Stories from Saturday, February 10, 2018

Willadean Azalea Sturgeon, 96, of Stella, died Sunday, Feb. 4. Funeral services were held Thursday, Feb. 8 at McQueen Funeral Home in Wheaton. Burial was at Muncie Chapel Cemetery in Wheaton.

Betty Jane Stephens, 88, of Miller, died Tuesday, Feb. 6, at her home. No services are planned at this time. Arrangements are under the direction of the Morris-Leiman-Mosher Funeral Home in Miller.

Kay Kahr, of Aurora, died Thursday, Feb. 8 at Barnes Hospital in St. Louis. Funeral services are incomplete at this time, but are under the direction of Crafton-Cantrell Funeral Home in Aurora.

Hazel Mae Henson, 93, of Aurora, died Wednesday, Feb. 7, at the Republic Nursing and Rehab in Republic. A graveside service, under the direction of the Crafton-Cantrell Funeral Home, in Aurora, will be held at 2 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 12, at the Maple Park Cemetery in Aurora...

George Michael “Mike” Baker, 75, of Springfield, formerly of Purdy, died on Feb. 5 in Springfield. Funeral services were held Feb. 9 at Walnut Lawn Funeral Home in Springfield. A graveside service was held at Arnhart Cemetery, east of Purdy.

Vivian M. Peterson, 88, a native of Purdy, Mo., and longtime resident of Grandview, Mo., passed away in Norfolk, Va., on February 6, 2018. She was the daughter of Robert and Gladys Sexton of Purdy. On March 8, 1951 she married John T. (JT) Peterson of Verona, Mo. ...

Almo Genette Leslie McElmurry, 98, of Monett, Mo., formerly of Miller, Mo., passed from this life on Tuesday, February 6, 2018, while at Oak Pointe of Monett. Almo was born on November 3, 1919, in Leslie, Ark., daughter of the late Guy Cleveland Leslie and Mamie Stella (Ellis) Leslie. ...

It’s seems Monett is still being punished for being the first town in this area to secure a 911 system. In June 1991, it was announced that 911 was possible for the Monett area, and it was November 1991 when Monett voters approved the land line surcharge that funded creation of the 911 system for the 235 phone exchange. ...

The Pierce City girls basketball team added a tick to the win column on Thursday with a 57-48 victory over Jasper. Pierce City led 29-21 at halftime. The Lady Eagles were led in scoring by Libby Strickler with 16 points. The rest of the team’s scoring included: Ragan Blinzler, 13; Kendyl Hayward, 11; Emily Drollinger, 4; Lexi Eck, 3; Leslie Jones, 2; and Belle Golubski, 2. Pierce City (17-5) travels to Golden City on Tuesday. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m...

A 69-51 win over McAuley Catholic on Thursday gave the Purdy girls basketball team a 16-7 season record and moved it within two games of claiming the Ozark 7 Conference title. Purdy was led in scoring by Layne Skiles with 26 points. Zoe Brown chipped in 21 and Kinsley Mattingly recorded 9...

The Pierce City boys basketball team improved to 17-6 on the season with a 66-48 victory over Sarcoxie on Wednesday. Scoring for Pierce City: Donell Kleiboeker,11; Hunter Tindell, 11; Trey Sagehorn, 10; Jackson Kleiboeker, 10; Aaron Garner, 6; Trenton Kluck, 5; Hunter Hatfield, 5; Colten O’Hara, 3; Dallas Kleiboeker, 2; and Dominic Smith, 2...

There is nothing that Dan Janssen, Monett swimming and diving coach, hates more than sitting around and waiting. Yet that is where Janssen and the Lady Cubs find themselves as they wait to see who the final qualifiers for the state swimming tournament will be...

The thoughts of an earlier season defeat were still on the minds of Monett as the team headed to the reservation in the Little Town on the Border Thursday night. When the dust settled, the Cubs had earned a hard-fought, 53-43 victory over Seneca and improved to 8-13 on the season...

A stellar performance at the free-throw line and hard-nosed basketball led the Monett girls to a 55-48 win over Seneca on Thursday. The Lady Cubs (12-7) hit their first 18 free throw attempts of the game and finished 18-of-19 from the line as a team...

Beth Fenske’s fifth grade class at Verona Elementary School were the winners of the “Great Kindness Challenge,” a proactive and positive bullying prevention initiative that improves school climate and increases student engagement.

Officials at Monett Elementary School have chosen students demonstrating the characteristic of learning as Students of the Week for Feb. 5.

