Stories from Wednesday, March 27, 2019

Anyone with mobility issues, like walking or standing in lines, may go to the Barry County Clerk’s office Saturday to vote absentee. The Barry County Clerk’s Office will be open from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday for absentee voting for the General Municipal Election...

At the March 19 meeting for the Jenkins Bridge, the official name was chosen for the non-profit aiming to save the bridge — the Jenkins Bridge Preservation Foundation.  Any person interested in the preservation or in working with the group is encouraged to attend the meetings. There is also a Facebook site for information...

Cindy Burnside, a Purdy fourth-grade teacher, prepared to donate blood on Wednesday during the blood drive organized by the student council and Community Blood Center of the Ozarks.

Camp Barnabas hosted Barnabreak camp over the weekend for 65 campers with special needs.

Charles Wayne Wormington, 84, of Purdy, died Saturday, March 23, at Sarcoxie Nursing in Sarcoxie. Funeral services are being held on Wednesday, March 27, at 10 a.m. at the Bennett-Wormington Funeral Chapel in Monett with Rev. Lee Neill officiating. Burial will follow services at the Purdy Cemetery in Purdy...

Katherine Major Holman, 68, of Mt. Vernon, died at 3:27 a.m. on Thursday, March 21, at Mercy Hospital in Springfield. She was born April 27, 1950, in Shenandoah, Iowa, the daughter of Edward and Joyce (Gray) Major. Funeral services were held Monday, March 25, 2019, at the Fossett-Mosher Funeral Home in Mt. Vernon...

Linda Hazel Hinds, 71, of Pierce City, died Thursday, March 21, at Bentonview Park Health and Rehab in Monett. Memorial services will be held at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, March 28, at Buchanan Funeral Home. Visitation will follow the service. Arrangements are under the personal care and direction of Buchanan Funeral Home...

William David Hastings, age 66, of South Greenfield, died at 1:15 p.m. on Monday, March 11, at the Sarcoxie Nursing Home in Sarcoxie. Graveside service will be held at 11 a.m. on Saturday, March 30, at Goss Cemetery southwest of Miller. Arrangements are under the direction of the Morris-Leiman-Mosher Funeral Home in Miller...

John Henry Fraley, 73, of Verona, formerly of Wharton, Texas, died at 9:45 a.m. on Monday, March 18, at Good Samaritan Assisted Living in Verona. He was born August 25, 1945, in Wharton, Texas, the son of the late Morris Albert and Dorothy Belle (Armstrong) Fraley...

David Jim Estes, 74, of Mt. Vernon, died at 4:17 p.m. on Friday, March 22, at his daughter’s home in Mt. Vernon. He was born August 10, 1944, in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, the son of Otis and Mary (Powers) Estes. Funeral services will be held at 2 p.m. on Wednesday, March 27, at Fossett-Mosher Funeral Home in Mt. Vernon. Burial, with full military honors, will follow at the Mt. Vernon IOOF Cemetery...

Mary Frances Carlin, 89, of Monett, died Friday, March 22, at Sarcoxie Nursing Center in Sarcoxie. Private family services are being held at a later date. Arrangements have been entrusted to the care of the Bennett-Wormington Funeral Home in Monett...

Jane R. Burke, 60, of Golden, died Thursday, March 21. Memorial services will be held at 11 a.m. Friday, April 12, at Holiday Island Community Church in Holiday Island. Cremation arrangements are under direction of Fohn Funeral Home in Cassville.

Bobby Leigh Bratton, 44, of Shell Knob/Branson area, died Tuesday, March 19. Private services were held at Russell Cemetery in Butterfield under direction of Fohn Funeral Home in Cassville.

Velma Joyce Callaway Brown Beardslee, 85, of Cassville, died Friday, March 22. Funeral services were held Tuesday, March 26, at Fohn Funeral Home in Cassville. Burial was at Sparks Cemetery in Butterfield.

Willa Jean Landoll, of Monett, passed away Dec. 15, 2018, at Mercy Hospital in Joplin following a brief illness. She was born June 3, 1931, the daughter of Dee and Ida Lathrop (Gilmore). She is survived by her husband of 42 years, Ronnie Landoll, of the home. ...

For the fourth time in nine years, the Monett girls basketball team will have a new coach. At the February school board meeting in Monett, the district accepted the resignation of Alyssa Kennedy. “The last four years spent as head girls’ basketball coach at Monett High School have been full of many positive and successful memories,” Kennedy said. “As I move on to pursue the next challenge in my career, I am confident in the hard work I’ve put in as the leader of the...

