 3-pointers in the game. George made three, Schmidt hit two and Alyssa Williams accounted for the other two...

The Barry County Commission is considering an ordinance to join the St. Louis County Prescription Drug Monitoring Program, a tool aimed at helping healthcare providers monitor their patients prescriptions to prevent overprescribing or illegal activity...

City officials in Purdy were pleased to open 11 bids from area contractors for the sewer construction project that will run a six-mile pipeline from the city to Monett’s wastewater treatment plant. The project was estimated to cost $3.3 million. Bids ranged from $1.8 million to $3.4 million. Voters approved a $4.6 million bond issue in November 2015 to have enough funds available...

Patrons of the Pierce City School District will decide on a $2.4 million no tax increase bond issue at the April 3 polls. Superintendent Russ Moreland spoke to a handful of patrons at an organizational meeting held last week at the school..

February is the month of Love, and Calendar Girl Alejandra Rivera found plenty of expressions of affection at Bruner Pharmacy and Hallmark store in Monett.

As a budget chairman for the state of Missouri, State Rep. Scott Fitzpatrick, R-Shell Knob, is focused on delivering a balanced budget to Gov. Eric Greitens for approval. "That's my main focus," Fitzpatrick said. "It's something we are constitutionally required to do every year."...

The Missouri Senate is getting off to a slow start this session amidst the glaring headlines concerning the sex scandal plaguing Gov. Eric Greitens, Missouri's 56th governor. "We are trying to work on some issues with the governor that have taken the forefront," said State Sen. David Sater, R-Cassville...

Ground was formally broken for the new storm shelter, performing arts center and preschool for the Purdy school district in a ceremony held on Tuesday at the construction site. Most of the students who were not testing came out to the site to cheer on the official start of the $3.1 million project. This will be the first FEMA approved storm shelter inside the city, and is being built large enough to house all the city's residents in case of a severe storm...

A Rocky Comfort man has been charged in federal court with threatening to assault an agent of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Richard W. Toler, 47, of Rocky Comfort, was charged in a criminal complaint filed under seal on Jan. 22. The complaint was unsealed and made public upon Toler’s arrest and initial court appearance on Jan. 24. Toler remained in federal custody pending a detention hearing held on Monday...

Family struggles with a dozen children offers a timeless setting for drama and comedy. Drawn from real life, the play “Cheaper By The Dozen” brings family theater to the stage of the Monett High School Performing Arts Center this weekend in a production by the Monett Artists’ Guild...

Two people were injured Sunday in a wreck at 1:10 p.m. on Highway 97, three miles south of Pierce City. According to a Missouri State Highway patrol report, Kristie Cunningham, 26, of Mt. Vernon, was driving a 2013 GMC Terrain southbound when her vehicle went off the right side of the roadway, struck a MoDOT sign and overturned...

The new police vehicle in Purdy is now in service and fully detailed.

The Monett Chamber of Commerce is accepting nominations through Feb. 9 for its Community Service Award, recognizing longterm contributions to live in town, and its Pride and Progress Award, for short-term service and specific project recognition. Nominations with detailed support may be submitted at the Chamber office, 200 E. Broadway...

Monett’s Kelli Sangston became the first Lady Cubs swimmer to punch her a ticket for the state swim meet with a 1:02 performance in the 100-backstroke event last week. Sangston helped lead the Lady Cubs to wins over Nevada and Seymour in a triangular meet at Monett...

The Pierce City girls (15-4) have quietly been flying under the radar and earned their eighth straight basketball win with a 51-19 win over Fair Play on Saturday. Belle Golubski and Kendyl Hayward scored 12 points each to lead the way. Ragan Blinzler and Libby Strickler recorded 8 points each...