The Monett High School speech and debate program has had an active year in preparation for Big 8 Conference competition later this month. Under Coach T.J. Lakin in his first year at Monett, and Annie Smith, assistant coach, students went to their first tournament Oct. 13-14. All the novice students advanced to semi-finals in at least one event. Melissa Hurtado took first place in performance and oral interpretation (POI), while Leo Amador and Cameron George claimed third in policy debate...

Members of Olyvia Behnke's art classes at Monett High School created a wide range of pieces, from ceramic teapots to paintings, that will be submitted for exhibition for the Youth Art Month Capital Exhibit in Jefferson City. "We re so proud of them," Behnke said...

Monett Lions recently welcomed some fellow animals to their meeting when Lion Thom Watson of the Marionville Lions Club brought an array of stuffed creatures with him as he presented an informative program on "Comfort Bears." Watson has been instrumental in the creation of a special outreach Lions program at Mercy Hospital Aurora. ...

Proudly clutching his prized lion is Monett Lions Club member Steve Wise, who brought home honors as the Best Dressed Hobo at the Lion’s annual Hobo Day celebration.

MT. VERNON – Members of the Mt. Vernon Rotary Club heard details about the importance of cattle production to the local economy during a recent meeting. “Southwest Missouri is the beef capital of Missouri, with Lawrence, Polk, and Barry counties the largest, respectively, beef cow/calf census statewide at over 40,000 head each,” said speaker Glen Cope, a local cattleman and panelist at this year's Lawrence County Soils and Crops conference. ...

Jonny and Janaye Atkinson, of Louisville, Ky., announce the birth of twin girls, born June 29, 2017.

Dues for 2018 for the Pierce City Sportsman Club should now be paid. Due to liability and vandalism, anyone who wants to use the club’s shooting range, located west of Pierce City, must be a member. Dues are $25 per year and can be dropped off at Ken’s Barbershop, 217 E. Broadway in Monett. For more information, people may call 476-2794...

Twenty vendors offering products to the agriculture market were on hand Thursday for the Monett Chamber of Commerce’s annual Dairy Day and Beef Cattlemen’s Conference, both held at the Monett National Guard Armory. Vendors from bankers to suppliers offered goods and services to local ag producers...

Misting rain and freezing temperatures are likely to have contributed to a rollover crash in front of Ray’s Trailer Park on E. Newman Ave., in Pierce City Tuesday night.

Volunteers are welcome to participate in the Community Collaborative Rain, Hail and Snow Network (CoCoRaHS), which gathers weather data documented by the National Weather Service.

A Purdy man has been charged with two felonies following an alleged domestic assault in which he was holding a four-foot sword. Mathew Hickman, 28, of Purdy, is charged with second-degree domestic assault and armed criminal action. According to a probable cause report filed by Taylor Lombard, a deputy with the Barry County Sheriff's Office, the incident took place at a home on Farm Road 2092 in Purdy on Feb. 4...

A Carthage man is facing two felonies after allegedly stealing multiple items from Walmart, totaling $9,714. Sven Hagen, 30, of Carthage, is charged with two counts of felony stealing in separate cases, one filed by the city of Cassville and a second filed by the Monett...

Incumbent Joe Portillo is one of two persons who are seeking the open Pierce City Ward 2 seat on the Board of Aldermen, which will be decided at the upcoming April 3 municipal election. Portillo, owner of the Pierce City business Joe's Tree Service, has lived in Pierce City for 25 years. He was appointed to the vacant seat in 2017 following the resignation of Jeremy Williams, who moved out of the ward...

Zachary Carnes is one of two persons who have filed for the open Pierce City Ward 2 seat on the Board of Aldermen, which will be decided at the upcoming April 3 municipal election. Carnes, a clinical excellence and patient advocate with Cox Monett Hospital, said he grew up in neighboring Monett, but has family in the Pierce City, and has long held an interest in the community and its residents...

Homeless numbers for students in the Monett school district dropped for the third consecutive year during the 2017-2018 school year, according to statistics shared with the school board recently. Mike Evans, assistant superintendent, reported the district has 34 students classified as homeless currently, a drop of 17 percent from the previous year. The 2016-2017 count of 41 represented an 11 percent drop from the previous year...

Facing deadlock and no options, the Monett-Lawrence County 911 Advisory Board has agreed to pursue a countywide sales tax to fund 911 and a general dispatching operation to serve Lawrence County in general. The decision did not come easily, as board members digested the contents of Zagarri Engineering’s study of the county’s 911 capabilities in search of a location for a future center. The report raised other issues that had not entirely been expected...

The new park pavilion created by Monett Main Street on Front Street in Monett will be inaugurated in the coming months with a series of free concerts sponsored by First State Bank of Purdy, providing entertainment on a level seldom seen in the downtown district...