In damp and dreary conditions, Alejandro Groomer lit up the sky with a first-pitch, 3-run homer to lift the Cubs to a 6-4 victory over Republic. “We talked before the game that no one was hitting a home run in these conditions,” said Michael Calhoun, Monett coach. “Ale squared that ball up and just absolutely crushed it.”...

Maxine Jackson Schad will celebrate her 90th birthday on April 3.

Fish fries for Lent will continue from 5 to 7 p.m. on Friday at St. Lawrence Catholic church, 405 Seventh St. in Monett and at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Pierce City. The Monett Ministerial Association will begin its midweek Lenten services at 12:05 p.m. today, March 27, at the Waldensian Presbyterian Church. Dustin Ray will speak. A light lunch will be available after the service. Next week’s service will be at Chapel of Grace, with Richard Virnig speaking...

The Monett Historical Society hosted its inaugural “Spring into Spring” luncheon and fashion show on Saturday at the Monett Museum.

Two people were hurt in the three-vehicle collision at 4:40 p.m. on Monday on Highway 60 at the intersection of Farm Road 1100. According to the Missouri State Highway Patrol, Michele Freiburger, 45, of Monett, was driving west on Highway 60 in a 2005 Chrysler Town and Country SUV when her vehicle was struck from behind by a 2006 Chevrolet Silverado, driven by Noah Stanley, 21, of Monett. The impact pushed the SUV into a 2001 Dodge Neon in front of it, driven by Jacob Henderson, 23, of Purdy...

Winning entries in Draw Pierce City 2019 contest will be on display at an artist’s reception slated for 4-6 p.m. Thursday at the Pierce City Branch of the Barry-Lawrence Regional Library. This year’s theme, the Spirit of Pierce City, saw Mary Holmes taking top honors in the adult category...

The city of Wheaton has decided to look into a Department of Natural Resources grant that was brought to its attention so officials can find out where some water loss is happening. Joshua Kinnaman, city of Wheaton utilities supervisor, said if the city approves it, the DNR grant is for $62,000 worth of work, and the city would only be responsible for $12,500 of that total cost...

The Purdy school board recently lined up personnel for the coming year and scheduled summer school and adopted a calendar for the coming school year. The board rehired its remaining administrators, Elementary Principal Julie Dalton, High School Principal Derek Banwart and Associate Superintendent Mindi Gates...

Barry County emergency services E9-1-1 director Mike Phillips, was recently chosen as Director of the Year 2019, and he was awarded at the Spring 2019 Missouri Public Safety Communication Conference. Phillips said he was presented the award on behalf of the three organizations that represent 911 in Missouri...

The Monett Special Road District is seeking to remedy a decades-old clerical error that stripped the district of any tax revenue from Lawrence County residents. Lawrence County voters in the road district on April 2 will see a proposed 26-cent per $100 of assessed valuation on the ballot. At the present time, the only property tax revenue supporting the district comes from Barry County. Other funds come from the state...

Sales tax to bi-county cities and counties dropped by 6 percent in March, leaving most recipients lagging compared to the first quarter of 2018. Monett's two sales taxes funding the general fund generated $172,159.60, down $3,928.28 from a year ago. It was the third drop in income in four months. However, closing the fiscal year, Monett's general fund received $2,008,406.28, cracking the $2 million mark for the first time, topping last year's sum by nearly $14,000...

Verona voters going to the polls on Tuesday will face a choice between four candidates running for two at-large city council seats. One of the more embattled government bodies that has seen its share of disagreements over the past two years has generated four candidates for two seats. Voters will be asked to choose between incumbent alderman Michael Haynes, present mayor Joseph Heck, and two first-time candidates, Denise White and Claude Carr...

The ad hoc committee for passage of a .5 percent sales tax to fund 911 and central dispatching services in Lawrence County planned a final push before city councils prior to the April 2 election. At a meeting on Monday, the panel approved mailing a letter to municipalities and other agencies receiving dispatching services through the central dispatching service now operated out of Monett’s dispatch center. ...

The Children's Center in Monett, the child advocacy center processing sexual and physical abuse cases that occur primarily in Barry and Lawrence counties, saw less activity in 2018 than in 2017, though higher than two years ago. The continued value of the service offered has resulted in plans for a major expansion of the Monett facility once funds are raised...

The Monett Board of Education has named Stephanie Heman as the new Monett High School principal for the 2019-2020 school year. Heman, the current assistant principal at Monett, has served in that capacity for the past two years. Her past experience includes 17 years as a teacher and coach, plus 11 years in administration...