Stories from Wednesday, January 2, 2019

Bryon Theodore Johnson, 79, of Marionville, died Friday, Dec. 28, at Cox South Hospital in Springfield. A graveside service, under the direction of the Williams Funeral Home in Marionville was held Monday, Dec. 31 at the Mt. Olive Cemetery.

George Fredrick “Fred” Sherman, 76, of Exeter, died Saturday, Dec. 29. Graveside services will be held at 1 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 2, at Neosho Memorial Park in Neosho, under direction of Fohn Funeral Home in Cassville. Fred Sherman George Fredrick “Fred” Sherman, 76, of Exeter, died Saturday, Dec. 29...

Two tournaments are in the book this season for the Verona boys basketball team, and two third-place finished have been recorded. The latest came in the Walnut Grove Holiday Tournament, with Verona defeating top-seeded Fordland, 69-56, to take third...

The basketball season has not had as smooth a start as Pierce City Coach Matt Street had hoped. His Eagles enter 2019 at 7-4 and fresh off a fifth-place finish in the Walnut Grove tournaments. Street said he feels better now than he did about his team three weeks ago...

Four years ago, after her freshman-laden Lady Bulldogs lost every game in the Southwest Holiday Tournament, a dejected Jessica Lombard answered questions about what her young team needed to do in order to grow and come together. Lombard gave measured responses, but also drove home the point that her players had to buy into to each other and into her way of coaching...

A total of 67 donors turned out on Dec. 17 to give blood at the American Red Cross drive, held at Community Church in Monett, the highest turnout in nearly five years, according to event organizers. Church members made chili, gumbo and Christmas cookies for donors to enjoy, along with cheese, donated by Schreiber Foods, and soda, donated by Ramey/Price Cutter in Monett. Each donor also received a $5 gift card from Amazon...

The Lawrence County Soils and Crops Conference will be held at 6 p.m. on Jan. 3 at the University of Missouri’s Southwest Research Center, southwest of Mt. Vernon next to the Mt. Vernon Airport. Speakers will discuss best ways to feed corn silage and getting the most from hay production. A small fee is requested. Registration for the dinner at 6 p.m. was requested by Dec. 31. For information, people may call 417-466-3102...

It was all fun and games at Monett Lions annual Christmas party in December.

Christmas break offered an ideal opportunity to make upgrades at the Drury University campus in Monett.

January is a month of new beginnings, like the new Jerry D. Hall Memorial Pavilion in the Glen and Sharon Garrett Park in downtown Monett.

The Freistatt Village Board of Trustees approved a change in the village ordinance for renting the Freistatt Community Building and continued to wrestle with a rules of conduct policy for board members during the board’s December meeting. Trustees approved an addition to the community rental policy recommended by the Missouri Municipal League (MML) that identifies for users that the building is owned by the village “to conduct its regular city business and reserves all right to its trustees and employees to enter said building at any time to conduct its city business regardless of whether or not it is being rented at the time.” Clerk Deborah Schoen said the addition protects the city.. ...

The Purdy school board recently heard positive reports about the new storm shelter/performing arts center and took action on staffing. Superintendent Steven Chancellor reported the elementary school Christmas program, the first event in the new performing arts center, prompted “tons of good feedback.” Sound and lighting proved adequate, though microphones offered some early challenges. The stadium seating offered a better view than the elementary gym...

On Friday, Lawrence County officials took the oath of office to begin their service, beginning on Jan. 2. Clerk Gary Emerson, concluding his last day on the job he had held since 2003, administered the oath of office. He first swore in Scott Sifferman as associate circuit court judge, Division 1, and Robert George, associate circuit court judge, Division 2...

Barry County Clerk Gary Youngblood, right, swore in a group of incumbent officeholders Friday.

An unoccupied home in rural Verona was destroyed by a suspicious fire on Saturday. According to Aaron Siegrist, chief of the Aurora Rural Fire District, firefighters were called to the house in the 13700 block of Farm Road 2220, one mile west of the railroad tracks in Verona, at 3 a.m. ...

Last week a new resource, the Monett Police Department’s Special Response Team, went into service and begins a new level of outreach to crime situations in town. According to Sgt. Paul Ferguson, the team leader, others on the squad are Chris Miller, Jay Jastal, Juan Salazar and Trent Gold. Bob Kauffman is an adjunct member as the official driver...

Following the public vote to switch to a fire district from a municipal fire department, Verona residents appear bound for a break in their fire insurance costs. Alex Shubert, manager with the National Processing Center of the Insurance Services Office (ISO), the firm that assesses firefighting abilities for fire departments, issued a letter to Orvil Maples, board chairman of the Aurora Rural Fire District, which Verona joined...

The Monett City Council has approved final paperwork for the flood buyout agreement with FEMA and voted to put further action renovating city hall on hold for the foreseeable future. Two resolutions relating to the flood control project saw passage. ...

It's back to the drawing board for members of the Barry-Lawrence Regional Library board. Last month, Gina Milburn, director, spoke to State Rep. Scott Fitzpatrick, R-Shell Knob, concerning efforts to have the Barry-Lawrence Regional Library included in a statute that would allow the board seek a sales tax for funding. At that time, Fitzpatrick said his support was contingent on having the support of State Sen. David Sater, R-Cassville, and State Rep. Mike Moon, R-Ash Grove, as well...