Stories from Wednesday, December 5, 2018

Beverly Jean Moenkhoff, 79, of Stotts City, died Saturday, Dec. 1, at the Mt. Vernon Place Care Center in Mt. Vernon. A funeral service, under the direction of the Fossett-Mosher Funeral Home, in Mt. Vernon, was held Wednesday, Dec. 5, at the Zion United Church of Christ, southwest of Mt. Vernon. Burial was at the Zion Memorial Cemetery...

Janie Ann Martin, 79, of Cassville, died Friday, Nov. 30. Funeral services will be held at 10 a.m. Friday, Dec. 7, at Fohn Funeral Home in Cassville. Visitation will be held from 6-8:00 p.m. Thursday, at Fohn Funeral Home in Cassville.

Everet James “Jim” Edens, 87, of Washburn, died Saturday, Dec. 1. Funeral services will be held at 2 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 6, at First Baptist Church in Washburn, under direction of Fohn Funeral Home in Cassville. Burial with military honors will be at Roller Cemetery in Washburn...

Walter Leslie Cornman, 76, of Jenkins, died Sunday, Dec. 2. Funeral services will be held at 2 p.m. Friday, Dec. 7, at Clio Community Center in Jenkins, under direction of Fohn Funeral Home in Cassville. Burial will be at Clio Cemetery in Jenkins.

Stuart “Kent” Young, 75, of Monett, Mo., passed away on Monday morning, November 19, 2018, while at his home with family at his side. Kent was born on April 5, 1943 in Wichita, Kan., son of the late Clement Aldin Young and Mary Juline (Gibson) Young. ...

Chris Alan Pugh, born Aug. 27, 1952, passed away at his home in Neosho, Mo., on December 1, 2018. To say that he loved his children was an understatement. He was a kind, loving, supportive father, who always put his children first. He is survived by his daughter, Brandi Cooper and her husband Jody; his son, Chad Pugh and his wife Amber, his son, Dillon and girlfriend Samantha Patton, his son, Blake Pugh and wife Jennifer Pugh; his grandsons, Brittain Cooper, Mathew Cooper, Maverick Patton and Kyron Pugh; his granddaughters, Addyson and Morgan Patton; and his sister, Bobbi Arnold. ...

Linda Gayle Harvey Ehrhardt ~ January 16, 1942 to December 3, 2018 Linda, a mother, grandmother, sister, aunt, cousin and friend passed away peacefully on Monday morning, December 3, 2018, while at Cox South Hospital in Springfield, Mo. She lived most of her 76 years in Lawrence County, Mo., presently making her home in Freistatt, Mo. ...

Mary F. (Hooten) Black, 94, formerly of Purdy and Monett, went to be with the Lord on Nov. 29, 2018. She was a resident of Ozark Riverview Manor. Mary was born Oct. 20, 1924, in Exeter, and attended school there. She married William E. (Gene) Black who preceded her in death in 1995. Mary worked as a postal clerk in Purdy for many years until her retirement. She was an avid quilter, often giving them to her family...

Purdy High School Future business Leaders of America students were among more than 800 Missouri middle and high schools students who attended the FBLA National Fall Leadership Conference in Chicago on Nov. 2 and 3. The six Purdy chapter members and their advisers enjoyed two days of leadership development and career planning. Keynote speakers were motivational speakers Brandon Lee White and Carlos V. Spencer...

A check for $1,365.42 has been donated by the Grand council No. 1075 of the Knights of Columbus in Monett to the Arc of the Ozarks to aid its work on behalf of area residents with developmental disabilities.

Katherine Leavitt of Pierce City has been called to serve a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and she will serve in the Utah Salt Lake City Temple Square Mission. Leavitt, the daughter of Benjamin and Megan Leavitt of Pierce City, began her mission on Nov. ...

The area acoustic band Keltic Knot will offer its second annual Christmas concert in Monett at 7 p.m. Friday, Dec. 1, at the Monett High School Performing Arts Center. The concert is a benefit for the Monett Historical Society. Tickets are available at the door...

