Stories from Wednesday, June 27, 2018

While it is easy for fans to concentrate just on the score of an athletic contest, one factor — and arguably the most important factor to coaches — is that their athletes perform well in the classroom. Just as athletes are recognized for outstanding accomplishments on the field, Missouri also recognizes those who excel in the classroom with the release of its annual Missouri State High School Baseball Coaches Association Academic All-State (MHSBCA) teams and players...

The sting of a quarterfinal loss last year served notice to the Monett soccer team that it needs to make a couple of adjustments. First, the Cubs learned the hard way that they cannot lose focus, even for a second. For in that second, they can go from a game where they dominated the pace and possession to being down 1-0 with a few minutes remaining...

The Community National Bank Cal Ripken Major League T-Ball team of the 2018 Monett Youth Baseball and Softball League.

A 3-year-old boy was found dead from a gunshot wound at a home in Monett on Tuesday. Anthony Latorre Jr., 3, suffered a single gunshot wound to the head and was pronounce dead at the scene...

A Monett man was held without bond Tuesday morning in the Lawrence County jail following a high speed chase of a motorcycle that lasted most of an hour, running from Verona to near Pulaskifield and crossing Monett twice before the driver was stopped...

School board members at the Pierce City School District worked quickly over the past several days to interview candidates and hire a new school superintendent. Kelli Alumbaugh, who currently serves as the director of academic services at the Butler school district, was chosen to lead Pierce City in the wake of the resignation of Russ Moreland, who will begin his duties as superintendent of Monett school district on July 1...

A man was found dead in the Barry County jail from a self-inflicted incident on June 17. According to Maj. Leonard Collins, with the Barry County Sheriff’s Office, David Allen, 39, of Huntsville, Ark., was arrested on June 16, taken to Mercy Hospital in Joplin and released from the hospital as fit for confinement...

Pigs will fly in Purdy. During a special city council meeting last week, aldermen approved building a “pig launching and receiving station,” one of three changes orders to the sewer pipeline project to Monett’s wastewater treatment plant. Mayor Bo Prock explained the “pig” in question will not be the pork variety, but instead it will be a foam disc. ...

Republican candidate for state auditor Kevin Roach has made reshaping the office for the 21st century as his main platform in his primary campaign, advocating a much more active role that would engage government entities statewide at all levels. “The state auditor audits less than 100 government subdivisions in a year,” Roach said. “That’s an illusion of accountability. We need to connect with all 3,700 governmental bodies every year to determine where we should look further.”...

An assembly line of food servers offered burgers, hot dogs and homemade desserts for the crowd gathered for the Independence Day celebration at Arnhart Baptist Church on Sunday.

Different strategies and services offered to Monett school district students through the counseling program came under review by school board members in May in the department's annual report. The district's seven full-time counselors prepared the program review...

For the fifth consecutive month, sales tax income to bi-county cities and counties has shown an increase over last year, though the growth was not universal and Monett, which was the standout gainer in May, was the standout loser in June. Monett's two sales taxes making up 1 percent for paying general bills generated $153,947.33 in June, down $9,164.06 from a year ago. ...

Members of the Barry-Lawrence Chapter of Crime Stoppers are currently profiling cases that remain unsolved and seeking information on the whereabouts of local felons. This month, the Barry-Lawrence County Crime Stoppers Facebook page features six cases, one of which is seeking information concerning whereabouts of Donald Joseph Griffanti, of Cassville, who is wanted on failure to appear, felony DWI persistent offender; failure to appear, driving while license is suspended or revoked; and failure to appear, felony non-support.. ...

Members of the Barry-Lawrence Chapter of Crime Stoppers are currently profiling cases that remain unsolved and seeking information on the whereabouts of local felons. This month, the Barry-Lawrence County Crime Stoppers Facebook page features six cases, one of which is seeking information concerning whereabouts of Ericka Rose Akins, of Springfield, who is wanted on three counts of failure to appear and felony possession of a controlled substance except 35 grams or less of marijuana. ...

Members of the Barry-Lawrence Chapter of Crime Stoppers are currently profiling cases that remain unsolved and seeking information on the whereabouts of local felons. This month, the Barry-Lawrence County Crime Stoppers Facebook page features six cases, one of which is seeking information concerning the disappearance of Christene Nickle Seal, of Verona...

For the fourth year, summer school students at Monett Elementary School participated in a chocolate sale, making chocolate products then selling them to each other.

The SilverTeens seniors singles group will meet for supper at 6 p.m. on June 28 at the Blackbird Bar and Grill, 1321 S. Elliott Ave. in Aurora. For additional information, people may call 417-393-9212. The Freistatt Village Board of Trustees will meet in closed session at 6:30 p.m. on June 28 at the Freistatt Community Building for legal issues...

A four-month project creating portraits of community leaders in Aurora culminated in a grand unveiling and ribbon cutting ceremony on Friday at the historic National Guard Armory in Aurora, built in the 1940s and now the Aurora school district's Alumni and Outreach Center...

The Community National Bank Cal Ripken Minor League baseball team of the 2018 Monett Youth Baseball and Softball League.

Lee Allen “Bill” Hardwick was born at Golden, Missouri, on July 7, 1921, to Simeon Allen and Louise (Jones) Hardwick. He passed away from this life June 8, 2018, at the age of 96 years 11 months and 1 day (which was coincidentally the 68th Anniversary of his wedding). ...

Larry Michael Allen, 62, of Cassville, died Friday, June 22, 2018. No services are scheduled at this time. Cremation arrangements are under direction of Fohn Funeral Home in Cassville.

Sindy Carnahan, 50, of Harrisonville, formerly of Monett, died Sunday, June 17, at the University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, Kansas. A Celebration of Life visitation will be held from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. on Friday, June 29, at Dickey Funeral Home in Harrisonville...

John Kirchner, 73, of Monett died Monday, June 25, at Bentonview Park Nursing and Rehab in Monett. Memorial service arrangements are pending and will be announced upon completion. Arrangements have been entrusted to the care of the Bennett-Wormington Funeral Home in Monett...

Karl Myers, 53, of Grovetown, Ga., formerly of Monett, died Sunday, June 10, 2018 at his home. A Celebration of Life visitation will be held from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. on Friday, June 29, at Dickey Funeral Home in Harrisonville. Graveside service and burial will be 1 p.m. on Friday, June 29, at Floral Hills East Cemetery in Lee’s Summit...

Geraldine “Jerry” Prater, 93, of Mt. Vernon, died Sunday, June 24, at her home. A funeral service, under the direction of the Fossett-Mosher Funeral Home, in Mt. Vernon will be held at 10 a.m. on Friday, June 29, at the First United Methodist Church, in Mt. Vernon. Burial will follow at the Shiloh Cemetery. Visitation will be held from 9:30-10 a.m. on Friday, at the church...

Elizabeth Ivy Pritchett, 94, of Marionville, died Sunday, June 24, at the Ozarks Methodist Manor. A graveside service, under the direction of the Crafton-Cantrell Funeral Home, in Aurora, was held Tuesday, June 26, at the Maple Park Cemetery in Aurora...

James “Leon” Ray, 75, of Aurora, died Sunday, June 24. Funeral services will be held at 2 p.m. Thursday, June 28, at Fohn Funeral Home in Cassville. Burial will be at Clio Cemetery in Jenkins. Visitation will be held from 6-8 p.m. Wednesday, at Fohn Funeral Home in Cassville...