Stories from Wednesday, December 19, 2018

My Vang, 76, of Purdy, died Saturday Dec. 1, at Mercy Hospital in Springfield. Visitation will begin at 9 a.m. on Sunday, Dec. 23, at the Bennett-Wormington Funeral Home in Monett. Funeral services are being held at 9 a.m. on Monday Dec. 24, at the Bennett-Wormington Funeral Chapel in Monett. Burial will be at the Dice Cemetery in Fairview...

Johnny Lee Farmer, 55, of Cassville, died Wednesday, Dec. 12. Graveside services were held Monday, Dec. 17, at Maplewood Cemetery in Exeter, under direction of Fohn Funeral Home in Cassville.

Robert Monroe George, 68, of Pierce City, died Saturday Dec. 15, at his home in Pierce City. Graveside services will be held at 1 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 19, at the Pierce City Cemetery in Pierce City. Arrangements have been entrusted to the care of the Bennett-Wormington Funeral Home in Monett...

Beverly Sue Buehler, 77, of Joplin, died Thursday, Dec. 13, at Freeman West Hospital in Joplin. Services were held Monday, Dec. 17 at the Crafton-Cantrell Funeral Home in Aurora. Burial was at the Maple Park Cemetery in Aurora.

Henry Luther Blankenship, 71, of Aurora, died Friday, Dec. 14. Funeral services were held Tuesday, Dec. 18, at Fohn Funeral Home in Cassville. Burial was at Clio Cemetery in Jenkins.

Jerry L. Daniel, 75, of Purdy, Mo., passed away on Saturday, December 15, 2018, following a brief battle with cancer. Jerry was born on March 12, 1943, in Barry County, Missouri, son of the late Oral Lee Daniel and Marzell Lucille (Stockton) Daniel. ...

Both the Monett girls wrestling teams continue to make strides on area mats. The Lady Cubs, according to Coach Daryl Bradley, are progressing day by day, and he believes they are on the right path. On Thursday, Monett’s girls fell to Marshfield, 24-18...

The Monett girls swimming and diving team continues to show that it can keep pace with the biggest schools in the area. Last week, the Lady Cubs won the Carthage meet, then took second in their own invitational. “I was very pleased, especially with our home meet, and Kickapoo coming to town,” said Dan Janssen, Monett coach. ...

Auditions will be held at 6:30 p.m. on Dec. 20 for the Rebels Bluff Troupe’s spring charity show. Participants will have a cold read from a script. Stage hands are also needed. Auditions will be held at the Mt. Vernon Arts and Recreation Center (the MARC), 822 W. Mt. Vernon Blvd...

The holidays are time for parties and togetherness.

Students at Trinity Lutheran School in Freistatt rehearsed music for the Trinity Lutheran Church Christmas Eve service at 7 p.m. on Monday.

The Monett Chamber of Commerce held ribbon cutting ceremonies Monday for the Cubs Café at 202 Highway 37 in Monett.

Lawrence County Sheriff Brad DeLay has a few words of caution for local residents concerning the Yuletide season. “As the holiday season approaches, I want to take this time to acknowledge our staff and thank them for their important contribution to this office and our community,” DeLay said. “I want to thank each and every one of our deputies and civilian staff for their hard work and encourage you to do the same when you see them.”...

The Monett City Council will face a busy agenda for the monthly meeting at 9:30 a.m. on Thursday, including hearing public comment on proposed changes to discontinuation of utility services. Utilities Superintendent Skip Schaller said the amendment to the ordinance on bad check service charges and disconnection of services resolves internal inconsistencies in the city code. ...

With squirming fidgets and solemn faces, Purdy’s pre-kindergarten students performed in the annual Christmas program on Thursday evening at the school’s school cafeteria.

Purdy's long running battle over its sewer system has apparently ended with the beginning of pumping effluent to Monett's wastewater treatment plant on Dec. 4. Public Works Supervisor Lonnie Lowery reported a problem last month delayed the start. An engineer misunderstood the pumping demands of the system and programmed the main pump station to provide continuous pressure rather than intermittent pressure because gravity flow assists the process. ...

When the Monett school board meets at 6 p.m. today, a discussion on district buildings will likely provide insight into the direction of growth as deadlines approach for the April 2, 2019, election and a no-tax-increase bond issue. Bonnie Crawford, an architect with Sapp Design Associates, recently visited all five campuses and is expected to bring conceptual drawings for how the district can move on its growth concerns. ...

A retirement reception was held Monday in Mt. Vernon for Presiding Commissioner Sam Goodman, Circuit Court Clerk Steve Kahre and Recorder of Deeds Pam Robertson, who stepped down this month after a combined 44 years of service to the county. During the formal part of the program, each received a plaque from the county commission. Goodman presented two of them, and Eastern Commissioner Tim Selvey presented the one to him, with additional comments from Western Commissioner David Botts...

City officials in Purdy have announced the location of the new post office and learned recently the community is about to lose its public library. Mayor Pro Tem Brian Bowers, presiding over the monthly city council meeting on Dec. 11, said the city had received official word that the spec building constructed by Ed Mareth at the northwest corner of Commercial and Washington had been selected as the new post office. ...

Three teenagers have been charged with multiple felonies in relation to at least 59 vehicle that had their tires slashed in late October and early November in the Monett area, leaving a trail of damage totaling $21,929.96. Charles Mitchell, 17, of Pierce City, and Dakota Mitchell, 17, of Verona, each face five charges of first-degree property damage, spanning five cases. Timothy Gilliam, 18, of Pierce City, faces two of the same charges in two separate cases...