The annual Christmas ball, hosted by the Monett Senior Citizens Center at the City Park Casino, drew a large number of people this year, many dressed for the holidays.

Dancers from the Palestinian shepherds danced for the three kings as part of the Messiah Project’s production of Menotti’s “Amahl and the Night Visitors,” presented Friday at the Monett High School Performing Arts Center.

With a flurry of ruffles and bows and glitter, the 2018 Miss Christmas Spirit contestants were crowned in ceremonies taking place Saturday afternoon at Central Elementary School in Pierce City.

Purdy High School Student Council has announced royalty candidates for the 2018 Mister and Miss Merry Christmas.

The Monett High School student body has named its holiday royalty.

Three people received injuries in a two-car crash around 5:25 p.m. on Friday at Bridle Lane and Highway 60 in Monett. According to the Monett Police report, Jade Nicole Yokeley was driving a 2008 Kia van north on Bridle Lane and attempted to make a left turn west onto Highway 60. The van pulled into the path of a southbound 2017 Kia Forte, driven by Courtney Kaylene Shaw. The two vehicles collided head-on in the intersection...

A chance to see Santa Claus, eat cookies and take a train ride is available to the public again this year, with multiple opportunities for local families. Two trips from Seligman to Rogers, Ark., will be on Dec. 15, at 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. On the 9 a.m. ride, people can exit the train station and go shopping around downtown Rogers, then catch the train ride back with the 11 o’clock ride...

The sixth annual Alternative Gift Fair will be held from 10 am. to 2 p.m. on Saturday at the Monett Museum Events Center, 418 E. Broadway. Thirteen not-for-profit organizations will have representatives assembled in one place, offering the opportunity for visitors to learn about their efforts and either give a gift for the holidays, or to make a donation for someone else as a gift...

Department heads for the city of Monett report holiday preparations and ongoing personnel adjustments helped pace a busy month. Electric department crews finished setting up displays for the Chamber of Commerce’s Festival of Lights at South Park and on Broadway. Crews placed decorations around town using bucket trucks...

Monett firefighters responded to a structure fire in Monett on Sunday and worked a hazardous materials spill on Highway 97 south of Pulaskifield on Friday. Firemen went to 210 Kingsley Drive in the Ridgemont Meadows subdivision at 2:07 p.m. on Sunday. According to the fire department spokesman, the residents had placed ashes from their fireplace on the back porch. The embers rekindled outdoors, ignited the back wall of the house and traveled into the attic...

Never before has the Barry-Lawrence Ambulance board anticipated sales tax revenue, and for the coming year, board members budgeted $1 million with a new revenue stream that will transform the district’s financial outlook in 2019. Board members opted against reducing the property tax for the coming year at their tax levy hearing in August. Without seeing actual revenue, they considered it imprudent to cut potential income without a track record on sales tax. In 2017, the property tax generated...

A severe storm took residents of Barry and Lawrence counties a bit by surprise early Saturday morning, with rapidly worsening conditions likely producing a tornado, leaving one person dead and damaging property across the two counties...

Barry and Lawrence counties are proving to be the exception to the rule when it comes to deer harvesting. The Missouri Department of Conservation has released preliminary deer harvest totals for the state, and through Dec. 1, a total 270,570 deer have been checked in with the state as harvested...

The Monett football team finished the season strong, and its peers in the Big 8 Conference took notice. A total of 9 Cubs claimed 11 spots on the Big 8 All-Conference West Division list, including: First Team: William Murphy Second Team: Chet Butterworth, William Murphy, Aleks Salas, Wesley Merriman, Ray Villalta, Cole Davis and Dale Slater...

Teams often find playing for third place in a tournament the hardest game for generating excitement among the players, according to Verona basketball coach Brad Stewart. “Take the fifth place game,” Stewart said. “You’re coming off a win and are looking to finish the tournament with two in a row. But in the third place game, you are still kind of down because it isn’t the championship and you were almost playing for the title instead.”...